Homeowners who have found cockroaches in the house, first of all, think about where small pests could come from? There are many factors that contribute to the spread of insects in the kitchen, bathroom, pantries, and other rooms. Let's find out where cockroaches come from in the apartment. And along the way, we will figure out what insect control methods exist.
Where do cockroaches come from in an apartment? The main reasons for the appearance of uninvited guests
There are several ways pests can enter your home:
- From the next apartment. Cockroaches often populate new areas after disinsection of their former habitat. Insects make their way through garbage chutes, ventilation passages, through cracks and crevices in the walls.
- With things. Household items, appliances, clothing brought from a business trip or used byfriends, often become a haven for fertilized female cockroaches. Given the right conditions for reproduction, even one individual can give life to a large population of pests.
- Happy shopping. Cockroaches are able to quietly get into a bag of groceries or a bag both in the store and in the market.
- With package. Goods ordered via the Internet can become a means of transporting cockroaches. It has been proven that the development of the service sector for the delivery of products from continent to continent is one of the main reasons for the spread of exotic insect pests around the globe. This is the answer to the question of where the big black cockroaches come from in the apartment.
Risk factors
There are a number of unfavorable factors that contribute to the growth of the population and the preservation of cockroach colonies in the house. First of all, it is worth noting the unhindered access of insects to food. As practice shows, cockroaches are extremely illegible in food. For their reproduction, the presence of bread crumbs, rotten garbage, and other things is enough. These creatures can go without food for weeks. A dirty stove, a full trash can, an uncleaned floor, leftover food on the kitchen table are full-fledged sources of food for parasites.
But! It is difficult for cockroaches to do without water. In apartments, any source of moisture concentration can serve as a source of drinking for insects. These may be insufficiently sealed plumbing joints, puddles on the floor, kitchen itemsinterior, wet sink and the like. In the case of blocking access to the alleged sources of water, pests often extract it from the soil, which is in flower pots. Having found out where cockroaches come from in the apartment, try to regularly wipe wet surfaces, and also water houseplants early in the morning so that the liquid has time to be well absorbed into the soil by dusk. After all, it is at night that cockroaches show the highest activity.
One of the main risk factors that contributes to the resettlement of pests in the house is the presence of a comfortable ambient temperature. In conditions of maintaining a stable microclimate in the premises, cockroaches feel great, waiting out the daytime hours in dark nooks and crannies. On the contrary, a temporary decrease in temperature even to -1oC can significantly reduce the number of insects in the house.
How long do cockroaches live?
Cockroaches are extremely tenacious creatures. In the presence of comfortable conditions, adults are able to exist in the house for a year and a half. Large black cockroaches can go without food for up to 40 days. However, as already noted, it is quite difficult for them to live without water. Usually, insects that are tormented by hunger and thirst become extremely aggressive, eating relatives. Often, the deterioration of living conditions leads to the fact that pests begin to bite domestic animals and even people.
The unique difference between cockroaches and other household parasitesstands out the ability of adults to exist without certain parts of the body, in particular … the head. In the latter case, the insect's breathing and fluid intake occurs through special pores on the abdomen. Therefore, physical impact on cockroaches does not always lead to their death.
Cockroach Control Methods
Among the most effective solutions for the destruction of insect colonies, it is worth noting the following:
- aerosols;
- traps;
- toxic baits;
- folk remedies (ammonia, boric acid, arsenic).
Next, consider each of the options presented separately.
Aerosols
The following aerosol products have proven themselves well in the fight against cockroaches: Raptor, Raid, Dichlorvos Neo, Extrasol. These drugs are quite expensive. However, the expense in this case is fully justified, since cockroaches quickly get used to the smell of cheap aerosols. In addition, untested products can be harmful to human he alth. Be that as it may, when treating rooms with aerosols, it is recommended to leave the apartment for a while.
Toxic baits
In this category of insecticides, bulk and gel-like toxic substances are presented. And it’s not so important where black cockroaches come from in the apartment. You can use "Absolut-gel", "Dohloks", "Raptor-gel", "Kapkan-gel", "Adamant-gel" for the treatment of areas. These drugs are moreeffective compared to aerosols. Proper placement of toxic baits around the apartment containing a small amount of loose or gel-like substances makes it possible to forget about annoying "neighbors" for a long time.
Traps
Special traps are the most innovative and extremely effective means in the fight against small baleen pests. Such devices are miniature boxes containing poisonous substances saturated with flavors, which attracts the attention of parasitic insects. Getting into a trap through small holes, the pests not only eat poison, but also collect its particles on the body, later infecting a colony of relatives.
Having determined where the cockroaches come from in the apartment, you can place another type of traps at their distribution points - in the form of labyrinths. Once inside such a device, the insect moves along the intricate corridors on the way to food bait (not necessarily toxic). The absence of a source of light and the presence of food makes the cockroach stay in the labyrinth, where it, in fact, dies without water after a few days.
Folk remedies
The use of chemical insecticides to control cockroaches leads to the spread of unpleasant odors in the premises, as well as toxic substances that are potentially harmful to human he alth. Given these nuances, some homeowners prefer the following proven folk methods of dealing withpests:
- Boric acid. About a teaspoon of the chemical is mixed with a hard-boiled egg (take the yolk). The bait is prepared in the form of small balls, which are laid out in potentially dangerous places, i.e., where red cockroaches come from in the apartment.
- Ammonia. A small amount of this product is added to the water for washing the floor. A thorough wiping of baseboards and nooks and crannies is being carried out, in which large cockroaches can live (where small individuals come from in the apartment, you probably can not explain).
- Arsenic. The powdered chemical is mixed with powdered sugar. The prepared composition is scattered around the perimeter of the pest-infested premises. After a few days, the floors are thoroughly washed. At the same time, it is important to exclude the ingress of poison on household items, food, dishes.
Preventive measures
To prevent the re-spread of cockroaches in the apartment, you should follow these rules:
- carry out regular quality house cleaning;
- empty the trash can until it is completely full, pull a piece of plastic wrap tightly over the edges of the container;
- hide food in the refrigerator, remove leftover food from the table;
- carefully wipe the sink, bathtub, surfaces in the bathroom from moisture during the disinfestation period;
- to seal gaps, cracks in walls and ceilings that can become a habitat and movementcockroaches.
In conclusion
If the owners have found out where the cockroaches come from in the apartment, everything should be done in order to expel uninvited guests and prevent their re-invasion. To neutralize insect colonies, it is worth sealing all the cracks in the house, isolating the ventilation ducts, and after the destruction of pests, it is recommended to monitor the sanitary condition of the premises. All this will allow you to forget forever what cockroaches are, where small "parasites" come from in the apartment and how to deal with them.
