Maybe it was moving an appliance or cleaning under a stovetop, but those specs raise the question: what does roach poop look like?
Appearance
Roach droppings are brown to black in color. They show up where roaches congregate and feed. Finding their droppings indicates not only their presence, but their proximity to the area and oftentimes their food source. They will range in size and texture depending on species and environmental conditions. On some surfaces, they may leave brown or black
Look Alike
For smaller roach species, droppings resemble flakes of pepper or coffee grounds.
Larger roach droppings are ridged cylinders with flattened edges. This is important because they are oftentimes confused with rodent droppings which are more tapered and pointy.
Warning Sign
If roach droppings are around, roaches are close by. Since roaches like to hide where they are out of sight and feel the safety of a tight space, droppings may be the first thing you see.
Keep in mind that roaches are not picky about what they eat or where they find food. If they are consuming droppings or food that is covered in bacteria, that disease can pass right through to their droppings. Include sanitation in any roach dropping clean up effort.
In addition, other roaches may be attracted to roach droppings. In these situations, the roach droppings act as an aggregate pheromone especially in multi-housing dwellings.
Food Sources
As if roaches aren’t bad enough by themselves, mice like to eat cockroaches. Also, roaches will eat rodent droppings. These two pests can contribute to each other in a bad cycle.
Allergies
Particles from roach droppings and cast skins can become airborne and trigger allergies and Asthma. This is especially true if roaches happen to be habituating an area close to HVAC uptakes.
Where to Inspect
Cockroaches like to stay hidden and squeeze in and out of things. Areas where you are likely to find droppings are:
- in corners and edges especially around baseboards
- inside of food storage areas such as cabinets and drawers
- underneath and behind appliances such as stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, and fridges.
- on top of anything that provides out of sight pathways such as high shelves, appliances or cabinets
- places where food residues may be such as pet areas or children play areas especially with sticky sugars
- cracks and crevices in the floor, walls or ceiling
Getting Rid of Them
Vacuum up the droppings to minimize spreading the microbes around. Using a HEPA filter will minimize the amount of debris that becomes airborne during the cleaning process. You will want to disinfect/sanitize the area after the droppings have been removed. This can be done with cleaning solutions or simply hot, soapy water.
Of course, it is essential to get rid of the roach population to fully eliminate the droppings. The roach experts at Rove Pest Control are ready to help you tackle roach control whether you feel overrun or just want to keep them from finding their way in from the neighbors.