A-Z with A B Pest Control & Insulation: Crawl Spaces & Cockroaches

At A B Pest Control & Insulation, we offer multiple services for your convenience. From pest control to lawn maintenance and turf management to insulation services, we can handle all of these tasks for you! This week, we'll be continuing our new series by discussing two different sectors of our business with A-Z with A B Pest Control & Insulation: Crawl Spaces and Cockroaches.

Protecting Your Crawl Space
Unfortunately, home efficiency and moisture issues in crawl spaces can easily go unnoticed, degrading home air quality, comfort, and energy efficiency. One of the most common problems with crawl spaces that do not have insulation is the high level of moisture. This could lead to mold growth. By having your crawlspace insulated, you can greatly reduce the moisture levels, which will prevent mold from growing and forming. Moisture that's trapped in the crawl space can also affect the temperature in the house. Insulation can help seal off the crawl space and keep your house at the temperature you desire. Proper insulation can also prevent pipes from freezing and bursting in colder weather.

Two Types Of Crawl Space Insulation

Vapor Barrier System
A crawl space vapor barrier system prevents ground moisture evaporation from entering the crawl space. It's designed to resist the flow of air. The vapor barrier system turns the crawl space into a semi-conditioned area by stopping the air movement and making the temperature close to the living spaces in your home above. When the temperature in the crawl space is similar to the temperature in the home's living areas, your floors will feel warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Foam Spray
Spray foam insulation can help seal things up for good and eliminate any worries you may have about your crawl space. Spray foam is highly dense, and a little bit goes a long ways. It's non-permeable so it can help seal up any air gaps to eliminate moisture and keep your space free of mold, mildew and rot. While the only guarantee of a rodent-free home is ongoing pest control service, spray foam makes it less likely you'll be invaded by rodents. Spray foam is hard and an unwelcoming substance for them, unlike fiberglass insulation.

Preventing Cockroaches
Roaches enter homes in search of shelter, food and water. And your kitchen offers all of that! This is one pest you DON'T want to see in your home for many reasons: they can multiply quickly, they're hard to get rid of, they can pose health threats, and they're just plain scary! Daily cleaning and proper food storage is the easiest way to prevent these nasty little bugs from infesting your home. But be sure to seal off any potential entryways, too! Regular pest treatments can help prevent them, as well.

What Cockroach Species are Common in Missouri?

American Cockroach
The American cockroach generally lives outdoors, but during winter will move indoors and seek refuge from the cold. Outdoors, they will winter in decaying trees and woodpiles to survive the season.
German Cockroach
German cockroaches are a severe pest problem in the United States and are found everywhere through the country in large numbers. They easily infiltrate human structures and make their homes there. Once inside, they are hard to eradicate. As long as the German cockroach can find food and a humid environment, it will survive the winter.

Oriental Cockroach
Oriental cockroaches are an indoor species, but will often venture outdoors in search of food. They must have water to survive and will usually take refuge from the winter inside basements, crawlspaces, and floor drains. Oriental cockroaches can tolerate lower temperatures than most other species of cockroaches and will often winter in rock walls and sites that offer protection and warmth. They use the winter months to reproduce.

Give A B Pest Control & Insulation a Call!
At A B Pest Control & Insulation, we pride ourselves on our exemplary service, because we stand behind all our work. We offer flexible service schedules to meet your pest control, insulation and budget needs. And of course, we couldn't do what we do without the awesome customers that trust us for their pest and insulation needs! So, we just want to give a quick shout out to our loyal customers who've kept us going all these years!

If you have unwanted pests around your house or would like a free estimate on your insulation needs, give your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company a call! From pest control to lawn maintenance and insulation services - A to Z, we cover it all!

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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www.abpest.net

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What Happens to Cockroaches in Winter?

Ever wonder where some of those pests that were taking over your lawn and home run to when winter pokes its cold dreary head out? While some pests and rodents migrate to warmer climates for the winter months, others may seek places to hide out from the cold or hibernate. Cockroaches are one of those iffy pests that can go either way. Because of their unrelenting ability to survive even the harshest conditions, regular pest control treatments during the colder months are essential for controlling cockroaches. Here's what you need to know about cockroaches in the winter months.

What Species are Common in Missouri?

American Cockroach
The American cockroach generally lives outdoors, but during winter will move indoors and seek refuge from the cold. Outdoors, they will winter in decaying trees and woodpiles to survive the season.

German Cockroach
German cockroaches are a severe pest problem in the United States and are found everywhere through the country in large numbers. They easily infiltrate human structures and make their homes there. Once inside, they are hard to eradicate. As long as the German cockroach can find food and a humid environment, it will survive the winter.

Oriental Cockroach
Oriental cockroaches are an indoor species, but will often venture outdoors in search of food. They must have water to survive and will usually take refuge from the winter inside basements, crawlspaces, and floor drains. Oriental cockroaches can tolerate lower temperatures than most other species of cockroaches and will often winter in rock walls and sites that offer protection and warmth. They use the winter months to reproduce.

Cockroaches During The Winter

Cockroaches are resilient creatures, surviving on earth for more than 300 million years and will likely continue that survival long after humans have disappeared. The winter months do pose a risk to cockroaches, which will often die when exposed to temperatures less than 15 degrees Fahrenheit. However, cockroaches can find plenty of ways to avoid that exposure and survive the cold months.

Why Continue Pest Control During Winter

It's important to continue pest control treatments inside and outside your home throughout the winter months to keep pests that are seeking warmth from gaining access. They do they tend to take up residence inside the walls, which could make it more difficult to find and treat.

• If pests are inside the walls of your home, they are not affected by the cold temperatures outside.
• In addition to roaches living in the walls, attics and basements also provide a great source of protection and warmth for them to survive the winter months. 
• If there are points of entry that are not sealed up, roaches can find their way into your home.
• When a professional pest control company treats your home, they will ensure there are no pest related issues or identify any conditions that could lead to the future pest problems.
• Continual treatment can prevent future infestations and can help to treat any nested eggs that have since hatched and not been affected by the initial treatment.

Get Rid of Roaches with A B Pest Control & Insulation!

This month we've seen some unusually warm temperatures, which may be causing some pests to come out of hiding. If you need pest control services this fall or winter, call A B Pest Control & Insulation at 573-964-1100. We can help you keep your home pest free this season!

Lake of the Ozarks
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Cockroaches of Missouri

Cockroaches are a common problem throughout the United States. Once they make themselves comfortable in your home, it can be hard to get rid of them. Not only can they snack on your food, they can damage your walls, personal items and electronics. If that wasn’t bad enough, some species of cockroaches can spread diseases to you and your family. Missouri is home to several different types of cockroaches that your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company can help you get rid of:

American Cockroaches

As adults, American Cockroaches can grow to be slightly bigger than three inches long. They are typically reddish brown or mahogany colored, with the area behind their heads outlined with a yellow band. Both males and females can fly. These cockroaches normally live outdoors and prefer warm, damp areas like flower beds or under mulch. However, they will come inside to find food and water. If they are inside, you can find them in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms and basements. Because these cockroaches are often found in sewers, it is important that you take care of getting rid of this species of cockroaches as they can spread diseases, contaminate our food, and cause allergies and asthma.

Oriental Cockroaches

Adult oriental cockroaches are very different in appearance. The adult male oriental cockroaches are smaller than females at a little under an inch long. The females can grow to be one and a quarter inch long. Both male and female oriental cockroaches are typically reddish-brown or black in color. The males do have small wings, while the females lack wings. However, neither males or females are capable of flight. These cockroaches typically live outside, but if available, they will live beneath porches and in between walls and crawlspaces. They often infest homes in the summer months keeping towards the lower levels of homes and gathering near water sources.

German Cockroaches

German Cockroaches are light brown or tan, with two black horizontal stripes located behind the head. They grow to be a little over a half an inch long. The nymphs are much darker in color but still feature the black stripes. While these cockroaches do have wings, they rarely fly as they choose to run away from danger. They are often found indoors with the preference for the warmer and humid areas like kitchens or bathrooms. They can come inside when bags, boxes or cardboard containers are brought indoors. Their small size allows them to hide efficiently and they have few predators. This allows their populations to grow rapidly and requires professional treatment to effectively get rid of them.

Brown Banded Cockroaches

Brown Banded Cockroaches are one of the smallest invasive cockroaches at just under a half an inch long as adults. They are light brown or tan in color, with bands on the wings of the adults and across the body of the nymphs. Unlike the German cockroaches, these cockroaches tend to hide out in less humid and warmer areas of the home like the ceilings, attics or in and around appliance motors. They are typically nocturnal, but it is not uncommon to spot them looking for food in the daytime. It is important to get rid of these insects quickly as they are known to carry harmful bacteria and have been linked to asthma and allergies.

Get Rid of Your Cockroach Infestation with A B Pest Control & Insulation

Identifying the correct species is the first step in addressing a cockroach infestation. The way you manage one species is seldom effective when applied to another species. It is best to contact a professional pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks if you have a cockroach infestation. This will assure the problem is properly taken care of the first time. A B Pest Control & Insulation is here to help with all your pest control needs. If you need help with any type of insect infestation, call us at 573-964-1100 today.

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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www.abpest.net

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