THE COTTAGE COCKROACH

There’s a 9-letter word that no one in cottage country wants to say out loud, let alone come across in real life.

And it’s ‘cockroach’.

We know, we know – how dare we spoil the cottage living experience or cottage season by talking about cockroaches! Cockroaches are creepy and icky, and are more of a city or business problem, right?

Well, the truth is that cockroaches are also a cottage living pest, especially around Georgian Bay, Muskoka, Lake of bays, and really anywhere in Ontario's cottage country.

In fact, you may already be familiar with the cottage cockroach, also known as the pine bug, cedar bug or wood roach. These names all refer to the same pest - the Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach.

Interestingly, while the wood roach looks like a small common cockroach, that’s where their similarities end. They are much different than other species of cockroaches.

• They are an outdoor cockroach, living and breeding in nature, preferring moist woodland areas, specifically dead trees, stumps, logs or loose bark.
• They are therefore not unsanitary or dirty like their cousins the German cockroach, American roach, Oriental roach or Brown Banded cockroach.
• They are commonly an issue from May to October.
• They are not secretive, scurrying about only at night in the dark – they are active during the day and night, and don’t scamper off to hide when discovered.
• Only males fly and are drawn to lights, and will congregate around outdoor lighting.
• Females, unable to fly, often wander into cottages and cabins through cracks and gaps in the exterior.
• Wood roaches cannot survive indoors, so if they do fly or wander inside your cottage, they will die soon after.

How to Get Rid of Wood Roaches

If you find the occasional wood cockroach indoors, simply suck it up with a vacuum cleaner, or sweep it up and toss is outside, where it belongs.

Preventative pest proofing can also help keep these nuisance pests from getting inside:

• Caulk or seal exterior cracks and crevices.
• Replace or repair broken screens, and ensure they have a tight fit.
• Install door sweeps on all exterior doors.
• Install screens over all vents.
• Minimize exterior lighting directly around your structure and re-locate outdoor lights away from your cottage, home or business to draw wood roaches away.

Cottage country is filled with homeowners, businesses and cottage owners who have an overwhelming abundance of wood roaches in and around their structures. These populations are large enough to unnerve and stress out even the most relaxed person. In these situations, seeking help from an experienced local pest control professional who ‘gets' cottage living pests, is the best way to seek relief from and manage these pests.