No one wants to walk into their kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere else in their home and find a cockroach. Unfortunately, it is a very common experience. You may immediately kill it out of instinct, but what do you do next? Below, one of our Lakeville cockroach control experts explains the most important steps to take.
Inspect Your Home, at the Right Times
Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures. They will also not usually come into plain view while humans are around because they know we are their biggest predators. After spotting a cockroach in your home, you should inspect the entire interior of the house to determine if there are more in hiding. The main spots to look are in areas where they will have access to food and water, in cracks and crevices that provide a good hiding spot, and in the dark corners of cupboards and cabinets.
Eliminate Food Sources
Cockroaches can and will remain in your home as long as they have a food source. They may chew through cardboard, paper, and even thin plastic containers trying to get to the food inside. If you see these damaged containers, you should throw them out to remove the food source and prevent yourself from coming into contact with the contamination they leave behind. Clean spills and crumbs from tables, counters, and floors as well, as anything left on these surfaces provides additional food for cockroaches. Keep trash in a tightly sealed garbage can, as cockroaches will even try to find their way into these areas to access food.
Block Access Points
Cockroaches will enter your home using a number of different access points. It is important to locate these and block them with caulk to prevent more from making their way inside. Look for cracks, holes, gaps, and other openings that cockroaches may use to make their way inside. Using caulk to block these access points also helps keep other pests from getting into your home.
Eliminate Hiding Spaces
Where there is one cockroach, there are usually many more. Cockroaches are expert hiders. They create hiding spaces that provide protection, and when you chase one in an attempt to kill it, they will quickly make their way back to that space so you cannot find them. Cockroaches like to stay in dark and hidden crooks and nooks, piles of paper, cardboard boxes, and other spaces. Declutter your home so you can find all of their hiding places and eliminate them so they have nowhere to go. This will make them easier to eliminate.
Call Our Cockroach Control Experts in Lakeville
If you have seen a cockroach in your home, you may consider trying to eliminate the pests on your own. Unfortunately, this is rarely effective and may just cost you more stress and money in the long run without getting rid of the problem. At Rove Pest Control, our Lakeville cockroach control experts can assess the situation and recommend a treatment that will eliminate them once and for all. Call us now at (602) 207-8344 or fill out our online form to request a free estimate and to learn more about how we can help.