What Can I Do To Get Rid of Cockroaches?
What Homeowners Can Do
Inspection: first, inspect the entire kitchen area, under sinks, refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, microwave oven, other cooking appliances, bathroom cabinets, draws, basement and sub-floor crawlspace (if any) for likely high activity and harborage areas. Look for cockroaches, alive or dead, their feces and egg sacs.
Identification: place “sticky” glue traps in any likely high activity areas. At night sneak into the kitchen, turn on the lights and observe any cockroach activity. Observe where they scurry to. Place your sticky traps near these areas to collect and identify the species and the source of infestation.
Food, shelter and water – we all need it, so do cockroaches. Make your home unfit for cockroaches, where possible, take away their food, water and restrict shelter and access points into the kitchen and they will almost certainly move somewhere else.
Starve them out – keep all food in sealed containers. Particularly at night, do not leave food scraps exposed in the kitchen or waste storage areas. Thoroughly clean all benches and food preparation areas, particularly between counters and appliances. Regularly vacuum accessible likely harborage and high activity areas, carpets, drapes, furniture, kitchen and bathroom cupboards in order to remove cockroach eggs and food deposits.
Cockroaches need water and will thrive in damp sub-floor crawl space areas, near leaking taps, etc. Ensure adequate drainage and ventilation. Regularly check and fix any plumbing problems, broken roof tiles, etc that may allow or cause moisture ingress to potential cockroach harborage areas. Wipe kitchen sink of moisture before retiring or going out at night. Turn off leaking taps.
Reduce shelter and access points: seal all cracks and crevices in bathroom, pantry and kitchen cupboards. Store all cardboard boxes and the like above ground level. Cockroaches do not like drafty exposed areas, or bright lights. A good reason why some restaurants keep lights on at night around their dumpster waste bins.
Inspection
A thorough inspection is key to a successful cockroach management plan. It helps to determine the best treatment method. The purpose of an inspection is not only to sight cockroach life stages, but also to locate the source of the infestation whether associated with sewer areas, wall voids, or any moist, warm and dark places in a building.
How much does it cost?
Onsite appraisal is needed to determine the exact cost. The treatment cost depends on size of the house, ease of access to various parts of the building. Commercial premises need to be appraised on a specific basis.
Since they can hide in so many places, they are not easy to eradicate. Unless you have a lot of time at your disposal, and limitless patience, it is advisable to get a professional in pest control. Experts know where to look for them, as well as how to get rid of them.
