The bathroom is one of our favorite private spaces used to escape the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. What happens, however, when our peace and tranquility is overcome by nasty, nuisance pest invaders? Naturally, these unwelcome guests are attracted to food and moisture making bathrooms an idyllic setting for them to take up residence.
Cockroaches
While cockroaches can bite anything that is edible, including humans, they prefer a diet of dead or immobile food sources. Cockroaches tend to sleep during the day and scavenge for food at night making your middle-of-the-night bathroom stop worrisome. Speaking of bathrooms, the American cockroach expels up to 35 g. of methane gas a year making for one smelly bathroom partner. On a serious note, cockroach allergies are a serious medical condition causing a reaction to humans in the form of asthma.
Centipedes
These long, skittery arthropods love to climb out of your bathtub drain. Like cockroaches, centipedes are nocturnal hunters and love to forage for food at night. One positive fact is that they also eat cockroaches, ants, and silverfish. While effectively harmless to humans and pets, they love the most environment of a bathroom or basement. Centipedes previously thought to have 100 legs, can actually have between 15 pairs to 171 pairs of legs based on the exact species of centipede. They can also regenerate lost legs since they continue to molt as adults.
Silverfish
Silverfish got their name based on the color of their skin making it look like the scales of a fish. Also, they tend to move side to side mimicking the pattern of a fish’s tail. Like cockroaches and centipedes, silverfish are nocturnal and feel their way around your bathroom using their highly sensitive antenna. They have six legs in the middle of their body which helps them move quickly on flat surfaces. Their preferred diet is that of starchy fabrics, books (i.e., bathroom reading material), hair, carpet, and wallpaper. When you see one, however, relax. They do not have fangs and do not carry venom.
Keep in mind that a vast majority of insects gain entry into your home through your attic. It is wise to install TAP Insulation in your home as a natural defense to prevent pests from gaining access causing both health-related issues and potential structural damage. What is TAP Insulation? Learn more about TAP Insulation today. Unless, you enjoy taking a long soak in a hot tub along side cockroaches, centipedes, and silverfish. As the saying goes, “to each his own.”