How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches

First, lets distinguish between the different types of cockroaches that enter our homes.

There are basically 5 different types of cockroaches that enter our homes.

Three large ones and two smaller ones. We will talk about the three larger ones first.

American Cockroach: This cockroach is the largest of the cockroaches. It is about 1 to 1 1/2 in long. Reddish-brown wings with light markings on the thorax. It is very agressive and perfers dark damp areas. It is more likely to be seen in the daytime and outdoors than the other species and flies more readily than the other species. These cockroaches will eat almost anything and is more likely found in food areas. The female needs to mate only once to produce many egg capsules. Each capsule contains an average of 13 eggs. The American cockroach can live up to 15 months.

Smokeybrown Cockroach: This cockroach can grow up to 1 1/2 inches long and prefers to live outdoors. The populations are relatively immobile compared to other species. They will eat almost anything but prefer plant material. Each egg capsule contains an average of 20 eggs. Adults can live up to 200 days.

Oriental Cockroach: This cockroach is dark brown to black and about 1 inch long. They are common outdoors and often enter buildings and homes through sewer pipes. They can eat almost anything but are often found feeding on garbage, sewage and decaying organic matter and seem to prefer starches. Egg capsules contain about 16 eggs. These cockroaches are also known as water bugs or black beetles and are more sluggish than other species. Also give off offensive unpleasant odor.

The two smaller cockroaches:

Brownbanded Cockroach: About 5/8 inch long and has two brownish-yellow bands. Each egg capsule contains an average of 18 eggs. This cockroach is sometimes confused with the German cockroach but are not as dependent on moisture and can be found in all areas throught the home.

German Cockroach: Last but not least is the dreaded German cockroach. This cockroach is the most presistant cockroach found in the United States. This cockroach is also about 5/8 inches long, a light to medium brown with two dark longitudinal streaks on the thorax. They primarily infest areas close to food, moisture and warmth. They will eat almost anything. Females produce one egg capsule every 20 to 25 days and each capsule contains from 18 to 48 eggs. Extremely heavy infestations are not uncommon.

You probably know that almost everyone gets one of the larger cockroaches, especially the American cockroach, but lots of people never get the German cockroach or they don't even know what it looks like.

The German cockroach goes through 6 or 7 nymph stages, called instars. These instars can increase or decrease depending on environmental conditions. Adult German cockroaches can live up to one year but will usually die before that time from various causes, but remember all the eggs hatched, many, many more are produced before that happens.

The German cockroach nymph has a better chance of surviving than the other species of roaches because the female carries the egg capsule during the entire time they are being developed. This increases the survival rate because they are not likely to be taken by unsatisfactory conditions and this increases their mortality rate. Due to their high reproductive potential, this increases even more.

Cockroaches can be carried in inside a piece of furniture, especially used furniture. Inside someone's purse, or coming from the apartment next door.

If you know someone that has a home or apartment infested with roaches, make sure they leave their belongings at home, in their car or outside. I know this sounds crude but do you want a house full of roaches. Someone next door has roaches. Keep roach baits in your home on the side where the roaches may be coming from. If you live in an apartment make sure the wall to the apartment next door is treated.

To treat the wall, take the electrical and switch plate covers off and place an insecticide dust inside the wall. Punch a small hole with a screwdriver beside the box. You can use boric acid dust.

You can also treat the walls in your own home the same way. Take off all of your electrical switch plate covers and light switch covers, punch a small hole with a screwdriver beside the switch box and inject boric acid dust or another type of insicitidal dust, because cockroaches get inside of walls.

Lets move to the kitchen. German cockroaches love kitchens. Baiting the kitchen. If you don't want to empty all of your cabinets, you can use a product called Combat roach bait gel. This can be purchased at your local Walgreens. Another product is Maxforce roach bait gel. This is what the professionals use. Do a search with your favorite search engine. You can probably purchase this online.

Apply this bait in all of your kitchen cabinets about every eight inches apart. Make tiny dots about the size of a BB and no larger than a pea. Read the label.

Also, apply this bait in bathroom and all cracks and crevices you are able to find. You will start seeing less and less cockroaches.

Lots of things hanging on the wall? Check behind each and everything. Pictures, utinsils, wall coverings and everything you can think of. Cockroaches love to hide behind pictures, clocks and wall hangings.

Check bedrooms, closets, door frames, dressers. Pull the dresser drawers out and check. Look for tiny black speckles. These speckles look like black pepper. These are the droppings of the German cockroach or posibly the brownbanded cockroach. Cockroaches eat their own droppings. Clean these droppings with a wet cloth with a cleaner mix. Don't contaminate the baits with the cleaners. Cockroaches will not touch the bait that has been contaminated. Also if you smoke, wash hands before handling bait.

The larger cockroaches (American, Smokeybrown, oriental) are here to stay. The problem is, how to keep them out of our homes. A good spraying around the outside of your home around the foundation is a must. I would suggest doing this about once a month.

Also spray around all doors, windows, cracks and crevices. Plug all holes around the outside of your home. Never leave doors and windows open, especially at night. Make sure your garage door is shut. This is where these larger cockroaches can enter.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com