Before pest control measures can be taken, it is first crucial to identify what kind of pests have attacked a home or property. Often, people confuse some specific pests with others. One such example is that of water bugs and roaches. Since water bugs carry some resemblance to cockroaches, many homeowners mistakenly take water bugs for roaches. Each pest is different, and you should know the difference between a water bug and a cockroach to be able to implement the right type of treatment to get rid of each of them in a proper manner.
If you are unable to identify a particular insect or pest, the best idea is to reach out to a pest control specialist to identify the pest as well as determine which type of treatment will be the most effective.
Difference between a Water Bug and a Cockroach
Each pest has its own distinct features. Whether it is a water bug or a cockroach, they have different features. Due to a couple of similarities, you might take a water bug for a cockroach. However, if you take a closer look, you will be able to easily differentiate between the two pests.
Water Bug: A water bug is so named because of living in the water. Although the pest can surface and come out of the water, their usual habitat is water. You will often see water bugs in outdoor areas, but they can also enter homes from time to time. Water bugs often feed on other smaller insects. People in different places also use the term “water bug” to refer to a certain types of cockroaches such as the Smoky brown cockroach, Oriental cockroach, etc. In this sense, water bugs are not the type of cockroach that usually attacks houses and apartments.
A water bug releases a certain type of enzyme to capture the prey. These pests usually hunt for prey in the water where they live. Though they can bite upon sensing danger, their bites are not harmful. A water bug measures around 2” in length. They do not scavenge as roaches do.
Cockroach: Every homeowner knows what a roach looks like. Cockroaches have round-shaped, brownish bodies. There are some roach species that can survive in water. However, most cockroach species live on land including gardens, homes, apartments, and outdoor spaces. These pests are well-known to scavenge, unlike water bugs. It is common for roaches to hide when the lights are on. Roaches roam around when people are not around. Though cockroaches don’t bite, they do carry the vectors of different types of diseases and illnesses.
Being omnivorous scavengers, roaches feed on all kinds of organic food including sweets, starches, and meat as well as hair and books. These pests will simply feed on anything they can find. You will often see cockroaches crawling around the sink and garbage cans. A roach measures 1-½” in length.
How You Can Tell a Water Bug from a Roach
Based on the above-mentioned distinct features, it can be easy to identify whether it is a water bug or a cockroach.
First and foremost, it is the size that quickly differentiates a water bug from a roach. A water bug is bigger in size than a domestic cockroach. Second, water bugs tend to live in or close to water. On the other hand, a cockroach tends to live in humid areas and places where organic food is easily available. The kitchen, bathroom, and basement floor are some of the potential areas where you can expect to find cockroaches taking shelter. Third, the droppings of water bugs are different from the droppings of roaches. Water bug droppings are bigger, in comparison.
What Attracts Water Bugs to a House?
Water bugs such as peridomestic roaches can find their way into homes in search of water and food sources.
Water bugs live in water because they need plenty of water to survive. However, they also have the capability to live without water for long periods. When they feel thirsty, they will enter homes. If they do not get the required supply of water, their body starts to dehydrate. Once water bugs have entered a property, they will live close to areas where they can feed on waste food.
How to Get Rid of Water Bugs
If you have a water bug infestation in your home or building, you should get rid of it before the situation worsens. There are multiple steps and methods you can apply for the removal of water bugs.
Clean-Up:
The best thing you can do to get rid of or at least prevent the growth of most pests is to clean the house. If your house, office, or building has not been properly cleaned for months, you should give it a deep clean. Maintaining a neat and clean space will help you a great deal in dealing with a water bug problem. If you still find that water bugs have not gone completely, you should implement other more effective methods for their removal.
Boric Acid:
Using boric acid is a highly effective method to kill water bugs. First, you need to locate the areas of infestation and then sprinkle the powder in a proper manner. As soon as water bugs come in contact with boric acid, they will ingest the powder and ultimately die. The best idea is to sprinkle the powder close to the nest of water bugs to get rid of the entire infestation.
Hire a Pest Control Expert:
If the infestation doesn’t go away even after using multiple DIY techniques, it is time to seek help. While you can eliminate a small or limited infestation of water bugs, a large-scale infestation will need proper planning and the use of the right treatment methods. Get in touch with one of our pest control specialists at the Final Exterminators. We provide expert pest identification and extermination for a wide range of domestic and outdoor pests.
Any pest infestation requires a quick response. If water bugs have attacked your home, you should not only use the right type of treatment to get rid of them but also take steps to prevent future infestations.
Cockroach Identification
It is common to mistake cockroaches for other bugs such as water bugs, ground beetles, crickets, etc. Plus, there are different species of roaches that can attack a house. German cockroaches and brown-banded cockroaches are common species that often enter a property. Oriental cockroaches can also attack a house in large numbers. That is why the type of roaches you have in your home should be identified properly before treatments can begin.
If you have difficulty or confusion identifying the type of roaches in your property, seek the expertise of a pest control expert.
What Attracts Roaches into a House
Before you get started with the removal of roaches, you first need to find out what exactly is attracting them into your home. Roaches can enter your property to take refuge, food sources, water, etc.
Sweets, starches, and greasy food attract roaches. Not only that, cockroaches will enter your home due to food crumbs lying on the floor or pet food on the floor. Dirty dishes and sinks also attract roaches into the house. Apart from food sources, roaches also need water to thrive. You’ll invite these pests if you have leaky pipes and faucets. So, you should take a closer look at all those sources, which are attracting roaches, and then cut off their supply of food and water.
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches
There are multiple ways to get rid of roaches in a house. However, the effectiveness of each method may vary, based on the type of roaches and the level of infestation. If the roach infestation is small or limited, you can even use a number of home remedies to deal with the problem.
Home Remedies:
Natural or home remedies prove useful when you want to get rid of a small roach infestation. Baking soda, boric acid, and essential oils are some of the remedies you can use to get rid of cockroaches in your home. All these are usually available in most homes.
Glue Strips:
The main purpose of using glue strips is to locate the problem areas where roaches are hiding. As soon as cockroaches step onto the strip, they get trapped due to the presence of glue on the strip.
Bait Stations:
Setting bait stations is an effective method to instantly kill roaches in a house. Before placing the baits, you need to mark out the areas where you have spotted roach activity. The bait releases a special smell to attract cockroaches. As soon as the roaches eat it, they start to die. Poisoned cockroaches also pass on the chemical to other roaches in the group.
Hire a Professional: For fast and the best results, you should reach out to a reputed pest management company in or near your area. If you are in Moreno Valley, CA, you should head straight to Final Exterminators for expert help with the removal of a roach infestation in your property or building.
Talk to a Pest Control Expert
If your property has been invaded by water bugs or roaches and the infestation is a severe one, you should get in touch with professionals without any delay. At Final Exterminators, we specialize in the elimination of all sizes of pest infestation in a highly effective and safe manner. After an inspection, our specialists will come up with a proper course of treatment for the elimination of water bugs or roaches. Based on the specific needs of the situation, we may need to implement a combination of multiple methods for the best results. Additional treatments and follow-up visits will be made to make sure the infestation has completely gone.
To schedule your consultation with one of our experts, you can give our Moreno Valley office a quick call or write us an email using the contact form.
