How Do Cockroaches Get In? 7 Ways Cockroaches Enter Homes May 1, 2020 - By: Nathan Woolf Surprise! You have a cockroach infestation. Once you make this unpleasant discovery, it’s natural to feel a little offended. “But my house is so clean,” you may think. “My doors are self-shutting and never left open. My windows are screened. What did I do wrong to stop roaches from getting in?”It’s not you—it’s them. Cockroaches are common in Arizona; the types you’ll encounter are most likely the German cockroach, the American cockroach, the Turkestan cockroach, the Surinam cockroach, and the Brownbanded cockroach. Regardless of the species, cockroaches are very sneaky about getting into homes and other buildings. Despite best efforts and diligent cleanliness, there are many ways cockroaches end up inside. Here are just a few ways that cockroaches creep into homes—and the measures you can take to stop them from invading.Keep in mind that these are preventative measures. If you’re seeing more than a handful of roaches, there’s a good chance they’ve moved in somewhere nearby. Skip to the end for more info on dealing with an existing population.If you live in the Phoenix area, including Chandler and Scottsdale, and need cockroach control at your home or business, we can help! Click here to get your free estimate. We do general pest control at homes and commercial office spaces and can get rid of the cockroaches at your property.Related: What If I’m Still Seeing Bugs After Spraying?Corrugated Cardboard and NewspaperCockroaches are attracted to paper, and it’s for a very specific reason. They communicate with each other through chemical pheromones that they secrete; paper absorbs this pheromone. Essentially, paper helps cockroaches find one another and organize themselves.What to Do: Replace all cardboard boxes with plastic bins, and do not take and store cardboard products inside. Do not store any newspaper piles indoors or around the house—recycle it!DrainsCockroaches are crafty enough to crawl in and out through drains and pipes; this is especially a problem in apartment buildings, where drain pipes are used as highways between apartments. Cockroaches thrive in the Arizona heat (in fact, they hide and do not develop or reproduce at temperatures lower than 45°F) so late spring and summer is the high season to be on guard and monitor your drains. What to Do: Place stoppers and metal baskets over all sink and shower drains in the house. If there’s a bathroom shower or laundry room sink in your home that is not being used regularly, close it up completely when it’s not in use. Above all, keep all drains squeaky clean!Related: Organic Pest Control OptionsCracks in the Foundation and Exterior WallsAlthough cockroaches can grow to be quite sizeable, some species can still shimmy through cracks and openings as narrow as 1/16 of an inch wide! This means that any openings in a building’s foundation or exterior walls are an open invitation for roaches. Any other gaps around pipes, windows, vents, etc., will also allow roaches to enter. What to Do: The best measure against roaches entering through cracks is to seal any gaps you may find with a caulking gun. You can also use steel wool, copper mesh, and weather stripping to seal cracks.Under DoorsThis is one of the most common ports of entry for cockroaches, as some species are attracted to the light coming from inside buildings and the space is often large enough for them to slip through. What to Do: Change any bulbs near doorways from white light to yellow light, which will curb the attraction. On the doors themselves, you can add door sweeps to the bottom edge that form a seal between the door and the threshold.Clothing and BaggageCockroaches stow themselves away on paper grocery bags, briefcases, purses, backpacks, and other unsuspecting personal items. Sometimes it’s the cockroach’s eggs that end up hitching a ride inside. What to Do: It’s almost impossible to check everything that enters the house for cockroaches or their eggs, but minimizing paper bag usage and regularly washing your bags can help.Dry Pet FoodCockroaches aren’t that picky about what they eat. Your bag of dry puppy chow or cat food may be what is attracting the cockroach invasion. What to Do: Don’t store pet food in garages or sheds before bringing it into the house. Once it’s inside, be careful to store it in a plastic airtight container rather than its opened packaging.Seasoned FirewoodIf you have an indoor fireplace and regularly bring bundles of cut firewood into the house, beware of cockroaches hitching a ride. Cockroaches can live in and around of wood, too! What to Do: Bring only enough firewood inside for one fire; don’t store the extra in your indoor living space. Also, try not to leave large stocks of firewood outside for season after season—this creates a potential breeding site for cockroaches.Dealing with Existing InfestationsRoaches rarely work alone. If you see them scurrying around your yard or find more than an occasional visitor inside, it’s likely there’s a larger population nearby. Dealing with that population first will mean there are fewer pests trying to get into your home. Where they live, what conditions they favor, and how quickly they multiply varies with the species.A General ApproachRemove or minimize possible food, water and shelter sources around your property. Stay on top of your yard maintenance and check your irrigation system for leaking or over-watering. Make sure your property is treated regularly to deal with any pests already on site and discourage new populations from moving in. Most homes have a few elements that the bugs favor, like irrigation boxes and j-trim, so treating these areas effectively make a wold of difference. This is especially true if you live near a green belt, retention basin, alley, or other area where they can live and breed freely. Our Blue Sky 365 program does that and more.The TroublemakerOne notorious exception to much of what’s been said here are German Roaches. These are a species of small light brown roaches that often hitch-hike into your home and live in small cracks in kitchen cupboards and appliances. Not only can they be difficult to find and get to, they’re also one of the most prolific breeders and can grow from a baby to a parent in just over a month.If you suspect you have a German roach infestation, we strongly encourage you to seek professional help in dealing with them. Because of the habits of this species, the nature of most over-the-counter roach solutions, and the need for a more aggressive approach, DIY treatments for German roaches rarely get the job done.Blue Sky’s German roach treatment protocol achieves a 90%+ reduction in population in just a single treatment, with follow-up visits to ensure the entire population is knocked out. Give us a call at (480) 635-8492 with any questions you have. We serve the entire Phoenix area including Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, and more! We can also help you get rid of scorpions, wasps, crickets, and more.Related: Phoenix Cockroach Control
How Can I Get Rid of Cockroaches? July 12, 2018 - By: Nathan Woolf “Even though I keep a clean home, I have seen roaches in my home. What is attracting them and how do I get rid of them?”We commonly have homeowners contact us who have found roaches in their home and want to know what is attracting them and how they can get rid of them.“Believe it or not, there are actually 4,500 species of cockroaches in the world; only 30 are considered pests, and five are found in the Arizona area: American, German, Oriental, Turkestan and Brown banded. “Answer: Cockroaches can find their way into the home through cracks and gaps, through drains, or often within goods being transported into the home. Once in the home they can reproduce quickly and are known to be very resilient once they have become established. For these reasons, even a well-kept home can find themselves host to a roach infestation. Depending on the breadth of infestation, they can be difficult to eradicate. The only way to get rid of a deep roach infestation is to eliminate the nest, which can be difficult for a homeowner, or even impossible, because they often set up home in wall crevices, floor cracks, your foundation, and other areas that are extremely hard to reach. Treatment is most often done with insecticides that can kill roaches, or better yet, be taken back to the nest to infect the rest of the population. It’s important to determine what type of cockroach has infested your home to establish the best way to eliminate them.Related: Phoenix Roach ControlTypes of Cockroaches Found in PhoenixBelieve it or not, there are actually 4,500 species of cockroaches in the world; only 30 are considered pests, and five are found in the Arizona area: American, German, Oriental, Turkestan and Brown banded. As a homeowner, you probably don’t care what kind of cockroach you have, but pest control companies do, as the type of species will determine the most effective treatment.Brown banded cockroaches prefer warm, dry places and live and nest exclusively indoors, often at higher locations, such as in ceilings, and tall kitchen and bathroom cabinets.German cockroaches, the most common kind of roach, are found in warm, humid areas near food and water sources, and are a common problem in kitchens and bathrooms, especially near warm, running appliances.Oriental cockroaches like wet, cool environments and tend to live indoors, at ground-level, usually in basements, near pipes and drains, in wall voids, under sinks, in sewers, under rocks, and even inside pipes and ventilation systems.American cockroaches, which is typically the species that most people envision when they hear the word “cockroach,” prefer warmer climates, but can endure lower temperatures. They live outside, generally in moist, shady areas in your yard or near garbage cans. They usually enter through foundation cracks, utility pipes, or by climbing up tree branches that touch your home’s walls or roof. You are likely to find them in damp basements, crawl spaces, under sink cabinets, or near toilets or bathtubs.Turkestan cockroaches are primarily an outdoor species, found in sewers, near outdoor water meters, or in compost piles and lawn debris. The males, which have wings, are strongly attracted to light during the night, so they find their way indoors through open windows and doors.How Cockroaches Get into Your HouseMany roaches enter homes and buildings from outside, through sewer openings, or by hitchhiking in used furniture, boxes, electronic equipment, and other items brought into the home.Related: Are Landlords Responsible For Pest Control?How to Prevent Cockroaches from Showing UpBecause each cockroach species is different, the cause for each infestation and tips for prevention are different. Here are the best approaches to minimize the risk of them taking up harborage in your home.The best way to prevent Brown Banded cockroaches from infesting your home, is to maintain good cleanliness. Avoid leaving out dirty dishes or food and empty your trash often. Be sure to check moving boxes and used furniture for roaches or egg cases before bringing them inside.German cockroaches are almost always found on the inside of homes in Phoenix, Arizona. Most often they are introduced into a home by bringing in infested items from the inside of a home or business. Furniture, appliances, boxes, and other items are the most common infested items. To prevent German cockroaches from getting into the home, thoroughly inspect items that you are bringing into your home. This species of cockroach can multiply very quickly and can be difficult to eliminate. The gross cockroach infestations you see in restaurants or on YouTube are often German cockroach infestations.Because Oriental cockroaches usually enter through pipes, structural cracks or gaps in doors and windows, it’s essential to caulk all ground-level cracks, stop water leaks, keep drain traps capped, remove rotting leaves from window wells, and move garbage cans out from moist areas.To prevent infestation of American cockroaches, seal up cracks in your foundation, and around windows and doors. Keep bushes, shrubs, and trees trimmed away from your home, as these pests will climb up them to enter the house.To avert Turkestan cockroaches from entering your home, make sure your door and window screens don’t have any holes if you keep them open at night. Because they like dark, wet piles outside, keep composting and lawn debris maintained and away from the walls of your home.Strategies to Rid your Home of the ProblemDIY treatments, bait stations, and exclusion tactics are the common approaches that can have some effectiveness for low-level problems and the occasional sightings. However, for larger infestations, it’s important to have a professional assess the breadth of the problem and to implement the most effective treatment plan aimed at getting to the root of the problem.Related: 7 ways cockroaches enter indoor spacesThe advantage of using a pest control company is that these experts will determine exactly what type(s) of cockroaches you have, and prescribe the best treatment based on the species’ tendencies and resistances. Different protocols have different timelines; for example, it may take months to rid your home of German cockroaches, while other species are quicker to fully exterminate.Be prepared that it may get worse before it gets better. Exterminators will first purge the pests at the source, where they hide, nest, and breed, so it may feel like there are more in your home, but really, they are fleeing. Your pest control company will schedule ongoing inspections and treatments to make sure you are roach-free. Click here to get your free quote on roach control if you need help getting rid of them. We have offices in Phoenix and Gilbert and we serve the entire area including Mesa and Peoria.
Cockroach Myths and Truths May 22, 2015 - By: Nathan Woolf Cockroaches are a mythic sort of bug. They’ve been around for over 320 million years — even before dinosaurs! And their survival skills are fierce. They need only very basic and minimal food, water and shelter to survive. It is often said that if only one species survives an apocalypse, it would be the mighty cockroach.Roaches are fascinating to think about, but, for most people, repugnant to meet. A heat-loving species, they thrive at temperatures of 50°F or higher, making them a common problem in Arizona—year round. In order to avoid infestations in your home or workplace, it’s important to separate cockroach lore from the facts. Let’s look at three common myths about cockroaches and the truths behind them.Myth: Cockroaches Don’t Live in Clean HomesCockroaches and, in fact, any insect are commonly associated with uncleanliness and a general lack of sanitation. You may think, “I keep my home cleaner than anyone I know. There’s no way roaches live here.”However, even the most obsessive clean freaks shouldn’t let down their guards. The truth is that it’s easy for cockroaches to find their way into even the tidiest homes in things like paper bags, cardboard boxes, and briefcases or backpacks. And once they’ve welcomed themselves in, cockroaches can survive and thrive on so little that they don’t need messes and clutter. They live comfortably in drains, vents, hidden cracks in the walls and floors, and all sorts of other places your mop could never reach. In addition, cockroaches thrive in common landscaping around homes in Arizona and in water meter boxes and valve boxes.That being said, cleanliness is one key to both preventing and eradicating pests like cockroaches. If you have a cockroach problem, the first line of defense is to ramp up your cleaning habits. Get rid of piles of paper and corrugated cardboard boxes. Seal up ALL food items in the kitchen—don’t leave anything out on the counter. Get behind large appliances with a broom, mop, and vacuum. Even the smallest crumbs and food residue can be a feast for roaches, cleaning thoroughly will help.Myth: If I Had a Cockroach Problem in My Home, I’d Know ItYou think you know your house pretty well by day, but it’s a different place at night. Cockroaches are nocturnal, so they may be alive and active at night long before they make any daylight appearances. In fact, if they are seen during daylight hours, it usually indicates that a significant infestation is already underway.A lot goes unnoticed when it comes to cockroaches. The most common advice about eradicating cockroaches is to start out with careful monitoring. The first step for fighting them is careful reconnaissance work. Only by investigating where they’re coming from, what specific species of cockroach you’re dealing with, what they’re eating, what they’re drinking, and where they’re living can you launch a successful siege. There are 20 known species of cockroaches in Arizona alone, and they each have slightly different habits. Find out if you’re dealing with the notoriously persistent German cockroach, the drain-loving American cockroach, or the Turkestan and Desert cockroaches, which are highly attracted to light and most likely let themselves in right through the doorway.Myth: Pesticides Will Get Rid of a Cockroach InfestationThis myth is partly true—pesticide products are an important part of controlling or eradicating cockroaches.. But products alone usually are not enough to gain control.. Cockroaches are notoriously hard to eradicate, so you must take a multifaceted approach. Do some careful monitoring to learn more about the problem, and take action to cut them off from their food and water supplies.Also be mindful that there are many different kinds of cockroaches here in Arizona. There is not a one size fits all approach to control. For example, how you approach controlling German roaches is different than how you approach controlling American cockroaches.
How Did Cockroaches Get Into My Home? March 20, 2014 - By: Nathan Woolf Cockroaches are a very common pest, and they are found in most regions of the United States. Arizona is no exception! We have five common types of cockroaches here in Arizona, and they are all a little different, but they have one thing in common: you probably don’t want to see them around your house! If you’ve spotted some cockroaches shacking up in your space, you may be wondering how they arrived in your home. After all, you keep things clean and dry, and do your best to make sure they don’t have a comfortable place to live. The truth is, every species has different ways of infiltrating your living spaces, and there are some simple things you can do to prevent them. In this post, we’ll explain how different species of cockroaches invade your property, and what you can do about it.Brown-Banded CockroachesThis species of cockroach is distinguished by the two lighter brown bands of color they have across their darker-colored bodies. The brown-banded cockroach tends to be a bit smaller than other species (the males are about half an inch long) so they can hide in smaller spaces where some cockroaches can’t fit. Male brown-banded cockroaches have fully developed wings, and can fly if disturbed. It’s hard to prevent brown-banded cockroaches from entering your home because they are what we like to call “hitchhiker” insects – they often make their way inside hidden in grocery bags, moving boxes and unused furniture. Once inside, they prefer warm, dry spaces (over 80 degrees) and tend to inhabit higher areas like tall kitchen or bathroom cabinets. While it can be difficult to keep them from getting into your house, you can keep them from turning into a serious problem by practicing good sanitation, not leaving dirty dishes or food sources out, and emptying your trash regularly. Be sure to check moving boxes and used furniture for cockroaches and their egg cases before bringing them indoors.German CockroachesThe German cockroach is one of the most common species of cockroach, and can quickly develop into a problem for homeowners – they can breed up to six generations a year! They are small cockroaches (half an inch to five-eighths of an inch long_ and can fit through very small spaces and cracks. They will eat almost anything – even soap and toothpaste! Similarly to the brown-banded cockroach, the German cockroach is most often brought into the home while hiding in other items, like used appliances and electronics – they like to live near the warm motors of electric appliances, so they are often stowed away inside. Unlike the brown-banded cockroach, they prefer warm, humid places near food and water sources, and are a common problem in commercial kitchens and bathrooms. To prevent German cockroaches from infesting your home, be sure to practice good sanitation and seal up any leaky pipes. Keep bathroom and kitchen areas clean and dry, and be sure to set up sticky traps around any used appliances you bring into your home. This will alert you to the German cockroach’s presence before they have time to breed and cause a major infestation.Oriental CockroachesOtherwise known as “waterbugs” or “black beetle cockroaches,” the Oriental cockroach is larger than the brown-banded and German species, at about one inch long. They are shiny, with smooth black bodies and have a distinct odor. Unlike the brown-banded and German cockroaches, Oriental cockroaches prefer cool, wet climates and are capable of surviving freezing temperatures. They move slowly and are unable to fly, so they are usually found at ground-level in homes or outdoors. Their need for a wet environment means they are often found in damp basements or crawl spaces, under sinks, in sewers, under rocks, or even inside pipes and ventilation systems. They enter the home through gaps in windows or doors, cracks in foundations, and through utility pipes and floor drains. Because Oriental cockroaches can enter your home from the outdoors through pipes, structural cracks or gaps in doors and windows, it’s essential that you caulk up any spaces they could fit through. Installing screens on drains and pipes that lead indoors can also help keep them from infesting your home.American CockroachesThis largest common species of cockroach is what most people envision when they think of a cockroach. They can be up to two inches long, with a signature “figure eight” marking on the back of their heads. They are often found in large commercial buildings, or, more commonly, outdoors. The American cockroach prefers warmer climates, but can endure lower temperatures if necessary. These cockroaches prefer the outdoors, so you may see them in moist, shady areas in your yard, or near garbage cans. During extreme weather conditions, they may wander indoors to find food or water, and usually enter through cracks in a home’s foundation, or through utility pipes. They can also enter your home by climbing up trees or shrubs with branches that touch your home’s walls or roof. If you have American cockroaches indoors, you’re most likely to find them in damp basements, crawl spaces, under sink cabinets, or near toilets or bath tubs. As with Oriental cockroaches, take care to seal up any cracks in your foundation, or around windows and doors. Be sure to keep landscaping trimmed well away from your home to avoid creating a “pest highway” to doors, windows and your rooftop.Turkestan CockroachesTurkestan cockroaches can be quite large, and can grow to over an inch in length. They are a rusted red color, and the males have fully developed wings and can fly. They are a relatively new invasive species in America, and are native to Africa and Central Asia, and have been replacing the Oriental cockroach in urban areas and the Southwest. While these cockroaches are typically an outdoor pest, they can sometimes find their way indoors. Males are strongly attracted to light, and their ability to fly enables them to enter your home through open windows and doors. They can be found in sewers or near outdoor water meters, or in compost piles and lawn debris. To prevent Turkestan cockroaches form accidentally entering your home, be sure to have screens on your doors or windows if you keep them open at night. To manage them outside of your home, be sure to keep your property neat and clean, and dispose of any yard waste properly.If you fear preventative measures haven’t been enough and you have a cockroach infestation, we would be happy to help! We tailor our cockroach treatments to each type of cockroach so they will be most effective.