Indiana is a midwestern state with a subtropical and warm, humid climate. Unfortunately, it is the 17th most populous state with a rising housing problem in recent years (Source). This has forced people to live in cramped houses helping spread arthropod infestation, including cockroaches in Indiana.
Cockroaches in Indiana Include the German Cockroach, the most common Cockroach that infests indoor spaces. The American Cockroach is the second most common roach in Indiana, but it rarely infests indoor spaces instead loves to live in sewers and drains.
In Indiana, other common cockroaches are Brown Banded, Oriental cockroaches and the Mediterranean spotted cockroaches; they also infest indoor spaces but less commonly. Wood cockroaches, including Parcoblatta and Pennsylvania wood cockroach, are peridomestic cockroaches and are especially abundant in Yellowwood State Forest and Ferdinand State Forest,
Indiana dunes national park, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and many more attraction sites attract almost 82 million tourists annually. Moreover, Seaports at Portage, Jeffersonville, and Mount Vernon handle millions of tons of cargo annually. Tourists and trade introduced Indiana to new species of cockroaches, including the Mediterranean spotted roaches.
I have written this blog to help the reader identify, prevent and exterminate roaches in Indiana with ease.
Tired of cockroaches? Invest in only these products and follow the guide to eliminate roaches!
Use these products, and you will be roach free in less than a week.
1. Advion Cockroach Gel Bait (Review)
2. Gentrol IGR Point Source (Review)
Other Products to try:
1. Combat Roach Traps (Easy than gel baits)
2. Hot Shot Foggers (To kill in masses – 95%)
3. Pet Safe Killers (Uses Essential Oils)
4. Ortho Defence Outdoor Roach Killer (Prevent Roaches)
Cockroaches In Indiana are Very Common
It will not be wrong to call Indiana a state that supports the flourishing of a variety of insects and arthropods, including roaches. The climate of Indiana remains pretty warm throughout the year with ample humidity to keep roaches thriving, breeding, and infesting human habitations.
Cities like Indianapolis are called the crossroads of America because of their heavy reliance on transportation. Transportation has a significant role in spreading cockroaches through Indiana State.
Therefore, cockroaches in Indiana are very common. Highrise buildings, apartments, restaurants, cafes, and closed communities such as Green Woods are the hotspot of cockroaches. They not only help spread roaches to other cities in Indiana but also other states.
Types of cockroaches in Indiana
Types of roaches in Indiana vary from small roaches that are dangerous and infest homes to pretty big wild roaches that love to live in the wilder parts of Indiana.
The exact number of species of roaches in Indiana is not known, but a rough estimate suggests that at least 13 types of cockroaches inhabit the state of Indiana.
Here are the few common types of roaches in Indiana,
German Cockroach
The German cockroach is the most common Indiana roach. It is tiny and is half an inch in size. It has dark stripes on the back of the head, which make it different from a Brown-Banded cockroach. German roaches have two sets of wings, but they can’t fly.
The German cockroach is the only capable to live indoors in Indiana. It can’t survive in the wild. Therefore, it infests houses, highrise buildings, damp basements, and restaurants. Moreover, they also love to infest bedrooms and kitchens.
Hotels in Indiana are the hotspot for German roaches because many tourists visit them each year, bringing and taking German roaches, their babies, and eggs.
German cockroaches spread diseases like typhoid and paratyphoid fever, dysentery, and cholera because they visit sewers regularly.
They also trigger allergies and asthma episodes in atopic individuals. Moreover, German roaches reproduce very quickly and infest very heavily.
American Cockroach
This is the second most common cockroach in Indiana. However, it rarely infests indoor spaces.
American cockroaches are found mainly inside gutters, damp basements, under the rocks, and sheds. They infest indoor spaces in Indiana when the outside temperature increases above their threshold.
The American cockroach is one and a half to 2 inches with brown color with a flat body. It has flight-capable wings and reproduces quickly. The American cockroach has a life span of up to 2 years.
The American cockroach, or the flying cockroach of Indiana, is notorious for flying toward flashes of bright light or when feeling threatened.
Brown Banded Cockroach
Brown-banded cockroach is the third most common cockroach found in Indiana. It is different from the German roach because it has two noticeable lighter stripes across its whole back hence named Brown Banded.
Brown Banded Cockroach measures about ½ inch long, and the male roach has wings covering the whole abdomen. However, the female Brown-Banded cockroaches have tiny wings with no ability to fly.
Brown Banded cockroaches are common in Indiana and infest homes, restaurants, and bars more commonly.
Oriental cockroach
The Oriental cockroaches are also known as waterbugs. Oriental cockroaches are found in moderate numbers in Indiana.
The Oriental cockroach is 0.71–1.14 inches with a dark brown to the glossy black oval body. Interestingly, the female Oriental cockroaches resemble Florida Wood Cockroaches.
The male and female both have short wings, but none fly, excluding them from the group of flying roaches in Indiana.
Oriental Cockroaches live in dark and moist places near decaying organic matter, sewers, drains, damp basements, porches, and other damp locations.
Oriental cockroaches rarely infest indoor spaces in Indiana but sometimes are seen in damp basements in hot and humid cities like Indianapolis.
Wood Cockroach
Just like other roaches, Wood roaches are not native to Indiana. They live in forests in large numbers and are accidentally carried indoors with firewood.
Pennsylvania and Parcoblatta species of wood cockroach infest Indiana. Florida Woods cockroaches are not found in Indiana.
Wood roaches infest huts and structures made of wood but are easy to exterminate because they are less shy than other roaches and roam freely.
Although all cities are infested with Wood roaches, 9 counties in the Hoosier National Forest area have the highest infestation rates with wood cockroaches.
Spotted Mediterranean Cockroach
The Mediterranean Spotted cockroach is a recent intruder in the state of Indiana and is thought to be brought in the mid-1900s. It is a very tiny roach tan roach with dark speckles and measures a quarter of an inch.
The Spotted a Mediterranean cockroach is attracted to flashes of bright light and often flies towards it. Therefore, window mesh should be used to keep them out.
Fortunately Spotted a Mediterranean cockroach love to live in the wild and very rarely infest indoors.
Do you know the biggest cockroaches measure more than 3 inches in size?
Other types of roaches in Indiana
Surinam cockroaches and Australian cockroaches are also found in Indiana. Thankfully, these roaches mostly love to live outdoors and rarely infest indoors.
Therefore, these roaches do not impose a major infestation problem in Indiana. However, it doesn’t mean that these roaches will never infest indoor spaces.
When the outside conditions are unfavorable, mostly during heat waves, these roaches may move indoors and cause infestation.
Electronic Cockroach Repellent; Does it work? Read this article to know more.
Bugs that look like cockroaches in Indiana
The climate, terrain, and atmosphere of Indiana are no less than heaven for arthropods and insects. Therefore, one might easily confuse other bugs with cockroaches.
Here are a few types of bugs that look like cockroaches in Indiana:
- House, camel, field, and mole crickets confused with adult roaches
- Giant Water Bug is often confused with Giant roaches
- Ground, Click, Longhorned, Darkling, and Palo Verde Beetles may be confused with medium-sized roaches
- Bed Bugs can be confused with baby roaches
- Silverfish and Earwigs confused with cockroach nymphs
To know more extensively please read this article; Bugs That Look Like Cockroaches
Preventing and Getting Rid of Cockroaches in Colorado
Preventing cockroaches than exterminating them is easy and cost-effective. Therefore, to prevent cockroaches in Indiana from infesting your living space, follow these guidelines,
- Pick up clutter, spilled food, and garbage regularly.
- Adequately cover garbage bins and bathroom drains when not in use
- Use Natural Repellents to keep roaches away
- Keep mothballs inside your luggage when traveling to Indiana
- Cover crevices and gaps in doors and windows with masking tape
- Use window mesh screens to prevent Mediterranean spotted cockroaches and American roaches from flying indoors
- Use IGR spray or device inside the house. It prevents roaches from maturing into adult bugs.
- Keep lights dim on the patio and backyard to prevent Wood roaches from entering your space.
Can you kill a cockroach by stepping on it? Read this fascinating article to know more!
Getting rid of roaches in Indiana
If you have an established infestation with Indiana roaches, follow these three simple methods to get rid of them easily and effectively,
Method 1: Using a bait
Using bait is an excellent method to get rid of cockroaches inside your bathroom, cupboards, kitchen cabinets, and basement, which are all the favorite spots of cockroaches.
Cockroach Baits are better than sprays as baits will kill the entire colony.
You can get your hand on many baits, but these are my favorite ones. Use each of them according to the instructions on the pack.
– Bengal Roach Killer is a dry spray bait, very easy to apply and use. (How to use guide)
– Advion Cockroach Gel Bait is the most effective gel you can buy.
– Hot Shot Liquid Cockroach Trapper and Killer is the best trap you can get for cockroaches.
– Combat Max 12 Month Roach Killing Bait is the best bait out on the market.
Method 2: Using an IGR
Using an IGR helps ensure the roach nymphs don’t grow into adults. Cockroaches are notoriously fast breeders among insects in Indiana. Using an IGR spray will keep it in check for you.
An IGR alters the internal hormones of roaches to molt. The roaches can not transform into adults and fail to reproduce.
Gentrol Growth Regulator (Amazon Link) is the only and the best IGR device for roaches. It’s easy to use. Just purge one of them and place it in a hidden place inside your bathroom.
Method 2: Insecticide Spray or Roach Bombs
Insecticide spray or roach bombs are quick solutions for getting rid of cockroaches in Indiana. However, Insecticide spray kills roaches but does not destroy eggs; hence, we often start to see roaches again just after a few weeks.
To get rid of Indiana cockroaches, seal all doors and windows, turn off ventilators or air conditioning and spray around all the corners and cockroach hiding places. Then, wait for 30 minutes before you ventilate the room.
Additional Read!
