What You Can Do About A Household Cockroach Infestation
Think that you have cockroaches in your home? Here are a few things that you should do to take care of this problem on your own.
Identify The Cockroaches
The first thing you'll want to do is make sure you have cockroaches in your home and not beetles, since the treatment for taking care of the two pests are quite different. You will need to look for them with a flashlight in areas that are dark and moist, so start with your kitchen and bathroom. Look underneath appliances, around floor drains, and even within appliances. Cockroaches also will leave behind egg casings or droppings that can look similar to coffee grounds.
Prepare For Cockroach Treatment
If you've identified cockroaches in your home, there are a few things that you need to do to prepare for a cockroach treatment. You'll need to thoroughly clean the area to eliminate any potential food that they can feed on. If you do not take this crucial step, any new cockroaches that come back are going to find that food and keep returning to your home.
Be prepared to move large appliances to clean behind and underneath where they are located. Clean out cabinets and drawers to make sure that there is no food waste hidden in crevices that cannot normally be seen. You'll also need to clean the surfaces regularly since there is plenty of food waste that can collect on countertops.
Treat For Cockroaches
Cockroach bait is one of the easiest ways to get rid of cockroaches. The gel comes in a tube that is put into a plunger. You will remove the gel with the plunger, and then apply that gel into small crevices where cockroaches can get to. You will want to apply small amounts of gel that are no bigger than a pea, which can be mistaken for food. You'll want to apply the gel along the back of cabinets, in drawers, and in small cracks where cabinets connect with each other. Space the pea-sized amounts of gel out, to spread it out and trick the cockroaches to think that it's food. You will also want to spray down common surfaces with an insecticide. The purpose of the insecticide is to prevent the cockroaches from reproducing and hopefully prevent a future infestation.
Reach out to a pest control professional if you feel that you need help getting rid of the cockroaches in your home, or for more information about pest control services.