The Best Way To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Your New Braunfels Home

Cockroaches can produce upwards of 150 offspring each year and tend to live out of sight from people. The most common species, the German cockroach, is also developing immunity to over-the-counter pesticides. That's why the best way to evict them from your home is with pest control in New Braunfels. At Gold Star Exterminators, we provide homeowners with the year-round protection they need in order to stay safe from all of the harm that cockroaches can bring. Contact us today for more information on how these services can help your home.

How To Identify A Cockroach Infestation

Cockroach infestations in New Braunfels can be difficult for homeowners to identify because these pests usually live out of sight and scurry around very quickly. Issues are usually far more extensive than they appear on the surface, which contributes to their lasting nature. That said, here are a few helpful tips that might indicate the presence of roaches:

• A strong foul odor coming from cabinets that smells musty or like mildew
• Piles of tiny black fecal matter that look like pepper flakes or bits of dirt
• Shed body parts and skin, which appear during the molting phase
• Eggs, eggshells, young cockroaches, and adult cockroaches
• Greasy-looking smear marks along the lower portion of walls
• Tiny chew marks on cereal boxes and near other food items as well as around leather furniture
• An increase in spiders, including black widows or brown recluses

Any of the signs above might mean that cockroaches have begun their infestation, and when that happens, the best thing to do is call the pros at Gold Star Exterminators. We are a team of licensed and highly trained pest control professionals who always strive to do right by our customers. We thoroughly treat both interiors and exteriors and provide the option of one-time services or ongoing support. For more information on our cockroach control program, please give us a call today. 

Cockroaches In Your Home Are A Major Health Risk

If you have a cockroach problem in your New Braunfels home, then you might be increasing your exposure to several very serious health risks. To start, many individuals who live in a home that is infested have reported an increase in stress and anxiety, which can be attributed to the negative reputation that cockroaches have and the stigma surrounding them, as well as the difficult nature of eliminating them. In addition to the toll that roaches can take on your mental health, they have also been indicated as a trigger for asthma attacks, specifically because of the skin that they shed as well as their saliva and old shells. According to the National Center for Healthy Housing, young children are most likely to suffer from these issues because of the amount of time that they spend indoors.

Cockroaches are also notorious for being the source of health issues such as gastroenteritis, cholera, dysentery, E. coli and streptococcus infections, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, leprosy, and typhoid fever. The dangerous process begins when cockroaches shed their body parts, leave behind traces of saliva on food items, and create egg shells during reproduction. Their feces can be difficult for you to identify because they look like crumbs or bits of dirt, but they are also potentially very hazardous when they begin to accumulate in places like your kitchen or bathroom. Another way that cockroaches pass along these harmful pathogens is by biting people. Because these pests are primarily active during nighttime, they may bite you when you’re asleep, which also makes them harder to avoid. They may also scratch you, which is another mode for them to spread pathogens.

Cockroaches are also harmful to you because of how difficult they are to eliminate. The average cockroach has a very hard exterior, which makes them tough to crush, if you’re lucky enough to come across them at all. The average female cockroach also lays one egg sac approximately every 10 months and each ootheca can contain up to 16 eggs. This means that infestations can very easily grow out of control as well and the few roaches that you spot may only represent a fraction of the issue. Lastly, the German cockroach, which is the most common species, is developing a growing immunity to many pesticides, which makes them all the more difficult to exterminate.

At Gold Star Exterminators, we have the knowledge and tools that you need in order to deal with the roaches that are making your home unsafe. For more information on our cockroach control services in New Braunfels, call us today.

What It Takes To Get Rid Of Roaches In Your Home

A cockroach problem in your New Braunfels home is not only unwanted and difficult to eliminate, but it also has the potential to be very dangerous. A fertile female cockroach can produce upwards of 150 offspring in less than a year, which means that if you see a few roaches scattered around your home, you’re likely dealing with a much more invasive issue. They also do not seek human attention nor do they come out much when humans are around, so learning that you have an issue can usually take some time unless you’re able to identify the subtle signs of an infestation. Cockroaches are notoriously hard to eliminate and the German cockroach is actually immune to many readily available pesticides. What it takes to truly get rid of the roaches in your home is professional help from Gold Star Exterminators.

We have been providing homeowners with trusted cockroach removal services since 1979, and we’re still the team that locals call to this day. Our approach centers around your safety and satisfaction, which is why every method we implement and product we apply is backed by science. We work to see your cockroach problem through your eyes so that we can develop a treatment plan that will actually work for you. Our technicians are all thoroughly trained and licensed in our quest to deliver the best service possible. We stay up-to-date on the latest practices and always use top-shelf products. Whether we’re making our initial visit to your property or you receive regular visits from us during the year, we will always scrupulously inspect it to determine the extent of cockroach presence. You’ll receive detailed treatments both inside and outside and we also offer eco-friendly products upon request. We provide a 30-day warranty for our one-time services and all ongoing customers benefit from a 60-day warranty. For more information on our cockroach control offerings, please call us today.

Five Tips To Prevent Future Cockroach Infestations

Once cockroach problems develop, they can be dangerous and tough to get rid of, which is why preventing these infestations in the first place is the safest way for people to deal with them.

Here are five helpful tips to aid in that process: 

1. Keep things hygienic. While there are reasons beyond hygiene that are responsible for luring cockroaches, it’s certainly one of the most important ones. Homeowners should be sure to never dispose of food items inside, store trash securely and take it out before it’s filled, never leave dirty dishes in the sink, get rid of clutter, and meticulously clean up after spills in order to reduce all cockroach attraction. 
2. Deal with moisture. The biggest attraction for cockroaches is access to water because they can’t live for more than a week without it. Things like leaks or fixtures that don’t get turned off properly can be the source of their attraction, as can humidity issues. Use dehumidifiers where required and rectify any leaks. 
3. Patch up all openings. Cockroaches may be sneaky and capable of using sewer systems, but homeowners can address other ways that they enter homes. Look at foundations for any openings, cracks, or gaps and use silicone-based caulk to fill them. Keep window screens in good condition and apply weatherstripping around doors and windows that require it. During this step, be sure to inspect all packages before bringing them inside because cockroaches can easily invade them. 
4. Be cognizant of food storage. One thing that cockroaches desire more than anything else is access to food, whether it’s scraps or pet food. Homeowners should always keep leftovers and prepped vegetables in containers with lids and use sealed storage for baking materials, snacks, grains, and other pantry items. It’s important to clean these items out thoroughly between uses as well. Additionally, for homeowners with pets, don’t store food in factory packaging, but rather, opt for an airtight and locked bin. 
5. Bring in a professional. Cockroaches are one pest problem that homeowners are best served to prevent altogether. They are notoriously difficult to eliminate because of their natural tendencies and physical characteristics, but they also have the potential to be quite dangerous, which is why professional intervention is the wisest decision to make. 

At Gold Star Exterminators, we provide homeowners with reliable cockroach control services throughout the year. We offer enrollment in a quarterly program so that homeowners never have to worry about when cockroaches will strike. By addressing both the interior and exterior of a home, we’re able to create an impenetrable barrier from cockroaches. These services use traditional or eco-friendly products based on our customers’ needs, and we’ll always provide a warranty on our work. For more information on our residential and commercial pest control services in New Braunfels, please call us today.