The Most Effective Strategy For Eliminating Roaches From Your Plymouth Home

There are common habits and behaviors that pest cockroaches share. The first step in an effective strategy for eliminating cockroaches in Plymouth is to consider what motivates them to enter your home and start growing a family.  

Cockroaches are thigmotactic. That is a fancy way of saying that roaches like to squeeze into tight spaces, particularly spaces where their bellies and backs can touch two hard surfaces at the same time. So, it should not surprise you to find roaches in your home. They can't help but explore tiny gaps and cracks in your exterior. How do you counteract this behavior? Remove the entry points.

Cockroaches are attracted to damp habitats. If you could see all of the places cockroaches are hiding in your yard and within your home, you would quickly see a pattern. You'd notice them hiding under leaves, tucked under a board with damp soil underneath, and exploring your landscaping. You'd notice them enjoying the voids of your bathroom where humidity is high, inside an air conditioning unit, or in your laundry room drain. If you make your perimeter dry and control moisture and humidity inside your home, roaches may prefer to live elsewhere. Some roaches are more motivated by damp conditions than others, so cockroach identification is helpful. If you see black cockroaches or chestnut-colored roaches, you're in luck. They're the roaches with a high moisture requirement. They're called oriental cockroaches and American cockroaches.  

One of the most disturbing habits cockroaches share is their tendency to feed on almost anything. They are omnivorous creatures that will eat anything from crumbs and food scraps to glue and paper. This makes them a significant health hazard as they can contaminate food and spread diseases. Let's turn our attention to the dangers cockroaches pose inside your home and how you can drive roaches out of your home even as you guard against health concerns.

Of all the characteristics of roaches worth discussing, their love of unsanitary environments is the most important to consider. Cockroaches are attracted to dirty things. They also eat dirty things. For these reasons, they can make you sick when they explore clean areas in your home—particularly areas you assume are clean. They contaminate plates, cups, saucers, forks, knives, etc. The presence of cockroaches in your home is a health issue because they contaminate everything they touch.

It's not just their presence that is a problem; it's also their droppings and shed skins. Roach droppings contain allergens that can trigger asthma and other respiratory issues. When you inhale these particles, your immune system reacts by releasing histamines, which can cause inflammation and other symptoms. If you struggle with asthma, roaches can present a significant health risk.

When you keep your home clean, you make it less desirable for cockroaches, and you make it harder for cockroaches to get filthy as they explore. While sanitation won't provide complete protection from cockroach-related illness, it is well worth the time and energy.

Along with sanitation, it is essential to protect your food. If cockroaches leave tiny microorganisms, like salmonella, inside your food, you won't know it. We recommend storing your food in sealed plastic containers. Doing so will provide two benefits. You'll keep roaches out of your food and you'll contain the smells that make roaches want to live in your home. It's a win-win.

It isn't easy to keep a home clean and address moisture issues. So some people turn to cockroach control products, but these products actually increase the health risks of having cockroaches in your home and do little or nothing to control them. Some cockroaches are born with an immunity to certain control materials, while others will develop immunity as they grow and shed their skins. We recommend avoiding over-the-counter pest control for roaches and sticking with all-natural solutions.

Building off of what we've discussed so far, let's explore some of the many ways you can get control of cockroaches with natural solutions. We'll start on the outside and work our way indoors, explaining at each stage how the roach management solution works.

Remove Leaves: Cockroaches will hide under leaf litter and leaf piles. The sooner you deal with leaves, the better. It is particularly important to blow leaves out of your landscaping and out from under exterior structures. If cockroaches hide in your landscaping or under your back deck, they're likely to find a way into your home.

Clean Gutters: When debris gathers in your gutters, water can get blocked and run over the sides. A clogged gutter can quickly lead to perimeter oversaturation. There is only so much water the ground can soak up. When the surface is damp, roaches will feel at home.

Manage Trash: Cockroaches can smell your trash. When they get into your trash receptacles, they'll likely find many food options. Washing your receptacles and keeping covers secure will help to reduce the scent of decay and prevent trouble with roaches.

Once you've taken steps to reduce cockroach activity near your exterior, consider how roaches may enter your home and how they will move around inside your home. They don't chew tunnels through wood. They are limited by the gaps and cracks that are available. 

Exterior Doors: At night, when you stand outside your exterior doors, you should not see any light leaking out. On a sunny day, you should see no light leaking in. Cockroaches can exploit the tiniest of gaps. Seal your doors to keep roaches out. Also, consider the seal around your door frames. Use a caulking gun to make sure roaches can't enter.

Exterior Windows: Roaches that get through damaged screens may enter your home through tiny gaps in your window frames. They may also climb in when you open your window a crack. But the most common way they enter is through gaps around window frames. Once again, a caulking gun is the tool for this job.

Gaps Around Pipes: The location where your utilities penetrate your foundation is another common cockroach entry point. Not only do they enter around your utilities, they'll follow pipes and enter your kitchen through small gaps. Seal both ends with expanding foam.

Once you've considered all of the ways a cockroach might get into your home and crawl around on the inside, it is time to consider how you can make your home unwelcoming to them. The good news is that the things you enjoy are not things cockroaches enjoy.

Deep Clean: A nice clean kitchen and pantry is nice. It is also roach resistant. As you clean, make sure to do a little deep cleaning as well. Cockroaches feed on grease and oil on the sides of your oven, and they will feed on remnants that go under your refrigerator. Keep in mind that roaches also eat those other things we mentioned, such as waste, paper products, and hair. Make sure cat waste is covered in litterboxes, dispose of pizza boxes in a covered bin, and keep your bathroom clean.

Address Humidity: There are many ways to deal with humidity. The first, and easiest, is to turn your fan on when you take a shower. This will vent that moisture right out. The second is to install a dehumidifier. That will take the moisture right out of the air. Once you've done the easy stuff, consider the hard task of fixing leaking faucets, leaking shower heads, and weeping pipes.

All-natural cockroach control is the best way to deal with roaches if you are not trained in cockroach control and prevention. But there are limitations. If cockroaches are stubborn, they're not going to leave you alone. When professional home pest control is needed, it is time to call a professional.

If you need cockroach pest control in Plymouth, Combat Pest Control is the right choice. We have over 25 years protecting Plymouth homes and businesses from harmful pests. We will inspect your home, evaluate your cockroach infestation, and suggest a treatment plan. Your pest control technician will apply appropriate materials and control products to eliminate roaches and monitor cockroach activity until no roaches remain. The strategy we use is multi-pronged and comprehensive. Multi-pronged means we don't trust only one product to get the job done. We use a mixture of products to ensure success, even with tough cockroaches, like the German cockroach. Comprehensive means we don't just get rid of cockroaches, we work to stop roaches from entering your home. Want to learn more, or get relief from a cockroach infestation? Call us. The Combat Pest Control team will guide you every step of the way and help you find the right solution for you.