Contrary to popular belief, cockroaches are active year-round. Many people believe they become slower and sleepier during the winter, as many other pests do. However, cockroaches aren't like any other pest. If anything, these yucky bugs may be even more active indoors in the winter because they have few other options for food and shelter, especially here in the Rockies.
When our brutal winters drive roaches indoors, they can become a nightmare for our holiday celebrations. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep roaches at bay throughout the holiday season.
Dangers Of Cockroaches
Here in Colorado, we've got several different roach species, including the American, brown-banded, German, and Oriental cockroach varieties. While all these roaches are different species and have other habits and looks, they have many things in common. They all breed at a high rate. They all eat just about anything from garbage to pantry goodies to the crumbs on the dishes in your sink. They all hang out in dark, dank, and dirty places – meaning they all spread disease.
That's the most significant danger of a cockroach infestation: disease. They can't do substantial property damage, but they can threaten your health. Roaches are known or suspected to spread over forty types of pathogens. These include serious diseases that could lead to hospitalization and even death. Illnesses spread by roaches include:
- Cholera
- Dysentery
- Plague
- Salmonella
- Typhoid Fever
Roaches can spread illnesses by leaving their droppings in your food or environment. They also contaminate surfaces and food stores by crawling across them with their filthy feet. They can contaminate the general environment with their feces and corpses as well.
Cockroach Prevention
Roaches can be especially difficult to prevent in the winter because they're desperate for food and shelter from the frigid cold. That means you'll need to take even more preventative measures during the cold months to keep them out. One of the best ways to stave off roach infestations is to make your home less attractive to them. Roaches are attracted to food, moisture, and warmth. You can't do a whole lot about the last one, but the first two you can.
Cut off cockroach food sources by storing pantry foods in airtight containers at all times. Rigid plastic containers are best, but things like sealable sandwich bags will do. Keep all your trash covered in well-fitting lids. Don't forget about recycling, as disposable plastic food containers may have remnants of food or drink even if you rinse them. Be sure to remove all crumbs after meals promptly to deter cockroaches.
The other big roach attractant is moisture. Roaches love to hang out in damp, humid places. Make sure your house doesn't have any of these, buy dehumidifiers to dry out moist areas like basements. Also, be sure you don't have any leaky plumbing getting the insides of your cabinets or the space under your toilet wet. Clogged gutters and drains are also a problem; you need to cut off roach water sources.
What To Do About Infestation
If you wind up with a cockroach infestation, the best thing to do is call the pros. While roach baits and sticky traps are out there, they tend to reduce the roach population rather than eliminate it. Roaches have also developed high resistance to over-the-counter (OTC) foggers and sprays, meaning these methods might not reduce the roach population at all.
Here at Beeline Pest Control, we can get rid of your entire roach population instead of just shrinking it. We can also help ensure you never have to deal with an infestation again. So give us a call or visit our contact page to schedule your inspection today and get started on our effective home pest control services.