How To Get Rid Of Big Roaches

American Roach Adults, egg capsule and nymphs

American Cockroach Identification

American Cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) are also known as a "water bug" or "palmetto bug."

The American roach is reddish-brown, about 1.5 inches long or longer, winged, but seldom fly. The male wings are longer than the female wings. Young nymphs are gray-brown in color. As the American cockroaches mature, they become more reddish-brown in appearance. They have well developed wings, but don't fly much unless temperatures are above 85 degrees, then they are known as "flying waterbugs."

American Cockroach Diet

American Cockroaches prefer decaying organic matter, but being scavengers will eat anything. Sweets are attractive to the American roach. They also will feed on starchy items like book bindings, and the back of wall paper.

Habits and Biology of American Cockroaches

Biology

Females produce many egg capsules, having 14-16 eggs hatching in 50-55 days into grayish-brown "nymphs." Female American Roaches prefer to deposit their eggs in protected and damp areas. Nymphs will molt 9 to 13 times before reaching maturity. The nymphs are 1/4-inch long. The nymphs are gray-brown when they come out of the egg capsule.

Temperature

The comfortable temperature for an American roach is about 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

As temperatures outside get cool, you may find the American roaches moving indoors. They come in thru entry points like, air ducts, around utility pipes, small cracks and crevices, sewer connections and under doors. They can be found near bathtubs, clothes hampers and plumbing.

Flying roaches

They will fly at high temperatures. They can move from building to building.

Habitats

Adults and nymphs can be found in a variety of places. In the North, they are commonly found in steam heat tunnels or in large institutional buildings. They are often found around accesses to sewers, near garbage, and ner sump pumps.

Nymphs may be found in dark basements, crawl spaces, floor drains. In basements, they may be found in corners areas high on the walls or in floor drains.

They more commonly congregate in open spaces instead of small crack and crevices.

The American roach also prefers damp locations and access to water.When indoors, they can be located in dark, moist areas like basements and crawl spaces. Other likely areas indoors would be around bathtubs, floor drains, and sewers.

Outside the American Roach can be found in moist, shady areas like yards, hollow trees, woodpiles,and mulch. At times they can be found under roof shingles or attics. Usually, they will live outside but will wander inside in search of food and water or during extremes in weather conditions.

American Cockroach Control-How To Get Rid of American Roaches

Sanitation and Exclusion

Sanitation and exclusion procedures are the first things required for this type of roach. If you eliminate food sources, moisture or their harborages, it will put such pressure on the roach population, leading to better results with your pest control measures.

Sanitation and Home Repairs

Caulk all penetrations through ground level walls.
Remove rotting leaves from window wells and gutters.
Stop water leaks, screen equipment overflow drains, and take overflow water away from buildings; keep drain traps full or capped.
Store firewood as far away from the house as you can. If you can lift it off the ground, it will help eliminate harborage areas.
Discard old boxes and piles of papers where roaches can hide.
Use a tight fitting lid on your trash can.
Move garbage cans out of preferred moist habitat.
Clean kitchen appliances thoroughly to eliminate food sources.
It is not wise to allow pet food to sit out overnight for indoor pets. For outdoor pets, pick up the food after they are finished eating.
.Ventilate moist spaces
Remove rotting leaves from window wells and gutters.

Exclusion:

Although the American roach has many places to habitat outside, it will enter if there is an entry point.

Seal as many exterior cracks and holes as possible on the outside of the home
Caulk all penetrations through ground level walls.Caulk and repair holes around doors, windows, water pipes and baseboards.
Place mesh screens over windows, floor drains, and vents. Seal any cracks or holes leading indoors with caulk or other sealants.These places serve as roach locations.
Make sure that doors and windows fit securely inside the frames, to eliminate entry.

Pest Control Products To Use For American Cockroaches

Outside Treatment

Insecticide Sprays:

Generally speaking, control measures should concentrate on the outside of the building and points of entry of the American Roach.

This is called a "perimeter or barrier" treatment.

You may use concentrated residual sprays : LambdaStarCap Ultra 9.7, Cyzmic CS, Defense SC Cyper WSP, or Demon WP inside or outside. Spray a 3-6 foot band around the entire house. Spray outside around doors, windows, pipe openings, and dryer vents.

Recommended products are in the table below. They would require a pump sprayers.

Insecticide Granulars : You may apply granulars around the base of the house, particularly in areas of pine straw and mulched areas. Bifen Lp is the recommended insecticide granular.

Granular Insect Baits:

Insects baits like Invict Xpress Granular Bait or Intice Perimeter Bait can be used indoors, outdoors or in turf areas. Invict Xpress has multiple food attractants to attract not only the American Roach, but also Crickets, some Ants, Silverfish, Earwigs and Firebrats.

Indoor Treatment

Insecticide Sprays:

Apply inside on the baseboards near the entry points (doors, windows, plumbing under sinks)..
On the inside, apply around the plumbing under the sinks and washer and dryer connections. You don't have to spray all the interior baseboards, just the corners and baseboards inside the garage and basement areas.

Insect Baits:

If you have these larger cockroaches entering inside your home from the attic area (due to trees that overhang the attic or gutters that are not clean) using baits like Invict Express Insect Baits or Intice Perimeter Baits, would give you very good results. This insect bait would also be excellent choices for crawl spaces and or attics.

Insecticide Dusts:

Using a hand duster, apply insecticide dust in locations that the American Roaches are traveling. Such places would be behind baseboards, wall outlets, wall voids, and underneath appliances. The recommended Dust is D-Fense Dust.

Retreatment

The residual insecticides:Lambdastar Ultra Cap 9.7, D-Fense SC, Cyper WSP, and Demon WP as well as the residual granulars, Bifen LP Granules should be repeated every three months during the season. The top recommendation is Lambdastar Ultracap 9.7. It has an improved encapsulated formula to cause it to bond to surfaces better and holds up under ultraviolet light and rain longer.

The Invict Xpress Granular, Intice Perimter last about 6 months, free from rain. D-Fense Dust last from 6 months to a year, if free from rain.

Insecticide Concentrates & Granulars

Recommended residual sprays for perimeter treatments, basements and attics

Lambdastar Ultracap 9.7

lambdstar ultracap

LambdaStar Ultracap 9.7 (Broader label and longer lasting-may be used inside or outside and will dry invisible. Lambdastar Ultracap has no smell. LambdaStar Ultracap will last longer outside and adhere to the surface better due to its encapuslated technology. It will yield 20-40 gallons

Cyper WSP and Demon WP

cyper wsp

Cyper WSP

demon wp

Demon WP

Cyper WSP and Demon WP have the same label, but Cyper WSP is more economical than Demon WP. Demon WP and Cyper WSP will leave a visible residue seen against dark wood.

D-Fense SC

d-fense sc

D-Fense SC will also dry invisibly with no smell. It can be used inside or outside. The pint will yield 11-22 gallons.

Where to spray:
You may use three residual sprays : LambdaStar Ultra Cap 9.7, D-Fense SC, Cyper WSP or Demon WP inside or outside.

Spray outside around doors, windows, pipe openings, and dryer vents. Apply also on the inside on the baseboards near the entry pts.

On the inside-apply around the plumbing under the sinks and washer and dryer connections. You don't have to spray all the interior baseboards, just the corners, and baseboards inside the garage and basement areas.

Insecticide Granules and Insecticide Baits

For additional treatment: You may apply Bifen LP Granules around the base of the house, particularly in areas of pine straw and mulched areas and or Intice Perimeter Bait as supplemental treatments. If you have these larger cockroaches entering your home from the attic area (due to trees that overhang the attic or gutters that are not clean) using baits like Intice insect baits, would give you excellent results.

Bifen LP

Bifen Granulars

Invict Xpress Bait

Invict Xpress Granular Bait

Invict Xpress contains the powerful ingredient, imidacloprid, for quick results. Invict Xpress is a broad spectrum granule bait that will also kill ants, cockroaches, crickets, mole crickets, silverfish, firebrats, and earwigs.

intice perimeter bait

Intice Perimeter Bait

Intice Perimeter Bait not only works well around the perimeter, but would also be excellent choices for crawl spaces and or attics.

Insecticide Dust

For additional treatment: You may apply an insecticide Dust such as D-Fense Dust with a duster. This dust would be useful in cracks and crevices, wall voids, electrical fittings, around doors and window frames, etc.

d-fense dust

D-Fense Dust

The residual insecticides: LambdaStar UltraCap 9.7, D-Fense SC, Cyper WSP, and Demon WP as well as the residual granulars: Bifen LP Granules should be repeated every three months during the season.

The Intice and Invict baits last from 6 months to a year, free from rain. The D-Fense Dust last up to 8 months. Feel free to call if you have any questions.