The most dreaded California pest?
What is the most dreaded pest a California homeowner might encounter? According to research published in Pest Management Professional magazine, it’s the cockroach. Ditto for homeowners in northern Nevada.
While the two states share a common dread of cockroaches, their responses to seeing them differ slightly. Californians’ first response is to crush them, while Nevadans want to spray something.
Clark, your friendly pest control, rodent, mosquito, grounds care, and termite expert, has decades of experience dealing with cockroaches, and has the latest control methods and technologies to prevent and remove cockroaches for good.
The cockroaches of California
These six-legged troublemakers breed like rabbits, they carry disease pathogens and allergens, including triggers for asthma, and their presence is creepy and unacceptable to most folks. Spot one in a restaurant and it’s time to find someplace else to eat, because cockroaches contaminate food and eating utensils. Spot one in your home and the creep factor increases very quickly.
Cockroaches, sometimes confused with beetles, are nocturnal and tend to scatter when disturbed. They hide in dark, warm areas, especially narrow spaces where surfaces touch them on both sides.
Cockroaches are drawn to food and moisture, and will take advantage of the food waste in a kitchen or pantry, dry pet food left out overnight in a bowl, or a leaky pipe in a bathroom sink or shower.
There are around 4,000 species of cockroaches in the world, with 70 species now active in the United States. The most encountered cockroaches in California include:
Sanitation, the key to cockroach control
Sanitation is pest control, and it’s the key to keeping cockroaches out of your home. Below are five tips to help keep these pests away:
- Store food in insect-proof containers, such as glass jars or re-sealable plastic containers.
- Keep garbage and trash in containers with tight-fitting lids, and use plastic liners when possible.
- Keep trash cans away from doorways. Special trash cans may be mounted on pedestals in public spaces, like schools, to keep them off the ground where cockroaches forage. Remove trash, newspapers, magazines, piles of paper bags, rags, boxes, and other items that provide hiding places and harborage.
- Eliminate plumbing leaks and other sources of moisture. Increase ventilation where condensation is a problem.
- Vacuum cracks and crevices to remove food and debris. Make sure that surfaces where food or beverages have been spilled are cleaned up immediately. Vacuuming also removes cockroaches, shed skins, and egg cases, reducing overall cockroach numbers.
Your home is your castle. Don't let cockroaches or any other pests take it over. Since 1950, Clark Pest Control has identified and removed every pest imaginable across California and northern Nevada. We understand that when these unsavory critters enter your property, they can quickly turn your world upside down.
Clark will identify the root cause of the cockroach infestation, remove these pests from your home, and take the necessary steps to prevent them from returning.
Our residential pest control process is simple: Our friendly, trained and licensed service technicians perform a thorough inspection of your home and yard to uncover potential issues. We know where cockroaches, termites, bed bugs, spiders, rodents, ants, and other pests like to live and lurk, so we'll pinpoint these places. Then we'll provide you with a fully customized program to treat and eliminate entry points and nests.
If you’re experiencing problems with cockroaches, call Clark, California’s trusted, friendly pest control, at (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or send an email to clarkcares@clarkpest.com.
Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping to keep unwanted pests out of your home and yard.
Clark’s commitment to safety
Clark Pest Control remains committed to safeguarding your home from pests during these challenging times. Our service technicians use such personal protective equipment as gloves, masks, and respirators, they practice social distancing, and they adhere strictly to all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when servicing inside or outside your home.