Cockroaches are one of the most difficult insects for to fight, Scientists have proved that these small creatures can survive a nuclear attack and all the disasters the Earth has ever seen and a female roach hatches up to 40 eggs at a time.
They are one of the primary conveyors of harmful microorganisms and tend to contaminate different items of our daily use.
Several species of roaches have different preferences about the climate of their living area. Few choose to live in areas having a warm climate while others prefer the opposite. Their taste for food may also vary from species to species. It is therefore important to know the identification of the species before proper administration of the preventive methods can be applied.
In our part of the world, the specie we deal with is the American cockroach – they can be easily recognized by their reddish-brown color and the light yellow bands around the shield behind their heads. Usually they have a relatively longer life than other household insects, live up to about 2 years and are capable of flying over short distances. They are also the largest in size among the overall cockroach family.
I am sure most of you are shuddering now at the mention of roaches and find this fact, jaw-dropping and disturbing. They are annoying and utterly frustrating and if you think of the embarrassing moments where they only appear when you have guests or they crawl out of places they shouldn’t be in the first instance, apart from being a cringing-clock stopping moment, you just want to get out your full roaches gear and launch a full war on them.
The best approach to avoid the goose bumps moments is to make sure you don’t allow them take up residence in your home in the first instance.
Preventive methods
- Eliminate their source of sustenance – store food away in plastic containers, plug all leaky faucets and take out the trash.
- Keep your home clean – vacuum daily. Clean out all hidden spots that might act as breeding ground.
- Seal up all entry points – caulk up all cracks and crevices in your home.
Health Risks
- Allergies – Those with allergies will be very sensitive to a cockroach infestation. The insects’ feces and flakes off their body can provoke allergies.
- Asthma may become the strongest display of allergy to cockroaches’ saliva and feces debris.
- Cockroaches infect food because of the various unsanitary places they would have crawled to before touching your food.
- They spread bacteria and viruses – It has been proven that various types of cockroaches spread salmonella, dysentery, hepatitis, coliforms, and even typhoid fever!
Sometimes they are ‘smarter’ than the ways you device to keep them out, so you need to take it one roach at a time. If you have an infestation you will have to get your house professionally cleaned or fumigated, but if it is just that occasional roach you see peeping at you in the kitchen then here is one sure way to get rid of it. The option we are offering is non-toxic because we are preaching healthy & safe lifestyle.
Most store-bought sprays are full of toxic ingredients, so if you’ve got pets or kids, dealing with roaches you need to be extra, extra careful; fortunately, there are natural, safe ways to rid your home of roaches and keep them from breeding.
Peppermint Oil:
Research has proven that some essential oils, especially peppermint oil, are effective at repelling cockroaches. Peppermint oil can be used as a natural insecticide, if you spray it on a roach when you see it, the peppermint oil is as effective as any commercial roach spray if not more.
Here is a DIY that can be done at home; mix the peppermint oil in warm water with a bit of vinegar in your spritz bottle and go ahead to put it in the affected areas of your house. You will have a roach free house that smells absolutely divine in no time.
Water Trap:
This is as easy as it gets, all you have to do is get a jar of water with bait and cover it with a funnel. Place this jar in the areas you know the cockroaches rest their heads, their nest. As soon as they step out of their nest lured by the bait, they will immediately be stuck in the jar and not be able to get out because of the funnel, eventually they drown and you throw the cockroach and the water out. Simple and easy!!
Baking Soda and Sugar:
This bait is also an effective remedy to get rid of roaches in your home. The sugar helps to attract roaches and the baking soda, destroy the digestive arrangement of the roaches. Baking soda will make a great amount of gas into the roaches that they die. The process is really simple, take equal measures of both the baking soda and sugar and you mix them in a container. You then go ahead to sprinkle the mix in the roach infested areas. Once the cockroaches eat of the mixture they are sure to die.
How you are able to incorporate all these tips together will determine how successful you will be in riding your home of roaches.
Let us know how you fare.
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