How Are Cockroaches Getting Inside My Home?

a cockroach on a kitchen counter in a home in dwight illinois

"Do you want to come over and see the cockroaches in my house?" said no one. Ever. If you are seeing cockroaches inside your Illinois home, chances are you are not all that eager to share that information with anyone. The truth is, these are nasty, filthy, disease-causing creatures that can taint reputations, ruin businesses, and may be fatal if they are able to transmit the plague. Read on to find out if your house has conditions that are inviting cockroaches to explore your exterior walls, and what you can do if they have found their way into your home.

Why Cockroaches Make Awful House Guests

Before we get into why cockroaches are getting into your home, let's take a moment to explore the very real reasons why they are NOT good to have around, especially if you are already dealing with health issues.

Stomach illnesses: Roaches love to rummage around in filthy places such as sewers and dumpsters, and then come in and crawl across your toothbrush or kitchen counter. When they do this, they can deposit harmful bacteria which can cause stomach illness.
Asthma symptoms made worse: Studies have shown a link between the presence of cockroaches and asthma. When roaches leave droppings, shed parts and saliva everywhere, they can trigger asthmatic reactions.
Human diseases: According to WHO (World Health Organization) cockroaches are proven to transmit diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever, and poliomyelitis. And they are also suspected of spreading the plague.
Common symptoms of the bubonic plague can include swollen, painful lymph nodes, chills, muscle cramps, high fever, and death.
Roaches can bite: While not prone to bite humans, it does sometimes happen. These bites usually happen on the eyelids since cockroaches like to nibble on eyelashes. Bites tend to be red and swollen due to the harmful bacteria being transferred from the cockroach to the wound.

What Cockroaches Are Looking For Outside

Cockroaches, like a lot of other pests, are attracted to 3 basic things: smells, food, and water. If a cockroach is wandering through your neighbor's yard and suddenly smells organic, decomposing material, it will happily take a detour to explore the source. This smell could come from a compost pile, fallen fruit, leftover vegetables in a garden, or trash receptacles that do not have tight-fitting lids. Cockroaches will also be drawn in by the smells of fresher food sources, such as food left out after a barbecue or pet food left outside.

Food sources roaches especially love include starchy or sugary foods, grease, meat, and cheese. But they will eat any kind of food they can find. Water sources that attract roaches and other pests are things such as leaky hoses and spigots, bird baths, and any object that holds rainwater.

Ways They Get Inside

Once cockroaches are drawn in close to your home, they may begin exploring your walls and foundation. Conditions around your home will determine how comfortable they will be to come in close. Food and water sources will draw them in, and if you have lots of vegetation around your perimeter, roaches and other pests will feel right at home hiding inside it. If there are gaps, cracks, or holes present on the outside of your home, roaches will likely find their way inside. It doesn't take much of a hole for them to squeeze through, especially if smells are leaking out of from inside. Once inside, cockroaches will waste no time finding food sources. They aren't picky; they are just as happy eating fresh cake crumbs as they are gnawing the hardened gunk between the side of the stove and the counter.

Professional Pest Control Is The Best Solution For Cockroaches

If you have no interest in having cockroaches in your home (like most people) and you are serious about getting rid of them, let the professionals here at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators help you. Once roaches have established themselves inside your wall voids, they are notoriously difficult to completely eradicate. While there are plenty of over-the-counter products and lots of do-it-yourself tips you can try, if you don't have the knowledge, expertise, and proper tools and products, you are likely to find yourself wasting precious time and money as roaches continue to plague you. You don't have to live with the threats cockroaches bring, reach out to Quik-Kill today to learn more about residential and commercial pest control options.