How to Kill a Cockroach
Considering cockroaches can carry harmful diseases, repopulate fast, and are just downright cringe-worthy to see, make sure you take the right steps now to eliminate them from your home.
Get a quick rundown on how to kill a cockroach below.
- Eliminate potential food and water sources by doing things like cleaning up crumbs and making sure bags are sealed
- Put out cockroach bait in an area away from children and pests, such as behind your refrigerator or under your sink
- Mix three tsp of boric acid, three tsp of sugar, and three tsp of water in an open jar, and set where you see roaches
- Use store-bought spray to kill cockroaches almost immediately when you see them scurrying across your floor or counter
- Quickly step on roaches with your shoe and then clean the area with an antibacterial cleaner to prevent spreading germs
- Remove hiding spots by breaking down and recycling cardboard boxes and paper, which offer dark places roaches love
- Hire a pest control company to asesss your infestation and use proven cockroach removal and prevention techniques
Are Cockroaches Dangerous?
Many people are afraid of cockroaches and will squeal and jump upon sighting one. However, this fear and disgust is for good reason. Cockroaches tend to favor unsanitary conditions. They feed on garbage, like to hide in your sewer system, and leave waste in their paths. While they don't bite or sting, cockroaches can pose threats to your health.
While they're not linked to a specific outbreak or disease, studies have shown cockroaches to be major carriers of pathogens and bacteria that can cause serious illnesses in humans.
Some of the illnesses and health issues that cockroaches are known or suspected to carry include:
- Diarrhea
- Cholera
- Leprosy
- Giardia
- Salmonella
- Typhoid Fever
- E. coli
- Staph infections
Furthermore, recent studies have shown that cockroaches can worsen allergies and asthma.
Cockroach Prevention
The best cure for a cockroach disaster starts with prevention, since it is much easier to make sure they never come to your home in the first place. Our team is ready to help you determine the most effective ways of keeping cockroaches at bay, whether you’ve never had an infestation before or whether you just endured one and are trying to prevent this invasion from ever occurring again.
Some of the ways you can halt roaches from entering your property include:
- Regularly cleaning all nooks and crannies of your kitchen, bathroom, pantry, and other areas which frequently get dirty
- Making sure to sweep and wipe counters with antibacterial spray, clearing crumbs as well as odors that would draw cockroaches
- Removing grease gathering within your sink or leaking through pipes which roaches could smell
- Removing collections of organic matter such as leaves, grass clippings, wood, and moldy material
Full Cockroach Treatment
If it turns out that you do have an infestation, you must quickly call A-Tex Pest Management to begin removing these invaders. We can use a large variety of strategies to draw cockroaches out from the dark spaces where they hide, and then determine with you the best strategy to destroy these pests and treat your home. When roaches are lurking within your house, you need to eradicate them, or their descendants will soon hatch and grow to disturb you again.
Professional Control When You Need It Most
Cockroaches are so resilient that they can live for an entire week without a drop of water, which is why trying to find a general over-the-counter solution or DIY trap simply does not work. From personal experience, we have seen a roach get up and scurry away like normal even after being sprayed by an entire can of “cockroach killer” spray. Moreover, just getting rid of one cockroach will not destroy all the eggs it has laid around your home. To ensure that you get reliable Austin cockroach control, be proactive in getting in touch with A-Tex Pest Management before it is too late.
Call us today at (512) 714-3383 or contact us online if you are ready to get rid of roaches for good.
