Cockroach Exterminator & Roach Control in Kansas City

German cockroaches are about half an inch long, tan to light brown, with two dark stripes on the shield behind the head. They live only indoors here — they can't survive a Kansas City winter outside — and they stay close to warmth, water and food: kitchens, bathrooms and the motors of appliances. The female carries her egg case, holding 30 or more eggs, until it's nearly ready to hatch, and in a warm kitchen a roach can go from egg to adult in about two months.

American cockroaches are the big ones — an inch and a half or more, reddish-brown, with a pale band around the shield behind the head. They live in sewers, steam tunnels and the basements of older and commercial buildings, and they come up through floor drains and along pipes, mostly in summer. "Palmetto bug" is another name for the same roach.

Oriental cockroaches are about an inch long, shiny black or very dark brown, and slow. Females have only tiny wing stubs. They like it cool and damp — crawlspaces, floor drains, window wells and under mulch — and in Kansas City they show up most in basements in late spring and early summer. People often call them water bugs.

Cockroaches reproduce quickly and can hide inside cabinets, wall voids, kitchens, bathrooms, appliances, and utility areas.

A quick surface spray usually is not enough. Real control requires targeted placement, follow-up strategy, and reducing food, water, and hiding areas.

Droppings that look like ground pepper or coffee grounds along cabinet hinges, in drawers and behind appliances; brownish smear marks where it's damp; brown, capsule-shaped egg cases; shed skins; and, with a heavy infestation, a musty, oily smell.

The best check is at night. Turn the kitchen light on after it's been dark for an hour and look at the counters, the sink and the floor along the stove. Roaches out in the open during the day usually mean there are a lot more hidden. Look under the sink, the hinge side of cabinet doors, behind and under the refrigerator, the stove and dishwasher, and inside microwaves, coffee makers and toasters.

German roaches ride in. Grocery bags, cardboard boxes and drink cases, used appliances and furniture, and backpacks or purses from a place that has roaches are the usual routes. In apartments and duplexes they also move through shared walls and plumbing.

American and Oriental roaches walk in. Floor drains that have dried out, sewer line defects, gaps around pipes, gaps under doors and foundation cracks are the common entries.

German cockroaches are one of the toughest pests to eliminate without a proper plan.

We use a practical treatment approach designed to attack the infestation where it lives. German roach work includes one follow-up visit about two weeks after the first, to catch the roaches that hatch from egg cases after that first visit.

Take away food and water. Wipe up grease, including the sides of the stove and the floor under appliances, don't leave dishes in the sink overnight, wipe the sink dry before bed, and pick up pet food at night. Keep trash lidded and take it out often, and get cardboard out of the house quickly — roaches hide and lay eggs in the corrugation. Fix drips under sinks.

Seal the gaps around pipes under sinks and behind toilets, and put sticky traps under the sink, behind the refrigerator and beside the stove to see where activity is heaviest. For the larger roaches, pour water into floor drains and unused basement sinks every few weeks so the trap stays full, use drain covers, and weatherstrip doors. If you rent, tell your landlord early — roaches in one unit rarely stay there.

Bug bombs and foggers scatter roaches deeper into walls and neighboring units without reaching where they live. Spraying store-bought sprays over or near baits can make the baits less attractive, so mixing products often makes things worse. Cleaning helps a lot, but on its own it won't clear an established German roach infestation. Ultrasonic plug-ins don't work, and moving the problem by tossing furniture or appliances usually just leaves the egg cases behind.

Call if you see German roaches at all — they don't go away on their own — if you see any roach in the daytime, if they're in more than one room, or if big black or reddish roaches keep coming up from the basement every spring. We'll get to you as fast as we can.

We help homeowners, landlords, and small businesses deal with roach problems.

Straight answers. Real work.