Terminix
A staggering 63% of American households deal with cockroaches inside their house. These pests make it difficult to do daily activities when they suddenly appear and contaminate everything. Cockroaches are primarily attracted to visit and stay in your home because of food. It doesn’t matter what kind – human food, pet food, even bird seeds!
There are different types of cockroaches, and the most common in the U.S. are the German, Oriental, and American cockroaches. Each of these roaches invades your house for a particular reason. In this article, we’ll help you handle your cockroaches problem. Read more to find out.
1. Find Out Where They Hide
Before moving to methods to rid your house of cockroaches, find where they are hiding at first. Cockroaches mostly hide in places where you may have left food, but they also prosper in dark and moist places.
The following are the parts of your house where cockroaches may be:
- Gaps in your drawers and cabinets
- Corners of your doors and windows
- Behind your refrigerator
- In your bathroom closets
- Under your sinks
- In the kitchen cupboards
- Inside drains and pipes
- Around or inside your furniture and electronics
2. Deal with the Problem
Now that you know which areas you should target, you can now set up traps for the roaches. There are many ways you can choose from, and some are as follows:
Gel Baits
Gel baits are often used to manage the population of this pest. This gel contains an insecticide and is disguised as food. Cockroaches then ingest the gel bait and die. It’s placed in crevices where cockroaches hide.
Glue Board Traps
You can opt to put pieces of bread on the board to attract more roach and wait for them to get stuck with the sticky substance.
Boric Acid
This powder is dusted along floorboards and cabinets and messes up with the roaches’ digestive system. It also clings to the roach to help kill the other pests.
Plug-In Ultrasonic Pest Repellers
These devices are plugged into electrical outlets and emit high-frequency sound waves that confuse and even kill pests like cockroaches.
DIY Cockroach Traps
A popular DIY Cockroach trap using a 2-liter soda bottle:
- Cut the bottle’s top part (where it curves) and put cooking spray or Vaseline inside.
- Invert the top part and then connect it to the bottom part of the bottle.
- Secure the edges so the bottle doesn’t fall apart.
- Tape the outside of the bottle or wrap it in fabric so the roaches can easily climb up.
- You can put crumbs inside the bottle and leave it in areas where roaches are frequently found.
- You can make several of these traps and do it every night.
- Kill the roaches by pouring hot soapy water in the bottle or freezing them.
Aside from boric acid, here are other organic cockroach killers you can use:
- Coffee grounds
- Dish soap and water
- Fabric conditioner
- Baking soda and sugar
- Essential oils
- Bay leaves
- Catnip
3. Protect Your House
After dealing with the infestation, you should follow these tips to make sure your unwanted housemate doesn’t bother you again:
- Make sure you don’t leave crumbs of food uncleaned. Your couch, bed, laptop – anywhere you eat is prone to a roach infestation.
- Regularly check your pipe and drains, so there are no leaks.
- Seal cracks and crevices that may be entry points for roaches. Even if you successfully eradicated cockroaches that are currently inside your house, there’s always the chance of roaches from the outside breaking in. Leave them no room to wiggle and caulk spaces they can squeeze through. These include windows, doors, tiles, and walls.
Make sure you clean your home:
- Kitchen area – Properly wash plates that you’ve used for meals, so there aren’t any food remnants on them. Your plates, utensils, and other things you’ve used for cooking are cleaned and put away in the right place. Wipe down your stove and be wary of any grease.
- Dinner table – Immediately wipe any spills and remove any crumbs after eating. Especially if you have a wooden table that soaks up liquids.
- Bedroom – If you tend to bring food and eat on your bed, it isn’t surprising to know that some roaches may have also made it their special spot. Regularly replace and laundry your sheets.
- Trash bins or recycling areas – Don’t haphazardly throw your garbage without properly tying them. Without doing so, the contents may spill and leave traces that can attract roaches. It’s also best if you choose a bin that has a tight-fitting lid. Also, make it a habit to take your trash out before you sleep.
- Furniture – Regularly vacuum your upholsteries and look for egg casings in your wooden furniture.
- Your whole house – Mop and remove any unnecessary debris or piles that can hide roaches, such as old boxes and stacks of paper.
Cockroaches carry and spread different kinds of diseases and can live up to three months without eating. This means that if you don’t start doing something about them, the roaches’ population in your home will only grow. Follow the steps above and live roach-free!
