Cockroaches are one of the most resilient and adaptive insects both in the domestic and wild fronts. Currently, there are over 4,000 known cockroach species around the world, the most common being the German species, followed by the brown banded and American species. According to the World Health Organization, roaches can be attributed to spreading at least half a dozen diseases. Some of these infections include; cholera, poliomyelitis, leprosy, typhoid fever, dysentery and diarrhoea. They are also attributed with the partial distribution of nearly 30 kinds of bacteria, including Salmonella and E. coli. Moreover, cockroaches have been known to cause an asthma attack and allergic reactions among children.
Getting rid of cockroaches can prove an uphill task. Their ability to hide in tight cracks survive in harsh conditions and re-spawn in mass numbers go a long way to ensure they will plague us for a long time to come. However, there are very simple routines that you can carry out to ensure they stay away from your kitchen. Here are a few techniques to get rid of roaches.
- Thorough Cleaning
Roaches are attracted to food remains, even the smallest residue can trigger their visit. They are particularly fond of greasy food, but any food will have them crawling out of their cracks. To get around this, you have to clean your house. Cleaning should take you roughly 10 minutes, but you should be thorough, clean the stovetop, the counters, sweep the floors and clean the dishes. This may seem like a workload at first, but once you get into the routine, you will start to notice changes in the kitchen. Since roaches will come out at night, it is advisable you clean the kitchen just before going to bed.
Cleaning the kitchen is both a curative and preventative measure.
- Seal the Cracks
Have you ever turned on the lights and seen roaches disperse? They run to any and every crack nearby, you may get to kill one or two, but many will escape at a moment’s notice. Research shows roaches can run up to five kilometres in one hour, good luck trying to catch them!
Sealing up cracks in the walls will lessen their hiding areas. It will also kills the ones hiding in the cracks, as well as their eggs. You don’t have to outrun them, you just need to outsmart them.
- Fix the Leaks
Roaches are fond of leaking pipes and are attracted by moisture, that’s why you will often find them scurrying under the sink and on the damp corners. Some cockroaches can go up to a month without eating, but they can only survive a few days without water. With this knowledge, you need to cut off their water supply by fixing any leaky pipes, tightly closing the sink and ensuring your kitchen is dry and warm.
You might need to get an expert to fix that leaky pipe, you don’t want to make the situation worse.
- Killing Spree
Many of us are wary about using pesticides in the house, I for one don’t think I would breathe for a week. However, there’s a simpler solution. A soap and water solution should do the trick, when you see a roach crawling around your house, just spray the solution on it. Roaches (like many other insects) breathe through the skin, the soap solution covers the skin and suffocates them.
There is also the option of just stepping on it.
Getting rid of cockroaches is a gradual process, but once you start and stick to it, there will be no roaches in your house. Oh, and if you can avoid having trash in the house, that would help as well. If not, make sure the trash doesn’t pile up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47bHcwFWMiY
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