Pest Library
Cockroaches
Roaches have been around for more than 200 million years and live on every continent except Antarctica. Mostly nocturnal, they seek shelter from the outdoors and gravitate toward dark, warm spots — often bathrooms, closets, and kitchens.
What Are the Risks of a Roach Infestation?
Roaches travel through dirty areas, carrying germs from one place to another and contaminating food, surfaces, and anything else they touch. They spread more than 30 different types of bacteria, including salmonella, and can trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions — especially in children.
The German cockroach is the most prevalent species in the world — a single female and her offspring can produce 300,000 roaches in a year.
Where Roaches Are Commonly Found
Roaches take up residence anywhere they find food, water, shelter, and warmth — and the species often tells you where. Tap a spot below to see which type shows up there.
Tap any glowing spot to see which roach species shows up there.
Because of how quickly roaches reproduce and how many bacteria they can carry into your home, a cockroach problem is best handled by a licensed professional rather than DIY sprays alone. Freedom Pest Control can identify the species you're dealing with and target treatment to where it's actually hiding — not just where you see it.
Roaches have developed remarkable survival skills: they can run three miles per hour, withstand 32°F cold, and go a month without food and a week without water. A roach can survive a half-hour submerged underwater, and because it breathes through spiracles on its body rather than its mouth, it can even live a week without its head — dying only because it can't drink.
That resilience is exactly why prevention matters more than reaction: sealing entry points and removing food and moisture sources does more than most sprays ever will.