Roaches live in warm, moist, and humid places. While the refrigerator is not the most suitable place for a roach to survive, it can live inside the motor of the fridge, only occasionally coming inside to take its food supplies. You will rarely find any roaches in the freezer as they can't stand that cold temperature.
The commercial refrigerant system can suffer from harm if there is a roach infestation. The first thing that happens is the soiling of each and every spot of the refrigerant's cooling system. You can see with the naked eye the tiny roach-droppings carpeting the corners, cracks, surfaces, and wires.
Most cockroaches will die if trapped in a refrigerator or freezer for an extended period of time. However, the exact length of time that it would take for the cold to become fatal would depend on a number of factors, including the species of cockroach and the temperature of the refrigerator or freezer.
Cockroaches only need the slightest gap to make their way into your fridge. So, a loose rubber seal or a cracked door makes up excellent roach entry points. However, all hope is not lost since you can rely on a few handy tricks to get rid of roaches from your fridge.
Yes, due to its warm and dark nature, roaches find appliances to be the perfect location to lay eggs. It's for this reason that addressing a cockroach in an appliance should be handled quickly. Once the roach makes a home in an appliance, it's only a matter of time before they nest and begin laying eggs.
If cockroaches get enough borax on the outside of their bodies, it actually damages their exoskeletons. This causes them to rapidly dehydrate and die; a thick coating of borax will certainly get rid of roaches overnight.
Vinegar is a natural household ingredient that can repel and kill cockroaches. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water, and then spray it directly onto the roaches when spotted. The strong odour and acidity of vinegar can be effective in eliminating them instantly.
After roach sighting, throw out any food that was contaminated. Remove any other food items that were possibly touched by the bug. If you have already eaten the food unintentionally, you may not become sick right away. Repetitive eating, however, could lead to illness.
In that scenario, you can buy what are called desiccant dusts—like diatomaceous earth, a non-toxic substance you can find on Amazon—and that will dehydrate the eggs, thereby killing them.
In most cases, baby bugs sneak inside the fridge through tiny gaps existing in old devices' undersides. They can survive at low temperatures for a while, so some of finding bugs will still be alive and crawl around.
Refrigerators are a closed loop system so nothing sprayed behind the unit will get inside the fridge and contaminate the contents.
All About Vinegar
Unfortunately, it doesn't actually kill these problem insects. It's more of a cleaning tool than anything else, and it won't actually help eliminate your roach problem. It can, however, help deter roaches and get rid of germs in the kitchen when used as a cleaning agent.
Distilled vinegar does not kill or repel roaches, making it completely ineffective. Distilled vinegar will help keep your kitchen clean, giving cockroaches less to snack on. However, roaches can live for months at a time without any food at all, and they will eat almost anything to survive.
The short answer is yes; the scent of vinegar can help to keep cockroaches away. However, it is helpful to note that this is not a guaranteed solution, and you may still see cockroaches in your home even if you use vinegar. Therefore, we believe it's a great repellent but not an effective roach killer.
Cockroach Bites Can Cause Allergic Reactions
The bites from the pest may not be dangerous, but the allergens they carry are the problem. It can cause skin reactions, which may also trigger asthma attacks. When you are bitten, it can swell and might have a rash, which can last for days.
Besides the obvious gross factor, is it actually dangerous to eat a cockroach on accident Thankfully for most people accidentally swallowing a cockroach will not have any major negative impact.
Soap and water are a good start, but you can also use baking soda to help get rid of the roach smell. Another option is to use a disinfectant cleaner to wipe down surfaces. Make sure you clean floors, appliances, counter tops, cabinets, and anywhere else you have seen signs of roaches.
Citronella
Citronella not only works great for repelling mosquitos but also cockroaches. While the candles don't work well against roaches, you can use citronella oil as a deterrent. You can mix it with water and use it as a spray or simply wipe down areas with the diluted mixture.
Smells that roaches hate: a quickfire summary
Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too. And surprisingly, lower concentrations – 2.5 parts per hundred – seem to work best as deterrents. Just don't bother with lavender.
The World Health Organization also advises against crushing them, for reasons of hygiene. According to the body, which classes cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements”, squashing them can spread bacteria into the environment that can lead to asthma, allergies and illnesses.
Once a roach has found and consumed bait, it typically dies within 1-3 days. A substantial reduction in the infestation overall should be apparent within a few weeks. With cockroach baits, it usually is not necessary to empty kitchen cabinets or cover food preparation surfaces before treatment.
Spray cypress and peppermint oils under and around your bed.
These essential oils tend to naturally repel roaches. Mix 8 drops of cypress oil, 10 drops of peppermint oil, and 1 cup (240 ml) of water in a spray bottle and then spray this mixture wherever you've seen roaches.
If you spot one of these pesky insects, it's best to call your local Terminix technician right away to get rid of the cockroaches. There are, however, some steps you can take to prevent a cockroach infestation.