You swept. You mopped. You took out the trash, but yet…you still have roaches. Does this mean your house must not be as clean as you thought? Not necessarily!
Cockroaches can be found in homes all over Long Island, and you’ll probably be relieved to know that these unwanted, and sometimes embarrassing household pests don’t always show up because of a sanitation issue. In fact, there are several reasons unrelated to cleanliness that can draw cockroaches into your home. 
House Cockroach Reason #1: Your Location
Some areas of the United States are more likely to encounter cockroaches than others. On Long Island, we primarily deal with four species:
Of these four types of roaches, German Roaches are most associated often with sanitation issues. They’re generally found invading Long Island homes’ basements, kitchens, crawl spaces, and underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks, where they’ll feed on nearly anything…yes anything. The best way to prevent German roaches is to maintain a clean kitchen, wipe up crumbs and spills, avoid leaving dishes in the sink, and vacuum often. Because these roaches can breed at a rate of up to six generations in a single calendar year, it’s imperative to tend to a German Roach infestation quickly.
Compared to German Roaches, American, Brown-Banded, and Oriental Roaches are more likely to make their way into Long Island homes through different means, which are less likely to be related to sanitation.
Learn More About Long Island’s Cockroaches
House Cockroach Reason #2: Your Landscaping
Starting outside the home, there are several reasons why cockroaches may hang out in your yard, and ultimately become more likely to make their way inside:
- You have standing water in flowerpots, birdbaths, tires, children’s toys, and gutters. Like other living creatures, roaches need water to survive!
- You have wood piles or compost which provide roaches with food and shelter.
- Your trash cans are overflowing or easy to enter for food scraps galore.
- You have dense vegetation, leaf piles, mulch, or pine straw the roaches can safely hide inside.
To best prevent cockroaches starting from the outside, be sure to eliminate those sources of food, water, and shelter that roaches need to survive.
House Cockroach Reason #3: Easy Access
As mentioned, when roaches come into your house, it’s usually because they’re looking for food, water, and shelter, and these pests have the ability to make their way inside tiny openings you may not even realize are there, including:
- Cracks in your home’s exterior walls
- Dryer Vents
- Gaps between walls and floors
- Window screens that have tears or aren’t flush
With spring and warmer weather around the corner, it’s the perfect time to do a thorough visual evaluation of your home for any vulnerabilities in its structure which may leave you vulnerable to pest infestations. Seal up any cracks to eliminate entry points for roaches and other pests, repair leaky pipes and sinks, and unclog gutters to minimize water accessibility for roaches and other pests.
House Cockroach Reason #4: Moisture
As mentioned, roaches need water to survive, and the hunt for that sweet, sweet H2O will entice them inside even the tidiest Long Island homes. Here are a few places roaches will invade inside your home while searching for water:
- Leaking faucets and pipes in your bathrooms, laundry room, or kitchen
- Under large appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, and air conditioners which have moisture
- Near pet water bowls (be sure to put them away at night!)
House Cockroach Reason #5: Food
Roaches gotta eat, and they’ll seek out food sources pretty much anywhere, so even if your kitchen is spick and span, roaches aren’t too picky, and will deal with whatever is available. Roaches are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They love to chow down on starches, sweets, greasy bites, and meats, but they’re not opposed to eating cardboard, book bindings, wallpaper glue, stamps, poop(!), hair, toothpaste, soap, or other cockroaches.
How to Prevent Cockroaches
If you’ve got a clean house and aren’t sure why you still have a cockroach problem, don’t worry! Our trained team can control and eliminate your roach problem, while identifying how they’re getting inside your home. We offer a variety of Annual Protection Plans so you’re safe from surprise intruders in your home year-round.
To schedule a free estimate, call or text us now at (631/516) 864-6900!
