Top Tips for a Cockroach-Free home this summer
What questions will this article answer?
Why you’re noticing more cockroaches in summer
Cockroaches thrive in warmer weather and higher humidity.
Signs of a cockroach outbreak
You notice cockroach droppings, moulted skins, eggs and an unpleasant musty odour.
Reasons to avoid a cockroach infestation
Cockroaches are notorious for spreading disease, triggering allergies and damaging your belongings.
How to stay cockroach-free this summer
Remove food and water sources, keep your home clean, conduct regular yard maintenance, practice proper waste disposal and seal off entry points.
Professional cockroach management
At Allstate, we use fumigation, baiting, control dust, aerosol sprays and heat treatment.
For fast and reliable cockroach control, choose Allstate
We’re available 24/7 for urgent enquiries and offer targeted solutions to cockroach infestations in all suburbs of Adelaide.
Why you’re noticing more cockroaches in summer
Like many pests, cockroaches thrive in warmer weather. In fact, if it’s over 20 degrees, cockroach eggs hatch faster, leading to accelerated reproduction.
With a preference for areas of high moisture, the increase in humidity that often comes in summer can also lead to ideal breeding conditions.
Although your garden may have had plenty of dark and damp hiding spots for cockroaches to shelter over winter, these can dry up or disappear as the mercury rises and you clear out the clutter in your yard. This means that cockroaches will need to hunt around for new nesting areas – perhaps your kitchen or laundry?
While they can live up to a month without eating, cockroaches have a broad appetite for a wide range of food, so once they come inside your home, they’ll easily find things to feast on from the most unlikely of places.
Signs of a cockroach outbreak
If you see cockroaches scurrying around during the daytime, this is your most obvious hint that there will be plenty more hidden away. However, there are also other ways to know if you have a cockroach problem on your hands, including:
Cockroach droppings
Look for tiny coffee-ground shaped droppings, resembling black dust, scattered around the place.
Moulted skins
The average cockroach will shed their outer layer between 5-8 times in their lives as they grow in size, leaving behind a thin, translucent layer.
Cockroach eggs
Depending on the species of cockroach, most lay eggs that are reddish brown to dark brown coloured, capsule-shaped and 5-14mm long. You’ll most likely find these in warm and moist areas.
An unpleasant odour
A cockroach infestation can leave behind a musty, sour and oily smell, from their droppings.
Seeing more cockroaches than usual? Speak to our expert team today.
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Reasons to avoid a cockroach infestation
They may be small, and although they don’t bite, cockroaches cause problems in other ways. We’ll explain how:
Spreading disease
Built to survive in different climates and environments, cockroaches can feed and nest anywhere from sewers to rubbish tips to underneath your fridge. No matter where they are, they can collect, ingest and leave behind a range of nasty viruses, bacteria, parasites and germs through their droppings, which cause illnesses such as gastroenteritis, typhoid fever and leprosy.
Triggering allergies
For some people, cockroach droppings, moulted skins and saliva can cause allergic reactions, resulting in itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing.
Damage to your belongings
Equipped with strong jaws and sharp teeth, hungry cockroaches can gnaw through plastic packaging, leather products, furniture, fabric and paper. Depending on the species, they’ll eat anything from the food in your fridge to your clothes, wallpaper and even books.
How to stay cockroach-free this summer
Cockroach outbreaks can be difficult to manage, so it’s best to not take your chances and instead be proactive in preventing them from coming into your home in the first place. Here are our top 6 tips to protect you and your family from cockroaches this summer:
Remove food sources
Keep your food items covered or better yet, stored away in tightly sealed containers, and avoid leaving pet food out.
Remove water
Cockroaches prefer areas with high moisture, so if you have any leaking pipes, taps or drains around your home, be sure to fix these as soon as possible. Don’t forget to check that your laundry and kitchen appliances are not leaking as well. Ponds and bird baths can also attract cockroaches.
Regularly clean your home
To reduce the number of available hiding spots around your home, we recommend clearing out cluttered areas that can make good nesting spots. Also, regular sweeping, vacuuming and mopping can clear away cockroach eggs. Wipe down kitchen surfaces, including sinks, benches, tables and stoves to remove grease and food spills which can attract cockroaches. Avoid leaving dirty dishes, utensils and cutlery in the sink for periods of time.
Practice proper waste disposal
Discarded food scraps are an appetising treat for cockroaches, so be sure to store waste in well-sealed bags in bins with fitted lids. Keep compost stored in bins rather than leaving it out in the open.
Seal off entry points
Small, flat and fast, cockroaches can crawl through tiny gaps, cracks and crevices to enter your home. Inspect your home regularly for potential access points and seal them carefully.
Garden and yard maintenance
Keep your yard well maintained to reduce nesting sites. Clear away piles of vegetation, keep branches and bushes well-trimmed, and remove pet waste.
For long-lasting cockroach protection, speak to an expert today
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Professional cockroach management
At Allstate, our pest control technicians are highly trained to manage cockroach outbreaks in various settings efficiently using the following treatments:
Fumigation
Often used alongside other slower acting treatments, fumigating a sealed-off area with an insecticide in a gas form is a fast way to control severe infestations.
Baiting
Tamper-proof stations containing targeted insecticide-laced bait are placed strategically in cockroach nesting areas around your home.
Cockroach control dust
To encourage cockroaches out of hard-to-reach places, such as tiny cracks, holes and crevices, we’ll apply a control dust.
Cockroach spray
To deter cockroaches from entering your home, we apply a barrier spray to the perimeter of your home.
Heat treatment
For a chemical free, nontoxic and environmentally solution to manage cockroaches, heat treatment has shown to be highly effective in not only reducing a cockroach population, but also sterilising the affected area and preventing unpleasant odours. Used only in suitable areas that have been sealed off, a dry heat around 50-60 degrees can be delivered using mobile heat-treating equipment.
For fast and reliable cockroach control, choose Allstate
With summer just around the corner, the last thing you and your family want to worry about is a cockroach outbreak. Fortunately, Allstate is always here to help.
Locally operated since 1986, Allstate has successfully managed pest outbreaks for clients in residential, commercial and industrial settings in all suburbs of Adelaide. Available 24/7 for fast advice to urgent enquiries, our team is always fully equipped with modern and innovative solutions to all pest concerns.
Using non-toxic treatments that are safe for children, pets and the environment, we’ll make sure that you can stay pest-free all summer and beyond.
