Cockroaches
Three roaches are common in Kansas City. German cockroaches breed indoors in kitchens and bathrooms and are the ones that become an infestation. American and Oriental roaches usually come up from sewers, drains and crawlspaces.
German roaches need a thorough cleanout with follow-up visits; the others are mostly an entry-point and moisture problem.
German Cockroach
The small, fast-breeding kitchen roach behind almost every serious indoor infestation in Kansas City apartments, restaurants, and homes. It lives only indoors and it does not go away on its own.
Identify & treat german cockroach →
American Cockroach
The big reddish-brown "water bug" or "palmetto bug" that comes up out of basement floor drains and sewer lines in older Kansas City neighborhoods. Startling, but usually a drain and sewer problem rather than a breeding-in-your-kitchen problem.
Identify & treat american cockroach →
Oriental Cockroach
The shiny black roach that shows up in damp basements, crawlspaces, and around outdoor drains. It tolerates cold better than other roaches and is the one you find in the garage in March.
Identify & treat oriental cockroach →Pest photos are used under Creative Commons and public-domain licenses — see photo credits.