Dallas' Extreme Guide To The Smoky Brown Cockroach

In Dallas, we have a cockroach species that stands out from the rest. It is called the smoky brown cockroach. What makes this cockroach so noteworthy? It is large, and it is a capable flier. There is something entirely unsettling about having flying cockroaches in your home. If you're dealing with these cockroaches right now, there are a few things you should know about them.

Identification

The first thing you need to know is how to identify smoky brown cockroaches when you see them in your Dallas home. These are not the only cockroaches in Dallas that can fly. They're also not the only big, brown cockroaches you'll find inside your home. Here are some visual characteristics to look for:

• A smoky brown cockroach is a chestnut coloration.

• Though it looks a lot like an American cockroach, it does not have the orange figure-8 marking of an American cockroach on its back.

• It will range in size from 1 to 1 1/2 inch. This is larger than most common roaches in our area and much larger than the brown-banded cockroach, another roach with "brown" in its name.

• It has wings on its back that hang slightly over the end of its abdomen. These wings give this roach a shiny appearance.

• Its antennae are longer than its body and often curl backward and run along its sides.

How Smoky Brown Cockroaches Get Inside Dallas Homes

If you want to keep these cockroaches out of your home, you need to know why they get into your home. They start by entering your yard. They prefer a yard that has tall grass, ground ivy, overgrown vegetation, stacked wood, and a tree canopy. Any conditions that create shaded areas or dampness will lure these insects into your yard. They'll be drawn to food options as well. They can eat human food but will subsist on many things you wouldn't consider to be food, such as rotting organic sludge in your trash, compost, and dog feces.

Once in your yard, smoky brown cockroaches will explore your exterior. They are more likely to do this if you have mulch beds, heavy vegetation, leaves or palm fronds on the ground, stacks of wood, and objects with damp ground underneath.

The more smoky brown cockroaches you have near your home, the greater the chances are that you'll have them getting into your home because, as they explore your exterior, they are going to find gaps and cracks to get into. Smoky brown cockroaches like tight spaces—the tighter, the better. They're also strongly attracted to light. If you have fingers of light coming out of tiny holes in your foundation walls, these insects are going to zero in on them.

Inside your home, Smoky brown cockroaches will gravitate to damp, moist or humid areas. This is likely to be a cellar or basement if you have one. But smoky brown cockroaches can explore your entire home for food sources. They do this at night, while you're sleeping. They are nocturnal insects.

Cockroach Prevention

• Keeping your lawn routinely trimmed.

• Remove organic debris.

• Remove sources of wood.

• Remove objects that trap moisture underneath.

• Clean your gutter system and make sure rainwater is channeling away from your home.

• Pick up dog droppings and make sure exterior trash is in sealed containers.

• Refrain from feeding your dog or cat outside.

• Seal gaps, cracks, and holes in your exterior.

• Make sure screens, window and door frame seals, weatherstripping, and door sweeps are in good working condition.

• Keep exterior lights off at night where it is not a security issue.

• Keep curtains drawn at night.

• Add dehumidifiers and fans to remove moisture from humid areas of your home such as cellars or basements.

• If you have a crawlspace under your home, consider having it professionally sealed.

Smoky Brown Cockroach Extermination

When you find these roaches inside your home, it is time to contact a licensed professional for professional cockroach control. They are extremely difficult to control. Like many other pest cockroaches, the smoky brown cockroach is a serious threat to the spread of bacteria, parasitic worms, human pathogens, and allergens that exacerbate asthma symptoms. Reach out to All-Safe Pest & Termite to completely eliminate the cockroach population in your home and get control of them around your home. Get a free estimate today!