How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Kitchen Cabinets?

Having cockroaches in kitchen cabinets is a nightmare scenario. You open your kitchen cabinet to get something to eat, and you see something scurry in the background. Your worst fears are that you have roaches, but how can these bugs get into your clean home? You try to be so careful and make sure the trash is taken out regularly. Now you’re wondering what this critter has touched and how many others are in your house too.

First, you should know that anyone can get cockroaches, as they don’t respect your neighborhood or status in life. Second, being clean will help them to stay away, but there are no guarantees. Many different types of roaches plague people in the state of New Jersey, seven to be exact. Some of them prefer the warmth of your abode, while others would love nothing better than to stay away.

It’s those pesky critters that wander in and decide to mate that cause the most significant problems. Before you jump to conclusions, head to the hardware store, and spend tons of money on treatments, you need to verify what bug you saw. Many bugs look like roaches, but they are not even closely related.

For instance, you can have a beetle that looks like a roach, but it’s just a cousin. Water bugs are another similar critter that has a cockroach’s appearance, but they can be a whole different problem. It’s best to catch one of the bugs and closely examine it before spending a dime. You want to make sure you have the right treatment for the right pest.

Looking for Signs of a Roach Infestation

You want to verify that you’re dealing with the right pest. The first thing you want to do is look for evidence. First, if you have a roach problem, you’re going to find them in the kitchen or bathroom area. Remember, these are nocturnal bugs, so they only like to come out at night. They hide in crevasses and creases during the day, and they will make themselves known if you startle them.

Besides seeing these pests in action, you can also look for droppings. Roaches aren’t known to be the cleanest bugs around. They tend to leave smear marks where they dwell, and next to the smear marks, you will find fecal matter that resembles coffee grounds. Another sign is their egg capsules that some species leave behind. They lay eggs regularly, and some roaches don’t need a male to reproduce, so if you see this little egg lying around, it’s a sign of a big problem.

If you have cockroaches in kitchen cabinets you will see black dots in all the cracks in the corners of the cabinets.

Lastly, you might also smell a distinct odor where they nest. Since they like to shed as they grow, leave fecal matter behind, and urinate often, it’s common for there to be a musty smell where they dwell. There’s always plenty of evidence of roaches if you look closely. If the problem has become an infestation, then you wouldn’t need to look long or hard to find evidence of these bugs.

Why Are Roaches in Your Kitchen? Why Are Cockroaches in Kitchen Cabinets?

Roaches get into your kitchen for many reasons. Some insects, like the American cockroach, love to be around water. If you have a water leak or some rotten wood cabinets by your pipes, they will see this as a great place to feast. Since rotten or decaying matter is attractive, you want to make sure you immediately take care of any leaks.

Once in the kitchen, you will start seeing cockroaches in kitchen cabinets too. That’s where they are finding food crumbs most easily.

While the American cockroach loves water, most come in for the food. If you don’t want roaches, then there are a few things you should make sure you do in your kitchen. Here are things to do in your home to keep insects at bay:

• Keep Your Trash Can Covered
• Take Out Trash Daily
• Never Leave Dirty Dishes in The Sink
• Keep Cereal in Plastic Containers Not Opened Boxes
• Never Leave Bacon Grease on the Stove
• Make Sure All Grease Splatters on the Stove and Hood Are Cleaned
• Don’t Eat Anywhere but The Kitchen
• Watch for Spills in Cabinets (cereal, chips, other snacks)
• Don’t Leave Bowls of Pet Food Sitting Out

The key here is that if you have your kitchen clean and nothing for them to eat, it will be less inviting for them to come in and set up a home base.

Various Methods to Treat Roaches and Methods to Treat Cockroaches in Kitchen Cabinets

There are various ways that you can treat your roach problem. Strolling down the aisle of your local hardware store might be a bit overwhelming. With so many choices, how do you know the right product for your needs?

The last thing you want to do is get something that doesn’t work, and the problem continues to grow. Some roaches are immune to specific treatments, and it won’t do a thing for them. Here are the various treatment methods available and the pros and cons of each.

• Traps

Traps are one of the most common treatment methods because they’re cheap. The bait is tempting as the roach is a scavenger looking for food. They will come into the box and ingest the poison.

The goal is that they will take it back to the colony where they hide. Remember, roaches often get into the walls around your electrical components for warmth, and your ability to treat in there is challenging. So, traps help you by allowing the roach to do the hard part and take the food back to the others.

For small to medium size infestations, this method may work well. However, once the problem gets out of control, then setting a few traps around your home will not resolve the issue.

• Vacuum

An effective way to help with roaches is by using your vacuum cleaner. The vacuums with the clear containers you can empty work best. Just make sure you empty it after you suck them up, as they can escape and get back into the home. Using a suction hose, you can clean along baseboards and grab any critters that you see.

While this is a great way to assist and can easily pick-up eggs to avoid new babies joining your home, it’s not adequate by itself. It’s certainly not going to hurt anything, but you will need more than just a vacuum to combat roaches.

• Flushing Agent

Flushing agents are great for getting roaches out of hiding. It’s an aerosol that is put into cracks and crevasses in your home to ensure the cockroaches come out and about. The goal is to find hot spots where the activity is excessive, so you can get into those areas and treat them.

Flushing agents aren’t used solely as they must be followed with bait or dust to help kill them after you flush them out. So, it’s an essential first part of the process of getting rid of these pests, but it’s not going to resolve all the issues.

• Gel Bait

Gel baits are easy to use, and it’s not as messy as some of the powders on the market. Gel bait is just as it sounds; it’s a gel material that looks like food but is full of poison.

The roach eats the bait and takes some back to the colony to share. They don’t die right away as they need time to carry it back to the nest for this treatment to be effective. However, it will slowly kill them by suffocating them.

• Liquid Residual

Liquid residual is a popular choice because it sprays poison in the areas of concern. It’s typically an odorless and non-staining treatment that can be used on carpets or hardwoods. Though it’s a bit more expensive than other treatment options, it can last for a few months after being sprayed.

Most of these products will not only kill roaches but ants, spiders, palmetto bugs, and other pests that enter your home. Additionally, they can be used both inside and out. Spraying around your doorways and keeping them from coming in is a good idea when you’re continually fighting these bugs.

Additionally, those who live around water or alleys where trash and debris is a problem might, have a more challenging time with these pests. So, finding a treatment that can work for a few months is ideal.

• Sticky Traps

Sticky traps work the same way that flypaper does. You put the trap in the area where the roaches like to congregate, and it will capture the ones in the area. While you will catch plenty of cockroaches this way, the only problem is that this method only gets a roach that is in this area.

If you have some living under the refrigerator that you don’t get, it doesn’t resolve your problem. You can still have an infestation going on even if you capture 100 of them.

• Dusting Agents

Dusting agents can be found almost anywhere, and they are one of the least expensive products to use. They are typically made of boric acid, and they leave the roach unable to breathe. Additionally, the cockroach gets the dust on their feet and takes it back to their colony, where others will get into the powders and die.

Dusting agents can be harmful if you have breathing problems, have young babies or pets around the home, or don’t want to deal with the white mess. They are best reserved for basement or attic areas and not in the main space that you occupy daily.

Knowing When to Call for Help

The roaches in the state of New Jersey can be a real battle to fight. As soon as you think you’re making some headway with these pests, they can be back for round two. They can cause hundreds of dollars in damages from lost food or even chewing on your books. They’re not a bug that you want in your home with all the diseases they carry.

Lastly, when you’ve tried many of these methods, and they seem to fail, then it’s time to call in the professionals. Having a knowledgeable exterminator can save you money. When you figure all the time and effort you’ve spent in supplies fighting these bugs, you could pay a professional who will get it right the first time.

Pest control agents used methods that have been proven to work quickly. For infestations, they often employ techniques that combine several treatments to ensure they don’t miss one bug. Since a female roach can lay up to 55 eggs at a time, you don’t want to miss a single pest.

When you’re dealing with such a dirty and fast multiplying insect like a cockroach, it’s best to call in professionals when you see the first bug. Remember, for every roach you do see, there are 100’s more lurking in the walls that you can’t see.