As the weather warms up, so does an infamous pest no one likes to see around–the cockroach. There is only one experience more horrifying than discovering a cockroach scurrying across the kitchen floor. It’s having guests discover a cockroach scurrying across YOUR kitchen floor. 

Cockroach Prevention – Famous “guests discover a cockroach” story.

If this has happened, don’t feel so bad. Here’s a story to top any “guest sees a cockroach in my home” story you can imagine. Last October at the very moment the Chicago pest control commissioner was testifying at a City Council meeting an amazing event occurred. The meeting was suddenly interrupted when what an alderman described as “the largest cockroach I’ve see at City Hall” made it’s appearance right in the City Council chambers. Evidently it scaled a white wall, boldly standing out in direct contrast to it’s background. Such an event will probably never be forgotten! Curiously, the story was even reported by a newspaper 3000 miles away! http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/chicago-cockroach-drops-in-on-city-hall-pest-control-meeting/

You don’t have to suffer the embarrassment

Fortunately, there are some rather simple actions you can take now to help prevent a public siting of a cockroach in your home. Even if you’ve seen a roach in your home, the following 7 actions will greatly reduce the problem.

Cockroach Prevention – Top 7 Ways to Discourage An Infestation

The science behind these 7 roach prevention tips is pretty simple: Create an environment that has nothing that attracts cockroaches. If there’s nothing that supports their living conditions, cockroaches will look for another home. 

What do cockroaches love? roaches are water-loving insects, and therefore love damp places. They also love just about all the types of food that we eat. Therefore, eliminate dampness and access to food, and you make your home a very unfriendly environment for cockroaches.

Cockroach Prevention – Keep Things Dry.

Sounds simple, but sometimes the obvious is not so obvious. Your home may seem dry enough, but think again.

1) Dry Out Damp Places: Is your basement a damp place? What about the crawl space under your home? Take action to see that these are well ventilated. This alone will make a big difference.

2) Remove Standing Water: When was the last time you checked the evaporation pan under your refrigerator? Is it full of water? Has it overflowed?

3) Ventilate Areas with Water Pipes: What about the area under your kitchen and bathroom sink? Are these areas dry and well ventilated. How about the wall voids that contain your water pipes? Any leaky, sweaty pipes? Is there good ventilation?

Cockroach Prevention – Eliminate Food Sources

4) Keep the Sink Free of Dirty Dishes: While it’s much easier to clean dishes the next morning rather than at night when you’ve tired, dirty dishes in the sink at night are like Disneyland to cockroaches: Both food and water! Sure, the dishes are there only for a few hours until the morning, but this alone could support a huge cockroach infestation.

5) Remove Food Particles: Cockroaches can live on food that we can’t even see. This includes the smallest food crumbs on the floor or in your carpet, and even food residue on discarded food containers and wrappers. Therefore, vacuum regularly. Eliminate any standing garbage in or around your home. Empty the kitchen garbage daily. Rinse containers before placing them in the recycling bin.

6) Tightly Seal All Food: Keep all food in air-tight containers. While food in the refrigerator is probably safe, consider the food in your pantry – potato chip bag, cereal boxes…even the dog food bag. Think Tupperware!

Seal off points of entrance.

7) Seal Any Cracks Around the Outside of Your Home: Young cockroaches can crawl through a crack as thin as a dime; Adult males can slip through a space as thin as a quarter; The largest cockroaches–pregnant females–only need a space the size of two stacked nickels. So, when we say “seal the cracks”, we’re talking about even the smallest of cracks. 

Give yourself a fighting chance.

As you can see, even a home that appears to be immaculate can be a paradise for cockroaches. The most conscientious housekeeper can easily miss quite a few of the food and water sources able to support a large population of cockroaches.

Is your home officially “Unfriendly to Cockroaches”? Call us for a professional cockroach inspection. We’ll look at all the places listed above, and more, for conditions that favor cockroaches. And, if there are cockroaches in your home that you have not yet discovered, we’ll quickly find them and eliminate them.

Let us be the only guests who ever see a cockroach in your home.

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

The post Cockroach Prevention – When the guests discovered a cockroach. appeared first on Pest Control.

Why Cockroach Prevention?

Here are some startling facts:

American cockroaches have been reported to spread

• At least 33 kinds of bacteria
• Six kinds of parasitic worms
• At least seven other kinds of human pathogens 

They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these into food or onto food surfaces.

Recent medical studies have shown that cockroach allergens cause allergies and exacerbate asthma attacks, especially in children and those living in metro-city areas. Credits: American Cockroach Control & Prevention « Bug Busters USA

Cockroach Prevention Begins with Identification

You can typically identify a cockroach infestation by their droppings. Cockroach droppings resemble a small amount of pepper, and they can be found in various places; they tend to prefer corners, crevices, and other small spaces. Check around your fridge, oven, and dishwasher to see if you have a cockroach problem. Your pest control professional can rid your home of these bugs using hand sprayers, traps, or foggers. Credits: A Look at Some Cockroach Prevention Methods – Payne Pest …

Image: Credits: American Cockroach Control & Prevention « Bug Busters USA

• Cockroach Prevention Actions

• Seal cracks around the outside of the home to prevent pest entryways.
• Properly ventilate basements and crawl spaces to eliminate harborage points.
• Seal all entrances around utility pipes and ventilate crawl spaces to prevent moisture buildup.
• Vacuum frequently and remove garbage from around the home on a routine basis.
• Do not allow dirty dishes to accumulate in the sink and remain there overnight.
• Keep food in the refrigerator or in containers with tight-fitting lids to prevent contamination.
• Periodically check and clean the evaporation pan under the refrigerator or freezer.

Credits: Cockroach prevention tips – Hulett Pest Control

Cockroach Prevention Professional Help

If you suspect you have an infestation, contact ApolloX Pest Control to identify the species and recommend a course of treatment. We’re licensed pest control professionals.

Call ApolloX Pest Control Now

(888) 499-7378

The post Cockroach Prevention: How to Keep Them Out of Your Home appeared first on Pest Control.