Act Now To Prevent Cockroaches

I like going camping – as long as I do not have to sleep outside. In other words, my favourite camping spots have names like Travel Inn, Best Western and Holiday Inn. I enjoy the great outdoors, but I like to be able to sleep in an area protected from it.

Unfortunately, some of the "outdoors" do not mind coming in to visit us. Ants, cockroaches and other pests are looking for a place to spend winter, and our homes look like a good place to do so. How can we put out the unwelcome mat for these pests?

The major pest looking for a place to enter your home now is cockroaches. Though we often see these pests inside, most large cockroaches live outside. You should avoid using insecticides inside for the larger roaches; instead focus your control efforts for this pest outside, where they are most easily controlled.

First of all, do not allow this pest access to your home. Cockroaches are usually easier to prevent than they are to cure. Seal up all entry points before pests get inside. Fill holes outside of the home between bricks and blocks. Use a compound that cannot be easily removed. Plug holes drilled through walls and floors.

Make sure windows and doors close tightly. Add weather stripping if necessary to plug entry points. Use door sweeps under exterior doors to reduce insects crawling under doors and into the house.

Shrubs planted too close to buildings can make it easy for pests to get inside. Prune shrubs and trees so branches do not touch buildings and do not plant too closely to your home.

Many pests like moist mulch beds. Reduce mulch around the home.

Water beds infrequently but deeply, allowing beds to dry slightly before watering again. Pull mulch slightly away from the house. Clean up piles of brush and boards to remove insect hiding spots.

Since the large roaches (American, Oriental and Brown-Banded cockroaches) tend to live outside, control them there.

After sealing up entry points, place roach gel baits in cracks and crevices where roaches hide during the day. It is better to place these gel baits in numerous smaller piles than one large one.

Some cockroach baits are in plastic bait containers. Although these containers can make the bait less accessible to pets and children, the bait can be inaccessible to large cockroaches. Make certain the holes of the bait container you use are plenty large enough for the roach to enter. Large roaches will require a bait container made for large roaches.

If you still have problems after using baits, spray an insecticide on and around entry points to the home. This includes window and door sills and other entry points. Do not spray insecticides on or near baits. Some insecticides repel insects and keep insects from feeding on the baits.

Some people are concerned baits will attract insects to their home. This is not the way baits work. Baits are an alternate food source that ultimately kills the insect. Place baits where the insects will find them, and you should soon see fewer insects.

Place sticky traps in various areas to determine what pests you may have. Notice the numbers of insects in each trap to locate hiding and nesting locations. Then you can treat these areas.

Autumn is a good time to control pests before they make your home their home.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control