Cockroaches in a Clean House

Are you scratching your head wondering why you still have cockroaches in your meticulously clean home? Read on and discover some of the factors that Modesto pest control firms suggest to explain why you may find roaches in your clean house.

Nooks and Crannies

Roaches look for water, food, and shelter in any place they call home. Your spotlessly clean home may have crevices that are the perfect home for roaches. For example, gaps in floorboards provide excellent hiding places for cockroaches.

Stockton pest control experts also reveal that cockroaches are naturally attracted to places where their entire bodies can be in contact with a solid surface (thigmotropism). The nooks and crannies within crawlspaces, behind cabinets and the joints between floors and walls, maybe a perfect hiding place for these thigmotropic creatures.

Stuff You Carry Home

The roaches you see in your clean home may be a result of the things you bring home, according to professionals who have dealt with roach problems in the Central Valley. For instance, these pests may have been carried in when you bought a used appliance and installed it in your home before taking measures to kill any roaches which may have been inside that appliance.

One way to deal with such hidden cockroaches is by enclosing the appliance in a plastic bag in which you have placed roach-killing strips. Leave the appliance sealed for at least a week before removing it from that plastic bag.

Hidden Dirt/Food Particles

Have you checked your kitchen and other places where food particles can stay hidden for long? For example, tiny food particles may find their way underneath your stove or oven. Similarly, food particles can drop and stay hidden in sofas. Roaches will survive on those scraps for several weeks.

Additionally, roaches can eat some things you can’t imagine they eat, such as glue, cardboard, and leather. If the worst comes to the worst, the roaches will go without food for several weeks! This survival tactic makes it hard for DIY pest control efforts to have lasting results. You therefore need to rethink your cleaning strategies to eliminate anything that roaches can feed on.

Moisture/Dampness

Roaches cannot survive for long if they cannot access water. Your clean home may remain attractive to these pests if damp or moist places exist within your home. For example, a leaking pipe underneath the kitchen sink will be a haven of roaches since they will have all the water they need.

Fix this problem by repairing any leaks and emptying any containers that have standing water. For example, pet bowls are often left with water indoors overnight. Water may also drip from various appliances, such as dishwashers, and keep the floor damp for extended durations. Fix such issues so that roaches are denied a water source.

The Outdoors Environment

The cockroaches in your clean home may be traced to the outdoors. For example, do you keep your wood leaning against the exterior walls? Roaches may be attracted to the hiding places between the pieces of wood. Similarly, clogged rain gutters may contain moist decomposing leaves which can contain water and food for the cockroaches. Tallgrass, organic mulch, loosely covered garbage bins, and bird feeders may all attract roaches to your property and eventually your home.

Examine the exterior of your home and get rid of anything that may be acting as a magnet to roaches so that those roaches don’t end up inside your clean home.

Roaches are versatile and resilient creatures. Eliminating them requires the use of several measures, such as roach-proofing the exterior of your home while dealing with the cockroaches that are already inside the home. Find a Stockton pest control company and ask those experts to help you to prevent and control these pests in your home before you are overwhelmed by their rapidly increasing numbers.