American and Palmetto roaches
Roach control for Amarillo-area homes
Large roaches usually live outdoors and come inside for food and water. American and Palmetto roaches are covered by your Home Protection Plan, with a technician visit about every two months.
Overview
Large roaches, and how they get in
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension describes the American cockroach, also known as the waterbug or palmetto bug, as the largest cockroach in Texas. It grows 1½ to 2 inches long, is reddish brown with a tan to light-yellow band behind its head, and can fly. Large roaches of this kind live mostly outdoors and become pests when they come inside in search of food or water.
Outdoors, they favor dark, moist, protected places such as mulch, ground cover, woodpiles, water meter boxes and manholes. In a dry climate, moisture is the draw, so irrigated beds, mulch and drains deserve attention. AgriLife notes that they often get inside through poorly sealed doors, roof soffits and floor drains.
Roach control is part of your Home Protection Plan. Your technician typically works around the outside of your home, at the doors, soffits, eaves and foundation where large roaches get in, and interior liquid application is a free add-on if you are seeing roaches inside.
What is covered
The Home Protection Plan covers two kinds of roaches by name:
- American roaches: included in your plan
- Palmetto roaches, often called palmetto bugs: included in your plan
- Interior liquid application: a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan
If you are seeing a different kind of roach, such as small, light-brown roaches in the kitchen, call (806) 209-4849 and describe what you see. We will tell you honestly whether it is covered.
The Home Protection Plan at a glance
One year-round plan covers most of the pests on this site, so you are not booking a separate visit for each problem. Here is how it works.
- Visits about every two months, year-round: six a year, each within about 15 days of its target date
- Covers rats, mice, spiders, wasps, carpenter bees, earwigs, non-wood-boring ants, millipedes and centipedes, American and Palmetto roaches, stink bugs, pill bugs and silverfish
- Add-ons: carpenter ants, voles and exterior fleas and ticks, priced separately, plus interior liquid application at no extra charge
- A 100% warranty: free re-service if covered pests return between visits and, if the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, a refund of your last charge and the end of your plan with no cancellation fee
- A 12-, 18- or 24-month initial commitment: 3 business days to cancel after you sign, and an early-termination fee if you end it sooner
- After your commitment ends, your plan continues on the same schedule until you ask us to stop (at least 30 days before your next scheduled service)
Signs of roaches
Roaches hide by day, so what you notice is usually the roach itself and where it tends to appear.
Large roaches at night
A big, reddish-brown roach in the garage, laundry room, bathroom or kitchen after dark is typical. American cockroaches can fly, so one that glides across a room is not unusual.
Roaches around drains and sinks
Floor drains, sinks and bathrooms are common entry points and gathering places, because these roaches follow moisture. Floor drains are a common way inside.
Roaches at doors and along the garage
Gaps under door thresholds and worn seals give roaches a way in. AgriLife recommends checking the threshold seals under doors and making sure roof soffits are screened.
Activity in mulch, meter boxes and woodpiles
Outdoors, these roaches shelter in mulch, ground cover, woodpiles, stumps and water meter boxes. Seeing them there means they are living close to your home.
How it works
What a typical roach visit looks like
Because these roaches live outdoors and come in, the work typically happens at the places they enter.
Inspect the outside
Your technician may check door thresholds, garage doors, the foundation, soffits and eaves, and the mulch beds and meter boxes near the house where roaches shelter.
Treat the perimeter and entry points
Using a backpack or hand sprayer, your technician typically treats around the foundation and doors and in the cracks and gaps where roaches get in. Eaves and soffits may be swept with a telescoping pole.
Add the inside if you want it
If you are seeing roaches indoors, ask for interior liquid application. It is a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan.
Repeat every two months
Visits repeat about every two months, year-round, so entry points can be checked and treated on a schedule.
Seasons
When roaches are active in the Texas Panhandle
Cockroaches gather near heat and moisture, which speeds their growth and reproduction, according to AgriLife. On the High Plains that means warm months and damp spots such as irrigated beds, mulch, drains and meter boxes.
Winters here are cold, with the average first freeze around October 20 (National Weather Service), but the plan’s year-round visits keep entry points on a schedule, and interior liquid application is available as a free add-on if you are seeing roaches inside.
Season by season
Spring and summer
Warm weather favors roaches, and irrigation and rain keep beds, mulch and drains damp, which is where large roaches shelter. About three-quarters of Amarillo’s yearly precipitation falls from April through September (National Weather Service).
Fall
This is a good time to check door sweeps, soffit screens and drain traps before winter. Keeping the P-traps in floor drains filled with water is a simple step that helps.
Winter
Roaches that are already indoors do not stop for the season. Visits continue on schedule, and interior liquid application is a free add-on if you are seeing roaches inside.
Roach control questions
Have a question that is not here? Call us and we will answer it.
Call (806) 209-4849Which roaches are covered by the Home Protection Plan?
American and Palmetto roaches are covered. If you are seeing a different kind, call (806) 209-4849 and describe what you see, and we will tell you whether it is covered.
Why do I see large roaches in a clean house?
Cleanliness is not the reason. Large roaches live mostly outdoors, in places such as mulch, meter boxes and drains, and come in looking for food or water, often through poorly sealed doors, soffits and floor drains.
Is a palmetto bug the same as an American cockroach?
Names vary. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension lists palmetto bug and waterbug as other names for the American cockroach. American and Palmetto roaches are both covered by your plan, so you do not need to sort out the name before you call.
How can I help between visits?
Keep the P-traps in floor drains filled with water, check the seals under doors and make sure roof soffits are screened. Pulling mulch and woodpiles back from the foundation also removes places for roaches to shelter.
Do roaches come back after treatment?
They can. Large roaches live all around a home, so new ones can wander in between visits. That is why the plan is built around regular visits and a 100% warranty: if pests covered by your plan return between visits, we re-service your home at no charge.
Can you treat inside my home?
Yes. Interior liquid application is a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan. Ask for it when you request your quote or at your next visit.
Service areas
Where we work
We serve Amarillo and nearby communities across the Texas Panhandle. Choose your community to see what is active there through the year.
Ask about roach control
Request a free quote and we will confirm your plan and schedule your first visit, or call us at (806) 209-4849 and tell us where you have been seeing roaches.