Cockroach Control: Basic Safe Ideas

Dec 21
09:20

2012

Ma. Theresa Galan

Ma. Theresa Galan

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Eliminating sources of moisture and food represents the best control measure for cockroaches.Prevention is the first defense against pest infestation in the kitchen. Proper sanitation and house-proofing are chemical-free measures for controlling and deterring mice, ants, cockroaches and flying insects.

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The initial and most important step is to figure out cockroach infestation in your home. Secondly you need to find out their entry and exit points in your house. It is seen that cockroaches mainly infest through drain or vents. So once you know their entry and exit points you can seal all the possible points. Next step is to kill the cockroaches. For this purpose you can use an insecticide spray,Cockroach Control: Basic Safe Ideas Articles sprinkle boric acid or use cockroach bait.Replace leaky pipes and dripping faucets, and caulk windows that let water in. If you know where roaches are hiding, vacuum them with a hose attachment. Place the vacuum bag in the freezer to kill the cockroaches before putting them in the garbage. Vacuum roach droppings as well, because the droppings -- which may look like grains of black pepper -- act as a food source for young cockroaches.

Sticky traps, such as the glue boards sold to trap mice, will eradicate some roaches organically, as will jar traps. Put a banana peel inside a mayonnaise jar to attract the roaches, and coat the inside walls of the jar with petroleum jelly. The cockroaches will not be able to crawl back out of the jar. Put a lid on the jar and place it in the freezer to kill the pests before disposing of them. Commercial cockroach baits are also available and contain such ingredients as boric acid, which are considered safe for humans, pets and the environment.

  • Most important step is to keep your kitchen clean. Clean all the spills and crumbs as soon as possible.
  • Store all the food in air tight container. Make sure that you don’t leave food in open for prolonged period. Avoid keeping dirty dishes overnight.
  • Cockroaches are attracted to water very fast hence you need to fix all the leaking and dripping faucets.
  • It is observed that cockroaches hate naphthalene smell so it is better to keep naphthalene balls in the corners and all the dark places.
  • Keep all the trash away from your house and regularly empty all the trash.
  • Seal all the cracks; this would be a convenient way to get rid of cockroaches.
  • Keep all the debris and logs away as cockroaches love to hide in logs and other places. During winter season this would attract cockroaches inside the house.

Keep pests out of the kitchen by removing spilled food promptly; storing food in tightly sealed containers; not leaving dirty dishes in the sink; cleaning bottles and cans with warm, soapy water; keeping garbage cans covered and not letting garbage accumulate. Remove uneaten pet food and wash your pet's food and water dishes often. Caulk and seal openings around windows and doors as well as cracks in walls and floors. Repair any tears or gaps in screened windows and doors. Keeping piles of wood away from the outside perimeter of the house and replacing rotting wood on porches, decks, windowsills and doorways will also deter some pest

If you still encounter pests, try organic or less-toxic control measures before resorting to spraying or dusting chemical pesticides throughout your kitchen.

For more control ideas, check out our main page here:

Auckland cockroach controls