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How to Get Rid of Roaches & Keep Them Away

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Lots of cockroaches sitting on a white wooden shelf

If you live in Central California, you know that cockroaches can appear at just about any time. You also know that getting rid of roaches doesn’t always mean they’re gone for good. Exterminating cockroaches is only half the battle. Preventing them from coming back is also crucial for a healthy home.

Professional pest control is the best way to rid your home of cockroaches and other unwanted bugs. If roaches are infesting your home and your lifestyle, get in touch with us to book a service for safe and reliable extermination.  

Cockroach Extermination

Once cockroaches have made themselves at home in your living space they reproduce quickly. This means that a few bugs hiding in your walls can turn into a full-blown infestation in no time. Removing roaches from inside your home not only keeps your environment clean and more appealing but can actually protect your family from illnesses that these bugs carry.

A professional exterminator is always the best bet for resolving serious infestations. But there are some techniques you can do yourself to help kill off roaches in your home.

Call a Professional Exterminator

Our team at Dustin Pest Control are experts in cockroach extermination in Central California. As pest control professionals we have all the knowledge and tools to eliminate cockroaches in your house. After a consultation to assess your roach problems, we can activate an extermination unit to eliminate these repulsive creatures.

Extermination experts will survey your entire home and treat all affected areas. Our process is thorough and customized for each living space. Calling our office to book a service is the fastest way to a roach-free home. 

Pest Protection Plan

If you live in an area vulnerable to cockroach infestations, it can be costly and time-consuming to arrange multiple visits from exterminators. That’s why Dustin Pest Control offers the Pest Shield Membership. This protection plan allows you to live worry-free about the constant threat of cockroaches and other pests. Learn more about how to become a member.  

Do-it-Yourself Cockroach Traps

You can take roach-killing action yourself while waiting for our team to arrive. For mild cases of cockroach infestation, you may be able to eliminate the bugs yourself. Using cockroach glue strips will help identify where clusters of roaches are living. Try these natural cockroach traps to mitigate your pest problem:

  • Baking Soda Trap: Cover some chopped onions or other food in baking soda and place in an infested area. The cockroaches will die from consuming the baking soda as it reacts inside their bodies.
  • Boric Acid Traps: Place boric acid on a dish or tray and add something tasty like fruit or peanut butter. Boric acid is not dangerous to humans or pets but can kill cockroaches when it’s ingested. Expect to find dead roaches in various places around your home.
  • Borax Traps: Mix borax with white sugar to create a tempting but deadly cockroach cocktail. The solution will rapidly dehydrate cockroaches, ultimately killing them. Place a dish with this mixture in infested areas.
Dead Roaches in living room of apartment by sofa

Keeping Cockroaches Out

The best way to prevent a cockroach infestation is to make sure they never have a chance to invade! There are some best practices to follow in and around your home that will make it difficult for roaches to get in, and uncomfortable for them to stay.  

Maintain Clean Floors & Surfaces

Cockroaches love the same foods we do. So leaving crumbs or spilled food on your stovetop or counter is going to attract these unwelcome guests. Get in the habit of cleaning your cooking and eating surfaces regularly and right after making food. Regular sweeping and mopping will deter cockroaches from finding even the tiniest crumbs on your kitchen floor. 

Store Food Responsibly

Using sealed containers for food storage will help prevent cockroaches from sniffing out tasty treats. Keep pantry cabinets and refrigerators closed at all times. Regularly cleaning in and around cabinets and food storage areas will also deter roaches from exploring.

Keep Windows & Doors Closed

The easiest way for a cockroach to enter your home is through an open window or doorway. Cockroaches can climb up walls into windows, so this rule applies to all openings to your home. Make it hard for those little buggers to get in and keep the door shut!

Consider caulking window and door frames, seals, gaps, and cracks. This extra barrier to entry will stop small or baby roaches from sneaking in access points to your home.

Inspect Items & Furniture Before Bringing Them Inside

Yard sales and second hand stores can be full of exciting discounts on beautiful items—but they can also be full of pests that call those items home. Even rental furniture can be tricky, since you never know where it was before you got it—or how thoroughly it was cleaned.

For best results, make sure you thoroughly check any furniture before bringing it into your home for the first time. Cockroaches like to hide in corners and drawers, so be especially careful in these areas. It’s also a good idea to suck up any eggs roaches may have laid by going over your furniture or large items with a handheld vacuum.

Reduce Moisture Trouble Spots

Cockroaches love warm damp environments. They like to hide in dark humid places that you likely can’t even see. Leaky plumbing or areas of high condensation are an ideal place for cockroaches to fester. Identify moisture trouble spots in your home by looking for water stains or drips. 

Investing in a moisture meter could be a good idea if you have constant roach infestations. In serious cases of infestation, it may be recommended that you redo some plumbing work.

Don’t Use Repellents in Your Home

Some homeowners add a few drops of lemon or peppermint oil to their mop water in an effort to deter roaches. While this can be effective in the short term, it can also have the undesirable effect of driving roaches deeper into your home.

To prevent roaches from retreating into your furniture and wall voids, avoid using these so-called “roach repellents”. If a roach infestation already exists in your home, the best strategy is to contact a professional exterminator for help.

Recognize Early Signs of Roaches

Staying ahead of a full-blown infestation is much easier when you recognize the earliest signs of cockroaches being present. Eliminating roaches before they can multiply is always easier than exterminating a whole colony. The following signs can indicate you have cockroaches in your home:

  • Tiny eggs or cockroach egg sacks (a cockroach egg sack is called an ootheca)
  • Cockroach droppings (these may resemble either coffee grounds or salt and pepper, and can cling to vertical surfaces as well as lay on horizontal ones)
  • Smear marks that seem unusual
  • Cockroach skin sheddings
  • Unusual stench or odors

Eliminate Cockroaches For Good

You can help yourself by being aware of how cockroaches enter your home and the types of conditions that they love. Keeping doors closed and your home clean and dry will deter these pests. Get to know your home’s trouble spots and remember where you have seen roaches in the past.

The good news is that professional cockroach exterminators are always an option when you need to eliminate an infestation. The worst thing you can do is let the cockroaches grow in numbers. So call our office now to setup an appointment that will let you say goodbye to roaches for good!

Written by Denise

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