There's nothing quite like flipping on the kitchen or bathroom light at night and seeing a big roach run for cover — especially when the house is clean. We hear about it a lot this time of year from families in McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, and Melissa.
Here's the good news: a big roach in a clean house usually doesn't mean what people fear. Most of the time, a big roach in a Texas house this time of year is an American or Oriental cockroach that wandered in from outside. This post explains how to tell the big outdoor roaches from the small ones that breed indoors, and what actually helps keep the big ones outside.
Big Roach or Small Roach? Here's Why It Matters
Not all roaches are the same problem. The size and color of what you're seeing tells you a lot about where it came from.
American cockroaches are the big ones, about an inch and a half long. They're reddish-brown with a pale, yellowish figure-8 pattern behind the head. They mostly live outside in drains, sewer lines, flower beds, and mulch, and they wander in while looking for food or shelter.
Oriental cockroaches run up to about an inch. They're shiny, dark brown to almost black, and people often call them "water bugs" because they love damp places. Outside, they live in leaf litter, mulch, firewood piles, and drains.
German cockroaches are a different story. They're small — about half an inch — tan, with two dark stripes behind the head. They live and breed indoors, mostly in kitchens and bathrooms. If you're seeing small tan roaches, especially in the daytime, that usually means a population is living inside. That calls for a different plan (more on that below), and we've written about it before in How to Get Rid of German Cockroaches in McKinney Homes.
Our cockroach page has more on the species we see around Collin County.
Why Big Roaches Come Inside in the Fall
Oriental roaches are most active in the heat of summer and into early fall, and American roaches do well in our warm North Texas weather. As the season turns, a few things push them toward the house: heavy rain that soaks flower beds and floods drains, cooler nights, and the simple search for a damp, sheltered spot.
Once they're near the foundation, it doesn't take much to get inside. A worn door sweep, a gap around a pipe, or a garage full of cardboard is plenty. Inside, they head for the same things they like outdoors: water and dark hiding spots. That's why people find them in bathrooms, laundry rooms, under kitchen sinks, and in the garage — usually at night.
What Actually Helps: Water First, Then the Way In
Big roaches follow moisture. Dry things up and close the openings, and you take away most of the reasons they come in.
Fix the drips
Check under kitchen and bathroom sinks for slow leaks, and fix dripping faucets. Roaches need water more than food, so a damp cabinet floor is a big draw. If an area stays humid, a dehumidifier can help.
Keep drains in good shape
Keep floor-drain covers in place. Run water now and then in sinks, tubs, and floor drains you don't use much, so the traps don't dry out. While you're under the sink, look at where the pipes go into the wall. If there's a gap around them, seal it.
Pull mulch back and send water away
Pull mulch back a few inches from the foundation so the bed right against the brick can dry out. Fix leaky hose faucets and sprinkler heads. Clean the gutters, and add downspout extensions so rainwater ends up out in the yard instead of soaking the flower bed.
Close the doors they walk through
Add or replace door sweeps and weatherstripping on exterior doors, including the one between the garage and the house. If you can see daylight under a door, a roach can get under it. Patch torn window and door screens, and seal cracks in the foundation and exterior walls.
Clean up the garage
Cardboard boxes stacked on the garage floor stay cool and a little damp, which is just what big roaches look for. Move storage into lidded plastic bins, keep it up off the floor when you can, and check that the bottom seal on the garage door sits flat.
When to Call, and What's Covered
One big roach after a heavy rain doesn't always mean there's a problem. It's worth a call if you're seeing them regularly, finding them in more than one room, or seeing small tan roaches, droppings that look like pepper or coffee grounds, or brown egg cases behind appliances. One tip: skip the store-bought foggers. They tend to scatter roaches into the walls without reaching where they hide.
American and Oriental roaches are covered on our quarterly plan. We treat inside and out, garage included, around the drains, foundation, mulch beds, and entry points where big roaches come in. If they come back between visits, re-treatments are free.
German roaches are handled separately. They breed indoors, so they need a different approach: baits and growth regulators placed where they live, plus a follow-up visit to catch the next hatch. We quote that as its own service. You can read more on our roach control page.
We're a local, family-owned company here in the McKinney area, and we've been handling cockroach control in McKinney, TX and around Collin County since 2012. We serve McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, Anna, Princeton, Fairview, and Lucas, and if you're looking for pest control in Melissa, TX, our McKinney office isn't far away. The easiest way to get started is to request a free estimate online. If you'd rather, you can also call or text us at (469) 340-0200. We'll find a day that works for you.
Here's to fewer surprises when you flip on the kitchen light this fall.
John
Around the Block Pest Control
(469) 340-0200 | aroundtheblockpest.com