residents, but sanitizing and decluttering spaces in your home can help to prevent them. You can use natural remedies, chemical agents, or call in a professional exterminator if you have an infestation.

Insanely adaptable, able to live on your garbage crumbs, excreting awful smells, and potentially carrying around fatal diseases, a cockroach in your home can be something straight from your nightmares. They can thrive in Ohio’s humid summers but can still survive the state’s cold Midwestern winters.

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Ohio cockroaches 101: How to recognize a roach

Over 4,500 species of cockroaches exist around the globe, but in the Buckeye State, there are typically four species most commonly found in the Northeast.

Being able to identify which cockroach you are dealing with will give you the upper hand in this fight. Let’s look at the four most common cockroaches in Ohio.

Oriental cockroaches

These glossy black or reddish-brown roaches are medium-sized and usually grow to about an inch long. These roaches prefer to hide in cool, dark, and dank places (think under leaf piles or in basements) and can survive the cold of Ohio winters.

Oriental roaches are also described as having a particularly offensive smell, so you may be able to follow your nose to their nest.

American cockroaches

American cockroaches are large, with adult roaches reaching about three inches long. Also known as Palmetto bugs, American roaches are tan in color and are sensitive to light, so these guys prefer the dark.

They can be found inside, likely entering through drain pipes or ductwork, or outside under piles of leaves or in gutters.

Brown Banded cockroaches

These cockroaches don’t grow as large as their American cousins and only reach about 10-14mm in length. They get the name “Brown Banded” from the transverse bands of light brown on adults’ wings and juveniles’ bodies.

Brown Banded roaches prefer hot and humid climates, so to avoid the harsh cold of Ohio winters, they try to seek shelter in your home. Able to spread rapidly and feed on almost anything, this species is a tough competitor.

German cockroaches

German roaches are one of the most adaptable species of cockroach. Reaching about half an inch in length, they are typically found in bathrooms, kitchens, and around hot water tanks since they like warm and humid areas.

MORE: How to remove bugs, tar, and sap from car paint

A guide to cockroach identification

If you spot a cockroach invader in your home, you’ll want to identify the species if you can. The table below can help you distinguish the most common roaches in Ohio.

Type of roach	Average length	Color	Can it fly?	Where to spot them
Oriental cockroach	1 inch	Glossy black or reddish-brown	No	Basements, leaf litters
American cockroach	2-3 inches	Reddish-brown	Yes	Gutters, leaf litters, drains
Brown banded cockroach	10-14 millimeters	Light-brown	Males: Yes, Females: No	Cabinets, wall cracks, furniture
German cockroaches	0.5 inches	Light brown	Yes	Kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages

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First, make sure you aren’t dealing with a cockroach look-alike before reaching for the nearest bottle of chemical spray. Here are the bugs that resemble roaches in Ohio:

Crickets are typically smaller than roaches and can hop around much faster than roaches can crawl.

Ground Beetles look quite similar to cockroaches in coloring and size. You’ll have to check out the wings to make the distinction: ground beetles have hard front wings and roaches have leathery soft wings.

Water Bugs stick around sources of water. They are typically larger than roaches and can be distinguished by the large pincers they have at the front of their bodies (and they will bite!).

Asian Long-Horned Beetles, also known as the Starry Sky Beetle, have long antennae and splotches of black and white on their backs.

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Does home insurance cover flooded basements?

How to get rid of roaches in Ohio

If you suspect or have seen cockroaches in your home, you’ll want to rid your home of them as quickly as possible. The route you take to banish them will depend on if you’ve just seen one or are dealing with a whole colony.

The best first step you can take is to thoroughlyclean your living space. Roaches thrive in dirty and cluttered environments, so by doing the dishes, sweeping, mopping, and cleaning up any trash and food crumbs, you’ll be on your way to getting rid of these pests.

You’ll also want to try to identify any possible points of entry that the roaches are using to intrude and seal them off. Hopefully, a good clean, sanitize, and seal will take care of the issue, but you may be looking at a larger infestation problem that requires more intensive work. If this is the case, you can turn to natural remedies, foggers and baits, or professional exterminators.

Natural roach killers

Want to get rid of roaches without introducing toxic chemicals into your environment? Try some of these methods:

Bay leaves: Natural repellents for roaches due to their overwhelming smell, bay leaves can be used in their dried or fresh form. Leave them around the house where you spot or suspect the roaches to be and they won’t want to come near them.

Mint leaves: Mint leaves work similarly to bay leaves in keeping the roaches away by their smell. You can boil mint leaves in water, pour the solution into a spray bottle once cooled, and spray around the infested areas.

Garlic: This potent solution doubles as a vampire and cockroach repellent. Garlic smells extremely unpleasant to the bugs, so you can leave cloves or garlic powder around the house to repel them.

Diatomaceous earth: This powder is made from fossilized algae, and it kills roaches by damaging their exoskeletons. A light sprinkle on key surfaces (especially near entry points) can stop a colony in its tracks.

Some of these options will kill the roaches, and some will just repel them. Natural remedies are the most time-consuming, and you’ll probably have to pick up any roach carcasses that accumulate as they do their job.

Chemical roach killers—and when to hire an exterminator

Bug bombs, foggers, gels, and bait are often needed for a more aggressive approach to extermination.

Bait stations: Roach-killing bait is an extremely effective method for banishing these unwelcomed houseguests. A roach will eat from it and return to the nest to infect all its buddies.

Insecticide gel: A cleaner and more concentrated option, roach gel is convenient for planes, boats, and vehicles.

Roach spray: Fogging spray or bombs are incredibly helpful with typically long-lasting results. These are great for hard-to-reach places like the inside of closets and in corners.

Though effective, all of these options are toxic for people and pets if not treated carefully, so make sure to take all safety precautions when using them.

If these resilient roaches are still plaguing your home after you’ve given these methods a try, licensed exterminators will be able to identify entry and hiding places and take these pests out for good.

How to keep cockroaches from coming back

The best defense you can have to maintain a roach-less household is vigilant cleaning.Good sanitation practices will help to keep these pests out. Here are some key points to get you started:

Reduce moisture in your home by buying a dehumidifier.

Limit food consumption to one area of your house or just keep up on your sweeping and vacuuming.

Identify water leaks and cracks that encourage a roach infestation.

Maintain a cleaning checklist that includes taking out the trash, keeping up with the dishes, sanitizing surfaces, and cleaning up food crumbs.

MORE:

How to choose the right kind of home insurance for you

How to save money on home and car insurance in Ohio

Having a roach-less home and vehicle is just one area of concern for Ohio residents. Buckeye State residents also have to contend with ever-increasing home and car insurance rates.

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FAQs

Is it common to have roaches in Ohio?

Yes, roaches are a common nuisance in Ohio, according to the state’s health department.

What attracts roaches in Ohio?

Cockroaches in Ohio are most attracted to food crumbs, trash, wet areas, and the dark and dank.

Is there a roach season in Ohio?

There is no specific roach season for Ohio. Different roaches are attracted to slightly different environments, but they are master adapters and can be found year-round.

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