There is no mistaking a cockroach infestation. If you have seen even one of these creatures in your home in daylight hours, you probably have many more hiding around your house waiting for night to come. Cockroaches are some of the best survivors known to man. Once, it was predicted that they would be among the few species to survive a nuclear holocaust. They breed quickly, and shed their outer shell as they grow. Finding one of these shed skins is another sign of a serious infestation. Cockroaches also eat anything, including their own feces and regurgitated food which they feed their young. If you see little ground-pepper like flakes in cabinets, drawers or in food, this is another sure sign that cockroaches are around.
If you live in an apartment building and have a cockroach problem, it is likely the entire building shares it, and that the roaches are very well nested. You and the other residents will have to ask your land lord to call an exterminator and have the entire building treated with chemicals and traps. If you are a city-dweller, it is very likely that the apartment buildings next to you and around you are infested, as well. If this is the case, your relief will only be temporary. Once the poisons wear off the building, you will be re-infested. Unless everyone in the building uses poison bates adequately and properly seals off food sources, you will be re-infested.
As a single home owner, your chances of getting rid of the problem for good are much higher. The best thing to do is to call in an exterminator. He or she can help you assess the problem, identify cockroach hiding and nesting places, and recommend treatment with chemicals or baits. Chemical treatments are effective, and often done in cycles. They smell terrible and are toxic (although declared safe for pets and people). Baits are, therefore, the preferred method. If you choose to use baits, it is important you rigorously clean your entire house, removing any possible food sources so that the roaches will have only bait to eat. This will ensure quicker spread of the poison and faster relief for you.
Once the cockroaches are gone, here is what you can do to prevent re-infestation:
- Keep your home clean. No food left out or spills left uncleaned for a night. Ever.
- Sprinkle boric acid powder around walls and behind cupboards or in areas that cockroaches might use to enter your home or places they might hide.
- Seal food tightly in containers that have lids which snap into place and hold
- Don’t leave dirty, wet pots in the sink
- Insulate pipes to prevent condensation around toilet and under kitchen sink
- Clean dark, moist areas regularly
- Keep your trash bin clean and empty it regularly
- Avoid build up of debris and dust in unused portions of your homes such as storage areas
- Eliminate sources of moisture in or on walls or in basements
- Take immediate action at the first sign of re-infestation
