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Cockroaches are the worst nightmares to many homeowners. Imagine a cockroach crawling across your bed while fast asleep. Cockroaches do not bite, but the pests usually inspire disgust and fear.
However, inhaling cockroach waste and skin usually causes allergic reactions and triggers asthma symptoms.
Today cockroaches are among the most popular home pests globally and often invade intimate places. Cockroaches tend to be more active at night, which has many wondering.
Why Do Cockroaches Come Out at Night
Cockroaches are nocturnal insects and typically rest during the day. If they are out during the day, cockroaches will avoid sunlight by staying hidden in dark and damp areas. At night they are more active and endlessly hunt for food.
Cockroaches eat almost everything from crumbs to other kinds of dirt. According to research, most cockroach activities usually happen hours before midnight.
Do Cockroaches Sleep?
People wonder when cockroaches sleep if they are usually active at night. Yes, cockroaches do sleep, and like other animals, they have a circadian rhythm.
What is circadian rhythm? It’s simply a sleep-wake cycle. It alternates between inactive/sleep and active wakeful periods. The cockroach is awake during the active/wakeful period and looks for food, water, and mates.
As mentioned, most cockroaches are very active in the night’s first hours after the lights are out. At this time, you’ll notice the highest cockroach activity levels.
However, if your house has a high cockroach infestation, you notice this pest at different times. Their vast population limits food sources, so they spend hours scavenging for food.
In short, if you come across cockroaches during the early hours of the day, there’s a probability your home is highly infested.
Why Do Cockroaches Run Away From Light?
You need to note that cockroaches have no aversion to light. Most wild cockroaches species that haven’t come across human predators move towards the light.
Some household cockroaches also go towards the light at night, such as a lit T.V. screen. If they do not aversion light, why do cockroaches run away when someone turns on the light.
It’s simply a survival art, any time the light turns on: to cockroaches; it means humans have discovered them. Cockroaches know humans are dangerous and thus move fast to their hiding places to avoid death.
What Are The Signs Of Cockroach Infestation?
Spotting a cockroach is among the most apparent infestation sign. However, there are other things you should look for to know if your home has cockroach infestation. Here are some of the signs you should look for:
Cockroach egg casings and skins
Some female cockroaches carry their eggs until a day or two before hatching. Therefore, there are high chances of coming across the eggs in your home.
If you see any egg cockroach egg casings, then know there are cockroaches at your home.
Cockroach droppings
The droppings are usually tiny and black. They are usually all over the floor, or you’ll find them stuck on surfaces. You can check out the secluded places such as tight spaces using a flashlight etc.
Unusual smell
It’s common to start smelling the cockroaches before you see them. People describe the smell as being musty and oily.
For sure, the smell is usually so nasty and mostly comes from the storage room. If you smell anything musty and oily, then you need to take a closer look at tight spaces in your home.
All in all, cockroaches are usually so nocturnal. However, if you come across a cockroach during the day, it means that your home has an infestation.
As mentioned, if you see one, there are probably thousands or hundreds of them hiding somewhere.
Cockroaches prefer places that are warm and humid. The house areas that you’ll most likely find cockroaches are the bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, kitchens, etc.
There are high chances that you’ll find cockroaches in these areas. However, you can call a professional to help you investigate and control them.
Doing it by yourself can be tiring and time-consuming, plus you might not be able to pinpoint the exact location.
Keeping Cockroaches Away At Night
As mentioned, when you come across one or two cockroaches in your home, there are probably more. Cockroaches are known to be aggressive breeders, and this means they reproduce rapidly.
Within no time, cockroach eggs will be all over your home. If you do not implement proper control measures, it won’t take long before they overrun your space.
You can do several things to keep cockroaches away from your home at night. Here are some of the tips.
- You should store all your food in insect-proof containers. The containers need to have tight-fitting covers.
- Another alternative is putting the food in the refrigerator.
- Clean your countertop and floor to remove any food drops or drinks that accidentally spill on.
- Wash the dishes, pans, and other utensils immediately after using them. It means the cockroaches won’t have access to food, and this will lead to death. Therefore there population will reduce with time.
- Ensure waste containers and bins are clean by always taking out the garbage.
- Clean your home appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, etc.
- Ensure that no pipes and faucets in your home are leaking by constantly checking and repairing them.
Some Of The Problems By Cockroaches
Humans hate cockroaches, and it’s because cockroaches can cause problems once they get inside a home.
They can be a menace day and night. So let’s look at some of the common problems caused by cockroaches.
Trigger Asthma
Studies indicate that roaches can increase asthma symptoms. Cockroaches are known to leave their shed parts, saliva, and droppings anyhow; all these can trigger a reaction.
The outcome will be worse when these insects invade ventilation systems. It’s because each time you turn on the ventilators, the particles will become airborne.
Diseases
According to W.H.O., there’s a possibility that cockroaches cause different types of diseases such as dysentery, leprosy, cholera, plague, and many more.
Plus, they have links to viral diseases such as poliomyelitis. Cockroaches live and operate in places such as sewers and dumpsters. From these places, they pick harmful bacteria and deposit them onto your food.
The cockroaches can also deposit the bacteria on your food preparation surfaces, such as drawers, shelves, and many more. If you consume food with bacteria, there are high chances that you might have a stomach illness.
Bites
It’s so uncommon for cockroaches to bite humans, but it happens. Cockroaches mostly bite human eyelids since they love nibbling on eyelashes.
If a cockroach bites your eyelashes, the reaction is the eyes will be typically red and swollen. It’s because of the harmful bacteria they live on the bite or wound.
Bacteria and Parasites
The cockroaches usually carry parasitic worms and eggs. All these can lead to different issues such as respiratory problems and dermatological symptoms.
Do Cockroaches Only Target Dirty Houses
It’s not the case, but it’s more common to encounter cockroaches in dirty houses than clean ones. Cockroaches are usually more comfortable in places with dirt and will therefore not be interested in clean homes.
Dirty houses will indeed offer them good food and a place to stick around. However, if you live near woodlands, you might come across cockroaches in your house.
In such an environment or setting, it won’t matter whether you regularly clean your home or not. You will have to find a way to deal with them.
However, dealing with cockroaches should not be your only solution. Always keep your home clean, and in addition, you can use repellent or extermination methods to keep them away.
Killing Cockroaches
You need to know that killing cockroaches is quite hard. People think many things can kill cockroaches, but they are usually not effective.
For example, drowning cockroaches is not a great way of destroying them since cockroaches can hold breath for around 40 minutes. Some studies say that cockroaches can live without their heads for about seven days before thirst kills them.
These are some of the reasons that make the bugs hard to kill, plus there are many more. To successfully destroy these insects, you’ll need to use methods that are well proven to work.
There are many options out there. Let’s look at some of the methods.
Cockroach Sprays
It’s the most popular method of controlling cockroaches. Different insect sprays will effectively kill cockroaches.
However, it would be best to have professional advice when choosing the sprays. They will help you select one with the right strength to kill roaches.
Traps
Some people trap cockroaches, and it is usually effective in the case of small infestation. The most popular name for the trap amongst people is the “roach motel.”
Once the cockroaches get into the trap, coming out becomes impossible. Several standard traps will ideally help you kill small numbers of cockroaches.
Note that the traps won’t be so practical when dealing with a large infestation.
Conclusion
Cockroaches are nocturnal animals, but you might be wondering why they are usually inactive during the day and so active at night.
During night hours, usually four hours after lights go out, cockroaches become so active. They come out to mate and feed on anything they find, such as pet food, garbage, cramps, etc.
