<p>This is such a disgusting topic, so I apologize for bringing it up, but I’m in a bit of a dilemma here. Two days ago it rained all day here. Like literally all day. It’s been really cold since then and everything has frozen up. </p>
<p>I live in a single family home that is virtually 100% free of clutter…I don’t have any furniture except for like a bed and a desk and a TV setup and pretty much no other belongings except my appliances. I don’t have any open food or anything like that. The only insects I usually see are the occasional spider. Today when I got home around noon (so daytime), I saw some sort of bug just sitting on my kitchen floor. It had long antennae and was light brown. I think it was a roach! I’m not sure though. I looked up a lot of sites online, but I really couldn’t tell. Unfortunately, I was so freaked I killed it immediately and discarded the thing, so I can’t show it to an exterminator or someone who is more familiar with insects. I actually have never seen a house cockroach before (only those really big ones when I was in college biology).</p>
<p>Anyhow, I have always read that there is no such thing as one cockroach. If you see one, there are probably hundreds in your house. So, obviously, I am freaking out. I have not seen anymore since I killed that one and I have been checking while it is dark because I know that’s when they come out. I’m not sure if that bug was a roach, so I’m not sure if I should get someone to come spray my baseboards and stuff. It may have just been a bug who came in because of the rain or maybe a lone roach who snuck in because of the rain. </p>
<p>Has anyone else had a roach sighting around heavy rain times, but not seen any after that? Should I wait until I see one more of that bug before I call someone or should I go ahead and spray?</p>
<p>There is what is known as an Oriental roach. It is a member of the roach family, but not the exact one we commonly think of as the “dirty house” roach. It is also sometimes known as a waterbug. It can come about after high water or sometimes after sewer problems. It is disposed of the same way as the common roach.</p>
<p>when I first moved to NJ, we had wood roaches in the house…the exterminator sprayed and that was the end of that. I felt just as you did when you saw it. My house was not dirty, though I did have a housefull of furniture. When you live in a wooded area , it can happen. I have also had mice in both of the homes I have owned…even with cats. That is a very creepy feeling too</p>
<p>Roaches love wood and dampness. Learned this trick years ago in my first apartment. Buy some plain (non soap) steel wool pads. As much as possible, stuff them around the outside of all the pipes in your house where the pipes enter the walls. (think under the kitchen sick, bathroom sink, wall drain area for washer, etc.). Cut the steel wool with scissors if necessary. Keep drains closed when not in use. also, do not stockpile newspapers, brown grocery bags, cardboard boxes etc. They love those also. Use only plastic bins for storage. And most important, don’t panic! It’s all ok!</p>
<p>If it was sitting on your kitchen floor in daylight hours and you were able to move fast enough to kill it and it had long antennae, it was not a roach.</p>
<p>How about a stink bug? We get those inside certain times of the year. They have a hard shell, move slowly, and look prehistoric to me. You can google it for pictures.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, everyone. mamabear1234, I think that may be what I saw! I googled pictures and it looked like a stink bug. </p>
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The insect I saw just sat there. Didn’t budge. I was able to just pick it up with a napkin and kill it. So, I guess it probably wasn’t a roach.</p>
<p>Oh, gosh. I am TERRIFIED of bugs. I hate them. I just hate them. I know they’re small and humans are giants to them, but honestly, the sight of them makes me want to flee. I’m still creeped out from yesterday’s encounter. If I hadn’t so tired last night, I don’t think I could have slept LOL.</p>
<p>That definitely sounds like a stinkbug. For the last couple of winters we’ve been getting a lot of them. The good news is that they don’t carry diseases and they’re very easy to pick up and dispose of - unlike roaches.</p>
<p>I agree with younghoss. Sounds like a large roach,waterbug to me. Has nothing to do with cleanliness. They are not as fast as the common roach and can be seen in daylight, do not breed in the same way either. Just becasue you see one does not mean you have a big problem. Just kill it if you see one( usually after a major storm , high water,etc.) especially if you are near water. We have one once in a blue moon as we are around the corner from the river. Asked an exterminator during our usual yearly termite contract inspection about it and he said , don’t worry about it. Just kill one if you see one in the house.</p>
<p>The cockroaches that I have seen in Asia are nocturnal. The can move quickly, usually scurry away when you turn on the light. But they often freeze when you approach. Probably see one in the house, every week, or so.</p>
<p>D has great respect for life, so we just catch them and put them in the garden. (Glass on top to capture, slide a sheet of heavy paper under glass to act as lid. ) </p>
<p>Not wild about having them in the house, but they are easier to deal with than weevils, ants or termites. (When we lived in Borneo, my nieghbors had cobras in the attic, so I am not complaining about bugs.)</p>