You don’t understand, you’ve seen little black specks in dark corners and your allergies have been out of control. Millions of people reported seeing roaches in their homes throughout 2019.
You could be one of many dealing with your own pest problem. These allergies and black specks could be signs of a roach infestation.
If an infestation wasn’t bad enough, you may be dealing with one in an old wooden house. Below are four signs of a cockroach infestation and how wooden homes can exacerbate the issue.
1. New or Random Allergy Symptoms
Cockroaches are extreme health hazards. They can carry serious illnesses like salmonella and the plague.
However, they can also aggravate allergies due to leaving behind feces and exoskeletons. Particles from these substances can become airborne and reduce air quality.
Consider monitoring for roaches if you’re experiencing random or first-time allergy symptoms in certain areas of your home. Here’s a list of allergy symptoms for those unfamiliar:
- Sneezing
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Itchy, runny nose
- Scratchy throat
- Rashes
- Hives (a rash with raised patches)
- Stomachache
- Facial pressure or headache
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest tightness or pain
- Whistling and wheezing noises when breathing
2. Unusual Smells
One issue with living in an old wooden house is that you may have to contend with wood decay. Rotting wood has a unique damp, musty, mushroom-like smell. The rotting wood, in turn, may bring cockroaches.
Roaches will eat anything, including wood. Some roaches need to consume wood to survive. The roach infestation will have its own foul odor. It’s musty but has a strong, oily undercurrent you won’t forget.
3. Odd Smears
Even the cleanest of homes will have the occasional smear. It could be from dropped food or the kids have scribbled on the walls with markers again. Or, it’s from cockroaches; these smears are often red or reddish-brown.
Another telltale sign that the smears (or streaks) are from roaches is that they’re hard to clean. You may want to call your pest control team to evaluate if you notice these markings across specific areas of your home.
We mention “specific areas” because cockroaches lay routes. They use fecal matter trails to mark their way around your home.
4. Droppings, Shed Skin, and Egg Cases
This last sign is three rolled in one, which we’ll list as roach “leavings.” Their droppings (fecal matter) are small and reminiscent of coffee grounds.
You can find them in dark areas like cabinets. The shed skin is their old exoskeleton, the roaches are forced to leave once they outgrow it.
Egg cases are a serious issue because this means you have a breeding colony. You can identify these as red or brown oblong cases around your home.
Find Pest Control for Your Old Wooden House
You can’t do much to rid an old wooden house of a cockroach infestation alone. Once you’ve identified the signs, call your local pest control immediately.
Was this article interesting? If so, we’ve got more informative posts to share. Browse the site for more enlightening articles like this.
SEO Title – 4 Warning Signs of Cockroach Infestation in Your Old Wooden House
SEO Description – Uncover 4 telltale signs of cockroach infestation lurking within your old wooden house. Don’t let these sneaky pests go unnoticed!