Roaches are among a homeowner's worst nightmares. Although there are much bigger, and arguably much more dangerous pests to consider, few things frighten us as much as seeing a big, nasty roach scuttling across our kitchen floor in the middle of the night.

It doesn't really help that these critters are tenacious, resourceful creatures who, if you manage to block one entryway, will just find another. If you're experiencing persistent roach trouble, we recommend contacting All Star Animal Trapping, to get an expert to handle the situation for you.

It's also important to consider how roaches are entering your apartment, what's attracting them, and what are some steps to deter them from bothering you, again.

 

How do roaches enter your home?

Herein lies the big trouble with roaches - because of their flexible and small-ish nature, they can be quite difficult to keep out. Roaches will invade your home through:

• Cracks and holes in the building itself - the downside with this is that they can be really, really small cracks, and yet still be enough for a roach to squeeze through. This makes the potential entry points both difficult to spot, and hard to seal;
• Gaps around doors or windows - once again, we're talking about small gaps that are quite common, especially if the window and door structures are old wooden ones (as opposed to metal);
• Drains - another big concern, especially for apartment blocks, is the drains system. Unfortunately for us, roaches love damp, dark spaces, so your shower drain may well be an ideal hangout, not to mention a great transportation system.

Lastly, roaches will also enter homes by just hitching a ride on your clothing, shopping bags, or backpacks. Though that's a little rarer, since you (hopefully) would notice a giant roach hanging out on your shirt.

 

How to keep roaches away

Regardless of how they're getting in, here are some of our favorite tips on how to keep them out, again. We're not saying this is how to get rid of cockroaches forever, but that these (remarkably simple) steps can go a long way in protecting your home from creepy-crawlies.

 

1. Clean, regularly.

One mistake people often make is assume bugs won't bother them, unless they've got a miniature crumb feast laid out on the floor. Not true. Roaches are surprisingly adaptable and will eat almost anything, including the nastiest, grimiest things you can think of. So you need to clean up often, to avoid dirt accumulation inside your home, as that may be what's attracting them.

 

2. Vacuum to get rid of roach eggs.

Another mistake is assuming that just because you killed off one roach, you're now safe. That's just unrealistic. It's most likely got a family nestled away somewhere, or at the very least, some eggs.

This is why it's important that you vacuum regularly and thoroughly, to remove not just the dirt, but also the roach eggs that are invisible to the naked eye.

 

3. Cover your drains.

Who hasn't woken up in the middle of the night to find a big, nasty roach in the middle of their sink or tub? That's why you need to invest in some proper drain covers, and use them during the night (or when you'll be away for a longer period of time).

Simply barring access inside your home through the drains can make a huge difference.

 

4. Seal the cracks.

As we've seen, roaches are likely to enter the home through cracks and gaps around the door or window frames, so it might be time to take a look at sealing those. Depending on the type of crack you're dealing with, you could use a permanent sealant, or a temporary cover.
Regardless, try to bar as many potential entry points as possible to see results.

 

5. Treat the baseboards.

If you're worried about bugs entering through the gaps around your baseboards, consider dusting these with a little diatomaceous earth. This is a substance that dehydrates bugs upon contact, and so a great way to make your roach problem a thing of the past. The good news is, it only takes a little of this stuff to see a huge difference in roach activity in your home!