Cockroaches are one of the most common pests in Indian homes, carrying various diseases and toxic substances with them. They are frequently found in the kitchen, especially around the sink and leftover food. These enter through gaps in the walls, toilet pipes, and holes in the floor.
House cockroaches grow everywhere they can, spread disease, and frighten even the toughest hearts since some can fly and sit on you while you sleep. Getting rid of them is an intelligent approach to keeping a healthy and hygienic environment in the house to avoid diseases like cholera and dysentery. To get rid of house cockroaches, you may hire a professional pest control company or use easy “how to get rid of cockroaches” techniques.
What are the types of cockroaches?
There are around 4000 species of cockroaches in the world. There are about 40 of them that come under the category of “pests”. We’d talk about 4 species that are found in India.
1. German cockroach
An adult German cockroach is 10 to 15 mm long. In the head shield, there are two longitude stripes. The male is a pale yellowish brown hue. The form of the body is like a long tongue.
It’s a significant pest in hotels, restaurants, and apartments. It prefers to remain hidden in dark places like behind a refrigerator or under a cabinet.
2. American cockroach
One of the bigger pest cockroaches, the American cockroach grows to a length of 35 to 40 mm. It often ranges in colour from bright red to chocolate brown.
It prefers a warm, humid environment like drains and sewers
3. Brown banded cockroach
One of the tiniest pest cockroaches, an adult Brow Band Cockroach measures 10–14 mm. Its abdomen is striped in yellow-brown.
Like the American cockroach, even these prefer to live in a warm, humid environment.
4. Oriental cockroach
It is a species that is dark brown. In females, its wings are immature, whereas in males, they extend across the majority of the male’s abdomen.
They can withstand lower temperatures than ordinary cockroaches and would rather run than fly.
What attracts house cockroaches?
Before we delve into simple “how to remove cockroaches from home” solutions, it’s essential to understand what attracts house cockroaches to our homes. These factors have a role in creating cockroach killer home remedies. Cockroaches, like people, are drawn to food, water, and shelter. Since a house has all three, it is an excellent setting for them. This is why most house cockroaches begin their lives in the kitchen, where all three of these materials are readily available. Cockroaches are drawn to our homes by the following factors:
- Cockroaches are often drawn to small food scraps on the floor or open food plates in the kitchen. As a result, avoid leaving open food products on kitchen slabs; instead, carefully seal them or store them in the refrigerator.
- Though it looks as if cockroaches are scared of water, the reality is that they are attracted to a humid environment where there is excess water available. So the kitchen sink is often the home to maximum cockroaches.
- Many house cockroaches are cold-sensitive and seek warmth when the outside temperature drops. When winter arrives or a chilly spell strikes, they’ll most likely seek out warm spots in your home.
Working on the things that attract cockroaches to your home allows you to make home remedies for cockroaches in your home. The “how to get rid of cockroaches in the kitchen” guide listed below might assist you in getting rid of these unwelcome pests.
How cockroaches enter your home?
Cockroaches are intelligent insects that can get inside your home through a variety of openings, including: small cracks and holes in the building, bags, backpacks, suitcases, and other containers; openings around doors and windows; and moving from one apartment to another through pipes and other holes in shared walls.
How to check for cockroaches in your home?
You can solve a problem, once you know there is one. But how do you know if you have cockroaches at your home? Here are some signs that’ll help you know:
- Cockroach droppings – They leave a dust of black droppings.
- Smeared trails – They leave brown smear marks as they crawl.
- Egg capsules – Cockroaches lay eggs in a capsule. This contains multiple eggs.
- Shed outer cover – As cockroaches develop from nymph to adult and increase in size, they shed their skin 5-8 times.
- Unusual signs of damage – Cockroaches will attack leather and books as well as other organic things.
- Unusual odour – When cockroaches urinate in the areas where they reside and slumber, they release a scent that draws other cockroaches to the area.
Where do cockroaches live in homes?
The species of cockroach that has invaded your property and the surrounding environment can affect where a cockroach infestation can be detected. Others can survive cooler circumstances, although some species, which prefer warm and humid environments, are more restricted in lower regions. In general, they’re found in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, basements, drains, and outdoors in pipelines, garages etc.
How to kill cockroaches at home using home remedies?
Here are a few home remedies for cockroaches to help you get rid of these pesky bugs. These techniques can help you get rid of cockroaches naturally if you don’t want to use pest control chemicals.
1. Boric Acid
Boric acid is one of the most effective cockroach killer home remedies. Dust a small amount of Boric Acid in corners, near wall cracks and floors. It helps kill cockroaches that come near the Boric Acid. On the other hand, Boric acid is ineffective when wet, so keep it away from wet locations like the kitchen sink. As Boric Acid is hazardous, you should not use it in homes with children and pets.
2. Baking Soda
This procedure is a typical example of using fish and bait as a cockroach-removal strategy. A mixture of sugar and baking soda is efficient at killing cockroaches and keeping the house pest-free. The sugar attracts the bugs, and the baking soda kills them. So, spray this combination in high-traffic locations and wait for the results.
3. Neem
This is one of the oldest home remedies in the “how to get rid of cockroaches” guide. Over the years, it has been used as a home remedy for cockroaches and other pests. Mix a tiny amount of neem oil with water in a spray bottle and spray it in areas where they are regularly spotted. You can directly apply neem powder to locations such as wall cracks, corners, and near pipes.
4. Bay Leaves
If you don’t want to kill cockroaches but just keep them out of your room or residence, this is a wonderful home cure to try. Crush a few bay leaves and place them in your room or other places where you’ll see them frequently. You can also boil some leaves and spray the water in the corners. The odour of bay leaves repels cockroaches without killing them.
5. Peppermint Oil
Oils are a fantastic home cure for pest control in the house, but peppermint oil is the most efficient oil for keeping cockroaches away from the house out of all the oils. Spray areas where cockroaches are seen frequently with water and peppermint oil. To get rid of house cockroaches, apply this mixture to cracks and holes in the walls.
How to get rid of cockroaches at home?
These are a few conventional methods of getting rid of cockroaches. Some of them require special equipment and assistance from the market.
1. Glue Traps
Cockroach Glue traps are one of the most effective techniques to kill and eliminate house cockroaches. You can buy glue traps from the store and use them to catch cockroaches in cracks and holes in the walls. When a cockroach treads on the glue trap, it becomes caught and eventually dies. This is how you get rid of all the cockroaches in your house. The disadvantage of this method is that it necessitates the replacement of strips regularly if it becomes infested with cockroaches.
2. Caulking
This is an excellent way to prevent cockroaches from reaching home and living in holes or cracks. You can get good quality caulk from the market and put it on wall cracks, holes and gaps in the window. It helps seal such gaps making it easy to prevent cockroaches from reaching home. This can also be used as a prevention method and other cockroach killer home remedies.
3. Liquid Concentrates
Cockroach killing sprays and solutions are readily available in the market that, when sprayed on cockroaches, kill them. This potent liquid should be diluted with water and poured into cracks where roaches usually hide. To destroy all cockroaches that enter the house, mix it with water and clean the floor. Although this procedure is quite successful, you should keep it away from youngsters because it is harmful to their health.
4. Professional Pest Control
This is the most expensive way to kill and eliminate cockroaches, but it is also the most effective. Professional pest control services can help you get rid of house cockroaches using pest control technology. These experienced companies have dealt with bugs before and can quickly locate them to eliminate this problem forever. This procedure is entirely safe for your children, pets, and family members because professionals do the pest control work. You can identify pest control service providers and schedule an appointment with them on the internet. They will send the allocated pest control team’s contact information and other information. You may add the MyGate Apartment Security check on the entrance to make the service even safer by allowing only approved pest control workers to access the property after a thorough inspection. You can safeguard the safety of all family members this way.
How are cockroaches harmful to humans?
Cockroaches aren’t just icky – they can actually be dangerous. They’re considered to be an allergen source and asthma trigger, and can carry certain bacteria that can cause illnesses if they’re left on food.
Although cockroaches haven’t been linked to a high number of disease outbreaks, they have been known to carry bacteria that can cause food poisoning if ingested. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements.” So it’s best to get rid of them if you spot them in your home.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that cockroaches can carry bacteria that, if deposited on food, can cause salmonella, staphylococcus, and streptococcus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also noted that cockroaches could potentially play a role in the spread of intestinal diseases, such as dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever.
Conclusion
Cockroaches are the most prevalent and dangerous pests found in Indian homes. They can spread germs and diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, leprosy, plague, etc. To protect the family and preserve a clean lifestyle, it is critical to kill cockroaches in the home. Cockroach killer home remedies or successful methods from the “how to remove cockroaches from home” guide are good options.
Apart from the ways mentioned above for cockroach removal, one should also ensure that the kitchen slab is clutter-free, that there are no water leaks in the pipe, and that all wall cracks and holes are filled. This will help prevent house cockroaches from appearing in the first place; if they persist, use the methods from the “how to get rid of cockroaches” guide.
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