Are Cockroaches Dangerous?
Cockroaches can be extremely dangerous if you find them in your home. They can spread serious diseases such as dysentery, salmonella poisoning, and can cause diarrhea. They can also transmit other viruses, bacteria, and parasites to humans when they crawl over your everyday items like your countertops, cooking utensils, and dishes.Roaches can also trigger allergies and asthma attacks, especially in young children, people with weak immune systems, and the elderly. Allergies from cockroaches come from the skins they shed and the feces they leave behind.
Different Types of Cockroaches in Washington
There are four main types of cockroaches in Washington that you may find skittering around your home. Each has distinct features that helps you tell them apart, and they are often found in different places in your home.German Cockroaches
German cockroaches are the most common types of roach you can find in your home. They are extremely difficult to control and get rid of since they breed very quickly and move extremely fast. They are also highly adaptive and can live almost anywhere in your home. They can squeeze their small, flat bodies into very small spaces, which makes them very evasive.
What They Look Like
German cockroaches have tan or light brown bodies with two dark lines located on their head. They have oval-shaped, flat bodies and six legs. Although they have wings, they do not fly. They’re often about 5/8 inches in length and have long antennae. The females often have a wider abdomen than males
Where They Are Found
German roaches are often found indoors, and they can be found in drawers, cabinets, behind appliances, under sinks, and in your laundry room.
American Cockroaches
American roaches are the second most common type of cockroach found in your home. They are the largest type of cockroach that can be found in your home. They eat many different things and are often attracted to human food, trash, and compost.
What They Look Like
American roaches have reddish-brown bodies with a yellow-edged, 8-shaped pattern on their thorax. Their bodies are oval-shaped and long, and they have six legs with long antennae. Like German roaches, they also have wings, and though they can use them, prefer to use their legs. They’re often about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length.
Where They Are Found
Although American cockroaches are often found outside in mulch, trees, and flower beds, they will seek a safe place to stay in your home during rainy, hot, or dry weather. American roaches need a lot of moisture and prefer dark and damp spaces. This is why you’ll often find them in your kitchen, bathroom, and basement. They also tend to stay away from light, which is why you may see them scatter when you turn the lights on in a room.
Brown-Banded Cockroaches
Brown-banded roaches are sometimes seen occasionally in Washington, but they aren’t as common as German or American roaches. They’re smaller than other roach species and are hard to get rid of since they can survive in both cold and warm temperatures.
What They Look Like
Brown-banded cockroaches look like their name suggests. They are often brown or yellowish in color with dark bands in stripes down their bodies. They also have wings, but only the males are able to fly. However, like American roaches, they prefer to use their legs rather than their wings. Brown-banded roaches also have six legs and long antennae. They only grow to be about 1/2 an inch in length.
Where They Are Found
Brown-banded roaches prefer high places indoors. You can often find them up high in your closets, ceilings, and attics. They prefer warm, dry spaces, and unlike American roaches, they have low moisture needs.
Oriental Cockroaches (Water Bugs)
Oriental cockroaches, also known as water bugs, are common all throughout the United States. They are more slow-moving than other roach species. A telltale sign you have Oriental roaches in your home is a musty smell.
What They Look Like
Oriental cockroaches are distinguishable by their smooth, shiny, black bodies. Unlike other roaches, they are pill-shaped rather than oval, and they have underdeveloped wings that make them flightless. They have six legs and long antennae, and the females have slightly wider bodies than the males.
Where They Are Found
Oriental cockroaches are called water bugs because they are drawn to damp, wet places in your home. You can often find them near pipes, faucets, in your laundry room, in your basement, and in your crawlspaces. Although they like to live outside, you’ll often find them inside during cold weather, or when it gets too dry outdoors.
