There is nothing more icky than cockroach sightings in your home. And for many people who live with cockroaches, it is like a recurring nightmare.  The question is: why does this happen?

It could be for any number of reasons. You might have an infestation of roaches that came from your neighbors. Or you might have those pests living behind your wall paper.

Keeping cockroaches away from your home requires staying vigilant and on your toes from day to night. Knowing where to stow things, , how to avoid cockroaches, and perform cockroach control will help you remain cockroach-free in your property.

Why do you have roaches at home?

The German cockroach and the Australian cockroach are the two most common species that can be found in Singapore homes.

Cockroaches stay in dark, humid places where they can easily access water and food resources. They can be found not only in homes but in mud, parks, public streets, subway tunnels, and sewers too.

Read also: 7 Cockroach-Related Diseases To Watch Out For

These bugs, flock to houses, apartment buildings, and other dwellings searching for food, warmth, and moisture. Once you have cockroach sightings in your home, it would be helpful to learn how they were able to come indoors so you can do some pest control.

The most common entry points of cockroaches

1. Doorways

A cockroach can easily slip inside your home through a small gap underneath a door. This is possible if you routinely leave your home’s doors ajar.

If there’s an opening between the floor of an outside-facing door and the ground, install a door sweep. These accessories are easy to install, and have the ability to keep gaps close to prevent cockroaches from entering.

2. Wall and foundation cracks

Gaps and cracks make it easy for roaches to enter your house. They are thin, oval shaped, and can squeeze through cracks as narrow as 1/16 of an inch. These pests can travel through crawl spaces, where they can then move quickly from room to room.

3. Plumbing lines

Roaches seek out living areas with moisture and nourishment. Houses and apartments have plumbing lines have these particular properties. They enter from the drains that connect to your home like shower drains and kitchen sinks. These are spots that have the greatest volume of storm drains and cooking debris.

4. Basements

If you live in a house, roaches commonly come to your property from places where they congregate, like the basement. Roaches in dark and humid spaces are attracted to small spaces, like a basement. This is because it is not properly insulated or vented, and they can travel from there to the rest of your house. 

5. Neighbors

If you live in an apartment building, it’s likely that the cockroaches in your unit may have come from another apartment. Apartments have a lot of shared walls, making it simple for roaches and pests to move about between the units.

6. Packages, Baggage, and Clothing

Cockroaches can also enter your home simply by hitching a ride on the things you bring indoors. Tiny German cockroaches infest a home after they were brought indoors because of deliveries and packages.

How to keep cockroaches away from your home?

To prevent cockroaches from invading your property, here are some steps you can do:

• Store food products in airtight containers.
• Wash dishes immediately and put them away.
• Remove crumbs and spills as soon as possible.
• Regularly vacuum floors particularly in the kitchen and dining areas.
• Take out kitchen garbage every night.
• Fix dripping faucets and leaking pipes.

Read also: 5 Ways To Pest Proof Your Home For The New Year

Key Takeaway

Cockroaches are an unfortunate reality of our home environments. The good news is that, it is possible to control the population with a little bit of work. Cockroach sightings are not always a sign that your house is dirty. They can come from other sources, like your neighbors or they hitched a ride on things being taken indoors.

If you think you already have an infestation at home, call immediately a pest control and disinfection service in Singapore