No one likes the idea of a cockroach infestation. These big bugs are loathed by most and feared by many—for good reasons too. Cockroaches are dangerous pests that can transmit a laundry list of illnesses to the people whose homes they infest. If you’d like to keep them out of your home this summer, you’ll need to know how to roach proof your house.
Where Do They Come From?
Cockroaches are known to hitchhike from the grocery store inside packages of potatoes or other foods. In some cases they hitch a ride in on guests, or, if you live in an apartment or townhouse, they can come through the walls.
Regardless, even though it wasn’t your uncleanliness that lured them in, discovering roaches can be extremely unsettling–and understandably so! There is definitely a stigma to having roaches, but when you find roaches in your home, you have more to worry about than your reputation.
They spread feces and urine wherever they go, their shed skins are known to exacerbate asthmatic conditions, especially in children, and they are directly connected to the spread of 6 parasitic worms, 33 different kinds of bacteria (including E. coli and Salmonella), and more than 7 other types of human pathogens.
Why Roaches Become Problematic in the Summer
While different types of American cockroaches have different habits, most have this in common: They don’t like extreme cold or extreme heat. In the winter, they might try to find their way inside, but they’ll typically remain mostly dormant until the weather warms up.
In the spring and summer when the temperatures get hot and dry, roaches will look for relief within the cooler confines of your home. If you have areas in your house with high moisture levels, they’ll like it all the better.
The problem with getting roaches in your home at this time of year is that they are a serious health concern. They enjoy spending their time in the dirtiest places you can imagine, sewers, garbage bins, toilets, sink drains… you get the idea. While these places are full of germs all year long, the warm weather only helps those germs multiply.
You can take steps to make your home less attractive to cockroaches and less likely to be infested. These include:
- Sealing all cracks, gaps, and holes around the outside of your home.
- Keeping outdoor garbage bins tightly covered.
- Removing indoor garbage frequently.
- Keeping all food stored in airtight containers or in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Cleaning your counters and dishes as soon as they’re dirty.
- Leave dishes in soapy water instead of in a dry stack next to the sink.
- Keep crumbs cleaned up around the toaster.
- Sweeping and vacuuming regularly.
- Inspecting boxes and bags for roaches before bringing them into your home.
- Checking for water leaks in and around your home and immediately fixing them.
What to Do if Roaches Get in Your Home
If you do find roaches in your home, here are the steps you can take to get rid of them.
Bait Stations
- Baking Soda: Sprinkle baking soda on a half-cup of diced onions. Place the dish near the spots where you are seeing roaches. The roaches will ingest the baking soda, killing them. Onions are toxic to dogs, so take care to keep this away from your pets.
- Boric Acid: This compound is found in plants and fruits and is safe for pets and humans to be around. Place some boric acid on a plate or in a dish alongside a slice of fruit or other treat to tempt the roach. After the roach ingests the boric acid it will die instantly.
- Chemical Bait Stations and Glue Traps: You can buy these from any hardware, home improvement or grocery store or online. Place them near the areas where you are seeing roaches.
Spray Roaches Away
- Spray or sprinkle these items in the areas where you’ve seen roaches and they’ll soon be history.
- Borax: mix equal parts of this laundry detergent and white sugar
- Diatomaceous Earth (DE): these particles of fossilized algae are an effective natural insecticide. Make sure you buy the food-grade version of DE.
- Essential Oils: use peppermint, lemongrass, lemon or any citrus oil with water in a spray bottle
Effective Cockroach Control
There are many ways to resist cockroaches and even kill those dirty little buggers, but sealing these resilient pests out of your home completely requires a professional. At Moyer, our technicians are continually educated in advancements in pest control methods with a focus on smarter, Eco-friendly solutions. When you need to exclude these dirty pests from your clean home, contact us today, we can help.
Give us a call at 215.799.2010 or fill out the form below and we will contact you.