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Home > Pest Control Services > Insect Control > Cockroach Treatment

Cockroach Treatment

Cockroach pictureWith some pests you can have a pretty good go at getting rid of them yourself, getting a professional in just to make sure that whatever infestation you have is totally gone. However, with cockroach treatment, it's like a third round FA Cup tie, Premier League against non-league (for non-football fans, that's a very big team against a very small team) and although you might be the physical giant in this relationship, the cockroaches have the advantage. The only cockroach treatment that is going to have a chance against them is going to come at the hand of a professional pest controller. Cockroaches are just too good at hiding and too good at multiplying for amateurs to have a chance.

Stones To Throw at the Giant

For some peace of mind, and to manage the situation before the professionals arrive, however, there are a number of cockroach treatments that you can attempt. Unlike in the bible story, however, no matter how well you throw these little stones at the cockroach infestation it won't produce a killing blow.

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A cockroach can live without food for a month, hold its breath for over half an hour and even live without a head for a week One of the best of these cockroach treatments is boric acid powder. If you lay it down anywhere you think cockroaches might go, then if they run across it and get it on their legs not only will they die from it, but they will bring it into contact with other cockroaches they come across, killing even more. Another method is to set out jars with some water in the bottom so that the cockroaches will drown; this should work, however the German cockroach can swim. You can also use sticky strips, but then you will have to deal with the mess of dealing with the dead cockroaches you collect on them.

Of course no cockroach can survive the underside of a shoe headed towards it at speed, but cockroaches are such good hiders you will only ever see a fraction of those that are there. And even then, you will only normally see them at night as they are nocturnal creatures. The final way of keeping cockroaches at bay, and hopefully making sure they never turn up (or come back) is a high standard of cleanliness and repairing any crevices in your home. Keeping your home clean will take away their source of food so that they will not be attracted to the area, while repairing any visible holes will reduce the amount of hiding places available for cockroaches to stay. Beyond that, the only cockroach treatments that are going to work will be quite extreme and should only be attempted by professionals. They will be able to size up the situation properly and use whichever techniques are necessary. This may or may not include the application of a 'fogger' which will release a strong pesticide which will kill the cockroaches, but make the premises uninhabitable for the duration of the treatment.

Don't Panic!

No doubt if you have an infestation of cockroaches, you will need no encouragement to get rid of it. They are one of the ugliest, vile looking insects around and if that doesn't put you off then their habits should. Preferring warm, dank places they are often found in sewers and the dirtiest of dark corners. Naturally, then, they carry some pretty nasty stuff with them, including food poisoning agents, dysentery, typhoid and any number of other diseases. They will eat literally anything they can and if you imagine they were ever potty trained then you'd be wrong, they leave their droppings everywhere.

did you know
Cockroaches do not shed their skin, but they do shed their skeleton. Perhaps the most scary thing about cockroaches, however, and what makes cockroach treatment especially difficult, is how fast they breed. Every female cockroach is able to make up to four hundred babies in their lifetime, a baby reaching maturity within three months, and living for another three to nine months after that if unchecked. The numbers can just get out of control.

In the UK there are two main types of cockroach present, the German cockroach which, as already mentioned, can swim and is generally pretty agile, able to fly (short distances) and climb on smooth surfaces. The Oriental cockroach is not able to do any of those things but looks quite similar, although is quite a lot darker in colour than the German cockroach.

Although other signs of an infestation include smear marks or droppings, cast skins, egg cases, an almond-like smell or dead insects, cockroaches are very visible at night time. Turn the light on suddenly and you will probably see them scurry to a dark hiding place. They look scary, they are dangerous, and they're tough to get rid of but don't panic! With a professional's help and diligent cleaning, you will be cockroach free in no time!

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