Most people consider cockroaches dirty, and that’s not just folklore. Roaches like to feed on things that are rotting, and since that often involves bacteria and even viruses, those organisms come into your home when the roaches do. Roaches can literally “taste” the food they’re eating with their feet, as they walk across it. Then, of course, they track that very substance into your home, onto your furniture and across your kitchen table.
If you think you may have a roach problem in Arizona, don’t wait to assert control. It will only become worse if you don’t get a handle on it. Cockroaches reproduce faster than you can eradicate them sometimes, so taking them on early is the best approach.
These hearty characters can survive on very little. Consider a few crumbs left on the floor. Or (urgh!) some toothpaste residue on a toothbrush. Even the glue lining the back of a postage stamp can make a delicious meal for a resourceful roach.
Here are a few suggestions for controlling cockroaches in Gilbert, or cockroaches in Scottsdale or cockroaches in Queen Creek. In fact, these work for controlling cockroaches literally anywhere….
Use good sanitation techniques at home
-Keep food a sealed plastic bags or glass containers. Roaches can chew through cardboard boxes.
-Store garbage in a sealed can or bag, and take it out daily.
-Vacuum regularly to keep up with the crumbs and spills that happen in daily life.
-Clean up any spills when they happen. This includes wiping down appliances in the kitchen.
-Don’t leave kitchen dishes out overnight. If you must, submerge them in a sink filled with soapy water.
-Exchange your dish rags often. A dirty rag can provide a gourmet meal for a hungry roach!
-Keep from overwatering houseplants, as roaches depend on a source of fresh water.-Wipe down your counters and your stovetop as soon as you finish using them.
-Don’t leave open bags of food or candy lying out in the open.
-Empty your recycling container often, and make sure to rinse bottles and cans before placing them in the recycling bin.
-Don’t leave pet food out in the open all day. If you do, put the pet’s dish on a plate filled with soapy water. The soap is a mild insecticide.
-Clean the drainage pans and venting on the backs of refrigerators and bottom of ovens.
Set up barriers
If you keep roaches outside, your job’s much easier. This means putting up barriers to their entry into your home. Here are some ways to keep them outside and starve their food and water source:
-Seal all foundational cracks and openings around doors, pipes and utility pipes.
-Put sweeps on the bottom of all doors to the outside.
-Install window and door screens, and screens over ducts, floor drains and vents.
-Plug tubs and sinks that aren’t used often.
Your next step, if the roaches keep showing up, is to call for help. TruForce Pest is known as the Arizona pest control expert! When you have pest control Gilbert, pest control Queen Creek or pest control Mesa problems, call us. We’ll have your roach problem under control in a matter of days.
