The Secret To German Cockroach Control In San Diego County

What Is Required To Control German Cockroaches?

Through the centuries, we've thrown a lot of stuff at these insects. Each time we've attempted to rid the world of them, they've come back stronger. This is because, not only are they incredibly difficult to kill, but they are also highly adaptive which makes them difficult to eradicate without professional pest management services. Let's break these two factors down into bite-sized chunks.

4 Reasons Why German Cockroaches Are Difficult To Kill

1. They can compress their exoskeletons to squeeze through gaps. If you step on one, it could survive by allowing itself to be compressed.
2. They are robust insects that can stand high levels of radiation and chemical exposure.
3. They can survive on an impressive diet of human food, rotting human food, grease, grime, moist paper, toothpaste, wallpaper paste, dead human skin, dead insects, hair, feces, and more. Good luck starving these insects to death!
4. A cockroach can live for up to a week without its head. This is because it doesn't breathe through its head. It breathes through tiny openings in its thorax. The reason it dies in about a week actually has nothing to do with its ability to breathe; it actually dies of dehydration. But let's not miss the point here. It can live a week without its head! That is one tough insect.

3 Ways German Cockroaches Adapt

1. When cockroaches survive exposure to harmful chemicals, nymphs are able to shed their skins and create new skins that are even more resistant to the chemical substance.
2. When bait is used to exterminate cockroaches, they learn to avoid the bait. More so than this, their taste receptors are genetically altered. Recent research has shown that some German cockroaches have adapted to become averse to eating certain sugars because the sugars were commonly used in cockroach baits.
3. This ability to adapt does not stop with one generation. German cockroaches can be born with a resistance to chemicals and an aversion to certain cockroach baits.

Do you see the problem? Not only are these robust insects, they're also highly adaptable. Effective German cockroach control treatments must be multi-pronged. That's the secret. Now that you know the secret, what is the next step? We're glad you asked.

In Light Of How Difficult They Are To Control

If German cockroaches have gotten into your San Diego County home, we don't recommend trying to go at these insects with over-the-counter products. At best, you'll fail to control them and they will be allowed to grow their population in your home and increase the health threat they can pose to you and your family. 

At worst, you could apply harmful chemical products directly to the roaches, or the areas where they have been active, and those roaches could bring that harmful chemical into your food storage areas, dish cabinets, and silverware drawers—to name just a few sensitive locations. If the product you use doesn't stop a cockroach dead in its tracks, the cockroach will become a vehicle for that chemical.