Ohio and Michigan homes and businesses provide the ideal conditions for cockroaches to thrive, especially in the colder months of the year. Cockroaches have minimal needs: food, warmth, moisture and shelter. Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan homes and businesses have all of those things. Our homes and businesses become cozy dwellings for cockroaches in the colder months of the year because it is more difficult for them to find food and warmth outside. What happens if we take away one of those things? Since you likely don’t want to be freezing inside your home or business, the option for removal is food sources for these pests. Let’s review how to starve out cockroaches to keep them moving along.
Why you Don’t Want a Cockroach Infestation in your Home or Business
Like most pests and rodents, people work hard to keep them out of their home of business. Cockroaches are no exception. Cockroaches carry diseases, give off unpleasant odors, aggravate allergies, ruin food, and are just overall unwanted pests.
While it is a common belief that cockroaches only find their way into dirty structures, that is only true to an extent. Approximately 20–48% of homes and businesses with no visible sign of cockroaches have detectable cockroach allergens in dust (Wikipedia).
How to Starve Out Cockroaches
Let’s face it, cockroaches are one of the most unwanted visitors a home or business owner can find in their Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan space. The best way to keep these critters out this winter is to take away their food sources.
Here are some tips for how to starve out cockroaches and keep them out of your home or business:
- Clean Spills: Cockroaches depend more on moisture than they do food, so cleaning up spilled liquid in hard to reach places (like under refrigerators or cabinets) is very important. You should clean up spills and crumbs right away. Vacuum or sweep after meals and clean the eating surface and area around it.
- Wash Dishes: Do not leave unwashed dishes and utensils out overnight or for long periods of time. You should clean dirty dishes right away.
- No Open Containers: Cockroaches can climb to places you may not think that they can reach, so it’s important to not leave open containers or bags of food around. Keep food in sealed hard plastic containers whenever possible.
- Eat at Table: Don’t walk around your house or business with food. You should try to eat at the table to keep crumbs and food in one spot where it can be easily cleaned up once you are finished with it.
- Empty Trash Often: You should empty trash as often as possible. It is recommended to have a trash container with a lid to help keep these creepy critters away.
- Pet Food Maintenance: When it comes to pet food, you should not leave it out when the pet is not actively feeding and especially not overnight. Even when in its bag, a cockroach can make its way to the food source, so you should keep pet food in sealed plastic containers like your other food.
- Clean Recycled Items: If you have a recycling bin around, it can be a source of food for cockroaches. Rinse cans and bottles before putting in the recycling bin to keep cockroaches at bay.
A cockroach can find a snack just about anywhere. They eat crumbs, pet food, dead leaves, and trash. If they get really hungry, they might eat glue or soap (EPA). Because cockroaches will eat just about anything, it is important to eliminate all food sources for them and starve them out to prevent them from coming into your home or business.
Cockroaches reproduce quickly and are difficult to get rid of for good, so keeping them out of your Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan home or business is imperative.
If cockroaches have already entered your home or business, it’s time to call a professional pest control company. At Delving Pest Control, we are experts in ridding your Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan home or business of unwanted pests, including cockroaches. Delving Pest Control is the leading discreet general pest control company in the area.
Contact us today for a free estimate and to allow us to take care of your cockroach issues so you don’t have to start the New Year with these unwanted guests.
