When Cockroaches fly, expect rain

Regardless if you have had your home pest controlled, when the storms roll in, often so too will some very large cockroaches. It is not unusual around this time of the year to see an influx of cockroaches around the home. The difference is a professionally pest controlled home will stop the cockroaches from establishing a new nest in your home and when the stormy weather disappears so too will the cockroaches.

With warmer weather, expect to see an influx of large cockroaches seeking shelter in your home.

What Cockroaches like

Cockroaches like hot humid weather. They love Brisbane's long hot summers, but they do not enjoy the storms that the weather brings. This is why around this time of the year you will see a rise in the number of bigger cockroaches that can fly seeking refuge in your home. Cockroaches are thigmotactic, so they like to be in nice tight spaces like cracks and crevices and they also are far more active at night.

The two most common species of cockroaches that you will see with the storm season are the American cockroach and the Australian cockroach (Nothing to do with the Australia-United States defence alliance).. Both have the ability to fly or crawl into your home as the night thunder storms roll in over summer.

The American Cockroach

The American cockroach is one of the largest pest cockroaches to invade homes and commercial properties, sometimes called palmetto bugs or water bugs because they normally like to live around gardens and wet areas. American Cockroaches typically live and breed outdoors, and come inside to search for food and water.

These species of cockroaches are common inhabitants of sewers and drains. The American cockroach often enters homes through sinks and shower drains. After heavy rain, it is not unusual to see heavy infestations of the American Cockroaches in basements. The cockroaches prefers dark, humid and undisturbed areas and can be found also in sub-floors, basements, kitchens, roof voids and bathrooms of homes.

They’re very fast runners and can move up to 50 body lengths per second (comparable to a human running 210mph. They will eat just about anything, including paper, hair, cloth and dead insects.

Australian Cockroach

The Australian Cockroach enters buildings at night usually from gardens and surrounding bush. They are generally prevalent in areas such as Brisbane where winters are relatively mild and summers are hot and humid.

Despite the Australian Cockroaches name, it isn’t a native species, it is believed that the name originated in Asia or Africa but can be found in many locations throughout the world due to its travels by shipping

Australian cockroaches prefer to live under garden mulch, fall tree leafs, in piles of firewood, basically any locations that provides moisture and sheltered. They feed primarily on plant material. When inside your home they will seek out any starchy materials. They may come indoors to look for food and even to live, but in warm weather, they prefers to live outdoors and normally only enter homes to shelter from extreme heat or storms.

Dirty Cockroach!

Cockroaches can carry many disease-causing germs on and in their bodies. Because of their natural homes which includes rubbish, dirt and drains they are walking taxis for bacterial and viral germs. Once they enter our homes carrying their germs they will then be deposit on any surfaces they walk over including cutlery, crockery, benches, tables and any left out or uncovered food.

Need to protect your home from cockroaches establishing summer shelters in your home? Then call us on 3823 2500 for specialist cockroach control. We pride ourselves on our friendly, professional service that you can rely on every day.