Introduction
Nobody wants to search their home for cockroach droppings( poop), but this simple task can help you ward off infestation and disease. When you find yourself face-to-face with a roach infestation, certain discoveries are unpleasant, while others are just plain… awful.
Find roach droppings and you’ll find out where the roaches are congregating. You’ll also learn where they’re getting their food and water, giving you the upper hand in the battle. Anywhere you find a large amount of cockroach droppings gives you a ‟ground zero” area from which to begin control methods.
If you stay to the end of this article, you’ll not only have a better idea of how and why roach droppings got into your home. But how to get rid of it, along with all the roaches too. Are you Ready?
Contents
How To Identify Cockroach Droppings
Cockroach droppings or feces are easy to spot, They resemble ground coffee or black pepper. They can also appear as brown or black fecal stains, or even as a dark ink, depending on the roach and the surface. These stains might also appear as smears and are sometimes raised. Larger roaches leave behind dark, cylindrical droppings with blunt ends and ridges down the side. sometimes people mistake cockroach droppings for mouse droppings.
American cockroach droppings have ridges on the sides and they are blunt on the ends. Mouse droppings have pointed ends. Since mice groom themselves, mouse droppings often have hairs embedded in them. The fecal of cockroaches can cause asthma in humans.
What’s Inside Cockroach Droppings
Cockroaches don’t pee they secrete solid and semi-solid waste. All of which varies in appearance, depending on the size, age, and species of roach you’re dealing with.
Cockroach droppings are made up of all sorts of things that roaches have digested: Food from your cupboards, counters, and drawers. Garbage. Rotting flesh. And dead insects, including the carcasses of other cockroaches.
What Cockroach Droppings Look Like
Cockroach Droppings are generally dark brown or black pellets.They have the roundish form or oval-shaped.In this cockroach poop image you will see what i am talking about:
Where To Look For Cockroach Poop
Since some roaches fly, you are likely to find their feces anywhere in the house. However, to ensure your home is spotlessly clean, you must know areas where you are likely to find the most cockroach excrement.
There are places where defecation is more likely to happen. They frequently defecate near their food sources and nesting or congregation areas. Unfortunately, since their food sources are often near (or in) yours, your food can become contaminated and disease can spread. Here is where you can find cockroach Droppings:
- In the corners of rooms and all along the baseboards
- On top of shelves, cabinets, doors and other high objects providing hidden passage
- Inside of drawers, pantries, closets, cabinets and other food storage areas
- Children’s playpens, toy chests and anything else that little sticky fingers may touch
- Underneath and behind refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers and sinks
- Any cracks or openings in the floors, walls or structure in general
- In storage areas, especially with organic storage materials, such as cardboard boxes and papers
Why You Should Look For Roach Droppings
Do you know that there is a link between cockroach droppings and Asthma?? .The EPA acknowledge that Cockroach feces have been shown to increase the instance and severity of asthma ( asthma triggers) because they can contain allergens and proteins that trigger an allergic response and the allergens found in these droppings are incredibly long-lasting and durable.In fact, these allergens can persist in your home for up to 5 YEARS after roach removal if sanitation and cleaning are lacking in your home.
The feces also add potency to the telltale musty odor of a cockroach infestation. Aside from that, do you really want your children and pets coming into contact with roach poop?
But if you still need a reason to search your home for droppings, know that ignoring it will attract more roaches.
How To Get Rid Of Cockroach Droppings
Once you have spotted cockroach droppings, it is important to come up with a plan to eliminate the roaches. it’s time to take action and This may involve sanitation efforts, exclusion techniques, and chemical means. Here’s how to deal with Cockroach Droppings:
The droppings can be cleaned up using a vacuum cleaner. After vacuuming roach droppings with a HEPA filter, seal the bag and dispose of it immediately so that those allergens and bacteria do not remain in your home. It is also important to use soapy, hot water to wipe down surfaces where roach poop has been found. This prevents spread of bacteria and also washes away a pheromone that attracts other cockroaches to that area.
This not only removes the unsightly roach feces, but also the musty odor and attractant pheromones. It’s very important to mention that roaches also travel and defecate inside of your walls. So, even if you find and clean all of the cockroach waste in your home, there are likely still areas of the infestation that you can’t see, reach or clean.
That’s why the best way to eliminate all traces of roach droppings is to remove the culprits. Call a professional Service Technician to rid your home of cockroaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if You Accidentally Eat Roach Feces?
It is believed that Cockroaches harbor diseases it may be a reservoir for a range of bacteria including salmonella, staphylococcus and streptococcus. The cockroach can also harbour viruses such as the polio virus. and If you accidentally eat roach feces, you may fall sick. Roaches spread various types of diseases. You can contract any disease being carried by the cockroach.
Can Cockroach Droppings Make You Sick?
Yes it can. According to World Health Organization (WHO) There are over 60 pathogenic bacteria, fungi, molds, parasitic worms, and viruses found in cockroaches, including:
- Salmonella
- Campylobacter
- Listeria
- E. col
- Straphylococcus aureus
- Straphylococcus faecalis
- Giardia
- Shigella dysenteriae
How to Tell if You Have an Infestation
Being nocturnal, It is difficult to investigate if you have a cockroach infestation because you can rarely see roaches during the day. these pests only come out at night to look for food.
There are several ways to tell whether there is an infestation, with one of them being the presence of abundant roach feces. The presence of roach exoskeletons is another sign of infestation. You may see these exoskeletons in areas where they defecate or in places near food. The exoskeletons come about when the nymphs undergo transition when growing up. They shed the exoskeleton to accommodate the increasing body size.
Source:
https:”//cockroachfacts.com/roach-droppings/#What_Cockroach_Droppings_Look_Like”
https:”//www.epa.gov/asthma”
https:”//www.trulynolen.ca/the-link-between-cockroach-droppings-and-asthma/”
https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/cockroachcontrolpi.pdf