Those four walls that constitute your home may be your sanctuary from the outside world, but unfortunately, they may also be a haven for a serious cockroach infestation. Cockroaches are sneaky, invasive creatures that depend on human activity and, quite often, human shelter for their survival.
Of the 5,000 known cockroach species, only four or five are recognized as nuisances to home and apartment dwellers in North America. But these hungry pests will make their nests anywhere near abundant sources of food, water and shelter. A cockroach infestation may begin outside near exposed garbage, woodpiles or mounds of dead vegetation. But they will quickly move inside the home when the environment outside is less than ideal.
That’s when roaches take up residence in basements, sewers, storm drains and walls. The best way to eradicate a cockroach infestation from your walls and the rest of your home is to deny them the three things they need to survive: warm shelter, food and water. The following tips will help you get a handle when and if a cockroach infestation springs up in your house.
- Pest control begins by eliminating water sources: Roaches can live for up to two months without food, but they need water more frequently to survive. That’s why it’s critical to repair leaky pipes and clean up pools of standing water.
- Be sure to remove all sources of food: Eliminate food sources everywhere in the house. Try not to leave dirty dishes in the sink, never leave food or crumbs on countertops, and always sweep after cooking. Any leftover food should be stored in airtight containers.
- Eliminate clutter around the house: Don’t allow piles of newspapers, empty boxes, unused paper bags and other messy piles of stuff to sit around. Disposing of clutter not only looks much neater, but it also helps eliminate places that could hide and harbor roaches.
- Deny access to the house: Cockroaches can squirm through the smallest openings. Be sure to seal gaps around pipes with flexible caulk, as well as patch any cracks and crevices you find around the house.
- Use a long-term cockroach insecticide like Combat®: Spray insecticides are contact killers – only killing the cockroaches you see, not the ones you don’t. They’re not designed to control a full-blown cockroach infestation. For total roach control, you need an insecticide like Combat® that targets roaches at their source. Cockroaches readily ingest Combat® Baits and Gels, and bring it back to the nest where their sputum, feces and carcasses spread the poison to the rest of the nest decimating bugs.
Once a cockroach infestation gets a foothold inside walls or other dark places in the house, eradicating them can become a tough, but not impossible job. By following the tips above and using Combat® in your pest elimination strategy, you’ll finally be able control your cockroach infestation.
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