For many people, where cockroaches come from can be a mystery. One minute you’re sitting in front of the television, and the next, out of nowhere, you spot a cockroach darting on the ground, or even flying in the air. Cockroaches can be hard to get rid of, because they can fit and hide in very small spaces, and need very little to eat to survive. They can even hide down under drains and survive on the gunk there! Thankfully, the best cockroach exterminator in Phoenix, AZ won’t have a problem getting rid of them, wherever they may hide.
So where do they come from?
Cockroaches can fit in tiny, tiny spaces – much smaller than their bodies would look like. They can squeeze through tiny cracks and gaps on your windows and doors, and find somewhere they can nest in inside. Some cockroach species have a remarkable ability to flatten their bodies. You may have stepped on one before, thought it was dead, only to see it dart away before you could collect its body.
Cockroaches also have the ability to “breathe” underwater. So while it’s not very common, they can enter apartments and houses via pipes and drains.
If you’re living in an older house or apartment, chances are they’ve been living there before you have. Cockroaches can hide deep under the house and even in the drains. And they only come out at night when you’re already asleep, so you may not have noticed them for a long time.
Why do they come inside?
As with many other pests, food, water, and shelter from the harsher elements are key reasons why cockroaches enter human dwellings.
Cockroaches have a very, very varied diet. They actually get most of their nutrients from bacteria living on their bodies. So if these bacteria are well-satiated, so is the cockroach. Of course, cockroaches will go for the standard-pest food such as garbage and feces, but in lean times, they have been seen to feed on toothpaste and soap.
Who would have thought one of the nastiest, dirtiest creatures on the planet would enjoy a little bit of soap and toothpaste, huh? And despite being very dirty, they also groom a lot. They need to groom a lot to keep the many pores on their body “clean”, and they can be seen most often grooming their antennae.
Gunk accumulates on their antennae, and the more gunk there is, the less effective their antennae are in sensing their environment. So how do they groom? By running their antennae over their mouthparts. And if you guessed that they consume the gunk, yes, yes they do. Again, one of the nastiest, dirtiest creatures on the planet.
Speaking of gunk, cockroaches can hide and even live down your drains where they have a steady supply of water, food (via drain gunk), and they can hide in the dark far away from you and your bug spray!
So how do you get rid of cockroaches?
Getting rid of cockroaches can be challenging, because they can fit in very, very small spaces that are very hard for us to get to.
But some of the easiest things you can do to help get rid of them would be to get rid of readily available sources of food and water.
That means cleaning up food spills right away, and sweeping and mopping regularly especially in the kitchen. Crumbs may not seem much to you, but they’re already a feast for many a cockroach (and other pest). Make sure to clean behind ovens and fridges, as food debris can accumulate here over time. Scrub cooking surfaces, and make sure to get rid of gunk stuck to cooking appliances.
Take trash out daily, and use garbage cans that have lids so it’s not so easy for pests to open.
While cockroaches can survive on very little food (or like we said, soap and toothpaste), getting rid of readily available food makes your home a little bit less comfortable for them.
Get rid of any standing water, and fix leaks as soon as you spot them.
Sealing your house against cockroaches and other pests also greatly help – seal cracks and crevices, install screens for windows and vents, and weatherstripping for gaps on windows and doors.
You can also buy drain covers designed to keep cockroaches firmly on the other side.
If you don’t want to deal with a cockroach infestation yourself, check with a pest control provider to see what options you have!
Author Bio:
Digvijay Singh Kanwar is a professional Content writer and Digital marketing expert and he loves to write about Finance and Health based Articles. For more details you can contact him on [email protected]
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