Water: Leaky pipes, dripping faucets, and condensation from showers provide ample moisture for roaches. Shelter: Cracks in floors and walls, the space behind appliances, and underneath cabinets offer perfect hiding spots for roaches.
Cockroaches can infest many parts of a home, but bathrooms are especially prone to infestations due to their high moisture level. Cockroaches seek out spaces that are dark and damp to settle in. Any crevice, pocket, or crack in your bathroom that a cockroach can squeeze into can become their new favorite hideout.
In addition to food, cockroaches love moisture in bathrooms. They'll take advantage of leaking pipes, drain issues, and other plumbing problems to access the water they need to sustain life. As for shelter, the warmer and more humid the bathroom, the more comfortable they are.
Spread of Eggs
The number one reason to not squash a cockroach is to prevent spreading cockroach eggs. Some cockroach species, such as the German cockroach (common species here in the UK) carry their egg cases (ootheca) on their body until just before they hatch.
Check and seal gaps around the bathroom floor, especially around drains and pipes. Cockroaches often enter through these small openings, thus use caulk to seal gaps and crevices in walls, floors, and around pipes to ensure they are tightly sealed and prevent cockroach entry.
Some strong scents, such as lavender and mint, have been known to repel cockroaches.
Kitchens and bathrooms are prime real estate for roaches because they offer the three things roaches typically seek—food, water, and shelter.
Citronella Oil
Its strong scent is known to deter roaches and other insects like mosquitoes and gnats. Homeowners can either directly apply the oil to areas frequented by roaches for the most effective application or dilute it with water to create a DIY repellent spray.
If you touch a cockroach, you risk becoming infected with some serious diseases, including bacteria that cause dysentery. According to the World Health Organization, cockroaches commonly transmit these diseases to humans: Salmonellosis.
Center of gravity: Cockroaches have a high center of gravity and a rounded back, which makes them prone to tipping over. Once a cockroach is upside down, it struggles to gain traction on flat surfaces, making it hard to flip back over.
To keep roaches out of your bedroom, you would take the same steps that you would to keep them out of other parts of your home, including: Keep your sleeping quarters free of food and moisture. Reduce clutter. Regularly empty your trash.
Generally, the presence of discarded skins and feces are indicative of a nest, with other telltale features including a large number of dead roaches, egg cases, dark spots, and smears. Egg cases are usually brown and less than a quarter of an inch long. Each case can house 40 or more baby roaches.
Don't try flushing a cockroach into a toilet bowl. You might see them resurfacing again! Cockroaches can hold their breath for 40 minutes, giving them adequate time to crawl up and escape. Your home is still not safe from cockroach infestation even when always kept clean.
Cockroaches have a reputation for turning any place into their home, but they have a particular fondness for one of the most unsuspecting spots: our drains.
Nocturnal Nature
Cockroaches are primarily nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. However, they can be attracted to light sources if they associate them with food. This behavior can lead to unexpected sightings, especially in kitchens and other food preparation areas.
Finding roaches is not a sign that your house is dirty. Even if you clean regularly and maintain a tidy home, cockroaches can usually find food and water without much trouble. This allows them to thrive in many environments.
Yes, it's dangerous to ingest food after they've crawled over it, so your pantry is at risk. But it's also dangerous to stomp or smash them because the particles can get sent into the air where they can be swallowed or inhaled. And when you retrieve the dead bug your hands can become contaminated.
Leaving the light on doesn't deter cockroaches effectively because they can navigate in low-light conditions. While they're mostly active at night, they may still come out in search of food or water. During the day, cockroaches hide in dark areas not directly exposed to light.
Will cockroaches crawl in your bed at night? Cockroaches might crawl over you, but they're unlikely to do so. While it's possible cockroaches may crawl into your bed or over you to reach a food source, they're generally afraid of humans and try to avoid them.
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.
Boric acid: Used correctly, boric acid is one of the most effective roach killers. It's odorless, has low toxicity to pets, and since it isn't repellent to roaches, they will not seek to avoid it, crawling through it repeatedly until it kills them.
DIY spray: Spray the solution in areas prone to cockroach infestation, such as kitchen cabinets, under sinks and around appliances. Apply every few days for the best results.
What smells are cockroaches afraid of? Cockroaches are repelled by the smells of peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, citronella, and cedarwood oils. These scents can be used as natural deterrents to keep them away from your home.
When baby roaches appear in your home, it is a sign of a well-established roach infestation. Why? Because roaches go through several life stages, seeing nymphs likely means that adult roaches have already settled in, mated, and produced egg cases (known as oothecae).
Their nests can often be found near plumbing fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens, in cupboard cracks or under drawers, inside appliances or underneath the fridge. You may also notice cockroach droppings around the nest's location or your nose will help you sniff it out — most have a strong, foul odour.