There are several resourceful ways this pest, known as a cockroach, may get into and around your home.  It is here where many entry points are found. Getting through the tiniest of cracks and crevices to crawl into to get inside the building. Also, they may hitch a ride on a backpack, suitcase, or other container. This article will show you how roaches get inside your home and how to get rid of roaches.

What are the most popular roaches in the US?

Several roach species exist within the United States. However, the most frequently seen ones are the American cockroach and German cockroach.  Each of these cockroach species are nocturnal and poses an active problem all year long. Both of these insect species have hiding places during the daytime. They can be found in areas protected around a home.  They come out at night to search for water and food sources.

What is the difference between American cockroaches and German cockroaches?

Although they are both cockroaches, the American cockroach and the German cockroach have distinguishing differences.  American cockroaches have a faded yellow thorax and are reddish-brown.  Whereas the German cockroach is tan-color with dark,  parallel lines extending from their heads to their wing tips.

What attracts cockroaches in your home?

Many things are attracting these cockroaches when inside your house. Mostly drawn toward climates with humidity and warmth.  However, below are some other attractants to cockroaches inside your home:

• Standing water, leaky kitchen sink pipes/drains, or wet leaves outside. Roaches thrive on moisture, so eliminate these wet sites.
• Leaving food out, particularly sweets, that have a lingering odor to draw them toward it.
• Not only sweets and pleasant smells attract these pests, but the pungent scent of laundry and garbage also attracts them.
• Pet food dishes left lying out will attract roaches.
• If your neighbors aren’t very clean and have cockroaches, their pest infestation could become yours.
• Cardboard boxes and paper grocery bags.  These containers offer a dark place to hide; therefore, make the switch to plastic containers.
• Pet food. This is an oasis for a cockroach! A “giant” pool of liquid, and next to it is a bowl of nibbles. Don’t leave your pet’s food containers sitting out.
• Store food in air-tight containers.

Why do I have roaches in my clean house?

A common misconception about cockroaches is they avoid a clean house. Cockroaches, like other species of pests, need food and water to live. They search for it regularly. This search may even lead to pests inside your house.  Particularly if that home is found to have dirty dishes, leaky faucets, or pipes. A roach loves to find food droppings. They will also enter homes through drains and pipes. These are common ways they enter homes, and all signs attractive to roaches.

Does one cockroach indicate an infestation?

The answer to this question is, unfortunately, most likely.  Cockroaches are not reclusive. If you see one around your home, most likely, many more are where it came from. You should always check behind appliances. If you see what appears to be coffee grounds, it could be roach droppings. American cockroaches are nocturnal. Therefore, if you see one in the daylight, there must be an infestation bringing them out.

Why are there suddenly so many cockroaches in my house?

An invasion of cockroaches in your house could be a much more obvious problem.  Perhaps you are being lax on the way you store food. Ensure all containers are covered adequately and have an airtight seal.  This ensures cockroaches can not enter your home regularly.

What is the main cause of cockroaches in houses?

Food is the primary attractant to the American cockroach.  It doesn’t matter whose food it is, human, bird, or pet food.  Cockroaches are even attracted to cardboard boxes. To avoid a problem with American cockroaches, ensure to keep all food stored in containers with an air-tight seal.

Can a cockroach get inside my ear?

The human ear is very inviting to American cockroaches. The smell of our earwax is like cheese to a cockroach.  Its scent is what drives this insect toward our ears.  However, usually, once it gets inside an ear, it becomes trapped there. It gets pushed further into the ear canal when the person scratches their ear.

Will roaches crawl on a sleeping person?

As you are aware, cockroaches are nocturnal creatures. Which just so happens to be when people normally are sleeping. These insects like areas that are small, humid, and warm. A  sleeping person’s motionless body is warm and the ideal target for a busy cockroach to crawl on.

What time of year are cockroaches most active?

Cockroaches who live primarily outdoors in the northern hemisphere of the United States spend the winter in a period of hibernation.  During this time, their development is suspended, beginning in autumn and ending in the spring.  With springtime comes their renewal, and activity is resumed.

Are cockroaches seasonal?

Similar to other insects, cockroaches prefer warm weather. But do roaches like the cold? Probably not; they are most prevalent in spring, summer, and early autumn.  Yet, don’t be surprised if you walk into the kitchen on a cold winter night and see cockroaches scattering about.

What do cockroaches hate?

Although many scents are pleasant to cockroaches, some repel them. The following are odors that keep these insects at bay:

• The scent of lavender is relaxing to us, so you can relax even more knowing your favorite scent appalls a cockroach.
• Nothing says fresh like the savory scent of citrus.  Yet, to a cockroach, it is disgusting.
• Furry Koala bears just love the taste and scent of eucalyptus.  However, it turns a cockroach's stomach.

How do roaches appear out of nowhere?

The incessant pests appear out of nowhere.  They invite themselves inside by way of grocery bags and backpacks. They may also use the plumbing. Or travel by way of cracks in the flooring, a crawl space, beneath window jambs, or doors.

Do cockroaches come near humans?

Unlike other animals, cockroaches flourish best when in an environment with humans.  They are an insect which has the preposterous ability to acclimate to almost any habitat. Because of this, they often use it to come within proximity to people in their homes.  Cockroaches like people in hopes they will leave some tasty droppings for them.

Can they see humans?

The answer is yes.  When they see us, they get fearful and run away.  A cockroach’s eye consists of several mini-lenses (more than 2,000).  These lenses are photoreceptors, permitting them to see in total darkness. However, in cases where they don’t first see you, they will feel you.

Is it normal to see cockroaches outside?

The American cockroach likes to live in areas that are shady and moist. Outside, this means such things as woodpiles, hollowed-out trees, mulch, and yards.  You might find these pests in attics or beneath the shingles of your roof.  Most likely, cockroaches living outside will be seeking water and food sources, so this is where you will find them.

What attracts roaches outside?

The same things that draw roaches indoors are what attract them outside. Those things are shelter, water, and food.  There can be the same number of roaches out in your yard as inside your house. If you have any type of standing water--flower pots, gutters, and birdbaths, you are inviting cockroaches.  Other common attractants are wood and compost piles. Both proved an excellent source of shelter and food for these insects.

Where do they hide outside in the daytime?

As nocturnal insects, cockroaches are most active when the sun goes down.  It is the night hour they go out in search of food and water.  During the daytime, some popular spaces they like to hide are in the mulch of flowerbeds. Often you might wonder how cockroaches infest your home until you see their droppings, which look much like coffee grounds.

What causes roaches outside my house?

One primary reason cockroaches are outside is that they are searching for food and water.  They are normally content with organic materials outside and are a normal piece to the ecosystem’s unique puzzle. However, over the past few years, climates have become warmer and drier, forcing these insects indoors in search of sustenance.

Where do these critters hide out?

A typical hiding spot for these insects is anywhere it is steamy and warm. These places can be the motor of your refrigerator or around the bottom of an oven or dishwasher.  They love hiding out in tiny cracks and drains.  Cockroaches have been noticed nesting in the back area of a coffee machine.  You may even find a cockroach egg or two hidden in your coffee machine.

How do you coax these insects from their hiding spots?

Use a combination of one cup of sugar and one cup of borax. You should be able to coax them from their hiding places.  It’s best to use ground sugar because the borax blends better.  Take this mixture and smooth it around wherever you notice cockroaches. Sugar is one of a roaches favorite things to eat. Therefore, once this pest picks up the scent, they leave their hiding places to go find it.

How can you find a roach’s nest?

You can find a roach nest in many places. This includes crawl spaces, kitchen cabinets, behind refrigerators, around pipes, compact areas, and corners. These are signs there may be a roach’s nest or other areas they live. Signs are egg cases, dark spots or smears, cast skins, and dead or alive cockroaches.  You may even find this pest leaves egg cases that are found underneath furniture.

How do I get rid of cockroaches in my home?

One of the simplest ways to get rid of roaches in the home is to keep it clean. Below is some good information regarding some of the best ways to help deter roaches away from your home:

• Clean up any dirty dishes following a meal
• Immediately wipe up any spills or crumbs
• Take out the garbage before bedtime
• Clear away any grease remaining on appliances
• Store food in air-tight containers
• Make sure floors are swept/mopped regularly

Other ways to get rid of roaches in my house?

Some useful information to rid these pests is to use store-bought traps from home-improvement or grocery stores.  This is very effective information you may use as a source of pest control. These traps use bait or scent to make this pest species come out.  The trap has a substance that is sticky and captures the pest as it goes after the bait.  These bait traps normally take about 14 days to show you are taking control of a roach infestation.

Ways to prevent a roach infestation

If you want to know how to get rid of roaches, you need to know how to control them. This section will give information on what can be done to avoid and control an infestation of roaches:

• Discard any cardboard boxes and newspapers
• Ensure your home is free of unnecessary clutter
• Seal any cracks and spaces found in the foundation
• Check openings under doors and windows
• Make sure to seal any cracks in plumbing, gas, and electrical lines

What kills roaches instantly?

If you need more information about killing roaches then an effective form of pest control for cockroaches is boric acid.  It has low instance toxicity to pets and is odorless. Boric acid is not a repellent for a roach. Therefore, the roach will continue to crawl through it until it eventually dies.

How can I get rid of these pests really quick?

If you need to know how best to get rid of roaches quickly, follow these quick steps:

• Combine boric acid, sugar, and flour  in equal parts to form a dough
• Shape this mixture into several small balls
• Place these balls where you have noticed cockroach activity is common
• The smell of the sugar and flour attracts them; as they eat it, the boric acid kills them

What scents do roaches abhor?

Although cockroaches normally are attracted to scents, certain smells abhor them. Essential oils, such as peppermint, cypress, and cedarwood oil, work extremely well at getting these insects to stay back.  In addition, roaches dislike the scent emitted by coffee grounds and crushed bay leaves.

When it’s time to call a professional pest control company

You have tried all the home remedies for pest control to get rid of your cockroach infestation problem.  But nothing seems to help.  It’s time to give us a call and try our professional pest control service. Call us at A.N.T. Pest Control. We are a rights-reserved pest control company with all the information for getting rid of a cockroach infestation.