Cockroaches are probably one of America’s most reviled pests. Their brown color and lightning fast movement can give everyone the creeps. When you run into this household pest, there are a few things you can do to temporarily decrease their numbers, or at least slow their rampant growth. You will likely eventually need to call a pest control company to bring out the heavy duty weapons against a serious cockroach problem, but here are some simple, DIY home solutions that can fight minor roach invasions.
Clean Up The Mess
If you have roaches, then chances are there’s a mess that attracted them in the first place. Roaches don’t just appear in college dorm rooms or run down apartments. Any home that contains pets or children is likely to accumulate a mess that will attract roaches. Even every day “wear and tear” debris left behind by responsible adults can attract this menace, especially when we’re talking about North Carolina pests. The first step to fight the roaches is to simply clean everything! Wipe down your kitchen counters with disinfectant. Wash and put away all dirty dishes and make sure there’s absolutely no food residue left behind on them. Sweep the kitchen floor and take out the garbage. You may even need to thoroughly rinse and wash your garbage bin, as sometimes food can “escape” the bag and leave it stuck inside the garbage can itself.
This will not be a one-time thing. If possible, you should do a thorough cleaning every night before bed. Roaches are nocturnal and are thus more likely to be active at night while you’re sleeping and the house is dark. Making sure there’s no mess in your kitchen every night, as daunting as it may seem, is the only way to assure they don’t find food and think they’ve found a gold mine. Leave them hungry and make them leave empty-handed, and they will be less likely to return in the future. If you do this cleaning nightly, it should only take you ten or fifteen minutes.
Fill Any Cracks or Crevasses
Roaches are not naturally occurring indoors. Most roach problems exist because the roaches have gotten into the house somehow. Find the areas where you’ve seen the highest concentration of roaches, then find the path they’re taking to get inside. Most roaches come from outside, so there could be gaps in your trim, baseboards, or the small gap between your countertop and the wall. Grab a tube of caulking and start filling those gaps, leaving no room. Roaches can fit inside surprisingly small holes, so you do not want to leave anything to chance. Be sure to check in typical roach activity areas — specifically, the kitchen and pantry.
What use is cleaning your house every single night if the roaches have an easy way to dart in, grab a bite, and jump back out? Keep them sealed off and ensure they don’t have easy reentry into your home.
Check for Water Leaks
One of the most common problems that can cause a roach infestation is excess moisture. This is why you will often find roaches under sinks. If your pipes or faucets are leaking, it can create moist spaces for roaches to thrive. Without moisture, a roach’s days are numbered. Many roaches can survive months without food but only a handful of days without water. If you can cut off their source of water, then you can put a time limit on their lifespan and ensure they die quicker. Fix leaks and be sure you mop up or soak up all standing water that came as a result of the leak.
Also be sure to check for any potential water damage, as rotted out wood can give roaches a survival habitat as well. Once you’ve fixed any leaks, you’re in a good position to bring out the heavy weapons.
Baits and Traps
You’ll need to decide the best way to obtain baits and traps. Sometimes, the storebought brands can work, but their successfulness is shoddy. Plenty of people have different homemade remedies that they claim will do the trick. One of the most popular recipes is three parts boric acid with one part powdered sugar. You place this mixture in all the nooks and crannies in your kitchen — under the stove, behind the refrigerator, and beneath the sinks. This mixture can sometimes get the job done.
However, we recommend you contact the pest control experts at Economy Exterminators. Our professional exterminators have years of experience and access to heavy duty cockroach poison that will get the job done correctly. Contact us today for a free on-site consultation and get rid of those pesky roaches before they run you out of the house!
