Survival Guide to Floridian Roaches

Flordia is known for its lovely warm weather and refreshing lifestyle, but the homeowners there may have a different story to tell: cockroaches!

Nothing is more terrifying than creepy-crawly roaches invading your house, leaving behind a foul smell and flying right in front of your eyes.

Even worse, the American cockroaches, Smoky Brown cockroaches, and Florida roaches — mainly found in Florida — are relatively bigger.

Over 37% of houses in Tampa and St. Petersburg are victims of the famous uninvited guests, palmetto bugs, who’ll start living rent-free in no time.

Is your house also infested with palmetto bugs? Are you looking for ways to get rid of them?

Look no further because this article will help you have a roach-free house through insecticides and natural ways!

Although Flordia’s humid weather makes it a breeding ground for pests, effective ways to eliminate the infestation do the job all year around. So, let’s jump on a guide to Florida roaches and learn to shoo them away!

Roaches 101: How To Identify Them in Florida

To successfully counter the roach war, you must know who your opponents are so that you don’t start to kill aimlessly.

1. American Cockroach

These notorious little critters are a popular bunch, namely American cockroaches.

Famous around the South, the American cockroach measures around 2–3 inches and has 6 spiny legs alongside its hair-like antennas.

Many of these come equipped with a functional pair of wings that they may use if startled. You’ll often find them in dark, humid areas like dumpsters, drains, etc.

2. Smoky Brown Cockroach

This variant of Floridian cockroaches is quite the pest. While having a particular knack for high spots, these brown critters love to nestle in rather odd areas like trees, gutters, and attics.

Being a distant relative to the American cockroach, the Smoky Brown varieties have a mahogany-like color painted on a 1-inch-long body. Their antennas are shorter, and they can also fly!

3. German Cockroach

Next in line, we have the German cockroach. This is by far the most effective pest for infesting your home.

While multiplying at an alarming rate, these little critters have made a knack for remaining indoors. They love the dark too.

They’re roughly half an inch long and have distinctive black stripes around the back of their heads. Characterized by a brownish hue, these pesky creatures are perhaps the smallest roach you’ll ever find here in Florida.

But don’t let their meager size fool you!

4. Others

Apart from these three versions of Floridian cockroaches, you’ll find many other varieties that include the following:

• Florida Woods cockroach
• Australian cockroach
• Brown-Banded cockroach

Why Are They a Problem?

Who would love to house spine-chilling insects that bring all sorts of nastiness to their home? Apart from the uneasiness factor, you shouldn’t be open to the idea that cockroaches are harmless.

Here’s why:

1. They are the forerunners to many diseases: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cockroaches are vectors for many diseases like cholera, diarrhea, viral infections, etc. They feed on their excrement!
2. They’ll make your house stink: Along with having a taste for decaying material, these roaches use their feces as a tracking mechanism, giving off a terrible odor. And they also secrete oleic acid upon dying — a substance that produces a horrible stench.
3. They cause damage to your property: They work to eat away things made especially from wood or paper. So if you have any of those lying around, they’re as good as gone.
4. They cause allergies: According to ACCAI, a cockroach’s saliva, feces, etc., can trigger asthma-related allergies. Under NPMA, about 63% of US homes contain cockroach allergens.

How Can You Get Rid of Them?

We’ve compiled a list of the most effective cockroach extermination or roach control methods. Here it goes:

1. Natural Remedies

The natural methods for removing cockroaches from your house include:

A) Extensive Sanitation

Sanitizing your surroundings means cutting off your roach’s food and water supply.

These include vacuuming the whole house for crumbs, neatly washing your dishes, ensuring you don’t leave any food item uncovered, and that there are no damp places where these roaches may otherwise nest.

The first step is to ensure they don’t have anything to eat or drink. You may still need to follow this step with a few other methods.

B) Exclusion

Next up, try and close off any entry points for the roaches. These include windows, doorways, etc. This way, they won’t have a chance to crash at your place!

Use dehumidifiers to reduce the moisture content in your garage, attic, basement, etc. These critters love the damp!

C) Natural Roach Killers

Now, we can move on to everyday household items that work wonders against these pests.

The next time you want to get rid of an infestation, try using boric acid, baking soda, or borax and mix it with sugar so the roaches can feast on it. One bite, and they’re as good as gone.

Diatomaceous earth does the same. Sprinkle some of it on high-traffic areas to get rid of colonies.

2. Chemical Methods

You can also use various artificially-prepared chemicals, including the ones listed below.

A) Bait Stations

Bait stations are a clever mechanism that works wonders. As soon as a cockroach eats the bait and returns to its colony, the others feast on it. This will affect and kill roaches in that colony!

B) Cockroach Spray

The famous cockroach sprays are the all-time famous roach kills. Spray it on them and let time do the trick. It’s a simple, hassle-free method that covers a wide radius too.

However, cockroach spray can often trigger allergic reactions. Hence, it’s preferred to evacuate the area for some time to avoid any respiratory problems.

C) Insecticide Gel

This unique gel would require a firm application at every nook and cranny you can find — preferably at the entry points.

Once that’s done, you can wave your creepy friends goodbye because they won’t bother you anymore!

Conclusion

Cockroaches multiply at alarming rates, bringing nothing but odor and diseases to your house. As much as every life holds value, they are not worth the hospitality of sheltering them.

The methods above work like a charm. Once you follow through with these methods, you can bid your scurry friends a hearty farewell.

Don’t forget, though, that they might try to visit you now and then all year round!