Cockroaches are one the worst pests that can infest your house — and for good reason. They’re unappealing, they spread disease, and they are very hard to get rid of once they’ve found their way inside a home. Cockroaches are a common issue for residents in Gaithersburg, especially for those living in high-rises and older apartments. But why is it so hard to kill a cockroach? The reason has to do with their biology, behavior and flexibility. Click to view further about numerous pests and how to get rid of them

This blog will explore the peculiar traits that make cockroaches so indestructible and what homeowners in Gaithersburg can do to fight these tenacious pests.

Cockroach Biology: Engineered To Persevere

Cockroaches have been around for at least 300 million years, and it’s a bit miraculous how they’ve stayed around that long.

• Tough Exoskeleton: A cockroach’s armor is not only flexible but incredibly strong. It enables them to slip in and out of small cracks and crevices — some, as narrow as 1/16 of an inch wide — wherever they may hide or escape danger.
• Rapid Reproduction: A single female German cockroach can produce 30,000 babies in one year. Whereas if you destroy some cockroaches, a multitude more may be hiding behind the walls or under appliances.
• Resistance to Pesticides: Over time, cockroaches have become tolerant to most of the widely used insecticides. Some even manage to live long enough after exposure to poison to then spread it to other roaches, and in some cases, whole generations grow resistant to these treatments, creating a greater challenge for chemical control.
• Behavior That Lets Them Hide And Thrive: Outside the realm of biology, cockroaches are stealthy, stealthy things. They grow easily in the dark, damp, out-of-sight places of a house.
• Nocturnal Activity: Most cockroaches are night owls, you won’t usually find them out and about in the day. If you spot one in the daytime, it may indicate that the infestation is already substantial.
• Omnivorous Diet: They’ll eat just about anything: crumbs, grease, glue, paper, soap — even hair. This dietary variety enables them to live in the cleanest of homes, as long as they has something to eat.
• Like of Warmth and Dampness: Temperatures in Gaithersburg can vary widely from season to season, and cockroaches will always look for places that are warm and humid, such as bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and utility closets- locations which are almost impossible to access and eliminate the roaches.
• Versatility – Escape Artist: Cockroaches have adapted to be very resilient, so the traditional pest control methods just don’t work.
• Fast Reflexes: Cockroaches are sensitive enough to the air pressure and light levels that they can feel a group of footsteps overhead, and then run to safety. They are also difficult to kill by catching and crushing them.
• Living Without Food and Water: Some varieties of cockroach can fast for a month and withstand a week without water. Others can even survive without their heads or head segment for a week because they have a decentralized nervous system. These survival characteristics are what make them nearly impossible to eradicate via starvation or the traditional means.
• Learning from Experience: Cockroaches do have some ability to learn, and will eventually avoid traps and baits they associate with danger or death, studies have shown. That this “learned behavior” is behind what can make repeat infestations so hard to treat.

Cockroaches are among the most difficult pests to exterminate, and cockroach resilience and adaptability are what make them such troublesome invaders for homeowners in Gaithersburg. Knowing why they are so difficult to kill is the first step to preventing and controlling their spread. Between good sanitation practices, sealing your home and calling in the pros when necessary, you can take your space back from these unwanted visitors, no matter how pesky they are.