Cockroaches are very difficult pests to treat. Domestic treatments even applied thoroughly and extensively are not effective against any sort of serious infestation. A thorough domestic treatment usually can be encapsulated as baiting and dusting with the addition of domestic pesticide sprays like permethrin. These can be applied to deal with small infestations especially if the infestation is of a species that does not breed quickly. However, if you have had the infestation for more than a month and the infestation is a cockroach like the German cockroach which can reproduce literally ten times faster than the other three common species in North America then professional treatment is likely due.
Cockroaches in North America
Cockroaches in North America are not common in that there are only four species that infest homes. The reason for this is that the further north you go the colder it gets. When the temperature outside is at zero cockroaches cannot mate or give birth. When the temperature is below ten degrees they can barely function and then goes down to seventeen or less they die. This is not a treatment option, this is just science.
Common Native Cockroach Species
The most common cockroach species include two native species the American and the Brown Banded cockroaches. They are both physically quite large and make up a large number of infestations in communal buildings. They live for a long time, up to one hundred and twenty days and can lay egg sacks, or ootheca that can contain up to five or six eggs each. They do not breed quickly but their size makes them easier to notice and this makes the infestation easier to treat as you will have a greater chance of spotting a cockroach early. All cockroaches have vestigial wings but only the American cockroach can still use them. Prehistorically they could all fly but now they can only fly for very short bursts which are still enough to terrify the people that must deal with them.
Non-Native Cockroach Species
The other two species that often infest homes in North America include the German cockroach, guess where that is from and the Oriental cockroach which is specific to China. They both arrived hear long ago, like house mice and Norway rats on ships from Europe. This means they are not used to the climate and must infest homes to survive the winter whereas native cockroaches have a better chance of survival in the elements. Either way, they are still cockroaches and are very hard to treat domestically.
Domestic and Professional Treatments
The worst and most difficult to treat species by far is the German cockroach. They are small, almost a quarter of the size of the others and their babies are minute, small enough to get into microwave vents. They are also the most prolific in that they can reproduce at an astounding rate giving birth to over sixty eggs at a time. This is an infestation that you cannot treat domestically and will be hard to notice before it becomes severe. You will want to get a professional in as soon as possible to deal with it as they will never leave and will overwhelm you with their numbers.
