Six Cockroach Prevention Tips For Millinocket Homeowners

The Role Humidity Control Plays

There are many areas of your Millinocket home that can be humid enough to not only provide moisture for the skin of an American cockroach but increase the attractiveness of food sources. An American cockroach prefers damp environments, that is why this roach is often called a waterbug. In your home, it is going to want to hang out where there is condensation on walls and pipes, weeping pipes, high humidity, leaky faucets, etc. If you have a storage room where moisture has gotten in, it can dampen cardboard and paper materials, softening them up for cockroach consumption. These insects will devour the wallpaper on an entire wall that has been dampened by moisture. The first step in effectively controlling American cockroaches is to address damp conditions and high humidity.

The Role Good Sanitation Plays

A cockroach will happily feed on crumbs that have fallen to the floor in your kitchen or fallen into the cracks of your living room couch. They'll eat an apple on your kitchen island or an apple that is rotting in a garbage bin in your kid's room. In fact, they actually prefer fruit that is rotting. Proper garbage disposal and routine cleaning of your home remove the food sources that American cockroaches need to survive. This works to stunt their population growth and, in certain circumstances, drives roaches out of your home.

As you consider sanitation as a means to deter cockroaches, don't forget your bathrooms. Hair, dead skin cells, feces, and other food sources can be found in bathrooms. 

The Role Great Sanitation Plays

Cockroaches live in gaps, cracks, recesses, compressed areas, and tight spaces. You can keep your home spotless and still provide food sources for cockroaches if you haven't taken the time to do some deep cleaning. Get under and around appliances. Clean inside your fridge, dishwasher, and oven. Clean shelves in food-storage areas. Everything you clean will put one more nail in the coffin of your cockroach infestation.

The Role Food Storage Plays

American cockroaches prefer rotting food, but they'll feed on fresh food as well. It is essential to protect your foods from roaches. This will also help to keep your food fresh, which adds another layer of protection.

• Put pantry foods in sealed containers.
• Store potatoes in a sealed bin.
• Put bread in a sealed bin.
• Keep food covered when you leave it out on the counter.
• Put dirty dishes in soapy water.
• Put pet food down at mealtimes and refrain from leaving it down for too long.

The Role Cockroach Control Products Play

There are products that can be used to actively target and remove roaches from your home. These should be selected and applied by a licensed pest control professional to ensure the best results. If you live in Millinocket, Maine, let the service team here at Baxter Pest Control take care of your roach control for you. We use field-tested strategies and appropriate, EPA-approved products. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance.