Imagine it’s the middle of the night, and you start craving a midnight snack, probably a sandwich.
You get up and go to the kitchen to satisfy that craving, but unexpectedly a big, giant roach scurries past you.
It came out of nowhere, and out of shock, your only response is to remove your slippers and squish them as hard as possible.
So what does it mean if you found one roach inside your kitchen scurrying around?
Does it mean a definite roach infestation? Or maybe the beginning of one?
Let’s find out.
Found One Cockroach in House
There’s a high tendency that seeing a roach scurrying around means your home is already infested with the little creepy insects.
A single roach might not be able to cause significant damage to your property or health; however, a massive infestation hiding somewhere in your home can.
Cockroaches are nocturnal; they do not affect you during the day by staying hidden in holes, cracks, and crevices.
When you are probably sleeping, and the lights are off at night, they scavenge for food and water in your kitchen, garbage, etc.
If you see a cockroach scurrying around your home, it’s looking for food and water.
However, a single cockroach cannot go hunting alone, or it is probably close to the colony’s nest; they often move out in groups and are not singly.
So if you are a roach, there’s every reason to be looking around. You would find others scurrying around in proximity.
Suppose immediate measures are not taken to stop the little stubborn insects from building a nest inside your home; it becomes challenging to find and destroy the nest.
They can cause wreak havoc and become a threat to everyone’s health.
Most homeowners use DIY methods to eradicate a few roaches and entirely ignore their nests; such methods are only temporary.
If there is an infestation, you should take an exterminator’s help; this way, you’ll save time and money.
Yes, you’ll also save money because exterminators are less expensive than you think.
How to Ensure There Are More Cockroaches or Not?
There are a few signs you need to make a note of to be sure:
Dead Cockroaches
The little creeping insects are reputable for their stubborn and surviving nature; they have survived mass extinctions, yet they can die for various reasons.
So, If you want to be sure about a roach infestation, then a dead roach lying around your home is one sign among others.
Discarded Eggshell Casings
When you notice the presence of an eggshell, more like a capsule in shape, then you are looking at an infestation.
Roaches are known to lay from ten to hundreds of eggs in a capsule-like shell.
So, you should know the places where roaches lay their eggs.
Faeces Trail
There is another sign to determine if your home is under infestation.
Roaches leave a trail of faeces as they scurry around, which looks like ground coffee.
See these pics of cockroach faeces to identify them easily.
Oily Smell
With many roaches hiding in several spots in your home, the oily smell lingers all over the place.
Scurrying Cockroaches
This is one of the most important signs of an infestation.
You should take immediate action once you saw a cockroach gliding around during the day.
Roaches are nocturnal and always love to move out to scavenge at night, and for a cockroach to leave its hidden spot during the day means the nest has become overcrowded.
Eliminating Cockroaches with Pest Control
As discussed above, if you saw one cockroach in your house, it doesn’t compulsorily mean you have a roach infestation problem.
However, suppose you notice the signs of a growing roach infestation in your home. In that case, hiring a professional exterminator who could deal with these roaches more adeptly and for an extended period is recommended.
Final Words
In a nutshell, spotting one cockroach in your house doesn’t necessarily mean that you have many of them infesting your place.
However, if you notice the other above-mentioned signs around your house, there is a good chance that more of these pesky little buggers are hiding and making a home inside.
And while various alternatives are now available to repel them and drive them away (peppermint oil, bay leaves, etc.), you can also use roach traps and roach foggers to kill and eliminate them indefinitely.
And if nothing else works, you can always hire a licensed, well-trained exterminator to take care of this problem efficiently while achieving the desired outcomes.