Exclusion

• German cockroaches can initially infest a structure when infested grocery bags are brought inside. Inspect groceries for cockroaches before storing. Keep grocery bags in outside storage areas.

• Cockroaches breed prolifically in corrugated cardboard boxes. Discard unnecessary boxes immediately.
• Keep doors and windows shut.
• Keep window and soffit screens in good repair to prevent cockroaches from entering your home.
• Check attic vents and make sure that large openings around outside drainage lines and sewer vents are screened or sealed. Use tightly packed steel wool as a temporary filler until openings can be sealed properly.
• Caulk or otherwise seal cracks and gaps around frames of doors and windows and around plumbing and electrical to help prevent cockroaches from entering your home. 
• Seal gaps between door frames and doors with weather stripping.
• Children can transport cockroaches from school to home in books bags and lunch containers. Inspect these items regularly.
• Dwellings such as apartments that are separated by a common wall are particularly difficult situations. An infestation can migrate between apartments via the plumbing within a common wall. Therefore, cockroaches from one apartment can easily migrate to another apartment, infesting a “clean” dwelling. To help prevent this, caulk holes in common walls and around plumbing.

Elimination of Water Sources

Water is the most important factor in cockroach survival. German cockroaches can survive only 12 days with food but no water. However, if only water is present with no food, cockroaches can survive for about 42 days. Cockroaches often come indoors during periods of drought because they are looking for moisture. Eliminate water sources by doing the following:

• Repair plumbing leaks by tightening connections or patching leaky pipes, especially in kitchen and bathroom areas.
• Do not let water stand in sinks for long periods of time. 
• Do not overwater indoor plants because accumulated water will be available to cockroaches.
• Empty pans under refrigerators used to catch water from condensation.
• Be aware that pet drinking dishes, aquaria and pipe condensation (under sinks, in wall voids) can also be source of moisture.
• Eliminate places outside where water can collect, such as cans, tires, and tree holes.

Elimination of Food Sources

Cockroaches do not need large amounts of food to survive, especially in the presence of water, but availability of food can cause populations to increase rapidly. Furthermore, food sources compete with cockroach baits, decreasing their effectiveness. Elimination of food sources includes:

• Store and dispose of garbage properly. The highest concentration of cockroaches in a home is usually around the garbage can and around the refrigerator.
• Seal garbage can lids to prevent cockroaches from accessing food sources. Also, keep garbage areas clean by wiping frequently. 
• Dump sink strainers frequently to prevent food buildup.
• Wipe off counters tops often.
• Wash dishes immediately after use. Dishes left unwashed are a major source of food for a kitchen infestation.

• Keep appliances such as toasters, toaster ovens, microwaves, stoves, ovens, and refrigerators, free of crumbs and other food debris. In addition, clean the areas around the appliances.
• Reseal all food after opening, place in a tightly sealed container or store in the refrigerator.
• Seal pet food tightly, Do not leave food and water out all the time.
• Regularly vacuum or sweep under and around furniture where people eat, such as the dining room table. Vacuuming can also remove cockroach egg cases that will not be killed by insecticides. Remember to promptly dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag in an outdoor container.

Elimination of Harborages

In addition to food and moisture, cockroaches require a place to live. The cockroach harborage is critical to its survival. Cockroaches prefer dark places that are warm and moist. Places that provide tight spaces such as stacks of newspaper or cardboard, piles of clothing, or cracks and crevices in structures are ideal harborages for cockroaches. 

Harborages not only provide a place for cockroaches to live, but they also can create “pesticide free” zones where cockroaches can hide if insecticides are selected as one tactic in the IPM program. Elimination harborages by doing the following:

• Seal cracks and crevices. Adult cockroaches can fit into cracks only about 1/16 inch and prefer spaces of about 3/8 inch.
• Pull mulch away from the house. The large, outdoor cockroaches breed prolifically in pine straw mulch and poorly in gravel or on bare soil.
• Stack firewood off the ground and well away from the house.
• Fill tree holes with cement to remove this prime harborage area.
• Keep shrubbery and ornamentals well trimmed and away from the house. Ivy is a favorite breeding place for outdoor cockroaches.
• Keep clutter such as newspapers, bags, and clothing from accumulating.

This concludes our article on cockroaches. If you see any signs in your home or outside your home please give us a call GreenTec Pest Control (727) 847-6733 and we will take care of the problem. Be sure to check out our coupons on GreenTec’s  website and check back next week for a new article and our back to school special.