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Simple Ways To Prevent A Cockroach Infestation

If you live in an apartment building or if your home is located in a city, then your residence may be susceptible to a cockroach infestation. If you see a cockroach in your home, then it is best to contact a specialist, like Cavanaugh's Professional Termite & Pest Services, as soon as possible so the infestation does not get any worse. If you have never seen a cockroach, then you need to make sure that the insects do not find your house a hospitable place to live. Keep reading to find out how to keep cockroaches away.

Never Leave Food Out

Cockroaches are considered scavengers that will eat almost any type of organic substance that provides nutrition. Some cockroaches will even eat fecal matter or rotten tree material. This means that there are a wide variety of food sources in your home.  

Cockroaches prefer to eat carbohydrates and meat though, and they will search out these types of foods and nest in areas where human foods are abundantly available. Keeping your home tidy and neat will keep cockroaches from nesting in your home.

Controlling Food Sources

The best way to keep cockroaches from finding food is to store items in sealed containers. Move cereals, crackers, dried fruit, sugar, and flour to containers if they are stored on your pantry shelf. Consider using glass containers to protect your food, because cockroaches cannot eat or burrow through glass.  

Also, make sure to wipe down your stove after cooking meals and wash dishes immediately after using them. If the grate that sits in your kitchen drain catches food particles, then empty the grate every evening. Vacuum regularly as well and make sure to empty the bag when you are done so cockroaches do not try to feed on the contents.

Clean Up Your Property

Before cockroaches find warm and moist places to live indoors, they reside outside. The bugs will then travel to other locations if food, water, and shelter are no longer abundant where they live. Cockroaches do not tend to travel far, though, and this means that the bugs are less likely to make it into your home if they do not live directly outside your residence. You can make sure this is the case by getting rid of places outside your house where cockroaches could hide.

Getting Rid of Cockroach Habitats

Cockroaches like to hide during the day and they will come out at night to eat. In most cases, the bugs will look for dark places to live while they rest. Leaf piles outside your home often make perfect cockroach hiding spots, so make sure to rake and mulch leaves regularly. Tall weeds and grass can serve as a habitat too, so mow down vegetation near your house or property.

If weeds continue to grow and create new hiding spots, then consider killing the weeds with vinegar and salt. Add two cups of white vinegar to a spray bottle and add two tablespoons of table salt to the mix. Spray a generous amount of the solution on your weeds. The weeds should die within a few days and they will not return.

Cockroaches are extremely troublesome pests that are difficult to get rid of once they infest your home. This means that it is wise to prevent an infestation. The tips in this article can greatly assist you with this prevention.