Roaches habitually choose a cool, damp place to chill during the summer. You may begin with one or two strays, and before you can pick out their names, you may have a full-blown roach infestation in your building.
They are common in most households, so you may have become very familiar with them and are now unbothered about seeing them casually stroll your cabinets.
However, getting rid of roaches for good in the summer is possible.
- Roaches breed and spread very quickly. Therefore, it’s essential to deal with them as soon as you notice.
- Taking measures to prevent roaches from making your home a cozy nest is more effective than dealing with them afterward. After all, prevention, they say, is better than cure.
- There are many options to choose from when dealing with roaches, including homemade remedies like roach-repellent oils or plants and lifestyle changes like decluttering and frequent cleaning.
- Roach prevention is a year-round activity. These buggers are always looking for ways to get in, so you must keep your building secure.
The following sections discuss six ways to eliminate roaches in summer, whether in your apartment or your holiday home. We have also answered some commonly asked questions in our FAQ section below.
6 Ways To Get Rid of Cockroaches in Summer
No one wants roaches either as pets or lone tenants. Not only are they very smelly, but they can also ruin the ambiance of your home, especially on those cool summer mornings.
Here are six ways to help you keep roaches at bay in the summer.
1. Prompt Cleanups
Good home maintenance is one of the most efficient ways to eliminate roaches. They thrive in dirty environments. When rooms are clean, the chances of finding dead skin cells, pet poop, and food particles become drastically low. In addition, roaches need easy access to food to reproduce more quickly than they usually would.
So, make it a habit of cleaning up after your pets and yourself as soon as possible. Although roaches live in clean homes, dirty homes have it much worse.
2. Decluttering
If you were looking for a sign to give those items, you have meant to send to charity, here it is. You can also take this as a sign to declutter your yard and create more room. Areas with piled-up luggage, boxes, and clothes are good hideouts for roaches. And roaches like to hide unless they are out hunting for food.
Clearing out jampacked spaces is a great way to discover hiding roaches, kill them, and monitor the area in case they try to return. It also makes roach-repellent treatments more effective. If you spray a cluttered room with pesticides, roaches can hide under luggage or in corners and escape the fumes of the spray. So, these methods work hand in hand.
3. Destroy Sheltering Spots
If it’s warm and damp and gives easy access to food and dead cell particles, there’s most likely a roach lurking around. Places like your bathroom, especially when leaky pipes and drains, are excellent habitats for roaches.
They also hide in dirty cupboards, abandoned shelves, and storage rooms. The solution here is to make them uncomfortable enough that they have to find a new home.
So, clean out dirty cupboards, and dust out corners frequently.
4. Clear Up Overgrown Grass or Vegetation
Trimming your lawn and cutting down tall grasses has more value than curb appeal. It can protect your home from roaches. Tall blades of grass can hide roaches and give them room to breed quietly in your yard. Once cockroaches make themselves comfortable close to your building, it is only a matter of time before they enter it.
It may also help to plant flowers or grasses that repel roaches. That’s an environmentally sound approach to cockroaches, unlike heavy fumigation. Such plants include peppermint, thyme, citronella, and garlic.
5. Seal Up Food Waste and Trash
Removing the trash is not enough; you should get a fitting cover for your trash can. Roaches like dirty and decaying food particles, and a trash can is ideal for finding such dead things.
If you do not keep them sealed, roaches could sneak in, hide behind them and enter your house too.
6. Pay Attention to Pet Food
Pet food could quickly become an invitation to pests, especially roaches. Not only are they good scavengers, but they can also climb high surfaces and sniff out edible things.
If your pets are in the habit of leaving bits of food around your home, you must clean up after them more frequently. Those food particles can attract roaches to your yard and your home.
Conclusion
Roaches are a menace regardless of what time of the year it is. However, they become a lot more overbearing and pesky in warm weather. So, if your roach problem suddenly becomes uncontrollable, it could be summertime. But, even then, you can reduce the number of roaches in your home to zero.
All you need to do is pay attention to the areas that can lead them in and eliminate things that attract them. Then, with proper maintenance, you are on your way to becoming a roach-free house owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Roaches Worse in the Summer?
Yes, roaches are worse in the summer. This is because cockroaches are naturally inclined to feed more in hot weather, and their reproduction rate increases too. Although roaches survive all year round and can be seen anytime, they thrive in summer. This is because they love areas that are humid and warm.
And the summer sun easily makes such places available both indoors and outdoors. So you will find more roaches entering your home in search of cozy spots.
If roaches are already in your home, they will likely breed faster and create an infestation.
What Smell Will Keep Roaches Away?
Roaches have a strong sense of smell, and you can use it against them. Just as they are drawn to food by its smell, they can be repelled by the fragrance of items they do not like.
Here are some smells that will keep roaches away.
- Peppermint oil
- Thyme
- Citronella oil
- Mint
- Citrus
- Basil
