Do you like to be cold and wet? As it turns out, neither do cockroaches. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be both at the same time. If it is too cold outside, cockroaches will look for a warm place to hide. If heavy rains saturate the ground, cockroaches will look for shelter above the rising waterline. Both of these can drive them into man-made structures. If you own a man-made structure, and you’d prefer to not have roaches getting in, there are a few things you can do.

Roach Exclusion Tips:

• Keep things as clean as possible. While it is impossible to completely rid a home of everything cockroaches can feed on, you can deter roaches by reducing food sources, such as bread crumbs under the toaster, food particles in your rug, plates left on end tables and coffee tables, and juice spills under the fridge.
• Don’t leave pet food dishes on the floor between meals.
• Store all foods in the fridge or inside tightly sealed containers that pests cannot get into, such as glass or plastic.
• Try to keep your home as dry as possible by using strategically placed fans and dehumidifiers.
• Store all trash in cans with tightly fitting lids. Cockroaches can find a lot to eat in a trash can.
• Make sure there are no food sources for roaches outside, such as pet food, bird seeds or leftover barbecue items.

  Inspect your exterior walls for gaps, cracks, and holes. Use a caulking gun to fill holes in until you have the money to do an official repair.

• Make sure all of your screens are present and in good repair.
• Make sure all door sweeps make good contact, and that weather stripping on sliding doors have a good seal.

If you do the above, you can make your home harder to infiltrate and less desirable for cockroaches to live in, but be aware that these are resilient and resourceful insects. They are able to climb walls, walk across ceilings, and compact their bodies to squeeze through cracks. Some roaches can even fly. You’re not going to be able to fully exclude them without an application of insecticide. For this, you should trust a professional pest technician. Not only will a professional know where to apply these products, they will follow strict governmental guidelines to ensure that it is done safely.

Is it cold or wet around your home? Call Active Pest Control and get the protection you need to keep cockroaches out.