Although, they are known to invest areas of filth, cockroaches can infest a well-kept, home as well. Cockroaches often infest a home looking for food and water, but they also infest buildings to escape the elements, such as cold and heat, heavy rain and drought. Dirty or not, your home can be the place they find.
How do they get in?
You can unknowingly carry in cockroaches into your house. They can stow away in boxes or bags, in beverage cartons, in furniture, and in your pet’s dried food. You can also carry them inside in firewood. They will enter on their on accord around loose-fitting doors and windows, where electrical lines or water and steam pipes pass through walls, and through sewer and drain lines. Once they are inside they can travel inside of walls, beneath cabinets and appliances, and roam throughout your home.
Infestation
Once they are inside they can multiply fast, especially when food, water, and shelter is ideal for survival. Some cockroach species have short development stages and develop egg sacks often. With some species, in a matter of months, the infestation can grow to thousands.
In your home, cockroaches eat just about anything you eat. They can survive on the crumbs from meat and grease, sweets, breads and starchy foods. They will also eat pages in your favorite cookbook, leather, and book binding and sizing.
Cockroaches like warm, dark, humid areas. Beneath kitchen and bathroom sinks are favorite areas. They will also live in cracks throughout your home, but prefer to stay near food and water. They will invade cracks in upholstered furniture, kitchen chairs, and your kitchen table. They will infest the cupboard or pantry and kitchen cabinets. You can find them behind widow frames, door frames, baseboard and molding.
They also like the warmth of electrical appliances. They will infest your toaster, microwave, radio, TV, refrigerator, washing machine, and other appliances where there is a motor or electric device that can keep them warm. They will also hide behind your home’s electric switches, receptacles, and light fixtures.
Prevention
Prevention is easier for controlling roaches than to try and rid your home of them. Keeping you home clean from food debris is a key to cutting off the food supply. Eliminating water is also important. You should repair leaking pipes and not leave water in the sink or glasses of water or drinks sitting out at night. Inspecting containers, bags, boxes, furniture and books before bringing them inside will help reduce the chance of infestation.
Roaches can get into areas smaller than a dime and as thin as a quarter. Seal cracks and crevices around the outside of your home at the foundation and around the exterior doors and windows with caulking. Seal areas with caulk or foam around electric wiring, air conditioning wiring, cable, satellite cable, or any other wiring or pipes that provide an opening around your home.
Caulking or clear sealants can be used to seal baseboards, molding, and around doors and windows inside your house. If light shines through, either beneath or around the outer dimensions of your outside doors, seal them with weather stripping. Beneath cabinets use caulk or foam to seal around drains. If any pipes leak, repair them right away.
Eliminating their way in and eliminating their food and water sources will greatly reduce your chances of an infestation. If you eliminate their places to hide it will also reduce the chances of an infestation growing. Throw out the clutter where they might hide by getting rid of boxes, old newspapers, and old magazines.
Once they are in
You can use a number of products to get rid of cockroaches. Often, the trick is to put the pesticide in the right place to get the best results. Cockroaches like to stay near food and water and they like to be warm and cozy. That is why they can often be found in the kitchen. Most often, you will not see roaches until night, and often it’s not until you walk in the kitchen and turn on the light.
When the light comes on, they scatter quickly in all directions. Grabbing a roach spray will only kill one or two roaches. Roach sprays also stink up your kitchen and you end up with dangerous poisons sprayed where food is prepared.
Baits, traps, and powders are effective, but you must use these products with care around pets and children. Place powders behind appliances and against the walls at the baseboard. Cockroaches tend to follow along walls, so placing baits and powders along the walls and in the corners tends to increase the chance of cockroaches getting the pesticide. If you use baits, traps, and powders, don’t use a spray. Spray insecticides tend to have an odor that roaches avoid and will make the baits, traps, and powders ineffective if sprayed.
Getting rid of cockroaches once they infest your home is much harder than stopping them at the door before they enter. Check the containers you bring into your home and seal off areas where they can come in themselves. If you do have an infestation, cut off the food, water, and shelter as best you can and use a pesticide that works best for your family. With a little effort and prevention, you can rid your home of these pests. Please visit
www.pestproductsonline.com.
Article Source: http://www.fitnesshealtharticles.com.
About the Author:
Dennise Brogdon is the managing editor of the Hughston Health Alert, a quarterly patient-information newsletter, and is an editorial assistant for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s scientific journal, the Journal of Athletic Training. Dennise is a Web site copywriter and editor. She has experience writing and editing SEO copy and META tags, brochures, advertorials, video scripts, and other technical and promotional material as well. Dennise earned a BA in English with professional writing as an emphasis at Columbus State University. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the Georgia Writers Association.
Cockroaches : The Unwanted Guests
