A nasty little story that your exterminator will never tell you because he just doesn’t know or is afraid to tell it.
Cockroaches have been around for millions of years (or, if you don’t believe the theory of evolution, around 6,000 years). Either way, they are here and that is a fact.
There are many different species of cockroaches and they are found almost everywhere. Some species of cockroaches live outdoors in the woods and fields and usually don’t end up inside our houses… but others really like our houses and those are the ones I want you to think about now.
It’s funny how we’re so in denial about roaches. It’s true. In Florida, for example, they are called “Palmetto Bugs.” That sounds much better and cleaner than a cockroach, doesn’t it? How many times have I heard someone say, “I saw one of those big ugly brown bugs… you know… the ones that fly… the… well, you know, like those Palmetto Bugs, Florida ones.”
“It would be a smoky brown cockroach, Mrs. Smith. Periplaneta sooty”
“Oh no… It wasn’t a cockroach… it was one of those big brown ones… you know… like those…”
“Face it Mrs. Smith…it’s a cockroach Face it!”
The fact is… Cockroaches are in EVERY home! That’s how it is. Cockroaches are in EVERY home. Maybe not all the time, and certainly some houses have more than others, but, if you live in a house in the southeastern United States, YOU DO HAVE ROACHES IN YOUR HOUSE ONCE AND A WHILE! You may not see them, but they are there anyway, hiding in cracks and crevices, in the attic, basement or basement, garage or screened-in porch, in wall voids, in the gutters, behind the fireplace, under the dishwasher, in the pantry, or one or more of a hundred other places. Yes… you have cockroaches whether you like it or not. Don’t worry… I won’t tell your neighbors. (They have those too, you know!).
FACT: Cockroaches need food and water, so when they get inside, they are more likely to end up in the kitchen than any other room in the house.
FACT: Cockroaches enter homes through cracks and crevices in most cases, although the German cockroach…a major problem in restaurants and grocery stores, typically finds its way into your home from another place. They don’t live in the woods… only in places where people live.
FACT: Cockroaches, such as the large smoky brown roach or “Palmetto bug,” live in woods, in the mulch, and in the ivy that grows around your home. (By the way, you won’t like hearing this, but that beautiful ivy growing all over the side of your house is a virtual ROACH FACTORY!). They enter homes through gaps around door sills, window frames, pipes, vents, cracks, shutters, and eaves. The ONLY WAY TO KEEP THEM OUT is to weatherstrip, caulk, and seal all areas where they can get in!
“Why my house?”
Good question. You have lights on at night and that attracts a lot of bugs to the windows and doors. Try leaving a porch light on at night and go outside and see how many bugs you count. Pretty impressive. In fact, there is light coming from under the door from inside and that light also attracts them. And then they feel the warm temperature of the air coming from under the door and that also attracts them. Bam… they’re in!
MYTH: If you see one roach, you have ten. If you see ten, you have a hundred. No. It could be just one.
So… you understand why you have cockroaches in your house from time to time… right?
Now let’s take a look at what happens when that roach gets into your house and how it survives. Let’s follow him… into the kitchen!
The typical smoky brown roach (the really big, ugly, dark brown ones we like to call Palmetto bugs) likes the kitchen because there’s plenty of food and water in there.
“But I keep my food in containers and I keep my floors and counters clean. I’m a clean person. My kitchen is clean. No roaches would find food in there. I’m a clean person and a neat housekeeper. Please… You’re at me!” insulting and I don’t like it one bit!”
OK Don’t worry… I’ll explain it this way. In fact, it would probably be better for me to put it in list form for you, but I like to tell stories, so here’s one for you. After reading it, will you tell me if a cockroach could survive in YOUR kitchen!
There’s a big nasty looking cockroach. We’ll just call it “Smokey.” He has entered your house through the hole under the patio door. You have decided to install it under your dishwasher because it is hot from the heat generated by the motor when it is running and there is moisture from condensation. Dark, humid, warm… ah, the good life. What a great place to spend a vacation if you are a roach!
The first night, Smokey decides to visit all the restaurants… you know… find all the good places to eat so he doesn’t have to waste a lot of time every night going from one place to another. He wants to be able to focus on more important things, like finding that cute little female he ran into a couple of nights ago at the gas grill.
Smokey loves the nightlife, so as soon as all the lights are out and you’ve gone to bed and everything is quiet, he’s off to the races!
By the way… did you know that more than 42 types of bacteria have been identified on the legs of cockroaches, including germs that cause serious diseases such as Salmonellosis, Gastroenteritis, Dysentery and Polio? Airborne contaminants from their feces (poop) can also trigger respiratory symptoms, including asthma attacks in sensitive individuals. Certainly not all types in all roaches, but enough to honestly say that wherever a roach travels it leaves a trail of bacteria with every step. The types of bacteria vary depending on where the roach has recently walked. It also picks up new bacteria and transports it from one place to another on the bottom of its feet, just like you and I would carry mud into the house. He walks on dog and cat waste because he loves the little snacks he finds there. It lives under the dishwasher or around the pipes under the kitchen sink or refrigerator, and years of scum and food scraps and mold and gunk have built up there and it’s a seething mass of bacteria and germs and who knows what other kinds of pollution… and all that trash is at Smokey’s feet and he tracks it wherever he goes! Are you with me so far?
While you sleep at night, Smokey is on the move. He is hungry, so he visits the buffet that you have unknowingly provided for him.
First, he stops at the toaster. He gets inside the toaster and licks crumbs off the wire rack and the basket that holds the bread when you make toast! However, it isn’t long before he tires of the toast. It’s crawled all over the toaster and everything tastes the same, so keep going. (Did I mention the bacteria on your feet?)
He then goes to the can opener on the counter. Oh yeah… there’s a veritable assortment of exotic foods here, all mixed into a crap shape on the little round blade that cuts through the can and circles the rim as it spins. Every time you open another can, you not only pick up more food from that can, but you deposit the dirt and bacteria already present in the can you just opened! Sure… I know you wash it, but you can’t get into all those hard to reach places… not like Smokey can! No sir. Smokey can lick the gunk off the can opener wheel when you didn’t even know he had gunk. In fact, he crawls all over the can opener until he’s licked every last bite. Oh, it doesn’t matter if you use one of those little manual can openers and leave it in the drawer, because that’s his next stop!
The kitchen drawers do not have a lid. They are simply a tray that slides on a rail back into the cabinet. All Smokey (or a mouse or a rat) has to do is crawl over it and into the crate. Now you may be wondering…why would a big nasty roach want to stop in the drawer where I keep my cutlery and cookware? The answer is really very simple. Those things aren’t as clean as you think they are. No. There is food residue on your spoons, forks, knives and other utensils that you may not even have noticed. Not all of them, but some of them… and Smokey knows he’s there. You see, he has a very sensitive nose. He can detect things that you and I can’t. I guess that’s one of the reasons he’s been around for so long. Anyway, he crawls through everything in the drawer and even though he can’t find anything good to lick, he’s left footprints on the spoon you’ll be using tomorrow morning to eat your cereal or stir your coffee!
Oh… I think I forgot to mention… Smokey “poops” a lot too. Wherever it goes, it “goes”… if you know what I mean. And now he’s pooped inside your toaster, all over your can opener, and all over the inside of your cutlery drawer.
Of course, he will eventually visit the cabinet where you keep the pots, pans, cookie sheets, bowls, plates, cups, and glasses, and before the night is over, he may end up taking a break from his wanderings and resting for a while. on top of a can of Chicken Noodle Soup or taking a little nap on the surface of your everyday dishes.
Eventually, the long night comes to an end, and on his way back to his hiding place under the dishwasher, a weary Smokey makes one last stop to crawl over your apples, bananas, or whatever else you might have worth nibbling on or eating. eat. two.
One thing is for sure… Smokey is not a picky eater. (Although he really likes the cheesy residue found on his little boy’s pacifier) But then again, that thing is never lying around at night, is it?
Oh… I almost forgot to mention your gas grill on the patio or deck. Smokey loves grease and food debris on the cooking surface of the grill. He and all his friends like to hide in the back of the grill and at night when you’re not grilling they come and spend the night partying and partying in the exact spot where you just slapped that big sirloin. Last weekend. If you have one of those vinyl covers over his grill, that’s even better. In fact, many times I have lifted one of those covers and seen dozens of cockroaches running in all directions. When those people treat me to a cookout, I always make it a point to bring a saucepan for myself!
So…the next time you see a “Palmetto bug” on your porch or patio, or find one on your kitchen floor and don’t think it’s something to worry about, just remember this…they don’t . It always ends in the kitchen. No. Sometimes they end up in the bathroom. After all… they love the taste of toothpaste residue on their toothbrush and around the edges of the toothpaste tube cap!
and that’s a fact
PS: If Smokey really turns out to be “Smolina”, he can produce up to 300 pups over the next 6 months to a year…all in his kitchen. Think about it!