RAP SHEET

American Cockroach

Periplaneta americana

high CASE #MWP-0002

Flew in uninvited and brought 40 bacterial friends along.

How We Take Them Down

  1. Perimeter insecticide applications around the foundation and entry points
  2. Gel bait and bait stations in harborage and travel areas
  3. Treatment of floor drains with appropriate insecticide formulations
  4. Exclusion work: sealing gaps around pipes, vents, and utility entries
  5. Moisture reduction and elimination of damp harborage conditions

Prevention Tips

  • Keep basement and utility areas dry — repair any moisture intrusion
  • Install tight-fitting drain covers and maintain clean floor drains
  • Seal exterior cracks, gaps around pipes, and openings around the foundation
  • Store firewood well away from the home and off the ground
  • Keep garage doors closed and weather stripping in good repair

Fun Facts

The American cockroach can run at speeds of up to 3.4 miles per hour. That's fast enough to be genuinely unsettling.

Despite its name, it's believed to have originated in Africa and arrived in America via shipping in the 1600s. Classic stowaway behavior.

It can survive being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. Your mopping is not the deterrent you think it is.

Some people call it a "palmetto bug" in the South. Same pest. Different branding. Still disgusting.

Field Notes

The American cockroach is the big one — the reddish-brown flier that has sent many a grown adult screaming from a bathroom at 2 a.m. At up to an inch and a half long, it’s the largest cockroach species commonly found in U.S. homes, and it has an unsettling fondness for sewers, drains, and damp basements, which means it’s dragging whatever it last walked through right into your living space. Unlike the German cockroach, it generally prefers the outdoors and lower building areas, but once conditions are right — or the weather turns cold — it will absolutely move in without asking. The good news is it reproduces more slowly than its German cousin; the bad news is it can live up to two years, so “slowly” is still a problem.