These pests are so resilient, it's been said that they'll be the sole survivors of a nuclear war. Needless to say, they're not easy to get rid of, even if you correct the conditions that attracted them in the first place. Here's why it's nearly impossible for a cockroach infestation to go away on its own.
Roach Repellents
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
Roaches don't like the scent of mothballs, making them an effective pest repellent. Mothballs can only keep cockroaches away for a year or two since the pests adjust quickly and easily to new environments.
Borax is a readily-available laundry product that's excellent for killing roaches. For best results, combine equal parts borax and white table sugar. Dust the mixture any place you've seen roach activity. When the roaches consume the borax, it will dehydrate them and kill them rapidly.
The Presence Of Food
Available food is the single most powerful reason cockroaches enter our homes. These insects aren't picky eaters—almost anything left out on your kitchen counters is fair game to them, and they'll be drawn to it.
Baking soda and sugar
You can try this method to eliminate the producers of the eggs. In a small container (or a bottle), make a mixture of equal parts baking soda and sugar. Sprinkle it at places where you've seen cockroaches. This is one of the easiest roach killers.
To find out where the cockroaches are nesting, you can use lights to get a general idea. Flipping the lights on and off in a dark room and observing where the creatures run will let you know where the nest location is. You can use a flashlight or your phone flashlight to look under furniture and other areas of clutter.
Roaches are resilient and extremely hard to get rid of once they have established themselves in your home. As long as the temperature indoors is above 50 degrees, roaches can remain active year-round, although they are more prevalent in the spring and summer months.
Cockroaches are nocturnal and seek to avoid light. However, that's not because light harms them. It's because cockroaches understand that they can't hide or evade predators in open sight. Leaving a night light or lamp on throughout the night won't drive them away.
While Americans are mostly dormant when it's cold and rainy, summer is roach season and the critters can appear in droves. While it's sound practice all year long, in the summer it is particularly important to keep your kitchen clean, store food in airtight containers, and take out the trash on a regular basis.
The refrigerator houses all of your favorite foods and drinks, but they also house one thing you never want to see in your home — cockroaches! Between the humidity near the fans and motor, and the food crumbs that drop to the floor, your refrigerator is the perfect place to house a cockroach infestation.
Will roaches leave a cold house? Roaches, in general, do not like cold temperatures, so subjecting them to cold enough environments might force them to leave in search of warmer surroundings. That said, some species can tolerate lower temperatures as long as they have access to food and water.
If your home has 5 or fewer cockroaches, it can be identified as a light infestation. If it is between 10 to 25 roaches, it can be a moderate one. But if it exceeds 25, it can now be classified as a heavy infestation. You should know that the few roaches you see at home are not the only ones you have to deal with.
Roaches are also very good hitchhikers and are easily transported from one place to another. They can get into your home in grocery bags, cardboard boxes, luggage, furniture, or appliances. They can also get in through the plumbing, sewers or drains. They can travel over from your neighbor's home into yours, too.
Seeing roach feces or droppings.
Seeing an unusual number of droppings in a specific area will also help you track where the roach shelters are. Best to cut off any water or food source near this location so prevent further infestation.
Daytime Dens
Because cockroaches dislike light, they disappear during the daytime to dark places, including the undersides of appliances like stoves and refrigerators, underneath sinks or other installations, near plumbing, inside light switches and behind wall paneling or doorjambs.
An infestation may appear to worsen after spraying your home. You'll begin to notice more cockroaches crawling around your living spaces. However, the fact that you see more cockroaches after spraying means that the pest control treatment is actually working. As discussed, it takes time before the chemicals work.
Cockroach Infestation Signs
Cracks near dark hiding places that have small black specks, or cockroach droppings. Fecal matter which appears as dark spots or smears anywhere. Egg cases. Discarded skins.
Place traps behind refrigerator, stove, in cabinets, pantry, along baseboards, counter, and underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks. Place traps along vertical surfaces, with both openings clear so that roaches can enter from both sides of the trap.