Imagine you are traveling through a city that is hosting a large event. It may be the big game in the fall or the latest pop star rolling through town getting people to change the name of the city for it. Whatever the cause, you end up in a renovated apartment complex for a hotel. You walk in and things seem clean. Next you go to sleep and put your travel snacks in your bag just in case. You do this because you know….what you don’t see may be contaminating your food.
Direct Contamination
As cockroaches move in and out of trash, plumbing, sewer drains, and everywhere else they like to hide, they pick up pathogens that they deposit directly into the food they are sharing with you. Even when things seem to be wrapped up neatly, cockroaches in the vicinity will squeeze their way in for a tasty bite. As they do, they will directly deposit the viruses, bacteria, or fungi they picked up along the way. These pathogens may include salmonella or antibiotic resistant pathogens.
Besides pathogenic microbes, keep in mind that cockroaches do not perceive the world in terms of boundaries like people do. If a neighbor is incorrectly using pesticides, those applications may get tracked into your living space and unwittingly shared with you. These pathogens not only hitch rides on their body, but may be deposited through their feces as they pass over and through.
Indirect Contamination
As cockroaches reproduce and grow, there are many elements of their feces, oothecae, and exoskeletons that make their way into the air. These can cause issues with asthma and allergies for those that are susceptible and may even be involved in the development of some of these conditions.
It is important when cockroaches are around or even a possibility to consider what all they could touch that you would later contact. This may include things such as:
- toothbrush
- coutnertops
- sinks
- food packaging
- clothing
- water bottles
- soda cans
- light switches
Other Threats from Cockroaches
If food and surface contamination along with allergy triggers weren’t enough, cockroaches also pose a fire hazard. They are thigmotropic which basically means they love to squeeze together inside of tight spaces. These tight spaces are even more appealing if they are warm. Oftentimes this aggregation occurs in electrical equipment which can cause cause a fire hazard.
Whether you encounter cockroaches in your residence, business, or somewhere passing through, it can have psychological effects. This consideration should be taken into special account for those that cannot influence the situation as much such as small children or those in the waning years of life. In a survey to those affected by cockroaches, 94% reported the incident to be anxiety inducing.
Start Seeing Roaches to Stop Seeing them
Since roaches hide out of sight, they can develop their populations for long periods of time before they are noticed. Having a routine inspection with monitoring done combined with active monitoring is your best early detection and defense against cockroaches. Rove Roach experts are available to be your eyes so you can focus on the important parts of life that you want to protect.
Solving the Autostereogram
Give up? For a quick guide on a few different techniques to viewing them, visit this handy guide here. Otherwise, you can just scroll through the original image and then the hidden image.
