What To Do If Roaches Keep Coming Back?
Roaches are a serious problem in many parts of the globe.
You may be able to get rid of them temporarily, but often, despite our best efforts, they will keep coming back.
If roaches keep returning to your home, you need to figure out what attracts them to your space. You may need to call a professional exterminator to rid your home of the roaches and help you find the reason for recurring infestations.
Fortunately, you can do a few things to make your home less enticing.
8 Things To Do If Roaches Keep Coming Back
Put Food Away
Food is the number one reason why roaches are attracted to an area. They are often found in kitchens and pantries because there are crumbs and food scraps to eat.
The best way to keep roaches away is to seal your food in airtight containers and clean your kitchen regularly.
These small steps help ensure there is nothing that might attract the roaches and make them visit your home often.
Clean Nightly
Getting rid of roaches permanently begins with a nightly cleaning schedule. Cockroaches find food and water easily, and if they do, they will move in and multiply.
Some foods are more appealing than others, but most of the time, roaches will eat whatever they find.
Any leftover food could be attractive to them, so it’s important to clean any crumbs or spills from your counters, cooking appliances, and floors and disinfect all surfaces to eliminate smells.
Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink or on the counters, and take out the trash daily. The smell of rotting food is particularly enticing and will encourage cockroaches to make nightly visits to your home.
Keep it Cooler in Your Home
The cold makes roaches miserable. Warm places with high humidity are ideal for them, and they thrive in temperatures from 60-100°F (15-37°C).
Keeping your home cool is the best thing you can do.
Heat drafts can be eliminated by sealing cracks and holes during the summer, and do what you can to increase air circulation and minimize humidity.
Make the switch from incandescent lighting to CFLs to reduce heating costs, and make sure your windows are well-insulated.
Fix Any Leaking Pipes or Faucets
Even if you are very clean and don’t leave any food around, moisture can attract cockroaches into your home.
Removing their water supply can be enough to get rid of roaches, so it may be necessary to repair or replace a leaky faucet or pipe.
It is particularly important to pay attention to dark, moist rooms, such as in the basement or attic, as these insects prefer dark, wet areas.
You should also check the area around your toilet and showers to ensure water isn’t pooling anywhere.
Seal Holes
To prevent roaches from coming into your house, you must seal any cracks, holes, or openings, as your walls and baseboards may have small gaps that allow entry into your home.
Even the tiniest spaces can be an entry point or nesting area for cockroaches, something many homeowners are unaware of.
You’ll have to thoroughly seal all openings, including cracks in your tiles or walls and the spaces around light fixtures, electrical sockets, and pipes.
It’s also a good idea to cover your drains with plugs or screens.
Set Traps
Even if you’re cleaning obsessively and have sealed every nook and cranny, cockroaches may still get in, and it’s time to use bait.
Bait traps are made from a special insecticide that attracts the roaches. Some bait traps seal the cockroaches inside, while others allow the pests to take the poisoned food back to their nests.
You can also make your own highly effective bait traps using sugar (or peanut butter) and boric acid.
Place the traps under your sink, behind your refrigerator or dishwasher, and anywhere else you think a cockroach might go.
Leave The Lights On
Cockroaches love the dark – it makes them feel safe.
If you turn the lights off at night, it may be an invitation for them to run around and spread to other areas.
Keeping some lights on will prevent the roaches from feeling confident when they’re sneaking around, and it could help keep them from moving too far from one area.
Hire A Professional Exterminator
If you can’t successfully get rid of roaches on your own, you’ll need to call a professional exterminator to inspect your home and find the areas with an infestation.
Usually, cockroaches spread to different parts of the house and can live in more than one room.
It’s not uncommon for an exterminator to spray your entire home, as well as the outside of your house and your yard.
Even if your home is well-sealed and clean, cockroaches can come from other buildings or the sewers, so if the outside of your home is treated with pesticides, it can prevent them from even making it to your door.
Conclusion
If you have a cockroach infestation, you may be looking for ways to eliminate or keep them from entering your home.
Many things attract roaches, and finding the reason for the infestation will help you understand the best options for getting rid of them.
If you cannot get rid of the pests despite your best efforts, you may want to call an exterminator to come and do it for you.
