You don’t want to think about cockroaches in the home – especially not around the space where you prepare your food. It’s even worse to imagine finding one of these ugly pests in the appliances themselves. Your microwave is especially vulnerable to attracting rodents and other pests, but cockroaches are willing to make their way into any place they consider a viable source of food. So if you find droppings in key corners of your kitchen, you may ask – how do cockroaches get into my appliances? And what can you do to clear roach infestations in Central Iowa? Springer Professional Home Services is here to answer questions and offer the help you need.
How Do Cockroaches Get In?
Cockroaches like places that are dark, warm, and adjacent to food. The kitchen has plenty of nooks and crannies that provide all of that and more. They might be drawn to hide in cabinets, under carpet and mats, or behind peeling wallpaper. At the same time, the German Cockroach, the variety most common in the kitchen, can squeeze itself through the smallest cracks. So, if there are gaps in your microwave or under your sink, this can act as a potential roach vulnerability.
Out of all the pests, roaches reproduce particularly quickly, and a female roach can produce up to 3000 eggs in a lifetime. That’s why it’s so important to catch potential infestations before they balloon and become all the more difficult to control. It can save you a lot of trouble if you know how to identify key evidence of cockroaches in the home. This could include:
- Cockroach poop,ย which is dark brown or black and resembles coffee grounds.
- Cockroach egg casings, or Oothecae,ย that are dark or reddish-brown and resemble a dried bean.
- Exoskeletonsย from new cockroaches molting. These are light brown in color and shaped roughly like the roach they came from.
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Getting Rid of Cockroaches in the Kitchen
In almost every case, one visible cockroach is evidence of more hiding someplace nearby. However, if you act quickly, you can possibly prevent an infestation with the right precautions.
The most important thing you can do is clean and clear all food sources. This includes not only leftovers left out on the counter, but spills in the fridge or crumbs in the microwave. Cockroaches are incredibly skilled at finding any source of food, so you should be cleaning your countertops on a regular basis. Doing this keeps your kitchen cleaner, and it also removes any traces of pheromones on the surfaces of the space.
You can also place glue traps around areasย that seem particularly active hot spots for roaches. This is a good way to determine the general scope of the infestation, and if the work you’re doing to treat it is actually helping. If you find yourself cleaning constantly and still going through glue trap after glue trap, there’s a chance that the presence of these pests has grown past your control. You need a pest control company that respects your home and your willingness to keep it comfortable and clean. To put it simply, you need Springer.
Trust Springer to Keep Out Cockroaches!
Springer Professional Home Services has been providing comprehensive home and pest control for homes in Central Iowa for decades. If you have cockroaches or any other pests, we can work to clear them out and keep more from getting in. You don’t have to hold your breath or avert your eyes every time you step into your kitchen. If you have roaches, take care of yourself and contact Springer today!