No one wants to deal with pests in their home, and cockroaches are especially disgusting. They can contaminate food and surfaces, cause allergy symptoms, and be difficult to get rid of because of their adaptability.
While cockroach extermination is possible with professional pest control, protecting your home against roaches before they can get in helps you avoid the stress and expense of a roach treatment. You can do many of these roach prevention tips on your own and keep pests out.
What Attracts Roaches to Homes
Roaches share many of the same needs as other bugs. They need water, food, and shelter to survive. Crumbs, grease, and stored food are among the most common forms of sustenance for roaches inside homes. For water, a room with high humidity like a bathroom or a continuous leak can provide enough water.
Many species of roaches will find their way into your home on their own. They will squeeze through small holes such as cracks in a foundation or improperly fitted doors and windows. Cockroaches can also crawl up dry drain pipes and emerge into bathrooms and kitchens that way.
If you live in an apartment, condo, or other unattached living space, roaches can often make their way from unit to unit through pipes or ductwork. This puts your living space at risk even if you have taken care to remove sources of moisture and food.
The other way roaches come inside is as hitchhikers. German cockroaches will cling to furniture, luggage, boxes, and more. When you bring an infested item into your home, you can inadvertently start an infestation.
Keeping Roaches Out of Your Home
Cockroaches are an adaptable, resilient, and persistent pest so preventing them requires minimal ongoing effort. To reduce the chance of a roach infestation:
- Make Your Home Less Attractive – Cleanliness is one of the first lines of defense against cockroaches. Clean dishes and wipe down counters nightly and store all food properly. Also repair any leaks or dripping faucets that can provide roaches with water.
- Patch Up Holes – Regularly check the foundation and siding on your home for cracks. Look for gaps around windows, doors, and pipes, and make sure vents are sealed. Roaches can get through holes as small as ¼”. You will want to seal up any hole that size or larger.
- Check Boxes – Any time you bring items into your home – new furniture, boxes and bags, or luggage after a trip – check it carefully to make sure there are no pests hiding away.
Professional roach control is another way you can prevent cockroaches. We use ongoing pest control to manage roaches and keep them away from your home all year long. We apply a barrier treatment on all the places roaches might get inside, deterring them and exterminating any that try to get onto your property.
