Although finding dead cockroaches around your home might seem like a good thing. Finding dead cockroaches in the house when they haven’t been killed by a human is most likely an indication of an infestation. This guide will be all about why do I only find dead cockroaches in my house, and how to solve that!
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Why Do I Only Find Dead Cockroaches Around My House?
If you are only finding dead cockroaches in your house and you aren’t actively using bait treatments, this could mean you have a large cockroach infestation and there isn’t enough food to feed the entire population of the infestation, so some of them are dying. This is obviously a bad sign because that means there’s a large amount of cockroaches around your home.
It could also mean that the roaches are being killed by other predators such as lizards, rats, or fire ants, but this is no good sign still—to have an infestation replaced with another.
Although cockroaches aren’t extremely dangerous, obviously no homeowner wants a population of roaches living inside and around their home. Roaches generally won’t bite, but they can pass on diseases
Roaches come into homes for the only purpose of finding food and shelter and warmth. Take a look at our guide on what attracts cockroaches as well as what roaches eat.
When the above conditions start to deplete or to change, as in overcrowding in their hideouts and lack of food, a roach will be forced to come out.
Because cockroaches have long lifespans, the size of a population can quite quickly build up, and soon you might have a severe infestation.
Again, these are not good signs. The fact that they have turned to kill their own or that some roaches are ‘migrating’ does not mean a reduction in their numbers. It simply means they are TOO much to continue to stay in hiding and there is too little or no food to go around for their sustenance.
Another reason why dead cockroaches might appear to be much in a home is that they are playing dead. This attribute has earned them a few comments about their smartness and invincibility. This plays out when they go into a shock at the presence of a human or the hit of an object intended to kill them. Some insecticides they might inhale in a little quantity could also cause them (or their nervous system, more accurately) to freeze. When these temporary setbacks blow away or the nearby threat has been removed and feeling has returned to their body, after it has thawed, they spring back alive and scuttle away.
Do Dead Cockroaches Attract More Cockroaches?
Yes, they do.
Cockroaches being majorly nocturnal animals (because they are always on and about at night but resting during the day) means they have compensated for the loss of daylight with a heightened sense of sight and smell. They are also omnivores who will feed on anything; ruthless scavengers they are. So when a cockroach dies, it emits a pungent moldy smell known as oleic acid, caused by the decomposing body. This in turn attracts other roaches who come to feed on it.
What To Do If You Find A Dead Cockroach
Roaches carry germs and pathogens whether dead or alive, so one must be very careful when getting rid of dead roaches.
- They can be gotten rid of with a vacuum cleaner, which should be clean afterward.
- If they are going to be picked, gloves must be worn.
- Getting them into a secured plastic bag and then disposing of them in the trash is also another hygienic way of throwing them away. This curbs the spread of their secretions.
- If one or more dead roach(es) was/were found at a spot, the place should be searched for other dead roaches too.
General Tips for Preventing A Roach Infestation
Roaches certainly aren’t the best of friends to anyone – unlike dogs or some other animals. No one likes to have them around, and they are always a source of concern. They cause diseases, worsen allergies and trigger asthmas, contaminate food, and destroy places in the home—their list of problems is limitless.
So to prevent them from finding a breeding ground in houses, this list has made been made:
Cleanliness
This cannot be over-emphasized. Roaches live for food and eat food to live, and food uncovered in any form, whether leftover or droppings that have become stains, droplets of a drink still left in a cup, is sure to be an attraction for them. They’ll find it wherever they are- having known how good their sense of smell is.
They also love warm, wet places and so even a pot that has been used to bring water to boil, drained, and left on a countertop could find a roach playing in it. All water containers and channels in the home should be properly covered.
As omnivores, roaches eat everything from plants to tiny animals to even non-living things. Paper, glue, hair, etc. These seemingly non-attractive objects that are not food might not be considered as being drawn to roaches but this cannot be farther from the truth. Storing them in the right places, locking them tight, and decluttering should be a priority if roaches are to be stopped from gaining access into a home.
Use of Insecticides, Sprays, and Other Chemicals
Using Spray, Insecticides and other Insect-repellant chemicals is a good way to prevent a roaches’ breakout, that is if they’ve not found their way into a home. Some effective chemicals that kill cockroaches are Boric Acid, Borax, Baking Soda to kill roaches, and Diatomaceous Earth. The Sprays include citruses, lemons, essential oils, white vinegar, etc. These could be combined or used individually.
Employing The Services of a Pest Management Company
If the infestation is serious and cannot be managed anymore, then a pest control (management) company should be consulted and brought in at that point.
Cockroaches infestation is certainly no joking matter and is taken with utmost seriousness at the first sighting of a roach, dead or alive. The earlier it is treated, the lesser the chances of them multiplying and requiring professional extermination.
Final Thoughts On Finding Dead Roaches Around Your Home:
When you see dead roaches around your home, your first thought might be positive. But unfortunately, if you aren’t actively baiting the infestation, that means that these roaches are dying for other reasons, probably because the infestation has grown so large that there isn’t enough food for every roach to survive. If this is the case, this means you should consider bringing a professional or looking for other methods of getting rid of roaches.
Thank you for reading our guide on why do I only find dead cockroaches in my house.
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