Have you ever spotted a cockroach scurrying across the kitchen floor and wondered what other ground they’ve covered while you weren’t around? Unfortunately, while they’re not often seen by house occupants during the daylight hours, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture roaches darting across kitchen countertops, walking across the plates in your cupboards, or climbing over food left out. The simple truth is that no one wants a cockroach infestation in their kitchen and yet it happens. In this blog, we’re going to spend a few minutes talking about why roaches target kitchens, what they eat, where they hide, how they compromise health, and of course, how to get rid of them if they show up in your kitchen or elsewhere in your home.
What attracts cockroaches to kitchens
As is the case with most house-infesting pests, roaches are probably going to migrate in the direction of food and water. Since the hearts of homes (kitchens) are the primary source for these two essentials, it’s very common to find these vile creatures infesting those spaces.
And of course, kitchens aren’t all that tough to access either. An open garage door, a door that lacks weather stripping, and cracks, gaps, and openings on the exterior of the house give cockroaches all the opportunity they need to wander inside.
Other ways cockroaches enter kitchens is by crawling up drains and riding in on shopping bags, cardboard boxes, and other items you introduce from somewhere else.
To sum it up, if cockroaches have means (access to your kitchen/home) and motive (food and water), there’s a good chance they’ll show up.
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What cockroaches eat
Even if you’ve stored all your dry goods in glass containers, removed your fruit bowl from the countertop, and wiped up every crumb on every surface, there might still be plenty of food for these pests. You see, cockroaches do not have discerning palates and will eat just about anything they can find. In addition to sweets, greasy foods, meats, and starches, cockroaches feed on pet food, trash, wallpaper glue, soap, book bindings, hair, and fingernail clippings. This is not representative of their whole diet but we think you get the point.
Their need for water
While cockroaches can live a month without eating and a week without their heads, they cannot survive without water for more than seven days. Kitchen sinks that leak and other plumbing issues in that space will attract roaches.
Where cockroaches hide when they’re in a kitchen
Common hiding places for roaches in a kitchen include, but are not limited to:
- Kitchen cabinets/cupboards
- Pantries
- Under the kitchen sink
- Behind or under the refrigerator & other appliances
- Inside wall voids
- In drains and pipes
Cockroaches are a threat to human health
Cockroaches are known to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria including E. coli and salmonella, and are notorious for sharing germs with unsuspecting victims. If that’s not enough, proteins found in cockroach feces, saliva, and body parts can trigger asthma problems and allergic reactions.
How to prevent cockroaches from infesting your kitchen
If you want to keep roaches away from your kitchen, it’s crucial that you implement and maintain excellent sanitation practices, fix leaky pipes, and seal openings from the foundation to the roof. And contact a pest control company if you spot a live roach or have reason to believe these pests may be in your kitchen or home.
Effective cockroach control is only a click or call away
For effective cockroach control in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Loveland as well as elsewhere in our service area, EnviroPest is the smart choice. Our locally operated pest control company has been solving Colorado’s pest problems since 1965, and has everything needed to exterminate roaches in kitchens and bathrooms – anywhere these pests have taken up residence, we can take care of it!
Commercial pest control services for cockroaches
In addition to our residential pest control, EnviroPest offers commercial pest control services that eradicate cockroaches as well as rats and other pests that infest commercial and industrial buildings. If you’re searching for a pest management provider for your company, please reach out!
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