How to Slow Down Determined Invaders
They move so fast that it’s hard to believe their sprint across your kitchen floor only clocks in at 3 miles per hour. If they were your size, roaches would storm through the house at a scary 210 miles per hour. How can a harried homeowner slow down these pesky speed demons? Get to know their habits, pull up their welcome mats, and employ a few strategic deterrents.
Understand Roach Routines
Those cockroaches zipping along the counter tend to follow predictable patterns. Roaches rev their engines at night, and the ones outside are attracted to your porch and pathway lights. Like all pests, they crave the convenient bounty of food and water sources inside your house. Cockroaches feel at home in damp places, so they easily travel through bath and kitchen drains. Our Arizona heat keeps crawl spaces nice and warm for these determined insects, and they prefer parking in high places like kitchen cabinets, storage shelves and attic crawl spaces.
Set Up Roadblocks
Your first line of defense against invading roaches starts outside the house. Don’t let vegetation stack up against the foundation, and keep lids on those garbage cans. Leaky faucets are perfect watering holes for all kinds of pests, so keep the outdoor plumbing in good shape. Replace outside lights with yellow bulbs that are less likely to attract bugs, and make sure door sweeps are snug under thresholds. Indoor strategies include mesh-covered bath and kitchen drains, lidded trash cans and quick disposal of paper sacks and cardboard boxes.
Derail the Invaders
You can set out roach bait traps, but pests bypass these temptations when they have easy access to your groceries. Seal food items like sugar, cereal and bread in plastic containers, and always keep cabinets and counters clean. Fix leaky faucets. Don’t forget about the paper invitations in your storage areas. Get rid of grocery sacks and cardboard boxes in favor of bug-resistant alternatives. Lightly dust baseboards and wall corners with boric acid powder or diatomaceous earth, but only use these deterrents in places that are safe from the kids and pets. Tuck catnip sachets on high shelves to disrupt roach relays in your closets.
If you’re chasing roaches from trash can to baseboard or shaking them out of your running shoes, contact us today. We’re always happy to help eliminate unwanted visitors around your home.
