Cockroaches have an almost Transformer-like capability to scuttle, fly, walk upside down and flatten their crunchy bodies before disappearing into sliver-thin crevices. And unless they're hissing or have enough weight to make noise while they take a flagrant stroll across your paper or plastic goods, they are generally silent. Hard to kill? Yes, that too. All of these factors make them the most successful insect species in the United States, whether they belong to the half-inch or 2-inch (or longer) varieties.
Armies of these brown and black, six-legged, winged, long-antennaed and hardened crawlers are known to roam in moist basements and crawl spaces and in multi-unit dwellings in cities, not to mention in a few states known for them, including Texas and Florida, but where else do cockroaches hide out in the hundreds and millions when we don't see them?
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One hint: If you see dead ones, no need to draw a little chalk line around their corpses; where you find them is a clue to their origin, route and destination. But if you see a live one that means there are likely whole cities of them hiding in your home.
Have the creepy-crawlies yet? Let's find out where these bacteria-carrying bottom-draggers hide.