How To Identify Cockroach Eggs In Your Home

There are multiple reasons you may find yourself concerned about the possible presence of cockroaches in your home. You may have seen something scuttling across the floor, for example, and wondered whether it was a trick of the light or one of these sneaky pests. Or, you may have noticed staining and bad odors that weren't there before. Either way, it can be helpful to learn what cockroach eggs look like and where to check for them in order to work out whether you have a problem.

Cockroaches like to lay their eggs in quiet, dark places that have decent humidity and some access to water. Therefore, you should try checking humid rooms like bathrooms as well as darkened pantries, drawers, wardrobes, drains, and even in the gaps around baseboards. The eggs are actually laid by the mother cockroach in a case which can hold up to 50 individual eggs inside it, depending on the species. 

These cases are what you'll want to keep an eye out for, although they may look slightly different depending on the type of cockroach — American, Brown-banded, German, and Oriental being some of the most common in the United States. However, as a rule of thumb, cockroach egg cases generally look like brown rectangular pods measuring about one quarter of an inch in length. Identifying these egg cases in your home can be unsettling because it means that there are cockroaches present and that they are doing well enough to reproduce. However, there are ways to deal with these eggs in order to get rid of roaches for good and prevent them from multiplying in your home.

Removing cockroach eggs is important for ensuring that their numbers don't increase, leading to full-blown infestation in your home. So, when you do find these small, brown egg cases, a quick and efficient way to get rid of them is to vacuum them up. It is a good idea to wear a mask when doing this and, if possible, use a vacuum with a high-efficiency particle filter to prevent pieces of the eggs being thrown into the air. Make sure to empty the vacuum into an outdoor bin that is far away from your home, just in case they hatch.

Once the eggs are gone, it is important to tackle the things may have been attracting cockroaches to your home in the first place. Put all food into airtight containers, don't leave any pet food or water bowls out at night, and remember to take out trash bins regularly. In addition, check any new items that come into your house such as furniture and clothing to ensure they aren't carrying any cockroaches or eggs. It can also be helpful to minimize the places in your home that are appealing to roaches by throwing out piles of cardboard boxes, plugging small holes, and covering drains. Remember that cockroaches are much more active at night, so if you're worried that some are still present but you aren't sure where, try checking damp, cool areas during the nighttime for any activity. If the infestation still seems to be getting worse, even after you have removed the eggs you can find, it may be best to speak to some pest control experts about how best to get rid of cockroaches forever.