Roach exterminator in Clarksville, Tennessee

How to recognise them

UT Extension describes four roaches found in Tennessee homes:

• German cockroach. About 5/8 inch, pale brown with two dark streaks behind the head. Mostly kitchens and bathrooms, and the most common one to infest a home.
• Brownbanded cockroach. About the same size, darker, with two pale bands across the wings. Found around the house, in closets, furniture and appliances.
• Oriental cockroach. About 1 1/4 inches and very dark. Lower floors, crawl spaces, floor drains and water meters.
• American cockroach. About 1 1/2 inches, reddish brown with a pale band behind the head. Crawl spaces, sewers and outdoors, and may wander through the house.

Droppings look like pepper specks in cabinets and corners. Roaches are mostly active at night, and UT says glue boards are very effective for finding them.

Why they show up here

Roaches want warmth, moisture and food. University of Kentucky entomologists say German roaches often arrive in grocery bags, drink cartons or furniture. Larger species come in through gaps around windows, doors, vents and pipes, and in firewood.

An apartment adds another route, since they travel between units through shared walls and ceilings. That is why even a clean home can have them.

What a roach visit usually involves

1. Finding where they live

   An inspection around sinks, appliances and cabinets, often with glue boards to show where activity is heaviest.

2. Treatment matched to the species

   Baits placed in cracks and crevices are common for small indoor roaches. Larger outdoor species often need attention outside and in the crawl space too.

3. Follow-up

   Each visit should include an inspection. Kentucky's entomologists note it should not take a full year to clear roaches from a single-family home when treatment is done correctly, so ask what the plan is and whether you can cancel afterward.

When to call

Call if you see roaches more than once in a week, if you see them in daylight, or if they are in the kitchen. If it's one large roach after a rainstorm, sealing the gap where it came in may be all you need.

While you wait, wipe up grease, take the trash out at night, keep food sealed and fix any dripping pipe. Don't spray before the visit unless the company says to, since sprays can interfere with baits.

Roach questions