Having pests in your home is the last thing anyone wants to deal with, and roaches hold the special distinction of being one of the most hated house pests in the world.
Dealing with these pests can be a nightmare, but is it worth calling your local pest control specialist to take care of the issue? Here’s everything you need to know about roach control in your home.
Contacting your local pest control company is a wise solution to a roach infestation since your local experts will have the knowledge, experience, and resources to get rid of pests in your home for good.
The rest of this article will cover the following topics:
- How do roaches get in your home?
- What damage do roaches cause?
- Can you take care of roaches by yourself?
- Why should you choose a pest control company?
How Do Roaches Get in Your Home?
It’s hard to think of an experience that gives you quite the same thrill of terror as seeing a roach roaming around your home as if it owns the place.
Before exploring how pest control handles these repulsive insects, it’s worth taking a look at what causes the issue in the first place.
Original Inhabitants
In some cases, you might be moving in a location already inhabited by roaches (not a particularly pleasant thought).
Since roaches prefer secluded spots to avoid human activity, they are quite likely to prefer a home that’s been abandoned or has no human activity.
It’s just another good reason to scout out a potential home or apartment thoroughly for pest activity and entry points before you buy!
Carry-on
Most of the time, however, roaches enter a home hidden away on bags and boxes. Groceries, luggage, furniture, and cardboard boxes are all a great place for roaches to hitch a ride into your home.
Roaches aren’t the only unwanted pests that slip into your home in bags and boxes, though, so make sure to always inspect these containers before you put them away.
Access Points
These insidious insects can also enter your home directly through your pipes and plumbing, potentially migrating between neighboring apartments or homes through the utility lines.
Floor drains are also prime routes of access for roaches, and you might notice an uptick in the presence of roaches around your home when there are being repairs conducted on the sewer system. These repairs frighten away cockroaches from their preferred habitat and into your apartment.
What Attracts Roaches to Your Home?
Nearly every home has access points that a roach can use, but if your home is particularly enticing to them, then you’re more susceptible to getting a roach problem.
The bottom line is that roaches are always on the lookout for ideal living conditions, and if your home or apartment fits the bill, then you might have a problem.
As with all living creatures, roaches are drawn to food, water, and shelter. As prey for many other animals, roaches prefer tight, dark, and moist spots, which is why the bathroom and kitchen are such common infestation sites.
Boxes—or any other kind of clutter really—are also a great safe haven for roaches, giving them a place to hide from predators and making your home more appealing.
What Damage Do Roaches Cause?
Cockroaches generally don’t cause lasting structural damage to your home with their small mandibles. but that doesn’t mean they’re harmless.
It’s not the damage to your home that’s noteworthy—it’s their unhygienic practices. Cockroaches are an allergen source and an asthma trigger.
Enzymes in the excrement, shed body parts, eggs, and saliva of these insects can cause allergic reactions in some people.
Children are particularly susceptible to cockroach allergy symptoms. Roaches can also spread bacterial infections by contaminating food in your pantry or cupboards.
How to Tell If You Have an Infestation
Roaches in your home can be an immediate cause for alarm. While some roaches may have just been driven in by the rain, even spotting one roach in your kitchen could be a sign of an infestation you know nothing about.
These insects are particularly good at staying out of sight, preferring to be more active at night, which is why you should always be on the lookout for the telltale signs of a roach infestation.
Cockroach droppings are the first sign that your roach problems spread far beyond a lone migrant washed up in your drains.
These black droppings have the appearance of coffee grounds and are less than 1 millimeter in width.
You may also notice brown smear marks in spots with water that roaches like to frequent, which is why it’s always a good idea to check your kitchen and bathroom cabinets, particularly under the sink where the roaches may be getting a drink from a leaky pipe.
Shed skins are another telltale sign to watch out for. Roaches shed 5-8 times throughout their lifespan, and these skins are a surefire indicator that there’s roaches about.
Of course, if you see roaches scurrying around at night, then it’s a definitive sign that roaches have taken up residence in your home.
Steps to Avoid Roaches
Professional extermination is always your best bet with roaches, but there are some additional steps you can take to make your home a less desirable place for these pests to live:
- Seal entry points
- Clear out your storage closets
- Fix leaky pipes
- Clean furniture that’s rarely moved
- Clean up damp areas and keep them dry
- Seal your trash containers tightly
- Wipe up spills
- Vacuum and mob regularly
- Store food in airtight containers
- Clean your dishes right after using them
- Clean your pet bowls
Just removing potential food sources for insects like unsealed containers, leftover pet food, and trash is often enough to discourage roaches from moving in, and prevention is your first line of defense against a roach infestation.
Does Pest Control Get Rid of Roaches?
Pest control is your best bet if you’re dealing with a serious roach infestation. While DIY methods, bait, and traps may have some effect, nothing quite matches the experience, knowledge, and resources that a pest control company has.
You should always enlist the help of a pest control agency sooner rather than later. Roaches, in particular, are almost impossible to get rid of once fully established.
These bugs have been described as impossible to kill, and they’ve certainly earned that reputation over the years, given their ability to breed so prolifically and tough out even some of the nastiest household pesticides.
Pest control companies that offer roach extermination service usually operate by three principles: identification, prevention, and extermination.
Identification
One of the most important factors that makes pest control services so helpful is their ability to identify different types of roaches and develop a treatment plan based on the extent of the infestation.
German cockroaches, Oriental cockroaches, Brown-banded cockroaches, and American cockroaches all prefer different habitats and require different treatment solutions.
Pest control experts aim to identify these pests so they can tackle the issue effectively.
Prevention
The most important aspect of dealing with roaches is prevention. Preventative treatment is the most benefit you’ll get out of a pest control company, and it’s well worth the investment.
Roaches are insanely resilient and breed extremely quickly. Once they take root in your home, extermination becomes a massive headache—both for the pest control company and your wallet.
Aside from taking common-sense preventative measures like cleaning dishes and sealing food, you’ll also want to look into preventative treatment.
Experts use bait to deal with roaches hiding in your home and can mark off the border of your home with chemical treatment that will kill roaches as they pass through, serving as a protective barrier to keep out unwanted pests.
Extermination
Once a roach infestation takes hold, the process of eliminating them becomes much more difficult and costly.
Exterminators have to rely on a whole battery of chemical weaponry, seal up access points, and set up bait to kill roaches. The process can be lengthy and require a rigorous course of treatment.
Is Pest Control Worth It?
Out of all the pests that can take up residence in your home, roaches are some of the most difficult to address when they take root, which is why pest control is definitely worth the cost to avoid getting a roach infestation.
The most important step to stopping roaches from taking over your home is prevention.
Practice good sanitary habits yourself—closing the trash lid tightly, cleaning dishes right away, sealing food—and invest in a regular preventative treatment to avoid inviting these invincible pests into your home.
Final Thoughts
If you’re wondering whether a pest control company is worth your time and money to deal with a roach problem, then rest assured that professional pest control is the most effective way to treat and prevent infestations in your home.
Experts will aim to identify the type of roach to establish a course of action and initiate a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Alright, that’s it for this article, here are a few hand-selected articles that you might also find interesting reads:
Which Pest Control is Best for Cockroaches?Ten Things You Should Know About Cockroaches
Cockroach in My Room Can’t Sleep – 7 Actions for Immediate Results
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