Roaches are generally unwelcome in any sphere of human existence. There are no positive reasons to have them as guests or roommates in your home or office.
These insects do not only terrorize home and office spaces; they actively make their home with electronic appliances such as ovens, toasters, refrigerators, and printers.
When roaches enter your printer, they can damage the components with their secretions, eggs, and excrement.
Did you recently notice roach activities inside your printer but don’t know how to get them out?
This post will address simple ideas you can put to work to eliminate them from your printer and prevent them from returning.
When inside printers, roaches can wreak several havoc on the electrical configuration of the appliance. To remove them, you can:
- Try out bait trapping (you can use apex roach bait).
- Apply residual sprays.
- Enclose the printer in a nitrogen-filled plastic bag.
- Invite pest control professionals.
The next few headings will explore how to tell when roaches are in printers and how to remove them from the appliance. We will answer some common general queries about dealing with roach infestations.
How To Confirm the Presence of Roaches in Printers
Before you jump in the DIY spirit to remove roaches from your printer, you must ensure they are there first.
There are a few ways to confirm whether these insects are resident in your printer. Two of these methods include:
- Check the printer’s parts where the roaches are likely to hide. Such places include sockets, cases, power ports, and trays.
- Check for roach droppings, egg casings, and the roaches themselves. There can also be dark stains on papers and the inner parts of the printers.
How To Get Rid of Roaches in the Printer
Now that you know how to tell whether or not roaches are in your printer, let us look at how to get rid of them.
Some unique methods of roach elimination you can employ include:
1. The Use of Bait Traps
In this particular control measure, you need a bait trap. A prime example of this is the Apex roach bait. The gel bait is a specific poison for the roach, containing ingredients the insect finds irresistible.
Placing the bait at strategic points close to the printer would be best. So, how do you go about this? You set the bait by applying tiny amounts of the gel on paper before placing it in strategic places.
Please note that roaches will not die immediately after ingesting the bait. The insects do not die at once because the poison is slow acting. After ingesting the poison, the infected bugs return to their nests and spread it to other roaches.
After placing the baits, you should check areas where you put the baits for dead roaches. Clean up dead insects found and reapply the baits. Repeat this process every week until there is no further roach activity.
It would help if you took special care not to apply the bait in quantities or places where children or pets can ingest them. The poison can harm children or pets, especially when consumed in large quantities.
2. The Use of Residual Spray
This method is another very effective control method for dealing with printer roaches. You can apply residual sprays such as Novacide around the printer and at the base of the printer.
It would be best to take special care when applying the residual spray so it doesn’t get into the printer. This is because the spray could affect some of the electronic components of your printer.
The residual spray kills the adult roaches upon direct contact. It also impedes the growth of insects and their reproductive abilities.
The effects of the Novacide can last seven to eight months, making it a very effective method of controlling roaches in the printer.
3. The Use of Nitrogen Gas
This method covers the printers with a plastic bag filled with pure nitrogen gas.
You should place the printers inside the plastic bags filled with pure nitrogen and leave them for a few hours.
Roaches, like all living things, need oxygen to live. When you cut off oxygen from the roach-infested printer for some time, the insects will suffocate and die.
The effectiveness of this method depends on the size of the printer. It will work for all printers if you properly trap nitrogen in the plastic bag. However, it is more suitable for smaller printers.
After the procedure, please take special care to remove all the dead roaches.
4. The Use of Professional Pest Control Services
If all else fails, this is one roach control method you can always fall back on. As long as you don’t mind the cost, you can count on the effectiveness of this approach to remove roaches from your printer.
Some professional pest control agencies have great expertise in pest control and management. You can easily employ the services of one close to you to handle your roach problem.
You can even make it a routine to have agencies like this perform routine checks and inspections on your offices and equipment, including printers, for signs of roaches.
A routine inspection will go a long way in curbing early infestations and elimination before the situation becomes worse.
Prevention of Roach Infestation
After implementing the methods above, there are a few follow-up actions you can take to prevent another roach infestation in your printer.
First, ensure you properly dispose of the dead insects and their eggs after successful extermination.
Opening the printers to check for egg deposits to clear off would be best. Other preventive measures you can take include:
1. Routine Sanitation and Cleanliness
Roaches thrive in unsanitary conditions. Warm and humid environments are a particular favorite for these insects. Clean sinks regularly and ensure bins have lids permanently closed when not in use.
Keeping dumpsters at a reasonable distance from the office building would be best. This practice prevents roaches from getting into the building.
In addition, it would also help if you regularly took out food waste in the office or anywhere you use the printer.
If you don’t want roaches to come back for your printer, do not leave food leftovers around where you have the printer. If possible, use only durable bins in the office.
2. Regularly Organize and Sanitize Rooms and Warehouses
Cardboards and old furniture are roach breeding, nesting, and infestation hotspots.
You should regularly clean, inspect and sanitize spaces where equipment, cardboard, furniture items, and cartons are stored.
When you do this regularly, you can easily spot early signs of roach activity before it gets out of proportion and into your printers.
3. Invite Pest Control Agencies for Regular Inspections
You can never undermine the role of experts in dealing with problems.
You may not be trained or well-equipped to fish out these little monsters, but pest control agencies can.
Agencies like this should be regularly invited to inspect office spaces and equipment for signs of roach activity.
Conclusion
Roaches are unwanted guests who bring terrible gifts at home and in office spaces. These insects do not stop messing up the environment and spreading diseases; they can equally damage office equipment such as printers.
You can remove them from printers by baiting/trapping, spraying chemicals, and enclosing printers in a plastic bag filled with nitrogen gas.
In case of a full-blown infestation or when you require quick results, it would be best to engage the services of pest control experts.
After removing the little monsters from your printer, follow up with the preventive measures outlined above to prevent another infestation. Ensure general hygiene, routine storehouse checks, and regular inspections by professional pest control agencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Roaches Bite?
This does not happen often, but roaches can become aggressive enough to bite in extreme conditions such as scarce food and water.
How Often Do Roaches Reproduce?
Roaches have a rapid reproduction cycle. This ability is responsible for their ability to cause infestations quickly. A female cockroach can easily produce 200 to 300 offspring a year.
This figure varies depending on the availability of optimal living conditions and resources.
Are Roaches Dangerous?
The simple answer is yes! These small-bodied creatures are known to carry pathogens from place to place. Their body excrement, skin, and saliva can also trigger allergies.
