Cockroaches are experts at hiding around the legs of couches or under the bathroom sink, only to come skittering across the floor at the least expected moment. These gross critters scamper through trash, toilet bowls, and all sorts of filth. All the bacteria the cockroach has picked up from other places could be spread across your kitchen countertops and dining room table or anywhere else in your Haskell home. The presence of one cockroach is one too many. Calling a pest professional at the first sign of cockroaches will stop the infestation quickly, so more cockroaches are not crawling around your home in search of food. But if you can maintain a few good habits, you may be able to prevent cockroaches from coming into your house in the first place.
Risk factors
Cockroaches are known to carry diseases such as salmonella, listeria, and even E. Coli. You can not catch these diseases from the simple presence of cockroaches in your home. But because cockroaches are constantly on the hunt, if they get into your pantry and rifle through your food, they can contaminate your dried goods without you knowing it.
Prevention tips
Though cockroaches indeed love messy, cluttered spaces to make their nests, the presence of cockroaches in your home does not mean that your home is necessarily dirty. Cockroaches are attracted to food sources. Whether you have a toddler who drops a lot of crumbs, or have a trashcan full of organic matter like banana or potato peels, you may be attracting cockroaches. Even pet food can draw cockroaches into your home.
Trash can also be a big draw for cockroaches. If you have a trash can that does not get taken out regularly or has particularly smelly trash, cockroaches may soon become a problem. Keeping your outdoor trash can too close to the house also makes a quick, direct route from the can into your home. Living in an apartment building with messy neighbors can bring cockroaches into your home even though you keep it tidy.
Water is an essential part of life, even for cockroaches. Finding a moist corner or a leak under the sink is all a cockroach needs to feel right at home so she can start laying hundreds of eggs. Fixing any leaks or drips immediately and even using a dehumidifier in humid spots in your house will keep your home from looking like an ideal home for cockroaches.
Basic prevention of cockroaches includes:
- Sweeping after each meal
- Wiping down countertops and tables regularly with an all-purpose spray
- Taking out the trash as soon as it is full and storing outdoor garbage cans away from the house
- Have open floors, free of cluttered corners
- Fix any leaks immediately, even if it is just a drip
For Haskell, NJ homeowners who want to make sure cockroaches never become a problem, setting up a routine inspection and treatment with a pest professional will stop cockroaches before they even think about coming into your home. Call the professional at Abarb Pest Services today.
