Generally speaking, cockroaches can invade our homes at any time of the year, with the warmer months being their chief breeding season. According to entomologist Graeme Smith, “cockroaches are much less active when the weather gets cool, but,” he adds, “they don't necessarily die out.
Roaches are most active at night, during which time they forage for food and mate. Outdoor cockroaches in the northern United States enter a period of hibernation in winter, experiencing a suspended state of development in autumn. When spring arrives, they resume their activity.
Cockroaches are a common pest, infesting both indoor and outdoor areas. Effective control of pest cockroaches involves thorough inspection, reducing sources of food, water and shelter, pesticides or baits, and ongoing maintenance. Several species of cockroach are common in Victoria.
Food & Grime. The dirtier your home, the more likely you are to have a roach infestation. Crumbs, spills, and food that has been left out are a great way to end up with a roach infestation quickly. The key to keeping roaches out is to keep your home, but most importantly your kitchen, as spotless as possible.
Physically Seeing a Roach
You may be wondering: "I saw one cockroach, should I be worried?" If you spot even one roach during the daytime, it can mean the infestation has been going on for some time or that it has progressed to the point where drastic action must be taken immediately.
Boric acid can quickly kick a roach infestation to the curb. It's extremely toxic and can kill multiple generations of roaches. Mix a combination of equal parts of boric acid, sugar and water to make a dough. Roll that dough into balls or cylinders and place them where roaches will find them.
You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
Scents that are pleasing to humans can actually repel cockroaches. In the kitchen, certain aromas such as cinnamon, bay leaves, garlic, peppermint, and coffee grounds can be used as deterrents. In the bathroom and garage, using strong-smelling disinfectants like vinegar or bleach can help keep these pests at bay.
If you see a cockroach or three, you're likely have hundreds—or thousands—living in a nearby nest. But if you act fast before the population has taken hold, you may be able get rid of cockroaches within a week to ten days. And most of them will be gone in a day or two.
Cockroaches in food can cause second-hand poisoning
If you consume this poison second-hand through a cockroach, you could be in danger. The more so if you consume the entire pest by accident. Keep an eye out for poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, lack of concentration, and stomach pain.
Cockroach Droppings
Cockroach feces will be visible during an infestation. Small roaches produce feces that resemble coffee grounds or black pepper, while larger roaches expel cylindrical droppings. The quantity of visible feces is oftentimes a good indicator of the level or duration of infestation.
Can Cockroaches Live In Air Conditioners? Cockroaches like the AC units as they provide an ideal living space for them. AC units and HVAC systems offer a nice, cozy home for critters. Pests are always in search of water and food, and the AC unit may have a food source inside it.
In the winter, you may see less of your usual annoying pests: flies, mosquitoes, rats, cockroaches, ants, spiders, and termites. BUT, this doesn't mean they've gone and you can forget about worrying about them until the spring and summer. In fact, wintertime is the best time to get started on your pest control.
Lal HIT eliminates any cockroach in just 3 seconds. Spray Lal HIT once every week in the areas where cockroaches usually hide in your kitchen, like under your dustbin, inside the sink outlet, under the fridge, under the gas cylinder etc.
Pine-Sol and Fabuloso are strong, all-purpose household cleaners. Similar to bleach, these products kill roaches on contact. Some homeowners suggest spraying Pine-Sol around the outside of your house to keep cockroaches away.
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.
Eucalyptus oil has a strong scent that seems to have some success in repelling roaches. You can dilute it with water and spray areas you think cockroaches might have nested.
It is an effective and common cleaning agent in many homes, and the pungent aroma of the chlorine it contains is familiar to just about anyone. Turns out, roaches can't stand the overwhelming smell, either! So using bleach to thoroughly clean areas after roaches have been eradicated will definitely help deter a return.
Then, spray generously on walls, counters and other surfaces where you've seen cockroach activity. This should be enough to deter roaches, at least for a time. As an alternative to peppermint oil spray, you can also wet cotton balls with peppermint oil and water and place them in cupboards, along walls or in closets.
Just take some hot water, mix 1 portion of white vinegar and stir well, wipe slabs and clean around the cook tops with this solution and pour this solution in the kitchen drains in the night, this will disinfect the pipes and drains and would keep cockroaches from climbing up into the kitchen.
Their nests can often be found near plumbing fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens, in cupboard cracks or under drawers, inside appliances or underneath the fridge. You may also notice cockroach droppings around the nest's location or your nose will help you sniff it out — most have a strong, foul odour.