Nothing is more irritating than working hard to keep your house clean just to find a cockroach. Sure, a cockroach here or there is not the end of the world. However, you’ve got a problem when the bugs grow persistent and start taking over your home.
You might end up with a full infestation if you don’t take care of the first roaches you find in your home. Cockroaches have a higher rate of reproduction and they multiply quickly, which causes problems.
Taking out the garbage on a regular basis, keeping your house clean, and storing your food in seal pack containers are just a few of the ways you can do to keep pests out of your home. Cockroaches are incredibly adaptable pests. They consume just about anything you can think of and have an extremely diverse diet, and will eat just about anything you can think of.They have fine-tuned water-finding senses and are masters at hiding. They can survive almost in any environment because of their adaptation.
They are also quite difficult to get rid of once you have them in your home.
Let’s dive in!
Why Do Cockroaches Come Into Your House?
Whether you have ants, rodents, or cockroaches in your home, one thing is certain: they are all seeking food and water. As a result, even the cleanest of homes may encounter a few roaches.
The following are the main priorities for the cockroach in your home:
- Dishes on the counter or in the sink that are filthy
- There are crumbs on the floor, chairs, and table.
- Pet food was left on the floor.
- Food in open containers or cans that have been left over.
- Puddles, birdbaths, flowerpots, or other examples of standing water in your yard.
Cockroaches prefer humid conditions. They like the extra wetness that summer offers.
Furthermore, if you have leaking pipes and ducts in your bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, you’re sure to find a cockroach at some point.
Where Do Cockroaches Live In Your House?
We can often notice cockroaches wandering around your homes, but have you ever thought about where these crawling insects actually reside?
There are a lot of places that cockroaches may choose to live in your house. These can be difficult to identify because each species has their own preferences. There are currently over 3,000 different known species of cockroaches in the world. However, they usually like to hide in the following places:
- Cabinets and drawers
- Appliances
- Sinks
- Under trash bins
- In bathtubs
- Toilets
- Inside furniture
- Closet and storage areas
How Do Cockroaches Get Inside Your House?
When you find a cockroach in your house, you may wonder why they chose your house or how they got in. Even the cleanest home may become infected if roaches locate food, drink, or proper shelter. Cockroaches are capable of locating the tiniest gaps and holes to squeeze through if they want to get in. Cockroaches can enter your house in a variety of ways, including:
- Grocery bags
- Carboard boxes
- Luggage
- Furniture
Always check these containers since you might unknowingly carry a pregnant cockroach (or an egg case) home in a supermarket bag or cardboard box. Before putting food away, inspect it for roaches, and keep your grocery bags outdoors. Cockroaches are less likely to enter your home if you use your own recyclable bags.
Pipes and plumbing
Cockroaches may also enter a home via the plumbing system. They move from one apartment to the next by passing via a shared wall’s plumbing and other utility lines. Some cockroach species enter homes through sewage pipes and emerge into living rooms through floor drains.
Sewers and drains
Cockroaches frequently enter through sewers or drains. As a result of sewer system repairs, displaced American cockroaches may infiltrate buildings. Many homes, in fact, have roach entry sites that are easily accessible.
Understanding how roaches enter your home is the first step in preventing an infestation.
Can You Prevent Cockroaches From Entering Your House?
Cockroaches may find your home to be a perfect nesting site. They may obtain access to buildings by a variety of means, including cracks, fissures, vents, sewers, pipe drains, open windows and doors, and objects carried into the premises.
Cockroaches are drawn to food, moisture, and shelter, so denying them access to these things is the most efficient approach to avoid an infestation. There are few ways to deny their entry:
Close The Doors And Windows
Cockroaches are most active in attempting to come inside during the summer, when the heat leads them to find cooler hiding places, or in the fall when they need to get out of the cold. Cracks and gaps in doors, windows, and foundations allow them to enter dwellings.
By keeping pests from entering the house in the first place, you can avoid an infestation. Weatherstripping and caulk are used to close gaps around windows and doors and to seal cracks.
Keep Food In Airtight Containers
Cockroaches can eat cardboard and thin plastic, which is used to store a lot of food. Transfer food to sealed, sturdy containers if you suspect a bug infestation. Everything in thin packaging is vulnerable, from cereal to flour to chocolate chips. Store food in its original packaging in large, sturdy plastic bins for quick and easy protection on a large scale.
Moist Areas Should Be Dried
Roaches are attracted to dripping faucets and leaking pipes. Moisture should be checked under toilets, under sinks, and throughout basements. Pipes and faucets that are leaking should be repaired. To dry damp regions in the basement, use a dehumidifier.
What Keeps Cockroaches Away From Your House?
Has an intrusion of cockroaches taken up residence in your home? Have roaches taken over everything you could once call your own—but can’t anymore? There are a few things you can use to keep them away.
Soap
Cockroaches can be haunted by anything as simple as soap water sprayed on them. Cockroaches are killed quickly when a soap solution is poured into their pores.
Lemon
This citrus fruit may be beneficial to your health, but it is not good for cockroaches. Lemons repel cockroaches, keeping them away from locations where the fruit is present. As a result, mopping surfaces with water containing a few lemon drops are recommended.
Solution Of Pepper, Garlic, And Onion
A combination of pepper, garlic, and onion , which are readily available in nearly any kitchen, is sure to terrify the cockroaches that live in your home’s nooks and crannies. In a mixing bowl, crush one garlic clove and half an onion, then season with pepper and add water. Before leaving the kitchen, make sure you wipe this mixture off the counter.
Listerine
Mix Listerine with soap and water to create an effective cockroach repellent for your home. Spraying the mixture directly on the roach will kill them, but spraying it around your home will only repel them.
Contact Clegg’s Pest Control for a Free Home Inspection!
Make it a practice to inspect your house and landscaping once a month to verify your cockroach avoidance techniques are current, paying specific attention to the hotspots mentioned above.
Additionally, Clegg’s Pest Control is always here to help. For over 50 years, Clegg’s has been exterminating pests all over the state of North Carolina. If you believe you have a cockroach problem in your home, fill out the contact form below and someone will reach out to you regarding a free home inspection!
