Cockroaches can be a huge problem just about everywhere you go – and our home state of Virginia is no exception. We’ve got several species of cockroaches in the Alexandria, VA area that can cause home and business owners no end of headaches.

Roaches are some of the worst pests you can get because they breed extremely fast, embed themselves in just about every area of your property, and spread a plethora of diseases, some of which can be deadly. The good news is you’re not defenseless in the fight against roaches. Below we’ll go over some of your best weapons against roach infestation and what you can do if these pesky pests get out of hand. 

Common Area Roaches

The most common roaches that invade Virginia homes are the German cockroach, the American cockroach, the Oriental cockroach. All these species have their own unique look. German cockroaches tend to be smaller and appear inside in huge numbers. American cockroaches are by far the largest – often growing to around two inches long. Oriental cockroaches tend to be dark, and their bodies have a more sectioned look.

Despite their distinctive appearances, all roaches are tough as nails. Cockroaches are famous for their ability to survive much higher levels of nuclear fallout than humans, but they can also survive a lot of other pretty devastating incidents. For example, roaches can live up to a month without food. They can survive 40 minutes without oxygen. And they can live up to a week without their heads.

All roaches also pose similar dangers. Disease is the biggest peril posed by roaches. Because cockroaches are scavengers and need a lot of moisture, they hang out in tons of germ-infested places including sewers, garbage dumps, cemeteries, etc. They then carry all the pathogens they pick up in these rancid haunts into your home or commercial property. Roaches are known or suspected to spread cholera, salmonella, dysentery, and typhoid fever, among a host of other deadly illnesses.

Why Infestations Are So Hard To Get Rid Of

One big reason roaches are just about impossible to eradicate from your property is their rate of reproduction. German cockroaches breed especially fast, with just a single female laying dozens of eggs a month and all those hatchlings able to mature in as little as 36 days to start producing hatchlings of their own. That means just a couple of breeding females can balloon into an infestation of hundreds within a few months and thousands within a year. 

 Roaches’ infamous toughness extends to pesticides as well. Many roach species have developed high resistance to common over-the-counter insecticides. In fact, a lot of store-bought chemicals can pose more of a threat to a home’s human and animal occupants than they do roaches. Baits also don’t work because, as we’ve seen above, roaches breed so fast every individual will likely have replaced itself ten times over before dying from a sticky or bait trap.

What You Can Do

Most of the time, when you get a cockroach infestation, you’re going to need professional help. Here at Matar Termite & Pest Control, we’ve been kicking the roaches out of Northern Virginia properties for 30 years! We offer all-inclusive pest control treatments with a focus on long-term eradication instead of just short-term suppression. Our trained toxicologists, entomologists, and environmentalists are always on top of the latest pest control technologies, so you can rest assured you’ll always get the safest and most effective treatments. So give us a call at (571) 483-3575 or visit our contact page to schedule your service today!