I saw two roaches in my house, are there others? Roaches are some of the most hideous domestic pests, and you don’t want to bump into them at home. These ferocious pests can even spread disease-causing pathogens which can incite allergies and asthma.
Every food or surface roaches come in contact with becomes contaminated. Therefore, it’s vital to know how to identify whether there are more roaches at home if you saw two, what species you sighted, and how you can avoid them.
I saw two roaches in my house
It’s also crucial to know how many cockroaches are in an infestation. Frankly, you can’t tell how many are there. Counting them manually is challenging. Moreover, you couldn’t multiply any figure to know their exact amount.
There’s no arithmetic behind identifying the exact amount of cockroaches in an infestation. Specifying what numbers there are isn’t a walk in the park, as they quickly multiply. If there were ten today; tomorrow, there may be over fifty. Besides, depending on the species, an egg case contains between 16 to 50 eggs, University of Minnesota Extension.
A pest examinator categorizes a roach infestation between light and heavy. Homes with five or fewer roaches have a light infestation. 10 to 25 roaches mean moderate infestation. Anything beyond 25 goes for a heavy roach infestation.
You want to note that there are more than the handful of cockroaches you see in the home. 40 or more could be hidden in places you aren’t aware of.
Telling how many cockroaches there are is always challenging. Scientists can’t say for sure. What’s certain is that roaches will fill the place when your home has what they need. Additionally, an infestation implies that your home is attractive to them. Also, pest infestation could occur because of hygiene issues.
If your home is infested by roaches, you want to inform a pest exterminator about it soon. They’ll ascertain the infestation level. They’ll also tell how many cockroaches are actively infesting the house.
Signs of more than two cockroaches
The sooner you stop cockroach infestation, the easier it is to achieve total control. Though, you may have a critical infestation before you ever sight a live roach in the home, as most cockroach species only walk at night, and could be secretive.
Below are signs that you have more than 2 roaches:
1. Roach droppings
Roaches surprisingly eat almost anything because of their wild appetites, ranging from dead skin cells to pet food, garbage, and human food. Cockroaches are omnivores, they eat both plants and animals. Roaches particularly prefer starches, sweets, greasy foods, and meats, but roaches are not picky eaters—Raid.
Consequently, they often leave droppings along their paths. The cockroach species determines how the droppings look, but most times, they’re like coffee grounds or black pepper specks. Many droppings in many different places could cause a large infestation.
Where the droppings are concentrated in a place, remove any sources of food and water around the place to exercise pest control.
You can find roach droppings:
- In pantries
- Over floors and counters
- At the corners of cabinet shelves in kitchens and bathrooms
- Underneath and behind the dryer, washer, or kitchen appliances
2. Egg cases
Cockroaches breed heavily, but their reproduction style makes it easier to notice their infestation. Their eggs stay in egg cases, otherwise called oothecae. 10 to 50 eggs could be in one ootheca.
In some cockroach specie, the oothecae stay attached till only hours before hatching, but others would keep the ootheca in a covered place several days before they hatch. A brown, oblong, nearly translucent casing in form of the ootheca stays behind as the egg hatches.
Where to find empty or full oothecae:
- Over counters, where there’s a severe infestation
- Within books
- Behind furniture
- Inside books
- In all dark, tight, or covered places
3. Smelling pungent odor
It’s easier to identify a domestic cockroach infestation when the home smell changes. Pests like cockroaches leave off an easily identifiable pungent and musty smell. A constant strong, oily, and moldy smell could indicate the presence of roaches, for many reasons.
Cockroaches secrete odors to provide trails for others to trace dead roaches, for pheromones; or the odor may be from cockroach droppings. A prolonged infestation would lead to a more obvious smell. The smell would ooze from areas where they’re highly active or where the roaches live or reproduce.
Odors also arise from:
- Droppings
- Odor trails
- Dead and decomposing cockroaches
4. Live or Dead Cockroaches
Most times, people only find live cockroaches at night – you get into a dark bathroom or kitchen, switch on the lights, and find them running around to hide. However, you could find roaches during the day when there’s a high cockroach population. If they don’t have enough resources or are overcrowded, roaches may be forced to migrate during the day to survive.
Locating a dead roach means there’s an infestation, particularly if it’s in places where there were droppings or egg casings.
5. Furniture damage
Roaches could eat anything, ranging from foods to less obvious items like leather. If you’re suspecting an infestation, search for any damage to your leather furniture. The furniture would appear torn or eaten. Other sources of cockroach nutrition include:
- Glue
- Hair
- Wallpaper
6. Shed Skin
Roaches shed their skin 8 to 13 times between infancy and adulthood. If you find something similar to a roach’s molted exoskeleton, there’s likely an infestation. These exoskeletons cause allergies if humans inhale them, and could be more harmful where there’s a threat of asthma.
7. Live cockroaches
The most apparent indication there’s a roach infestation is finding a live roach. It’s best to find them at night, seeing they move at night. They also scatter whenever you turn on the lights as you enter a room. You’re possibly wondering, ‘Should I be worried because I saw a roach?’ if you find even two roaches during the day, it could mean there’s a longstanding infestation.
Sometimes, roaches hide during the day, but overpopulation and lack of food could cause them to dare the daylight to stay alive. Certainly, you’ll also locate dead roaches in places where they hide, as the infestation is only a part of their biological life and death cycles. Dead cockroaches don’t indicate the infestation is gone, but they rather indicate there’s one.
8. Smear marks
The brown smear masks following roaches’ poop are a gross indication they’re around. These insects crawl over the discarded poop to create a smear on regularly traveled paths. The marks are also common where they live, or in damp areas at home. These spots aren’t only gross, but their odor attracts others and worsens the infestation.
9. Allergy Symptoms
As earlier said, many roach signs could lead to allergy symptoms like coughing and sneezing. Exposed individuals could get allergic to their body organs, waste, or saliva. Common signs you may be facing a roach allergy are:
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Red or itchy eyes
- Itchy skin or rash
I found 3 cockroaches in my house
If you found 3 cockroaches in your house, make sure to thoroughly clean the identified room, including every hidden spots under your refrigerator. Clean your stove or cooker where you find spilled food and grease—those are typical roach hideouts. Also, consider using roach spray and bait traps and follow the product manufacturers’ instructions to get rid of roaches in your house. If you see more than 3 roaches and multiple indication of roaches such as dropping, nest materials, etc., call an exterminator.
Is seeing 2 roaches an infestation?
Seeing 2 roaches is not an infestation. However, if the number of roaches exceed two, and you find multiple roach evidence in your home, you have an infestation, not just a cockroach problem.
How do you prevent cockroach infestation?
Controlling how much food, water, and hidden places there are could control roach populations. You want to correct any poor hygiene that contributes to their infestation. You also don’t want to leave food or water overnight, storing them so roaches don’t find them.
Execute structural modifications so roaches can’t reach hidden areas. In homes with multiple units, these modifications should hinder free cockroach movement from one unit to the other. Also, consider using bay leaves to keep roaches at bay.
What do you do if you see two roaches?
Though two cockroaches could be a sign that there’s an infestation, most times, you need a trained professional to spot the signs. The signs above are the most frequent indications untrained persons can readily spot. Since roaches can cause breathing problems and contaminate foods, you want to speak with experts to access effective and safe treatments once you suspect an infestation. It’s always important to speak with a professional pest control firm, whether you find a live or dead roach in the home.
Conclusion
A pest control agency has a surefire way of removing roaches and avoiding subsequent infestations. They would supply several pest guard programs with different protection levels, and all offerings could include a free inspection, yearly in-house treatments, quarterly exterior treatments, and cost-free call-back offers.
Read also: A cockroach stepped on won’t just die
