Highly adaptable pests, cockroaches will find their way inside homes and quickly begin to multiply! Once they’ve infested in numbers, it can be difficult to control them. Understanding the factors that attract these pests into homes is your first step to preventing them! Check out our guide to preventing roaches from infesting your Florida home.
Types of Roaches in South Florida
There are several types of roaches homeowners should understand to properly prevent them. Here are some common roaches that you could come across at your home:
- American Cockroach: One of the largest cockroaches, these pests are reddish-brown with a yellow figure-eight pattern on the back of their heads. They prefer to live in dark, secluded areas such as basements or sewers.
- Brown-Banded Cockroach: Receiving their name from the light brown bands across their wings, brown-banded roaches prefer warmer, higher locations in a room, including in cabinets and behind picture frames. They can typically hide their egg cases in or underneath furniture.
- German Cockroach: Preferring warmer and humid spaces, German roaches will gravitate towards rooms where humans eat, such as kitchens. They can be identified by their light brown body with two dark brown stripes on their back.
- Oriental Cockroach: These roaches are considered to be one of the dirtiest roaches due to the strong odor they produce. You can identify them by their dark reddish-brown to shiny black color. They are often found in sewers, entering homes through drains and door thresholds.
Remove Food Sources
Roaches prefer to eat sugar, carbs, and protein but will eat about anything they can find. Regularly clean up any leftover food, spills, or crumbs on tables, countertops, and appliances, especially after cooking or eating a meal. After a grocery trip or storing leftovers, look to place your food in airtight containers. Likewise, rinse out cans, bottles, or jugs, before throwing them out in your garbage can. Finally, empty your garbage on a regular basis, placing it outside in trash cans with lids.
Remove Water Sources
Did you know that roaches are able to survive without water for 2 weeks? It’s true! Despite this, they still seek out water as much as they can and will enter homes if they’ve found it. It’s important to remove any standing water inside or outside of your home. Look to remove water near drains and sinks, particularly overnight. Your crawlspace and basement can create excess moisture; consider utilizing a dehumidifier or installing a moisture barrier or crawlspace enclosure to help.
Remove Shelter
Roaches love clutter, making it essential to remove any unnecessary items from your home, garage, and attic. Get rid of any old cardboard boxes, newspapers, and magazines. Likewise, vacuum and dust periodically and consider painting or varnishing your wood shelves to seal cracks and crevices where roaches tend to hide. Check your interior walls, skirting, electrical outlets, baseboards, sinks, and cabinets for any gaps or openings, sealing them as soon as possible. Inspect that your windows and doors are sealed and consider utilizing weatherstripping.
Prevention is a great way to keep cockroaches away, but if the issue becomes more than you can handle, it’s always best to call your local pest control company for help. These professionals will be able to identify the infested roach and provide you with a treatment and prevention plan.