West Chester's Ultimate American Cockroach Control Guide

You might wonder, "How can this be an ultimate American cockroach control guide? How can anyone squeeze all there is to know about American cockroaches into a few hundred words?" The reality is that there isn't all that much to know about American cockroaches if you just want to keep them out of your West Chester home. These are simple organisms with simple motivations. If you understand why they get inside, and what can motivate them to stay inside, you can actually control American cockroaches organically. Here's what every West Chester resident should know.

What Motivates Roaches To Get Inside

There are many things that motivate American cockroaches, but only a handful of them lure roaches to the exterior of your home and entice them to get inside.

Water — Cockroaches need water more than they need anything else. Compared with other roaches, American cockroaches are at the top of the list in terms of how important damp conditions and humidity are to them. If you have pools of water near your home, containers in your yard, or moist landscaping, you're going to provide an ideal environment for all cockroaches, and American cockroaches in particular. Here are a few tips to alter conducive conditions:

• Remove objects that capture rainwater.

• Address clogged gutters and gutter system breaks.

• Remove weeds from your landscaping.

• Trim bushes and shrubs.

• Address plumbing leaks.

• Water your plants in the early morning.

Food — Cockroaches are strongly motivated by food, but you might be surprised to know that they don't prefer the foods you eat—well, to be more accurate, they prefer to eat the foods you eat long after you would consider eating them. They also eat other disgusting things. Here are some tips for deterring cockroach activity near your home:

• Keep your garbage in a sealed trash receptacle that is free of strong odors.

• Make sure any recyclables that are stored in your garage have been well cleaned.

• Keep compost away from your exterior.

• If you have a dog that spends time in the yard, stay on top of cleaning up any droppings.

Tight Spaces — Cockroaches are thigmotactic. When they explore the perimeter around your home, they're drawn to explore any tight spaces they find in your exterior. They don't know that you have food and water in your home. They're just naturally following their desire to be squished into cracks, crevices, and gaps. Explore your exterior carefully, and seal any entry points you find. Here are some examples:

• Replace damaged weatherstripping and door sweeps.

• Use a caulking gun to apply a seal around doors, windows, pipes, wire conduits, and other exterior penetrations. If you're able, do this around roof penetrations as well. Cockroaches can climb up onto your roof to get into your home.

• Use a foundation repair kit, expanding foam, or a high-quality caulking material to seal cracks in your foundation walls or slab.

• Replace rotting wood, or fill wood holes to prevent entry.

It is also important to move objects away from your exterior. Cockroaches will squeeze under them, or get inside them. They are particularly attracted to wood piles and organic clutter.

What Motivate Roaches To Stay

Once inside your home, American cockroaches can stay for no reason at all. But, taking the time to apply these tips can have an impact. They can deter population growth, protect you from cockroach-related illness, and possibly inspire a small population or cockroaches to leave your home. Plus, if you don't have a roach infestation, these tips could prevent one.

• Water droplets are a vital commodity for cockroaches. Fix leaky faucets and showerheads. Take showers or baths long before bedtime to allow the droplets to dry up before nighttime when cockroaches are active. Repair any plumbing leaks.

• Humidity is desirable for American cockroaches. If you have a humid basement, install fans, ventilation, or dehumidifiers to address the humidity.

• Store your pantry and cabinet foods in sealed plastic containers.

• Keep your home as clean as possible, including your bathroom. Roaches can find food sources in your bathroom, such as hair, dead skin, and feces.

• Deep clean around appliances.

• Reduce clutter. Tight spaces between objects will give cockroaches lots of attractive places to hide.

When Pest Control Is Needed

At this point, you might wonder, "Where does pest control fit into the picture?" The tips we shared with you today are difficult and time-consuming. You may not have the time to implement the suggestions given, or you may not have the technical ability to accomplish these tasks. It is also possible that you have conditions that are impossible to correct. In any case, professional cockroach control is the best solution. A licensed pest professional can perform treatments and general pest maintenance to arrest a cockroach infestation and keep cockroaches from continuing to enter your residence. Several control products are used, and these products are applied according to field-tested methods to prevent roaches from using their natural abilities to evade extermination. If you'd like to learn how the team here at Masters Touch Pest Solutions addresses cockroach infestations, we'd be happy to have the conversation with you. Reach out to us. We're here to help.