COCKROACHES
Cockroaches have been present on the earth for more than 400 million years. Cockroaches are considered to be one of the worst household pests because they contaminate food with their excrement, prduce allergens and secrete an unpleasant odor which can permeate the indoor environment. Many people develop allergies to cockroaches. Allergens present in roach feces can become airborne along with normal house dust. The allergens can then be inhaled from the air or ingested when in contact with food.
Cockroaches prefer moist, warm, dark places typical of many homes. Roaches will eat almost anything they find, including pet food, crumbs, spoiled food, paints, wallpaper pastes, and book bindings. They can carry germs from the sink or bathroom onto dishes and other food surfaces, thus spreading bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Control cockroaches by using several
control
methods at the same time.
These include:
Cut off Food & Water Sources
Wipe off your kitchen counters and dining room table (or any other place where you eat) after every meal or snack. Don't leave dirty dishes on the kitchen counter overnight. If you need to soak a pot overnight, make sure it's filled with hot, soapy water. If you need to leave dishes overnight, rinse them first. If you use a dishwasher, make sure you don't leave dirty dishes in it overnight. Wipe any grease off the stove top and burners every night. Clean up all food spills promptly, especially on carpets and furniture. Garbage and compost should be kept in containers with lids and disposed of as often as possible. If your bathroom has a fan, use it after every bath or shower to reduce humidity. Keep all foods stored in kitchen cupboards in sealed containers. Put store-bought foods packaged in paper or plastic bags (such as sugar, flour, rice and cookies) in glass jars or plastic containers with tight lids. Vacuum and sweep your home regularly to help remove bits of food. Regularly clean the inside of your oven and the air vent (fume hood) above your stove to remove grease. Regularly check toilets and water faucets for leaks and make sure there are no leaks in the plumbing underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink. Empty your dog's or cat's food and water bowls at night and fill again in the morning. Wash pet food dishes daily. back to the list
After depriving cockroaches of food and water, reduce the number of hiding places they need for shelter in your home. Cockroaches like tight, small places. Try to remove as much clutter as you can. Don't stuff paper or plastic bags in the space between your refrigerator and a kitchen cupboard. Store them in a cupboard or drawer away from the kitchen or bathroom. Keep cupboards as tidy as possible, without a lot of clutter, so cockroaches don't have narrow, dark places to hide. Use the narrow crevice attachment that comes with your vacuum cleaner to suck cockroaches out of cracks, from under your refrigerator and stove, from cupboards and off furniture. Hard-to-clean areas are probably the main sources of a cockroach problem. Pull out refrigerators, stoves and freezers, and clean behind, beside and under them once monthly. Wash the outside of kitchen appliances and vacuum dusty areas around motors, such as at the back of the refrigerator. Seal holes in walls around plumbing and electrical lines between apartment units. Caulk cracks and crevices in cupboards and walls. If you own your home, you can do structural improvements yourself or hire someone to do them. If you rent, talk to your landlord or building supervisor. One of the most important things to do is to caulk and seal up the many cracks and crevices in the typical house or apartment. These are the tiny "doorways" that cockroaches use to get into their dark hiding places behind the walls. If they can't get there, they can't keep multiplying.back to the list
After you have have done all you can to cut off food, water and hiding places for cockroaches, you still need to kill the cockroaches living in your home. If you own your own house, you can do most of this work yourself. If you are a tenant, most of the work will be done by a pest control company hired by your landlord. Several kinds of pest control products such as baits, bait stations, gels and powders, are much better and less toxic than traditional sprays. Your health risk from exposure to pesticides is lower with these products than if you use sprays. Use pesticide sprays only as a last resort for a severe cockroach problem. Always avoid skin contact with pastes, gels or powders containing pesticides, and follow all directions on the label carefully. back to the list
Mark Blevins , Horticulture Agent
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