Cockroaches love your home. They love your business. They love your garden shed and the deep, dark recesses of your garage… some even set up camp in your car. But why? And what attracts cockroaches in their skittering, disgust-inspiring droves? Your home is warm, sheltered and cosy for these hardy pests, with a food source that rarely runs dry, flowing water and plenty of nesting sites to choose from all year round. Why would they want to leave? While it’s almost impossible to ensure you never see another cockroach ever again, the following steps will minimise the chances of daily cockroach sightings. Ready your fly-swatter, you’re about to find out how to stop roaches from coming in!
Cut off Their Food Source
Are you accidentally encouraging a neighbourhood horde of cockroaches to drop by, leaving food out overnight and open on the counter? Do you save the washing water for later, just in case something else needs a quick rinse? Don’t. While leftovers don’t appeal to us and a bit of dishwashing water doesn’t seem like a big deal, cockroaches will latch onto both with a single-minded survival instinct. In addition to cleaning up after meals and letting the water go, the following tricks also work a treat:
- Store food in an air-tight container and put it away.
- Make sure recyclables like cans, bottles and plastics are clean before putting them into kitchen bins.
- Stay on top of rubbish – empty the bin every couple of days
Clean Up
Is your house a bit lived in? Do you clean up spillages straight away and vacuum any crumbs scattered across the floor? Clearing debris from the floor, benchtops, under sinks and behind appliance displays will announce to cockroaches that you’re not interested in playing host to their huge family. If there’s one thing roaches hate, it’s a clean environment!
Pet Problems
Litter tray management is already a dirty job, and food bowls can get out of hand sometimes, despite your best efforts. While it may be difficult to find enough time during the day, make sure it’s all under control by the time you go to bed every night.
Cull the Clutter
Do you really need every magazine you’ve bought over the last five years? What about that stack of old cardboard boxes or piles of old clothes? Cockroaches stake out places to hide, sending out a signal that they’ve found somewhere to crash to their friends via pheromones. You don’t want to house a couple of hundred roach squatters, so don’t wait until spring to give your home the decluttering it deserves.
Assess Your Home for Entry Points
Every crack represents a way in for a curious cockroach. Go around the house and check for potential points of entry – think cracks in the brickwork, tears in flyscreens (no matter how small), skirting board issues, electrical socket gaps, and unprotected pipe drains. Even vents leading to the outside can be a fast way in.
Spray it Their Way
The best way to prevent the presence of roaches all year round is a professional pest spray. After Canberra Pest Control is done with your home, any would-be insect invader (including cockroaches) will meet a timely end. Our specialist know-how means we can get any cockroach population under control or prevent one from being established at all.
Take action today! Speak to our pest specialists about protecting your home from cockroaches all year round.