There’s only one thing worse than seeing a cockroach run across the floor and under the fridge: seeing a cockroach fly. The smokybrown cockroach, one of the flying varieties, is a reluctant but dangerous houseguest that can rapidly reproduce, worsen asthma, and bring a handful of terrible diseases into your home. While similar in appearance to a standard American cockroach, these pests have a few differences.

How To Identify The Smokybrown Cockroach

It’s a little unfortunate that there are more than 4,000 species of cockroaches in the world. Our subject today is one of such a massive crowd, but it has a few quirks that Baltimore residents should understand. Look out for these characteristics:

  • Dark, glossy brown, but differing from the American cockroach by its lack of yellow markings.
  • They can grow up to 1½ inch in length and have wings that extend past the abdomen, making them strong fliers.
  • Their antennae are as long or longer than the body.
  • Outdoors, they live in fallen leaves, woodpiles, and planters. They may also be found in greenhouses or garages.
  • They struggle to survive indoors, so most likely come in accidentally.
  • Indoors, they will live in warm, moist areas like the attic and live off paper and other insects.
  • After becoming an adult, a female can lay dozens of egg cases with 30 nymphs a piece throughout its life.

How Smokybrown Cockroaches Get Inside

These accidental infiltrators can only thrive in certain conditions, and therefore, don’t do well in the controlled environment inside your home. If that’s the case, though, then how do they get in? Most of the time, it’s just an accident.

Smokybrown Cockroaches get in by:

  • Getting carried in on piles of wood or boxes from the shed or garage
  • Flying in through open windows toward a light source
  • Through cracks and holes near trees and other vegetation

They may get in accidentally but once they are there, they are just as much of a nuisance and danger as any other cockroach.

How To Prevent Smokybrown Cockroach Infestations

Given these limited entry points, it’s pretty simple to prevent their presence indoors. It’s also important to keep them away because, like most cockroaches, the smokybrown is a health threat. Smokybrown cockroaches are scavengers at heart, so they’ll eat just about anything, down to the bird poop on your gutters. They also prefer moist, decaying leaves and sometimes sewers. When they bring all of that bacteria into your home and onto your kitchen counters, you could be dealing with tuberculosis, cholera, dysentery, and more.

To prevent an infestation, try these tips:

  • Use a dehumidifier in warm, moist areas of your house and reduce or eliminate the clutter in the area.
  • Keep wood stored far away from the home, and check any outside materials thoroughly before bringing them in.
  • Maintain the landscape around your home to keep it clear of mulch and debris.
  • Keep windows closed or screened off, and make sure all screens are well-maintained.
  • Seal any cracks and holes around the outside of your home with silicon-based caulk.
  • Keep porch lights off that may attract cockroaches closer to the home.

Preventing pests that don’t want to be inside seems easy, but sometimes, especially in tropical climates, it’s an uphill battle that you’ll need a professional to fight.

Pest Czar Is Your Baltimore Pest Control

Keeping your household safe from dangerous pests is our number-one priority. Keeping you safe from harmful pesticides and do-it-yourself methods is high on the list, too. Pest Czar offers home pest control service plans, environmentally friendly control methods, and free, no-obligation quotes. Call Pest Czar today for our quality cockroach control service.