How To Keep Roaches Out Of Your Crownsville, MD Home
Crownsville is home to the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival that takes place every summer for a number of weekends. Getting decked out in the garb, playing the different games, enjoying the various shows and munching on the tasty foods are just a few highlights of the festival.
One thing that wasn’t a highlight of the actual renaissance period is the diseases around that time. Reduced cleanliness, lack of current medications and general ignorance led to many deaths. The cockroach spreads lots of these diseases as noted by the World Health Organization which blames them for illnesses like dysentery, diarrhea, polio, cholera, typhoid, leprosy and plague.
Though most of these diseases aren’t a problem for people in the United States, others are still a risk. This is why if you spot a roach, killing it isn’t the only mode of attack; the best defense is a good offense, which involves prevention tactics. The first tactic is cleanliness.
Crumbs on the floor or countertop? Use a vacuum or wipe them up. Make sure to seal off all open bags of food and store them in airtight containers in your pantry. This will prevent the cockroaches from snacking inside of your home and will, therefore, help to prevent the creatures from growing or repopulating. Even clean homes are at risk for roaches, it just depends on how easily the roach can access food and water. Read more at Insider…
So wipe down countertops and tables, vacuum religiously and protect your cereal, sugar and other food products. But as the previous article mentioned, being clean isn’t enough. Access to water is another path for roaches that must be sealed.
Our last article on roaches went into detail on sealing up cracks, windows, doors, and pipes. Speaking of pipes, these tubes carry water all around your home and if there’s a leak, no matter how small, it can be a magnet for roaches. Because roaches don’t just need food, they need water too.
Check for leaks beneath sinks, under the dishwasher and behind the refrigerator. Fix any dripping faucets. Before bed, empty pet water bowls or move them outdoors. And get into the habit of wiping up any water spilled onto countertops, around the faucet deck, and in all sinks and tubs. It doesn’t take much water—just a few drops—to attract a thirsty cockroach. Read more at Popular Mechanics…
Just like old-time warriors sealed off water sources to help defeat their enemies, you have to do the same to prevent roaches in your home. So remember to seal, wipe and repair.
Did you know that the Bronx Zoo in New York is encouraging Valentine’s Day celebrants to “name a roach”? They’ve been doing this for close to 10 years. You can also get a roach-scented candle. And this is where roaches ought to be – in a zoo or as a scent of a candle. Not scurrying around your home. Other than cleaning like mad and fixing any leaks, maintaining the outside of your house will also keep these nasty pests in check.
Prevention should extend to the yard.
- Keep heavy vegetation away from your home.
- Avoid having plants or bushes directly against any external walls.
- Keep firewood piles away from your home.
The author of the above post is kind enough to remind us that preventing roaches shouldn’t take place only indoors, but outdoors as well. You can have your little version of the Garden of Eden in your backyard but keep it trimmed, don’t let it touch your walls and store firewood in a separate outdoor place, like in a shed.
Roaches have been around for centuries, and people joke that they’ll probably outlast us. But don’t let them have this “eternal” existence in your home. Take these preventive measures and contact Backyard Bug Patrol for more tips and help to eradicate any present pests.