Cockroaches have ruled the cracks, crevices, and dung heaps of the earth for 350 million years. They outlived the dinosaurs, sabre-tooth tigers, wooly mammoths, and countless other species. But while cockroaches have been here a long time, it doesn’t take long to get rid of them when they invade your home. And that’s a good thing.
When they’re in your abode, cockroaches leave a trail of fecal matter and saliva to mark their trails. They contaminate food with deadly Salmonella and Shigella bacteria. Decaying cockroach corpses become a fine powder which triggers allergies and asthma attacks. If you see a cockroach or three, you're likely to have hundreds —or thousands— living in a nearby nest. But if you act fast before the population has taken hold, you may be able get rid of cockroaches within a week to ten days. And most of them will be gone in a day or two.
It can take a few days to several weeks to get rid of roaches entirely. This is because there are multiple factors that will affect the time. For instance, the size of the infestation, the treatment used, and the environment.
Knowing the size of the infestation along with the type of cockroaches you are dealing with should be one of the first steps taken when dealing with roaches in your home. Combat® Bugs has a roach identifier page to help you identify the type of cockroach you are dealing with.
The environment in your home, outside, and the time of year also may play a role in a cockroach infestation. For instance, warmer temperatures speed up reproduction, higher humidity allows for better survival, and the time of year can also determine whether they run to your home for warmth, such as in the winter months.
The first thing to do when you spy a roach is resist the urge to spray it with aerosol insecticide. This will kill the roach you see but likely drive the ones you don’t see deeper into your walls and floorboards.
Right away, it is critical that you remove what is likely the root of the problem: food. Food smells and chemicals are what attract roaches in the first place, so by getting rid of all food that they might be able to get to, you are depriving them of what they want. Make sure to clean all surfaces that touch food at the end of every day, and keep all of your fresh and dry food items properly stored in air-tight, sealed containers.
Cockroaches are often driven indoors by their desire for water. When you remove any possible water sources, you will work towards effectively eliminating your roach population. Think creatively here. Where do you have water sitting or leaking around the house? Any stagnant or standing water sources should be dumped, and leaking pipes should be repaired.
Even a few crumbs in the corner of a room can bring in the cockroaches, so it is necessary that you do a major clean sweep if trying to get rid of a roach infestation. Roaches love dark corners, secret hiding places and areas that are dirty, dusty and untidy. Clean up to eliminate any food particles that might be left behind, as well as to get rid of any potential roach hiding places.
Next, make sure your house is well insulated and that there aren’t any leaks, cracks or small spaces that might be allowing the roaches to enter. Remember, roaches can get through tiny openings that you might not even be able to see.
Even after taking the precautions above, it is still important to use a slow-acting bait or gel that tackles the root of the problem. Combat® pest solutions kill your roach population slowly and thoroughly, working to eliminate your cockroaches and their nest. To explore more about how Combat® roach solutions work, check out more of our pest control tips and how-to’s.
To prevent new infestations from the other trillion cockroaches crawling the earth, take a few preventative steps:
- Clean up your kitchen, paying special attention to hidden grease and crumbs under the fridge and between the stove and counters.
- Get rid of roach food like newspapers, fabric, and books stored in boxes.
- You will also want to seal up cracks in the foundation, gaps between windows and outer walls, and unsealed areas where utility lines enter the home.
Restrict water sources that may be leaking so roaches don’t have an easy source.
Continue to monitor your home or apartment for roaches in case they try to come back.
While all this work might take longer than actually getting rid of your initial cockroach problem, it will save you problems down the line.
Since roaches tend to have nests in various places not easily accessible, there are a few things you can see. If you are using Combat® baits or gels you can see how much is remaining or if you need to reapply less when you replace older traps. You can also expect to see a reduction in the overall amount of roaches you encounter in your home.