Why Do I Have Roaches in My Garage?

The garage is meant for your cars and everything about vehicles you need to store and is not meant for pests like rodents, raccoons, and roaches to live in.

If you see a single cockroach playing around your garage, take a step back and prepare yourself because an invasion might just be about to happen.

Seeing roaches in your garage signifies that your place needs cleaning and maintenance. That’s considering you don’t want serious damage and health issues to happen to your family.

While roaches are small and harmless compared to rodents and bigger pests, their detrimental effects can still cause homeowners to feel uncomfortable and disoriented.

Knowing the root cause of why roaches are invading your garage helps to think of the best ways to keep them away.

This guide will also talk about potential advantages roaches can enjoy when they discover your garage. So let’s get started!

Causes Why Roaches Are Invading Your Garage

A garage is not a typical room in most homes. It’s not like your kitchen that’s filled with food, and it does not have direct access to water like a bathroom. But these disadvantages won’t stop roaches from potentially sneaking into your garage and nesting there.

While a garage is not any pest’s first choice in your home, roaches will eventually seek out this place when they don’t have anywhere to go and find shelter. Some of the most common causes why roaches can invade your garage includes the following:

• The other rooms in your home are clean and have no food sources available for the roaches.
• Extermination methods have just been performed in other areas.
• Your home is experiencing a severe roach infestation that has affected your garage.

Because roaches can thrive in your garage, there is a possibility they would stay longer and live together with your cars.

Other possible causes that could increase the chance of roaches entering your garage include the following:

1. Untidiness

Roaches love thriving anywhere with leftover food, mildew, molds, and rotting debris.

Some of the most common areas where these are present include your garden, kitchen, lawn, and even your garage.

Debris

One thing you must know about garages is that they have direct access to the outside world. This means it’s easy for these spaces to obtain dirt and debris from your front yard or garden.

Roaches love anything that’s decaying, like carcasses and leaf matter. Moreover, it would be best if you considered the cars parked inside your garage.

Your vehicles have traveled everywhere, meaning the wheels might have dragged debris, including leaves and mud.

Garbage

When garbage collectors have not yet collected your trash bags, you may not be allowed to place your trash collection along the streets. This is why most homeowners prefer placing their trash bags inside their garages.

There’s nothing wrong with temporarily placing your garbage inside your garage, but you must be aware of the following:

• Trash bags contain leftover food.
• It’s also possible that the bags are filled with dust, pet hair, crumbs, and skin flakes.

Roaches are smart pests that can easily bite through your garbage plastics if you don’t store them well.

Unwashed Recyclables

If you’re thinking of recycling some of your garbage, it’s advisable because it’s eco-friendly.

But it would be best if you were responsible enough to wash the recyclables so at least they are a little cleaner.

Unwashed recyclables increase the chance of roaches in your garage and scurrying through the plastics.

2. Lack of Activity

Another fact about garages is that they are seldom visited by people, except when they need to get their car. That means roaches can expect fewer activities in that area compared to the other rooms on your property.

Also, consider that roaches prefer anything quiet and dark — and a garage ticks those boxes.

Staying in the garage decreases the risk of roaches getting seen by their predators because lights are sparse. And because there’s less foot traffic, roaches will prefer to stay there and thrive.

Roaches are also quick to populate the area because they can position their eggs anywhere without any disturbance.

3. Potential Source of Moisture

Again, garages have less foot traffic compared to other rooms. This means there’s a chance homeowners won’t normally give them attention as much as they would focus on their garden, kitchen, or bedrooms.

Remember that garages have direct access to the outside world, meaning they are more prone to dripping hoses and leaking pipes. In worst cases, leaking pipes can even lead to puddles or come from improper roof drainage.

Because there is moisture, roaches can survive living in garages, which can also cause a major infestation.

4. It’s Open to the Outside

Even when you make it a point to regularly clean your garage, roaches can still start an invasion. Why?

It’s simply because that area of your house has direct access to the outside world.

Roaches can likely enter garages with windows, doors, cracks, leaks, and other minor openings where roaches can easily go in.

Signs That Tell Roaches Are Invading Your Garage

It’s not always a piece of cake to catch a roach invasion, especially in an area as dark as your garage.

But if you’re patient and determined to find one, there can be helpful signs that can make your work easier. The following are what you must be looking for when suspecting a possible roach infestation in your garage:

Droppings

The number one obvious sign that tells roaches are definitely in your garage is the presence of droppings.

Because roaches can eat anything, it’s easy to chew on what they find and leave food crumbs shaped like pepper or coffee grounds.

Droppings are normally a millimeter wide and are hard to spot when you don’t know what you’re looking for.

Unusual Stench Odor

When roaches invade an area, they leave a distinct scent that will tell you they are there.

The roaches’ pheromones make that pungent smell that stems from their droppings.

Moreover, the odor can attract more roaches, making the infestation more severe.

Remember that the bigger the invasion is, the more pungent and worse the smell becomes.

Smear Marks

Smear marks are streaks left behind by roaches.

These streaks are normally dark-colored with irregular markings; you normally see them on walls.

Shredded Skin

A roach’s life cycle involves skin shredding, especially as they mature.

Generally, roaches will shred at least five to eight times before fully transforming into adults.

Roach Eggs

Seeing roach eggs will also tell you that an invasion has started.

Egg capsules are called oothecae, and each can hold more than thirty nymphs.

Stop a Roach Invasion When You See One

Understanding why roaches invade your garage can help you get rid of them quickly.

Untidy garages with unlimited sources of moisture and a lack of activity will likely attract pests like roaches to enter the place and start hunting for potential food sources. And as long as there is moisture, roaches can thrive.

The most obvious signs to help you determine a possible roach infestation are the presence of droppings, shredded skin, egg capsules, and smear marks. Watch for these when you see a single roach playfully crawling into your home.