Awe, February in Ohio and Michigan. The cold breeze graces us and so do the critters that have tucked away in our homes and businesses over the winter months. As the weather starts to become warmer, pests that got into your home or business in the fall start to scurry about. Cockroaches are common winter guests in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan homes and businesses. These critters can live quite comfortably in your home or business in the colder months and start to migrate about as the weather improves. With love in the air, the last thing you want to deal with is cockroaches in your home or business. Understanding what attracts cockroaches to your Ohio and Michigan home and business can prevent cockroaches from joining your candlelit dinner.
Because cockroaches carry diseases, give off unpleasant odors, aggravate allergies, ruin food, and are just overall unwanted pests, understanding how they enter your home or business, will help you keep them out.
How Cockroaches Enter the Home or Business
Unfortunately, our Ohio and Michigan homes and businesses provide the ideal conditions for cockroaches to thrive. Cockroaches have minimal needs: food, warmth, moisture and shelter. Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan homes and businesses have all of those things, from kitchens and pantries stocked with food, to lots of cracks and crevices in which cockroaches can hide and lay their eggs. 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.
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). Cockroaches are attracted to food. They are also attracted to moisture. Cockroaches adapt readily to a variety of environments, but prefer warm conditions found within buildings. Some species of cockroach can live for up to a month without food, so just because no cockroaches are visible in a home or business does not mean that they are not there.
Cockroaches and their eggs can come into your home and business in several ways, including through cracks, crevices, vents and pipes, and even on things like grocery bags, luggage, boxes and shoes. Cockroaches commonly find their way into Ohio and Michigan homes and business through spaces between outside doors and floors, window screens that aren’t flush or that have small tears, and air conditioner units that don’t fit properly in windows.
Signs of a Cockroach Infestation
Cockroaches are nocturnal pests, which means they come out mostly at night and you may not see them until there is a serious infestation. Have no fear, there are signs, other than simply seeing a cockroach that you can look out for. These include:
- Finding droppings, which will resemble pepper or coffee grounds
- Locating bodies of dead cockroaches
- Discovering oval-shaped egg casings
- Smelling an oily or musty odor in places in your home or business with food and moisture
- Seeing dark irregular shaped smear marks in areas with high moisture
- Encountering chew marks and other signs of damage on items other than just food packaging
Preventing Cockroaches in Your Ohio and Michigan Home or Business
To prevent a cockroach infestation, keep your home and business as clean and tidy as possible. Store all food in your refrigerator or an airtight container, wipe up crumbs, don’t leave pet food out, and keep your home and business free of dirty dishes. It can also help if you clean under appliances regularly and take out the trash every day.
In the bathroom and in other moisture ridden areas of your Ohio or Michigan home or business, use caulk to fill any gaps and fix any leaky pipes.
Ridding Your Home or Business of a Cockroach Infestation
The easiest way to rid your home or business of cockroaches is to never get them in the first place. Understanding what attracts cockroaches to your Ohio and Michigan home and business to prevent cockroaches is the best option to keep them about from your romantic endeavors. However, if cockroaches have already entered your home or business, it’s time to call a professional pest control company. Cockroaches reproduce quickly and are difficult to get rid of for good.
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 region. In the last 25 years, we have seen almost everything imaginable in pest removal. One thing always seems consistent, everyone gets pests at some point. Trust Delving Pest Control to eliminate your unwanted pests discreetly. We offer one-time services or regular maintenance.
Contact us today for a free estimate and to allow us to take care of your cockroach issues, so all you have to worry about is roses or carnations for that special someone.
