Did you know there are more than 20 types of cockroaches in Nevada? If this doesn’t make your skin crawl, you are one tough hombre. The cockroach is one of those creatures that typically make human beings cringe – and rightly so because the lowly cockroach brings a host of diseases and problems when they inhabit a business or home. Let’s look at the two most common types of roaches found in residential and commercial properties in Nevada – and how to prevent them.

Types of Roaches in Nevada

 The American cockroach, appropriately nicknamed the sewer roach, is all around you. It is one of the most common types of this bug found in the United States. These creatures usually live in alleys or other dark, wet environments (like sewers), but also in bathrooms, kitchens, and the crawl spaces of a home. The American cockroach can grow up to two inches long, and if you see one in your home that’s extremely bad news – because these bugs come in packs.

Then there is the Turkestan cockroach is about half the size of the American roach, but it’s just as fast and hard to kill. Turkestan male roaches have yellow or brownish wings while the female has wings with tan stripes. The Turkestan frequents the outdoors, but by June, when the population is at it’s highest, it will start to look for a better food supply which could be in a restaurant or in your home. There is one bit of good news that comes with the smaller Turkestan model of cockroach; they typically don’t carry diseases and are considered to have a positive environmental impact as plant composters in the garden.

Three other types of cockroaches in Nevada include the German, Brownbanded, and Oriental cockroaches. All are potentially invasive and troublesome to the home or business owner.

Preventing Cockroaches

 Keeping a kitchen clean by eliminating food on the counters and floors is one important way to deter cockroaches. Basically, remove their food sources at night when they like to come out of hiding, and they’ll look for a new place to have dinner. You can do the same thing for water – roaches are particularly vulnerable when their water supply is eliminated. Fix those leaky faucets and remove any food off your counters and you’ll go a long way toward making your home or business unattractive to any roach visitors.

Mopping the floor of crumbs regularly and taking out the trash after dinner, are all “best practice” cleanliness habits to get into, along with not leaving dirty, food-crusted plates in the sink. Finally, call a cockroach pest control professional like Preventive Pest to do a home inspection of the tiny spaces these insects like to call home, along with developing an eradication and control program tailored to your home or business. Cockroaches are difficult to eliminate, but having a professional pest company in your corner will ensure that roaches stay outside where they belong.