HOUSTON – They're creepy and crawly and everyone has an opinion about them. Most aren't too flattering.
"Can't stand them," said Charlie Davila, of Houston. "When I see them I step on them."
"I don't like them," said Courtney Caldwell. "I mean, anything that crawls is gross."
Cockroaches have been around for ages and always have been a nuisance, but people across parts of the Houston area are reporting a higher number of the pesky insects these days. There were more than 100 comments and shares of the story on Local 2's Facebook page.
Despite Wednesday's rain, it wasn't hard finding them in their usual locations. Local 2 tagged along with pest control expert Claude Griffin, who said he's seen a 30 percent increase in calls regarding roaches.
Griffin said part of it is the warming weather. The other part has to do with an increase in trash and debris -- perfect breeding grounds for the insects.
"Rats and roaches live up underneath trash and they wait until the next day to come out when it dries," said Griffin. "This is a coverup. This is survival and when don't pick up the trash, everybody's got a place to stay."