Successful cockroach control requires many strategies working together:
- Removal of current cockroaches
- Sanitation of the area
- Prevention of further cockroach entry
A vacuum cleaner can be used to remove cockroaches before they reach their hiding places. Sanitation involves eliminating food, water, and places to hide (harborage). Regular emptying of trash containers, washing dishes, and cleaning of kitchens and bathrooms are suggested. Residual pesticide sprays or cockroach baits further eliminate cockroaches in a structure, but should only be used in conjunction with elimination and sanitation methods.
To prevent further entry:
- Check food containers and grocery bags brought into the home.
- Store grocery bags in outside bins that are tightly sealed.
- Discard all corrugated cardboard boxes and transfer stored items into plastic containers with tightly fitting lids.
- Keep doors and windows shut, and ensure there is a good seal when closed (you should see no light under and around a tightly sealed door/window).
- Seal holes around plumbing and electrical conduits using caulk.
- Check childrens bookbags and lunch containers, because cockroaches can often ride home with them from another infested area.
Dwellings, such as apartments, that are separated by a common wall are particularly difficult situations. An infestation can migrate between apartments via the plumbing encased in a common wall. Therefore, cockroaches from one apartment can easily migrate to another apartment, infesting a "clean" dwelling. To help prevent this, caulk holes in common walls and around plumbing.
Related Content
Find more information about pests in eXtensions Pest Management In and Around Structures Resource Area.
