If you have cockroaches in your home, it can be hard to tell where they’re getting in. Cockroaches may crawl through gaps around windows and doors, enter through holes around utility lines and pipes, and even climb up through unused drains. You may not realize it, but those packages that show up on your doorstep may also be inviting the pests into your home. They are known to hide in cardboard boxes and packaging, and they can hitchhike in on grocery bags, mail, or that cute vintage piece you scored at the thrift store. They may even wander over from your neighbor’s house. Once they’re in, they can reproduce rapidly, and you don’t want these bacteria-spreading bugs in your house. Whether you’ve seen them yourself or there are signs, here’s how to get rid of roaches in your home.
Are Roaches Harmful?
Cockroaches, or roaches, are insects with flat, oval-shaped bodies and long antennae, and they move quickly. They range in size from ½ inch to 2 inches. They aren’t dangerous to have around, but they can cause health problems. Roaches crawl among filth to your food, prep surfaces, dishes, and eating utensils, contaminating food and spreading bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Their waste, saliva, shed skin, and dead bodies can trigger allergy and asthma attacks, particularly in children.
Types Of Roaches
There are several species of roaches, but not all of them are cause for alarm since some of them live and breed outdoors and only come indoors occasionally. Others need control to avoid becoming a problem indoors.
Here are the roaches you need to control indoors:
- German cockroach: Considered small roaches, these are common in kitchens behind appliances and in cabinets, and around bathroom sinks and drains.
- Brownbanded cockroach: These are less common and prefer warm, high places where they can hide rather than moist areas.
- American cockroach: These reddish-brown roaches can be up to 2 inches and typically stay on the first floor or basement levels, preferring darkness, warmth, and moisture.
- Smokybrown cockroach: These large roaches get up to 1 1/2 inches long and like moist, dark, humid environments, particularly attics and crawlspaces.
How To Get Rid Of Roaches
Getting rid of roaches often requires a combination of prevention methods, baits, traps, and other methods. No single treatment will be as effective at total elimination. Using different methods and products also reduces insecticide resistance that these pests can develop over time. Besides switching up the methods you use, make sure to repeat treatments after a few weeks.
The following approaches can be effective at getting rid of roaches and keeping them away:
Traps
Traps are a good way to monitor roaches in the home, but they aren’t as effective at getting rid of them. Set out glue traps where you suspect roaches are entering your home. If you only trap adult roaches, it can indicate that the infestation is new. If you see roaches in all stages of the life cycle, they’ve been there awhile. This can help you determine where to focus strategies for getting rid of them.
Boric Acid
Spread a dusting of boric acid behind kitchen appliances, under sinks, and behind furniture where kids and pets can’t reach it and it won’t come in contact with food. As roaches walk through it, the dust clings to their bodies and poisons them when they ingest it while cleaning their bodies.
Baits
Baits are a good way to reach cockroaches by the numbers. The baits can come in childproof plastic stations that contain insecticide, or they may be in a gel, paste, dust, or granule form. As roaches eat the bait, it is transferred through their waste or remains in their bodies when they die, and other roaches may ingest it. Place baits in areas where you have set traps and know there is roach activity.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a natural desiccant that absorbs moisture, scratching the exoskeleton of any roaches who walk through it and causing dehydration and eventual death. Use a food-grade version that’s safer for households, and spread a thin layer along baseboards and behind cabinets and furniture where children and pets can’t reach it. It works more slowly than other methods and can take several days to kill them.
Baking Soda
This pantry staple can be effective at killing roaches when used with sugar. Mix equal parts of baking soda and sugar, and spread it on cardboard or in dishes to bait roaches. The sugar attracts the roaches, and the baking soda acts as a poison. It’s only effective on small infestations and only works on the roaches that eat it.
Hire A Professional
If the problem continues or seems like more than you can handle, call a pro. They will inspect the area and determine the right treatment.
What Attracts Roaches To Your Home?
Cockroaches are attracted to filth, but having roaches doesn’t mean you’re a bad housekeeper. It just means they’ve found a way to enter your home. Once there, they’ll find almost anything to eat. They scour dirty dishes, garbage cans, sewers, and other filthy areas for decaying food. They eat crumbs, pet food, food scraps, and particularly like sugars, grease, meat, and starches. Not only will they eat your food and garbage, they’ll also dine on fingernail clippings, dead skin, dead insects, hair, paper, feces, soap, glue, cardboard, and other household items, so the food supply in your home is likely pretty high. And if there’s no food, roaches can go a month without eating.
How To Keep Roaches Out Of Your House
- To keep cockroaches out of your house, keep it clean. They’ll make themselves at home anywhere, but a dirty house is especially attractive to roaches. Clean up spills, wipe away crumbs, and clean dirty dishes immediately. Don’t let messes sit.
- Vacuum and sweep to remove dead skin, dead insects, crumbs, fingernail clippings, and hair that roaches may feed on. Make sure to vacuum underneath and behind furniture as well.
- Get rid of clutter where they can hide and eat if they have to. Keep stacks of cardboard and newspaper out of the house, or seal it in plastic bags. Declutter messy piles in corners and closets that are great places for them to hide.
- Seal any gaps or cracks around windows and doors, plumbing, or holes where utility lines enter the house with caulk, foam, or copper mesh.
- Store food items, pet food, and garbage in sealed containers to keep roaches out of your food and limit their food sources.
- Fix any leaks or standing water that can create humidity and moisture roaches crave.
