Eliminating Cockroaches During the Summer Season

Eliminating cockroaches during the summer seasonr
By Joe LaBrie

Heat waves and high temperatures are not the only things to overtake the Valley during the summer season. Unfortunately, summer is also the prime time for the American Cockroach to invade homes.

Averaging over two inches in length, the American cockroach, also known as the sewer roach, will come out of hiding during the spring and summer months, crawling into homes and yards. Other types of cockroaches found in Arizona include the German cockroach, the Turkestan cockroach, and the Brownbanded cockroach. The easiest way to distinguish which type of cockroach you are dealing with is to identify its stripes. The German roach has two black stripes along its sides, the Turkestan male roaches are yellow while the female is all black, and the Brownbanded roach is completely brown. The American cockroach is the most recognizable, as it is light brown with long antennas.

Sewer roaches survive on the “gunk” in sinks and drains, trash, nutrients from plants, insects and pet droppings. When they crawl out from the sewer, they will disburse into hiding places in the kitchen, bathroom drains, sinks, tubs, disposals, trashcans and potted plants, making themselves difficult to find.

Once cockroaches take over your home or yard it can be difficult to get rid of them. Prevention is key to keeping these pests at bay.

Simple steps for cockroach prevention:
• Dispose of clutter, lawn trimmings, leaves and yard clippings, as these piles provide a great place for cockroaches to hide.
• Remove lumber, firewood, or other debris from around the walls of your home to keep the roaches from inhibiting themselves in the crevices.
• Repair sprinklers, leaks in the garden hose and hose bibs to prevent them from living in the moist, dark environments in your yard.
• Repair gutter leaks, re-direct a/c condenser lines and close your chimney to block off access into your home.

Keep in mind that many cities in Arizona have extensive roach control programs that involve painting sewer manholes with a special paint that effectively controls roaches in sanitary sewer systems. However, if you discover these pests are becoming a problem in your home and yard, there are professional strength, easy-to-use products available for treatment.

Bug & Weed Mart assists homeowners with cockroach problems almost everyday. The staffprovides do-it-yourself solutionsfor protecting your home from roaches, as well as other pests, including mosquitoes, bedbugs, crickets, termites, gophers, rats, mice, snakes, and bats.There are safe, simple, economical, and effective options available that put you in control of your home’s pest management.