5 Common Places Roaches Like to Nest in Your Home

Undoubtedly, cockroaches are nasty creatures that harbor diseases and like to infest homes. Usually, when individuals see roaches in their homes, it is considered a dirty environment; however, this is not always true. Roaches will show up in clean environments as well. Like any living creature, the goal is to find a warm, quiet place to live with abundant food. These disgusting creatures can be tricky to eliminate, but it is time to investigate your home once one is spotted!

There are over 3,000 species of roaches, but the most common ones seen are German and American. Identifying the type of cockroach infestation can help determine a course of action to eliminate them. Roaches are nocturnal creatures who forage for food when there is less human activity. You may have walked into the kitchen or bathroom at night, turned the lights on, and witnessed a colony of roaches quickly scurrying away! Just thinking about that makes my skin crawl!

Types of Roaches

German Cockroaches

These cockroaches do not tolerate cold weather well, so seeing this type of cockroach in winter is common. German Cockroaches will nest in walls, baseboards, and electronic appliances. These cockroaches breed rapidly and can carry up to forty-eight eggs in their egg sack. The gestation of this type of cockroach is twenty-eight days, making reproduction an easy task. If you see a mother cockroach carry an egg, kill it!

Oriental Cockroaches

Oriental roaches are also known as water bugs because they love to be in moist, cooler habitats. These cockroaches will nest in basements, crawlspaces, and garages. These cockroaches have a slower growth phase, which takes nymphs eighteen months to reach adulthood. Their egg case contains up to sixteen eggs.

American Cockroach

American cockroaches are a large species preferring sewers and steam tunnels. These cockroaches produce one egg case once a month for ten months.

Wood Cockroach

Living up to its name, the wood cockroach lives outdoors, nesting in woodpiles, stumps, and logs. During spring or mating season, these cockroaches occasionally make their way inside. They will become a problem indoors if pieces of wood containing a colony of these creatures are brought inside.

Brownbanded Cockroach

Brownbanded cockroaches thrive in high-temperature places like light fixtures, electronics, and ceilings. These cockroaches hatch eggs in fifty days of mating.

Common Areas To Find Cockroaches

1. Kitchens

The most common place to see roaches is in the kitchen. Cockroaches will hide in crevices of the kitchen, awaiting the opportunity to gather food and water. If you are dealing with the start of an infestation, you may see these creatures scurry away as soon as you open a kitchen cabinet door. There is a high chance they may be nesting there where it is dark or trying to get into open non-perishable foods. Roaches will also hide in toasters, crevices of the refrigerator, microwave, or even your coffeemaker.

2. Furniture

Bedbugs aren’t the only bug that likes to hang out in furniture. The difference with cockroaches is that they stay in these areas because it is warm and dark. Also, it is common for families to eat on the couch, thus causing food to slip into crevices and cracks in the sofa. If you disturb the couch cushions, you may see egg sacks and feces spread throughout the couch.

3. Bathroom

Cockroaches like to hang around or nest near the plumbing and drains of your bathroom. The bathroom is an excellent resource for moisture and water for cockroaches.

4. Electronic Appliances

Cockroaches are not picky with the type of electrical appliance they nest in as long as it is warm. Individuals may notice these creatures hanging on or inside televisions, radios, computers, or game consoles.

5. Miscellaneous Area

As mentioned before, cockroaches love warm, dark places with moisture. Cockroaches can be found in cardboard boxes, baseboards, undisturbed items, and light fixtures.

Roach Infested States

Cockroaches can be found all over the United States; however, the states listed below are in the top five

I was not surprised to see these states make it to the top five. It is not because these states are considered dirty but because of their type of climate—other key factors aside from climate cause cockroaches to thrive in these states.

• Population: The more people in a given area, the more likely cockroaches or other critters will hang around. More people means a better opportunity for food.
• Housing Conditions: Unfortunately, low-income housing will attract more cockroaches than higher-income housing. Only some people in low-income housing can afford to keep their living situation clean and free of cockroaches. Also, because of the likelihood of one person allowing a roach infestation in their home, it will spill over into the next house. The cycle never ends, no matter what you do.
• Sanitation: Most cities in these states may not have the best sanitation systems to keep areas clean and moisture-free.
• Pest Control Availability: The availability of pest control in these states may be minimal, which can cause homeowners to deal with an infestation on their own.

In Conclusion

Cockroaches are among the many critters that can be hard to eliminate during an infestation. Remember the saying that, “cockroaches can survive an atomic bomb?” If your home is clean and free of cockroaches, take preventative measures to keep it that way. Store food away properly if open. If a leak is discovered in your home, fix it immediately. Take caution at the first few sightings of these pesky critters and call an exterminator to investigate. Suppose you are dealing with a cockroach infestation; continuously clean and take preventative measures to break the life cycle.

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