Control Roaches
Controlling roaches is not an easy task for a homeowner. Time and diligence are necessary just to keep up with these nasty insects. Keep in mind that you're not seeking out just one or two roaches… you might actually be tracking 100s+ (depending on how bad the roach infestation actually is).
Roaches are not only unhealthy, they multiply quite quickly.
During the day cockroaches hide around water heaters, in cupboard cracks, stoves, crawl spaces, outdoor vegetation, and many other dark locations. They invade kitchens and other areas at night. False-bottom cupboards, hollow walls, and similar areas are common cockroach refuges. Prevent access to the inside of your home through cracks, conduits, under doors, or through other structural flaws.
Listed below are some steps that you can take, as a homeowner, should you decide to handle the roach problem yourself.
Take the following steps if roaches are entering your home from the outside:
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Seal cracks and other openings to the outside.
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Use weather stripping on doors and windows.
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Look for other methods of entry, such as from items being brought into your home, especially appliances, furniture, and items that were recently in storage or from yard sales.
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Inspect groceries before putting them in kitchen cabinets.
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Trim shrubbery around your home to increase light and air circulation, especially near vents, and eliminate ivy or other dense ground covers near the house, as these may harbor cockroaches.
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From around the outside of your house remove trash and stored items such as stacks of lumber or firewood that provide hiding places for cockroaches.
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Eliminate plumbing leaks and correct other sources of free moisture. Increase ventilation where condensation is a problem.
Cockroaches thrive where food and water are available to them. Even tiny amounts of crumbs or liquids caught between cracks provide a food source. Important sanitation measures include the following:
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Store food in insect-proof containers such as glass jars or resealable plastic containers.
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Keep garbage and trash in containers with tight-fitting lids and use liners. Keep trash cans away from doorways. Remove trash, newspapers, magazines, piles of paper bags, rags, boxes, and other items that provide hiding places and harborage.
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Vacuum cracks and crevices to remove food and debris. Be sure surfaces where food or beverages have been spilled are cleaned up immediately. Vacuuming also removes cockroaches, shed skins, and egg capsules. Removing cockroaches reduces their numbers and slows development. Vacuumed cockroaches and debris should be destroyed.
If, after reading the following, you've reconsidered and decided that the most practical plan of attack is a pest control professional… then you're on the way to getting that roach problem under control.
