There is nothing worse than finding out you have cockroaches in your house. Getting rid of them can be time consuming not to mention expensive and there isn’t a more resilient creature on the planet. If you want to get rid of these unwanted guests the first thing you need to do is identify the type of roach. Chances are good that is the German cockroach, they are the most common type of roach found in the US. They love water so the first thing you want to do is get rid of any potential water sources in your home. Here are 5 steps for getting rid of cockroaches.
Find the Problem Areas
Trying to eliminate roaches before you find out where they are coming in or nesting will be an exercise in futility. Start by searching your home with a flashlight to find where they are hanging out. Look under the fridge and behind it, under your sink and in closets. You can lay down some glue strips to determine where they are coming in and where you are catching the most of them.
Seal any Gaps with Caulk
While traps and pesticides will lower the number of roaches in your home, you need to stop them from coming into your home. Stopping them from spreading is crucial to finally getting rid of them. You can block some of their entry points using caulk. Look for gaps between tiles, entry holes, crevices and walls and fill them in with caulk. Around your windows or doors you can use some weather stripping.
Use Bait
One of the most effective killers of cockroaches is gel bait and you can use it cracks and crevices, around your baseboards and other areas where there are a lot of roaches. There are also bait stations that can be used as well. They attract roaches and then let them feed on poison, the roach brings the poison back to the nest to die. Other roaches will eat the dead roach and also die from the poison.
Boric Acid
First if you have pets or children then you don’t want to even try this to get rid of your roaches, boric acid is dangerous. While you will find it in tons of household products by itself it is very toxic to both humans and roaches.
Call in an Exterminator
Roaches are nothing if not resilient and getting rid of them on your own is difficult. If you have tried on your own and you are still finding them in your home then you need to bring in the pros. Most people don’t even try and get rid of roaches on their own they go straight to the exterminator and make sure they are gone for good.