In the northeast US, the most common cockroach pests include German, American, Oriental and brown-banded cockroaches. The German cockroach is the most commonly encountered cockroach pest within homes, and they generally establish harborages within hidden areas of kitchens. This is also the case when it comes to the other four cockroach pests species.
The moisture and darkness within certain kitchen areas provide ideal living conditions for cockroaches. During the day, cockroaches remain out of human sight by congregating beneath kitchen appliances, in the insulation in the walls of appliances, in cupboards below sinks, and especially within wall voids directly behind sinks. Large numbers of cockroaches are also frequently found grouped together beneath water heaters, particularly when they are located within cabinets. Unfortunately, cockroaches are also commonly found behind and within kitchen cupboards and in pantries where they can rely on easy access to food sources.
In addition to kitchens, cockroaches are often found in bathrooms, especially in homes where kitchens and bathrooms share a common wall. In these homes, cockroaches are almost certainly inhabiting shared wall voids, which allows them to travel back and forth from kitchens to bathrooms along utility pipes. In homes that see moderate to extensive cockroach infestations, cockroaches are often found in several rooms.
In heavily infested homes, cockroaches are most commonly found within closets, dresser drawers (especially top drawers), beneath furniture, beneath stairwells, and oddly enough, within electric devices, like TV sets and radios. Brown-banded and German cockroaches are drawn to the darkness and warmth within electrical devices, and they have been found feeding on the glue used to construct these devices. Heavily infested homes often see German cockroaches establish sizable populations within attics, crawl spaces, and wall voids where they travel from room-to-room. Cockroaches are known to travel both vertically and horizontally to neighboring rooms within heavily infested homes. Baiting systems and moderate insecticide applications are often used in combination to eradicate heavy cockroach infestations within homes and buildings.
Have you ever found cockroaches emerging from wall voids within your home?