Sewer Roaches! Why are They a Serious Problem in Areas like Pima and Maricopa county?
How Do Sewer Roaches End Up Inside Anyhow?
Sewer roaches sneak into your homes when it’s raining outside. A typical monsoon is a life-or-death situation for the roach, and they are forced to search for shelter that is high and dry or drown in the flood. The rising water can cause sewer roaches to climb up sewer pipes and up through the sink or floor drain into your home.
Since your bathroom is directly connected to the sewer system, it’s often where homeowners first start noticing roaches and cockroach infestations.
Fun fact: If you’re familiar with sewer-dwelling “water bugs,” you already know all about sewer cockroaches—it’s just another name for the same species of cockroach.
Why You Keep Finding Sewer Roaches in Your Bathroom
There are U-shaped pipes under virtually all sinks, including floor drains. The purpose of these traps is to hold water, which helps prevent sewer odors from escaping into your property and blocks sewer roaches from making their way up floor drains, sink drains, etc. An unused sink or shower floor drain becomes the perfect path into your home.
When the water is not being used, the pipes are dry and it’s easy for sewer roaches to crawl up through the drains and start laying eggs in the nearest cracks and crevices.
A wet drain will keep the cockroaches away by running water into the floor drains. Guest bathrooms are especially at risk because the shower and sink are rarely used. When the water is not being used, the pipes are dry and it’s easy for sewer roaches to crawl up through the drains and start laying eggs in the nearest cracks and crevices.
A Wet Drain Keeps the Sewer Roaches Away
A retired pastor tells the story of coming home to visit his parents. When he turns on the shower in the guest bathroom, he was alarmed at what appeared to be a big black geyser coming out of the drain. The geyser was a stream of sewer roaches pouring out of the drain and onto the shower floor.
While unusual, it is not uncommon to see sewer roaches coming out of drains, especially in guest bathrooms. You can make sure drain pipes do not dry out by pouring two cups of water—no cleaning solutions, bleach, or other chemicals are necessary—into all floor drains and rarely-used sink drains at least once per month. In hot and dry climates like Tucson, you may need to do this weekly.
Fun fact: An old wive’s tale is that bleach can be used to kill roaches that may be living in your drains. Bleach does kill roaches, but it also can release toxic fumes from your drains and will eventually cause damage to the entire drain system.
Add Shower Drain Cover to Keep Sewer Roaches Out
Install a shower drain cover. A roach’s nearly flat body is designed to squeeze through the smallest gaps, so use a mesh shower drain cover with small and dense holes. This can effectively block sewer roaches while allowing water to drain fast.
Fun fact: Do sewer roaches fly? Yes. They can unfold their long wings and fly – for a few feet, at least!
Why You Really Need to Get Them Out
The reason sewer roaches live in the sewers is the same reason you never want them crawling around your house: they eat down there.
Think about all the things that find their way to sewers. Beyond all the “number one’s” and “number two’s,” they’re feeding on rotting food, grease, and more.
When they do come up into your home, they don’t leave the dangerous germs, bacteria, and allergens behind. They bring it all with them, depositing it onto everything they touch.
Call Professional Pest Control
If you’re at all worried about a sewer roach infestation getting out of hand, call us, Conquistador Pest & Termite. We can discuss treatment options and learn more about what might be causing the problem. We recommend a free inspection of the perimeter of your home to make sure all cracks and crevices that cockroaches could use as access points are sealed.
