We've gone into great depth about roaches in the past, but this Pest of the Week belongs to the roach. It's a pest that closes down businesses, contaminates food and transmits diseases to people. Many different species invade homes across the country, such as German cockroaches and the American cockroach. Without some kind of roach control, these pests will continue to multiply and take over your home.

What Do Roaches Look Like?

Not all roaches look the same. In fact, more than 4,500 roach species exist in the world. However, only 30 are considered nuisance pests. Three of the most common home invaders are brown-banded roaches, American cockroaches and German roaches.

• Brown-banded roaches have brown bands on their bodies and prefer warm locations.
• German roaches are small and have two black lines running from the head to the wings.
• American cockroaches are larger and have tan bodies with brown wings and two dark spots on the head.

How Did I Get Cockroaches?

You don't really have to do much to have cockroaches invade your home. Many of these pests will seek out your home for shelter and protection from other insects and the weather. However, there are a few things that will bring these pests to your home a lot faster:

• Leaving food out overnight
• Having clutter inside and outside your home
• Not blocking cracks and crevices
• Leaving the trash bins open

How Can I Get Rid of Roaches?

It's best to take action from the very first moment that you spot roaches in your home. Otherwise, they will breed and spread to other parts of the interior. Once they've established indoors, it's harder to eliminate an infestation. You'll need to get rid of roaches either with the help of a professional roach control technician or by using a DIY approach to killing them.

A DIY Roach Pest Control Program

• Remove all clutter from your home, both indoors and outdoors.
• Put lids on the trash bins.
• Place outdoor trash bins farther away from the foundation.
• Spray the perimeter with roach killer.
• Use roach baits for preventative control.
• Seal gaps and crevices with foam or silicone.

Pedchem has a wide variety of roach sprays and baits to help eliminate an infestation in your home. Because these pests multiply quickly, it's a good idea to take action immediately to prevent breeding and to keep them from infesting your home at an insane rate.