Cockroaches aren’t just creepy — they’re potentially dangerous. According to the World Health Organization, cockroaches carry roughly 30 diseases that affect humans, some of which are severe. Here’s why having cockroaches around your house may have negative health consequences for you and your family.
- They carry diseases
Among the 30 diseases carried by cockroaches, illnesses like gastroenteritis, cholera, dysentery, leprosy, plague, poliomyelitis, salmonellosis and typhoid fever are the most harmful to humans.
You don’t need to physically contact a cockroach or touch its feces, saliva or urine to catch many of these illnesses. Simply breathing the air where cockroaches live can expose you to the harmful bacteria that make you sick. However, this is generally only seen in areas with higher cockroach levels.
- They cause allergies and asthma
Besides spreading disease, cockroaches excrete a protein that can trigger allergies in humans. Cockroach feces, saliva and shed body parts are also known allergens that can cause skin rashes and sneezing. Cockroaches can also exacerbate asthma symptoms, even in people who’ve never had asthma before.
- They’re unsanitary
Cockroaches love dark, damp places. In fact, they spend most of their time in dirty areas where harmful bacteria thrive. This makes it easy for them to pick up and spread bacteria around your home as they crawl over your kitchen counters, dinnerware and other areas.
- They contaminate your food
Cockroaches will eat anything, including fruits, vegetables, processed foods, meat and cheese. Therefore, any food stored in your pantry, fridge or cupboard is fair game. Moreover, cockroaches can contaminate anything they touch with dangerous bacteria. It’s essential to ensure all your food is safely sealed.
- They multiply quickly
Cockroaches live for about 200 days. In this time, a single female can lay thousands of eggs and have approximately 10,000 offspring. This prodigious reproduction means that you need to act quickly as soon as you see a cockroach in your home.
Cockroach prevention
Here are a few things you can do around your home to keep cockroaches at bay:
- Seal cracks and holes around your home
- Repair water leaks and remove standing water
- Wipe down your kitchen counters and stove after every meal
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink
- Store firewood, compost and trash bins far away from your home
- Keep your lawn mowed
- Take out the garbage and recycling daily
- Store all pantry foods in secure, sealed hard plastic, glass or metal containers
- Ensure that your fridge and freezer are properly sealed, to prevent bugs from entering
Cockroach and insect control service in Alberta
At Poulin’s Pest Control, we can tackle cockroach problems in your home or business. We’ll send one of our certified insect control technicians to your property to conduct a thorough assessment, where they will determine the source(s) of the cockroach problem and attack the insects where they live and ensure they don’t come back. Contact us today in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge to schedule a service call.