Imagine you have a cockroach infestation in your Opelika home and you reach out to a licensed professional to have those roaches exterminated. How long do you think your home will remain cockroach-free if all the professional does is exterminate the cockroaches that are in your property? You might think that it depends on the products used. High-quality cockroach control products will continue to give you protection long after your treatment, right? Sadly, the truth is, while control products are really great at exterminating cockroaches, they're not so great at preventing new roaches from entering your property. A licensed professional has to use a multi-pronged strategy to keep cockroaches out of your home. Much of this multi-pronged strategy consists of steps you can take right now to keep roaches from getting into your home in the first place. You might not ever have to pay to have roaches exterminated. Wouldn't that be great?
Exclusions
Once cockroaches have been exterminated, it is essential to seal openings that roaches can use to get into your home. But long before you have a roach infestation, these tips will help you prevent an infestation:
- Inspect your foundation and seal any cracks, gaps, or holes. Be sure to get underneath structures, such as decks, porches, patios, and stairs. Pay close attention around utilities.
- Replace weatherstripping, door sweeps, screens, and other protective materials.
- Seal gaps around window, door, and screen frames.
- Protect vents, louvers, weep holes, and other potential entry points.
Access Point Exclusions
Exclusions aren't limited to the outside of your home. There are key areas on the inside that should be considered. Here are a few examples:
- Make sure there are no openings around the pipes that come in under your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- Seal gaps in cabinetry.
- Seal gaps around the inside framing of windows and doors.
- Seal baseboards, particularly in your pantry and kitchen.
Sanitation
Cockroaches are strongly motivated by smells. The scent of garbage, dog waste, compost, and other aromas that you might find unpleasant will lure roaches into your yard and make them want to stay. Everything you do to keep things clean and free of odors will help reduce roach activity around your home. Sanitation works hand-in-hand with exclusions to reduce the chance of roach infestation in your home.
- Store bagged garbage in covered receptacles and keep your receptacles as clean as possible.
- If you have a dog, stay on top of dog waste clean-up or limit your dog's outdoor recreation to a fenced-in enclosure.
- If you have compost, make sure it is properly mixed.
- Clean up after backyard cookouts.
Habitat Modification
You can further reduce your chances of an infestation by altering conditions around your home that make it ideal for cockroach habitation. Here are just a few examples:
- Move woodpiles and wood debris away from your exterior. Cockroaches love to tuck themselves into the gaps between scrap wood, firewood, dead branches, etc.
- Blow leaves out of your landscaping and out from underneath your deck. Leaf litter and leaf piles create moist habitats underneath, and they also shield roaches from the drying effects of the sun.
- Remove objects from your yard that don't need to be out there. Cockroaches hide under anything that will block the sun.
- Properly store cardboard and paper products for disposal. Don't leave any piles in your yard. Roaches don't just hide in cardboard and paper; they eat it.
- Move stacked rocks, bricks, and cement blocks away from your exterior. All of the tight hard spaces will attract cockroaches. These insects prefer to be in spaces where their backs and bellies are touching hard surfaces at the same time.
- Keep your landscaping trimmed and free of unnecessary vegetation.
- Repair any breaks in your gutters, splash blocks, and downspouts. If there are clogs, clean them out or hire a professional for this job. A damp perimeter is very attractive to roaches.
Added Protection
If you want one more layer of protection, or you don't have time to implement the strategy outlined in this article, investing in a pest control plan for your Opelika home is a great idea. At Prewett Pest Control, we offer year-round pest control that includes routine inspections, pest maintenance, treatments, and other essential services to stop cockroaches before they get inside. We would love the opportunity to guide you in finding the right plan for your property and your family. Cockroaches are far from the only harmful pests we have in Opelika, Daphne, Fairhope, Orange Beach, and Foley. Our customers get coverage for over 30 pests, including mosquitoes, ticks, termites, scorpions, mice, rats, and more. Proactive pest management is the best way to protect yourself, your family, your pets, and your property from harmful pests like cockroaches. Let our team help you bolster your defenses, or put in place protection where there is none. Reach out to us today to learn more.