Preventing cockroaches is much easier than trying to rid your home of them. Proper sanitation is the key to whether roaches will be attracted to your home. Even an exceptionally clean home can become infested with cockroaches if steps in the cleaning checklist get skipped. These missed steps can leave roaches all they need to survive. Washing the dishes and keeping the floor clean aren’t enough. Vigilance is imperative and the results will be worth the effort. A-Tex Pest Management offer helpful tips to prevent cockroaches in your home this fall.
Avoid Attracting Cockroaches; Eliminate Food Sources in Kitchen & Other Areas
1. When roaches are discovered in the kitchen, they have probably been living off of months or years of grease and food spills. They are most often found around the fridge, stove, toaster, microwave, dishwasher and under the sink.
2. Kitchen cabinets should be cleaned out on a regular basis as crumbs can pile up before you know it.
3. Try and have one room where meals will be consumed. This will prevent crumbs from getting all over the house. Other areas may get overlooked when cleaning up crumbs or spills and roaches can’t resist! When food is consumed through the home it makes it more difficult to control an infestation.
4. Try to vacuum your kitchen floor before bed each night as they will start to roam once you’ve gone to bed. Doing the bulk of the cleaning just before bed will leave little, if anything, for them to eat.
5. All other areas of the home should be vacuumed at least every 2 to 3 days. This will not only help with the general cleanliness of the home but will also get rid of roach feces, skins, body parts and egg sacs. These all attract other roaches as they contain pheromones.
6. Wipe countertops with disinfectant each night.
7. Food should always be stored in sealed containers as cockroaches are small enough to get into food packages and pet food shouldn’t be left out overnight.
Leaving Water Out Attracts Roaches!
It’s difficult to completely get rid of all water sources that cockroaches will use to survive but you can try. This will stress a cockroach population. When you reduce water sources you’ll have more dead cockroaches so fix any pipes and faucets that are leaking or sweating. Make sure you don’t have any dripping faucets before you go to bed and water dishes for pets can be put outside or dried up and refilled in the morning.
Get Rid of Cockroach Hiding Spots
Cockroaches like to find places to hide during the day so seal off any cracks and crevices you discover with caulk. Make sure doors and windows close tightly and have screens that are free of rips. Areas where pipes or cables enter the home need to be sealed off too. Make your home a place where cockroaches would rather not be. Keep mulch raked and turned at least 6 inches away from your home to create a “dry zone” and leave you a clear area to apply insecticides. Make sure shrubbery and trees aren’t touching your home by trimming them and don’t allow debris to accumulate.
Cockroach Pest Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
There are many steps you can take to keep these filthy pests out of your home. Follow these steps to give you the upper hand before cockroaches have a chance to invade your home. Contact A-Tex Pest Management with any questions about cockroaches and how to eliminate them!
