Nobody wants to see a cockroach running across the floor of their home. But, it can be more serious than just the feeling that you’re being invaded. Cockroaches can actually carry a number of diseases, some of which can make you seriously ill. Possible diseases include Dysentry, Salmonella Typhi, and even poliomyelitis.
Know Your Enemy
It’s important to know what conditions attract cockroaches as this will help you to take steps to make your home less inviting.
Cockroaches love dark and humid places, ideally, the temperature will be above 70°F. They also need access to food and water. Food is as simple as crumbs, while water can be anything you’ve left standing around or even a leaky pipe, whether you know about it or not.
You need to clean your home regularly and make sure there are no water leaks or standing water to tempt then.
Don’t forget that cockroaches hate the light. If you think you have an infestation keep the room dark until you hear them scuttling about, then turn the light on. You’ll see the cockroaches disappearing and get an idea of how big the infestation is.
That’s when you need to call pest control.
Even if you decide to tackle the cockroaches yourself it’s a good idea to have the contact details of your local pest control service handy. This will ensure you have help when you need it. Don’t forget, the experts will make sure the nest is gone, not just the visible cockroaches.
Ways To Kill Cockroaches
Cockroaches have tough outer shells and have developed a resistance to many insecticides. That means that the chemicals you can buy in your local store may not be effective. Instead, you can try these steps:
Cleaning
As mentioned, eliminating all easily accessible food and water from your home will help to ensure the cockroaches aren’t attracted to your home and can starve the ones that are already there.
It’s not as bad as it sounds, after a deep clean you’ll find that 15 minutes a day should be enough.
Seal Up
Any gap in your home is an invitation to bugs, particularly cockroaches. Look for gaps between the countertops and the walls, or the baseboards. Take a good look around your home and seal up the gaps, sealant can be good at this.
The Bait
Put 3 cups of boric acid with one cup of powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. You can then put a little of the mixture in several different bowls and position them under the cupboards and behind the refrigerator.
The darker the spot the better. The cockroaches will then eat the mixture, attracted by the sugar in it. Unfortunately for them, the boric acid will kill them.
Soap & Water
Mix a little liquid dish soap with some water in a spray bottle and spray the cockroaches. The soap effectively blogs the pores and prevents the cockroaches from breathing. This will suffocate them. You can even slow them down enough to simply step on them.