How to tell if you have cockroaches in your home (and what you can do about it)

We’ve all seen them. Brown, crawling and just yuck. Cockroaches are one of those bugs that no one wants in their home. They’re creepy and crawly and pop out in unexpected places, but how do you know if you have a cockroach problem in your home and what are some of the signs that you have cockroaches in the house?

Well, we’re here to help. Not only are we going to outline the different types of cockroaches you might find in your home, we’re going to tell you some of the signs to look out for and what you can do about them.

What are some common Cockroaches around Brisbane?

Before we jump into how to look for signs of cockroaches around your home and what you can do about it, let’s first look at the types of cockroaches you’re likely to see in and around your home in Brisbane.

You may see a couple of different types of cockroaches in and around your home – or only one type, but be warned if you see one cockroach, it’s very very likely there are more hidden away just waiting to run all over your benches and floors when you’re out of the house or asleep.

Australian Cockroach

This little guy – despite its name, isn’t actually an Australian native cockroach. Common in Africa and the southern United States, it’s likely introduction to Australia occured due to shipping between these countries.

They don’t like the cold all that much so it’s likely you’re going to see them more often during the colder months in Brisbane.

American Cockroach

Sometimes called a ‘waterbug’ in the states (even though it doesn’t actually live in water - those crazy Americans!) the American cockroach is again another import. One of the largest cockroach types we get here in Australia, they can grow up to 4cms.

German Cockroach

Usually a little smaller than their Australian and American cousins, the German Cockroach is likely to be found where there’s a rich source of food (we find them in restaurants, hotels and food manufacturers a lot). These little guys are often found by accident when someone goes into a dark room, turns the light on and sees a bunch of them scatter.

Oriental Cockroach

More identifiable than the three other cockroaches listed above due to its black appearance, the oriental cockroach tends to frequent anywhere where there’s decaying organic matter like mulch piles, compost piles and leaf matter.

Brown Banded Cockroach

This little guy is one of the smaller types of cockroaches we see around Brisbane.You’re more likely to see these guys at night as they tend to avoid the light wherever possible and like to feed off a variety of different food types.

Smokey Brown Cockroach

This guy we find mostly outside as they prefer warmer weather (they’re common in both Brisbane and Sydney). They will feed off pretty much anything they can get their hands on but need ready access to water, so we find them a lot around creeks and waterways.

How to tell if you have cockroaches in your home

OK, now that we’ve had an Entomology lesson, let’s look at some of the signs you might be missing around your home that show you possibly have a cockroach problem. Below are just a few of the different signs you might see throughout your home that indicate you might possibly have a cockroach infestation. You may see one of these signs or a few of them. If you see these signs and want a professional pest control company to take care of things for you, please call us on 1300 057 067.

Look! Over there!!

We’ve added this one first as it’s the most obvious. If you actually see a cockroach running around in your home there’s a very good chance there’s more of them lurking around in dark, dank places. Typically you will see them when they feel like they’re not going to be disturbed. Often this might be when the family is watching TV at night and keeping still, when you get home at night time and no one has been in the house or when you get up in the middle of the night to get a drink / go to the bathroom and turn the light on.

What’s that peppercorn looking stuff?

If you’re seeing what looks like tiny peppercorns or coffee grinds in areas that are typically dark and out of the way (bottom of cupboards, behind boxes, in the bottom of boxes filled with items that don’t get disturbed much, etc) there’s a good chance that you’re looking at cockroach droppings.

What’s that smell?

If you’ve only got a couple of cockroaches in your home, chances are that you won’t really smell anything. If however you have an infestation, you will definitely be able to smell it. Often people describe the smell as musty, oily, earthy or dank and if left, a large infestation can leave a horrible smell and even affect the taste of some foods.

What’s that weird brown hollow thing?

What you’re likely seeing is what’s called Oothecae or an egg casing. Cockroaches don’t lay eggs per se, they lay a casing that holds up to 50 eggs and then the eggs hatch from there. If you’re seeing little hollow, brown, ribbed empty case looking things around your home, that’s a sure-fire sign you have cockroaches.

How to get rid of cockroaches

OK, let’s be clear, there are loads of home remedies online that you can go and look at to get rid of cockroaches, so we’re not going to list all of them for you in this article. We will however, remind you that cockroaches are very hardy animals and can be incredibly difficult to get rid of if not treated properly.

They’ve been around for more than 300 million years and most home remedies for cockroaches tend to rely heavily on keeping your home clean and removing all their food sources (like cardboard boxes and paper). That’s not always possible so if you’ve tried the Borax and sugar, the vinegar, coffee grinds, soapy water and catnip and you’ve still got a cockroach problem, we can help.

Call us today on 1300 057 067 for a cockroach treatment that will kill cockroaches fast and keep them out of your home.