If you’re ignoring the cockroach nest smell in your home, then you’re allowing the roach infestation to grow.
The smell from roaches and their nests is the #1 subtle sign that tells you there are roaches inside your home.
The worst part of this smell? The stronger the scent, the more severe is the cockroach infestation.
You’ll find out why roach nest smells and what role the stench plays in cockroach infestation in this guide.
Plus, you’ll also get to know the best way to get rid of the smell and why it is crucial.
Keep reading!
Why Do Cockroach Nest Smell?
The smell from the cockroach nest is as same as the stench that roaches emit.
But the stench has a purpose. And that purpose is to communicate with each other.
Let us explain.
The secretion glands in the roaches’ bodies secrete a chemical known as cuticular hydrocarbons.
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) cover the cuticles (a thin layer of skin underneath the main skin) of the cockroach insects.
The CHC does two jobs. First, it protects the roaches from getting wet, and second, cockroaches use it for communication.
Roaches use the CHC to attract other roaches to the food source, nests and even use it to attract mates.
Because of the CHC, cockroaches gather in one place to create a nest, and the nest smells.
CHCs are present in all insects, including roaches, because that’s one means of communication.
What Do Cockroach Nest Smell Like?
Unfortunately, this smell isn’t that pleasant for us humans.
The smell from cockroach nests and roaches is oily and spicy. And if you don’t eliminate the roach nest and the roaches, the smell will attract more roaches to your home.
That leads to an increase in cockroach infestation. And the odor becomes more potent with the rise in the number of roaches.
Ever wondered why empty homes or even new apartments have a stench? It’s because of a vast number of roaches hiding inside the house.
This stench also comes from live roaches, their egg cases, and their shed skin.
Cockroach nest smell is very sticky and stays for a long time even if you destroy the nest.
How To Find A Roach Nest?
Before you get rid of roach nests from your home, you need to know how to find the roach nests.
And to find a roach nest you need to check in places where roaches are most likely to build their nests.
Roaches make a nest in the tightest corners of your home.
But roaches are most likely to make nests at damp places, have food wastes, and receive less natural light.
So, the tight corners of the basement, garage, kitchen, kitchen cabinets, underneath the furniture, and even sewer drains are ideal nesting places for roaches.
Small nests won’t emit that much a stronger smell as compared to bigger nests.
That’s why you won’t be able to recognize the smell when the infestation is low.
But if you unravel a roach nest, you’d smell the odor no matter how small the nest is.
The stench gets stronger near the places where roaches have built their nests.
Cockroach nests don’t look like a nest of a bird with twigs and grasses.
A roach nest is a bunch of baby roaches, roach feces, liquid roach feces in the form smear marks, molted skin, and roach egg cases.
When roach infestation isn’t severe or heavy, then find a roach nest can be a challenge.
And it’d be best if you leave it on a pest controller to do the job.
The pest controller would get rid of the roaches, and their nests, and will save your home from a heavy roach infestation.
Experts believe that the best time to hire a roach exterminator is when the roach infestation is low..
How To Know There’s A Cockroach Nest Inside Your Home?
Physical sighting of one roach is a strong sign of presence of roach nests in your home.
However, if you see any one of the three things below, be sure that there’s a roach infestation.
These are –
- Baby cockroaches.
- White cockroaches.
- Molted or shed skin of roaches.
Baby roaches indicate that there were roach eggs that hatched. And these eggs were indeed in roach nest.
White roaches or albino roaches aren’t any different species of roaches.
A white roach is a growing cockroach that has just shed its skin.
Young roaches shed their skins ten to thirteen times before they reach adulthood.
So, if you’ve seen white roaches in your home, then it’s a clear sign that baby roaches are growing.
Any of these signs is a tell-tale signal of roach nest presence inside your home.
How To Get Rid Of Roach Nest?
In all honesty, finding a roach nest can be hard. But getting rid of it is easy.
All you need to do is take a vacuum cleaner and use it to remove the roach nest.
After vacuuming, use a disinfectant to wipe off the surface where the nest was. That would get rid of the cockroach nest smell.
But there’s a kicker.
If there are baby roaches, then they might escape while vacuuming. After escaping they’d hide in places where you can’t find them.
And if you don’t get rid of them, then despite all your efforts, roaches will be back again.
That’s why, to get rid of resilient pests like roaches, termites, and bed bugs, it’s always a wise decision to hire a pest controller to get rid of them.
The DIY ways of getting rid of these pests fail most of the times.
Why?
Because the DIY ways don’t have the residual toxicity that can spread on these bugs.
And most of the DIY ways have a repelling effect rather a killing effect.
Methods like cockroach baits and insect growth regulators work, but they take time to work.
The pest controller will use IPM (integrated pest management) that involves the extermination of roaches, their nests, baby roaches, and even cleaning and disinfecting your home.
The disinfecting and cleaning process gets rid of the cockroach nest smell from your home.
That stops other roaches to enter your home.
And, it’s not only the insides of your home the pest controller will deal with, but also the outdoors of your home like your yard or garden.
Remember, your yard and drains are the major entry points roaches use to sneak inside your home.
Conclusion
Cockroach nest smell is the most ignored sign of roach infestation because many people don’t know what’s the smell like. The smell is oily, strong, intense, and greasy.
Roaches emit odor, a stench, from their glands. They use that smell to communicate with other roaches. That odor also sticks with the nests, and hence the roach nests stink too.
It’s a very unpleasant and sticky smell. It’s hard to get rid of, and as long as the stench is there inside your home, your home will attract more roaches.
Finding the nest and other roaches based on cockroach nest smell is a tough job.
It’s always a good idea to leave it in the hands of a reliable pest controller rather than doing it by yourself.
Nang Chen is an Entomologist and Arachnologist who is associated with Vienna’s museum of natural history. He’s also a consultant with real estate groups, insecticide conglomerates and law enforcement groups as a forensic entomologist. Nang Chen holds an M.S. from South China University and he’s a regular contributor to our site.