Why DIY Cockroach Treatments Often Fail

Cockroaches are pretty common in homes, restaurants, and other buildings. If you live in Lexington, Kentucky, you may experience a variety of cockroaches, like the American, German, and Oriental. All roaches are scary and disgusting to have around, as they are able to transmit dangerous bacteria from place to place that can cause food poisoning. Some people have been found to be allergic to cockroaches or have their asthma worsened by the presence of cockroaches.

Typically cockroaches enter homes by hitching a ride on items like grocery bags, laundry, or baggage used for travel. Sometimes roaches just wander into a home on their own from the outside. They prefer warm, moist, unsanitary conditions, and they are very difficult to get rid of. The American cockroach, in particular, is especially scary to come across, being one of the largest types. They like to hang out in wet basements, boiler rooms, and sewers, but they can travel a long way to obtain food. American cockroaches reproduce rather quickly and in large numbers. They can live over a year, and their diet consists of anything that is remotely considered food or even waste.

While there are plenty of DIY cockroach tips to be found, you will find better success if you contact a professional pest control company. Home remedies may give you temporary relief from cockroaches, but in the long run, they will fail. One reason for this failure is that you can’t possibly locate all of the cockroaches that are hiding in dark sheltered areas. Over-the-counter chemicals will only work on the roaches that you can reach, and will definitely not stop more of them from coming in. In addition, the chemicals can be made of harmful pesticides which may endanger your family or pets. Not only that but they can be complicated, messy, and time-consuming. Even more natural products for roach elimination like diatomaceous earth can cause cockroaches to dry out or die but also causes them to frantically search for water causing more activity. Even if you eliminate the ones you have been seeing around your home, there are still all of the others that you haven’t seen that are lurking around dark corners.

The #1 tip to get rid of and avoid cockroaches is to contact the professionals, but here are a few tips to reduce your risk of a serious infestation:

• Reduce sources of moisture
• Reduce sources of food
• Cover drains with fine mesh
• Seal cracks in walls and ceilings
• Fill in gaps around windows and doors
• Trim back vegetation from around your house
• Take out garbage regularly
• Keep outdoor garbage stored in bins with tight-fitting lids
• Eliminate leaf, debris, and junk piles

Action Pest Control in Lexington, Kentucky, is ready to help you with your cockroach problem, so give us a call today for more information. We have the expertise, equipment, and dedication needed to not only rid your house of current roach intruders but to defend your property from a host of other common pests as well.