Small and Crawl
The German Cockroach is small – about the size of a peanut half. Wherever you find humans you can find German Cockroaches. The German Cockroach doesn't fly, at least not very far but they do crawl and crawl a lot. The German Cockroach is found all over the world usually hiding in dark places.
Reproducing Exponentially
The German cockroach is one of the fastest reproducing cockroaches. The entire life cycle is completed in around 100 days with the last half devoted to reproduction. Under ideal conditions, population growth can be enormous.
Disgusting Little Creatures
They are attracted to feces, rotting food, sputum, pus, and similar, which gives them a well-earned "disgust factor" among the general public. Roaches will feed on anything – they even feed on book bindings if no other food source is available. Residential infestations are usually worse in kitchens and bathrooms where there is food and moisture.
The German Cockroach can contaminate food with their feces and pheromone secretions. They transport pathogens that can cause allergies or other respiratory problems. They smell bad, too.
Brought into the Home
German cockroaches don’t walk into your home - they are often brought into the home from an infested location. They can be brought in with boxes from a warehouse, or used furniture or even brought in on clothes or shoes. Prevention can be as simple as inspecting these items coming in from infested areas.
Elimination is Possible but Not Easy
Once introduced to your home, elimination is possible but not easy. The German cockroach requires an extensive program for elimination. To eliminate German cockroaches you need to resign yourself to a comprehensive program that includes sanitation, inspection, baits, Boractin Dusts, residual insecticides, and IGR's (growth regulators). These treatments may need to be repeated several times to finally break the life cycle.
