How to Keep Cockroaches Out This Summer
Cockroach activity increases during the summer in New Mexico, particularly during the monsoon season. The warm temperatures and increased moisture really get roaches moving, and when they get moving, they often decide to move into our homes. If you would prefer to keep these pests out of your kitchen, home, and away from your family this summer, we have some ideas to help.
How to keep cockroaches out of your home
When cockroaches explore the exterior of your home, what can you do to prevent them from entering? The National Pest Management Association offers these tips to keep these nasty bugs out:
- Dispose of garbage routinely and remove it from your property.
- Clean exterior receptacles and keep covers on.
- Seal potential entry points in your home, such as damaged weatherproofing, cavities in wood, and gaps around electrical sockets.
- Wipe down countertops, sweep floors, and clean spills.
- Address leaky pipes, faucets, or showerheads.
- Install a fan in your bathroom if you don't already have one.
- Use the fan in your bathroom during showers or baths.
- Install a dehumidifier in areas where humidity is high.
Along with these roach prevention tips, the NPMA also recommends that you perform routine inspections to detect the presence of cockroaches so you may act quickly to address problems early.
How to check for cockroaches
Cockroaches can live in your home without leaving easy-to-detect signs. The reason for this is that cockroaches have behavior patterns that cause them to stay in the dark and hide in tight spaces. But you may uncover warning signs if you search for them. Look for these signs in dark, secluded, and humid spaces.
- Tiny specks of black fecal matter in dark, secluded, and humid spaces.
- Egg cases called oothecae.
- Holes in paper food packaging.
- Live bugs under appliances and sinks.
As you search, you may find tiny, fast-moving insects. Cockroach nymphs move as quickly as adult cockroaches, even though they are much smaller.
How to stop cockroaches this summer
DIY cockroach control isn't easy. The reason these insects are so hard to control is that they are born to adapt. One of their adaptive abilities is that they can create new exoskeletons. When a growing cockroach nymph is exposed to a harmful material and survives, it sheds its skin and creates a new one. The new exoskeleton is designed to guard the nymph from that hazardous material.
Over the last two centuries, cockroach species have been exposed to many agents that work to eliminate them. Some species are nearly immune to these products now.
What about cockroach bait? It is possible to use bait to address cockroaches, but it isn't as easy as it sounds. You don't just put bait down and have cockroaches flock to it. Bait application is a science. One way it can fail is if too little bait is put out and only a small portion of the cockroach population is impacted. Those that survive learn to avoid the harmful food source.
So, what’s the solution? Contact an experienced pest control company that knows how to exterminate cockroaches.
How to get rid of roaches permanently
Whether you’ve discovered cockroaches in the summer or the middle of winter, the best way to eliminate these bugs permanently is with help from Greenway Pest Solutions.
When you contact our local pest control team for help getting rid of cockroaches, we will:
- Perform an inspection.
- Develop a treatment plan targeting roaches and other active pests.
- Complete interior and exterior pest treatments.
- Provide follow-up services, if necessary.
For best results, we highly recommend signing up for an ongoing home pest control that includes quarterly service, interior and exterior pest treatments, and free callbacks – should a covered pest problem arise in between scheduled seasonal service visits, we’ll provide a free re-service!
Our goal is to ensure your home stays pest-free, and we accomplish this by:
- Dusting plumbing
- Treating baseboards
- Applying bait
- Dusting beams and joints in your crawl space if you have one
- Treating around your entry points and light fixtures
- Treating cracks and crevices in your walkway and driveway
- Treating wall voids
- And more.
If you’re looking for pest control services in Albuquerque, Sunland Park, Santa Fe, or elsewhere in our New Mexico service area, we’d love the opportunity to help you.
It is simple to contact us. Give us a call to speak with someone on our friendly service team, chat with us online, or complete the form below! We look forward to helping you find the right solution for your specific needs.
