How to get rid of Cockroaches?

Cockroaches are tough and resourceful critters who are surprisingly common in the UK. It’s important to deal with these pests as quickly as possible.

Roaches carry harmful bacteria and can cause food poisoning, salmonella, dysentery, gastroenteritis and even typhoid and cholera. Cockroaches can also trigger allergies and asthma attacks.

Anyone who has watched ITV hit show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here will know just how unpleasant an infestation of cockroaches crawling over surfaces, in cupboards and people themselves can be.

What types of cockroach are found in the UK?

We might typically associate cockroaches with tropical climes, having witnessed them on holiday, but we do have native species here in the UK.

We have the dark brown Oriental cockroach which can be as big as 3 cm in length, and the smaller yellowish-brown German cockroach. Recent years have also seen occasional outbreaks of the bigger American cockroach in this country.

Where do cockroaches inhabit in the UK?

Unfortunately, cockroaches tend to live indoors, enjoying our warm houses which offer food and water sources.

They can often be found in kitchens, basements, bathrooms and heating ducts. The German cockroach likes warm, humid conditions. The Oriental cockroach tends to inhabit cooler, damper places.

Cockroaches particularly like commercial settings such as restaurants, takeaways and bakeries. Word of a cockroach infestation in such a place can kill a catering establishment’s reputation stone dead.

Worse still, cockroaches move incredibly quickly – up to 50 body lengths in a second – and can flatten their bodies to squeeze through the tiniest nooks and crannies.

How do cockroaches get into houses?

By any means possible is the simplest answer. But cockroaches can find their way into your home by migrating from neighbouring houses via plumbing systems, sewers and drains and any other opening.

They can be carried in by unsuspecting shoppers in grocery bags or food containers in which they have smuggled themselves. As cockroaches tend to have nocturnal habits, you may never know when they arrived.

How do I get rid of cockroaches – the basics

Cockroaches are hardy. They can survive without food for around 100 days, though they will always need a constant supply of water.

To get rid of them, we need to deprive them of food, water or shelter. Or find a means to directly kill them – poison or even a good old stomp.

The most obvious way to prevent cockroaches in the first place is to keep your house clean. Cockroaches will invade hygienic homes too but should they happen across one with leftovers lying about then they’re more likely to stay.

If you’re able to seek out the place in which they shelter then a vacuum cleaner or the sole of shoe may be the best way to clear them out. That said, cockroaches are surprisingly hard to squish even by a stamp from a size nine.

Do shop-bought baits, traps and pesticides work for cockroaches?

Should you google how to get rid of cockroaches, chances are you’ll be presented with all manner of chemical, homely, humane, horrible and dubious products claiming astonishing success rates.

But cockroaches, once in situ, are actually pretty tough to get rid of.

Chemical baits can be put in places where you’ve previously spotted them. Sticky traps will give off an odour which attracts cockroaches before effectively gluing them to the spot. Pesticides such as Boric Acid can also be used but must be applied with the utmost care if you have pets and children.

The easiest and most effective option is the professional

If you’ve tried the above, or really don’t fancy a prolonged spell of trial and error to find something that does actually work, the simplest solution is to call in a professional pest control firm. Seriously.

Pest control services will deploy the most appropriate solution for your circumstances, home and scale of the problem. And the cockroaches could well be gone within days – and for good.

At Pest.co.uk we only use the latest, safest and most effective techniques.

As a nationwide service, you’ll find a technician near you so don’t hesitate to contact us today.