The best way to answer this question is to ask the scientists and entomologists who study them. Here is what you’ll learn.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation states that 78 to 98 percent of urban homes have cockroaches. Each of these infested homes has from 900 to 330,000 living in them.

The National heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that all patients with persistent asthma be tested for allergic responses to cockroaches.

The World Health Organization states that because cockroaches feed on human feces, as well as human food, they can spread germs that cause disease. WHO indicates a link between cockroaches and diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, leprosy, plague, typhoid fever, and viral disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the cockroach an allergen source and a carrier of salmonella, typhimurium, Entamoeba histolytica, and the poliomyelitis virus. They also link cockroaches to psychological and emotional distress in some individuals.

How many cockroaches do you want in your house?

If you live in an urban area, and you’ve seen or heard roaches in your home, you should act quickly to protect your family. Though you could have hundreds in your walls, one cockroach is one too many. Your life has enough challenges. You don’t need to be fighting roach-related illnesses on top of everything else.

Can I take care of roaches myself?

The scary truth about do-it-yourself roach protection is that you won’t know for sure if your home is truly safe. You could spend hours and hundreds of dollars sealing up your walls and laying down roach motels, but without an inspection from a certified professional, thousands of these bugs can continue sneaking around in your walls, undetected. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself how any home can have 900 to 330,000 roaches without the residents running from the house screaming in terror and disgust. The reason is because these insects are sneaky, quiet, and reclusive.

Protect your family from allergens, bacteria, and disease by getting a professional pest management company involved. A roach-free home is worth every penny.

World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/resources/vector288to301.pdf

Asthma and Allergy Foundation: http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=22&cont=312

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/publications/books/housing/cha04.htm