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About
The History Of Rentokil Formerly Oliver Exterminating.
Appearance
Actual Size: 1/2″ – 5/8″
Characteristics: Pale brown with two dark longitudinal stripes behind head
Legs: 6
Antennae: Yes
Habitat
Prefer humid, warm areas. Often found in residential and commercial kitchens as well as bathrooms. Usually in areas where people eat and drink.
Habits
The German cockroach likely the most commonly seen roach in the San Juan and Ponce areas. It is very common around homes, apartments, supermarkets, food processing plants, and restaurants. Ships, especially cruise ships and naval vessels can also be heavily infested. These roaches prefer warm humid environments and infestations are frequently found in residential and commercial kitchen environments, and bathrooms. When infestations are large, they can spread to other parts of a building. This species reproduces the fastest of the common pest cockroaches—a single female and her offspring can produce over 30,000 offspring in a year.
German cockroaches are found primarily in kitchens, bathrooms, or other areas where daily access to water is available. If sanitation is poor, the German cockroach can successfully expand its normal habitat to include all portions of a structure where adequate food, water and shelter exist. German cockroaches prefer to hide in wooden and paper materials, as well as electrical equipment. These roaches can also be found hiding in cabinets, drawers, up under sinks and inside heat-producing appliances like dishwashers, microwaves, and coffee makers.
German cockroaches will typically avoid humans and are not aggressive. A bite from a German roach is rare. The main danger with a German cockroach problem in Puerto Rico is the germ and bacteria they can spread. German cockroaches can also cause allergic reactions due to the insects leaving fecal matter and cast skins around the home, causing skin rashes, watery eyes, sneezing, nasal congestion and asthma. In addition to spreading disease, German cockroach infestations may cause human psychological stress. With the social stigma attached to having cockroaches in your home, homeowners tend to alter their behavior by entertaining less often and avoiding kitchen and bathroom areas at night for fear of encountering the pest.
German cockroaches can multiply rapidly, which means that an infestation should be addressed immediately by a professional cockroach exterminator.