What attracts cockroaches to your home
Trying to remove roaches from your home can be quite the task. Especially for those of us who prefer to do it ourselves. This task can become a lot easier if we take the time to learn basics of what attracts cockroaches. Knowing why they are there will give us further insight into their behavior. With it we will know what to use and where to use it for the best results.
Food is Their Top Priority
Just like every other living creature on earth, roaches need food to survive. After thousands of years of living humans, they have learned to love our food just as much as we do. They love greasy food and can't say no to the sweet stuff. Naturally, they will eat decaying matters, plants and other dead animals.
Don't misunderstand though. Just because they have a preference doesn't mean they are picky about what they eat. it doesn’t matter if the food is fresh, or if it’s been rotting there for weeks. In fact, they love rotten food and nothing gets their attention quite like it. The garbage bin in your home is the perfect buffet for them. Many don't keep theirs tightly covered so access is very easy.
If the typical food can't be found, they will settle for less. These pests will eat cardboard boxes, soap, toothpaste and even glue. Roaches have even been observed to feed on the glue holding labels to canned foods. They will even feed on other dead roaches. The larger adults will even sometimes eat the young if food is scarce.
Roaches Love Water and Moisture
Equally important to the cockroaches’ survival like food is, they need water. Without it, they won't get very far. However unlike food where it can become scarce with persistence, water is a little easier to come by in the typical home.
If you have any minor leaks in the pipes they will concentrate around these areas. The leaks do not have to be much it. Even just a drop every few minutes or even hours is sufficient. Dark places where there is a lot of moisture from water leaks are the ideal hiding spot for cockroaches.
A common place that usually possesses this ideal environment is under the sinks. Most often it is the kitchen sink, but you should check all sinks in the house just to be safe. Then there are pipes hidden in the basement and behind walls, etc. These are going to be a lot harder to find unless there is a significant leak to display indicating signs of a leak.
Drains and toilets are always filled with water. If the roaches can't find water nearby, they will travel the distance to the bathrooms on the other levels. Droplets of water in the sinks left overnight also provide enough water for them to drink. You can attempt to wipe them dry after every use at night, but it isn't very practical or economical.
A Safe Place to Stay
With food and water taken care of, all they need is a shelter. Your house in itself is already the perfect shelter from the weather outside. There are ideal spots that they will settle and hide in, but they aren't picky about this as well.
They prefer warmer, dark, and moist places. But that's the ideal spot and they will settle for less with no complaints. Any clutter or tight space that provides cover is good enough. They also love to hide in small cracks and crevices. They also like to settle in behind drywalls. Another place to find them are the baseboards.
Appliances like the stove and the refrigerator are also popular locations for roaches to hide in. The same applies to small appliances like microwaves and toaster ovens.
These three necessities for survival are what attract cockroaches to our homes. Despite the fact that they're just doing their thing to live on, they're still pests to us. Now knowing what was discussed here, you have a deeper understanding of what to do to kick them out.
Food is Their Top Priority
Just like every other living creature on earth, roaches need food to survive. After thousands of years of living humans, they have learned to love our food just as much as we do. They love greasy food and can't say no to the sweet stuff. Naturally, they will eat decaying matters, plants and other dead animals.
Don't misunderstand though. Just because they have a preference doesn't mean they are picky about what they eat. it doesn’t matter if the food is fresh, or if it’s been rotting there for weeks. In fact, they love rotten food and nothing gets their attention quite like it. The garbage bin in your home is the perfect buffet for them. Many don't keep theirs tightly covered so access is very easy.
If the typical food can't be found, they will settle for less. These pests will eat cardboard boxes, soap, toothpaste and even glue. Roaches have even been observed to feed on the glue holding labels to canned foods. They will even feed on other dead roaches. The larger adults will even sometimes eat the young if food is scarce.
Roaches Love Water and Moisture
Equally important to the cockroaches’ survival like food is, they need water. Without it, they won't get very far. However unlike food where it can become scarce with persistence, water is a little easier to come by in the typical home.
If you have any minor leaks in the pipes they will concentrate around these areas. The leaks do not have to be much it. Even just a drop every few minutes or even hours is sufficient. Dark places where there is a lot of moisture from water leaks are the ideal hiding spot for cockroaches.
A common place that usually possesses this ideal environment is under the sinks. Most often it is the kitchen sink, but you should check all sinks in the house just to be safe. Then there are pipes hidden in the basement and behind walls, etc. These are going to be a lot harder to find unless there is a significant leak to display indicating signs of a leak.
Drains and toilets are always filled with water. If the roaches can't find water nearby, they will travel the distance to the bathrooms on the other levels. Droplets of water in the sinks left overnight also provide enough water for them to drink. You can attempt to wipe them dry after every use at night, but it isn't very practical or economical.
A Safe Place to Stay
With food and water taken care of, all they need is a shelter. Your house in itself is already the perfect shelter from the weather outside. There are ideal spots that they will settle and hide in, but they aren't picky about this as well.
They prefer warmer, dark, and moist places. But that's the ideal spot and they will settle for less with no complaints. Any clutter or tight space that provides cover is good enough. They also love to hide in small cracks and crevices. They also like to settle in behind drywalls. Another place to find them are the baseboards.
Appliances like the stove and the refrigerator are also popular locations for roaches to hide in. The same applies to small appliances like microwaves and toaster ovens.
These three necessities for survival are what attract cockroaches to our homes. Despite the fact that they're just doing their thing to live on, they're still pests to us. Now knowing what was discussed here, you have a deeper understanding of what to do to kick them out.