American Cockroach: (Periplaneta americana)

Wow! We have our very own red, white, and blue Yankee Doodle cockroach right? Well, not really because this non-native critter was introduced to North America during colonial times probably by trade ships from Africa. American cockroaches (a.k.a. waterbug, palmetto bug) are big, (adults are reddish brown, 1 ½ to 2 inches long) seriously fast moving insects. They’ve been clocked at over 3 mph. If you’re not impressed, somebody figured out this would be equivalent to a man running over 180 mph!! In the southern U.S. American cockroaches thrive both indoors and out in dark, damp areas like floor drains, crawl spaces, landscape mulch, hollow trees, and ground covers. Here in north, preferred habitats are sewer systems (Nice!) and steam heat tunnels found in large institutional campuses like hospitals and universities. If you need expert service for American cockroaches contact Colonial Pest Control @ 1-800-525-8084.