Spotting a cockroach crawling on your kitchen floor can be very upsetting. While you may swat that particular roach with the closest thing you can find, you should remember that there may be lots more of them hiding within your home.
This is why it’s vital that you eliminate not only the roaches that are in sight but also those that aren’t. This will require you to find every roach nest, destroy it and put measures in place to prevent cockroach infestations in future.
In this post, we’ll guide you on how to identify a roach nest and what you should do when you find one.
What Does a Roach Nest Look Like?
Cockroaches don’t build nests per se. When someone mentions a cockroach nest, what they’re really referring to is a huge gathering of these insects in one spot.
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When a cockroach finds the perfect hiding with ready access to food, they emit a scent that attracts fellow roaches to the area. It’s these enormous congregations of the pest that result in an infestation.
Signs of a Cockroach Nest
Whenever there are several cockroaches living in close proximity, you’ll find several signs that will help you know there’s a roach nest nearby. These are:
- Shedded skins from the molting process
- Fecal residue, which resembles small grains of black pepper or coffee grounds
- The egg cases
- Live or dead cockroaches
Where to Find a Cockroach Nest
The ideal living conditions for a cockroach entails a warm and humid space. This hiding spot should also be close to their water or food source. What this means is that you’re more likely to find roach nests in bathrooms and kitchens.
The specific areas that you should investigate are sections: under or behind the refrigerator, inside the kitchen cabinet, behind other appliances- like microwaves, inside cracks and crevices, in crawl spaces and inside closets. [May: consider using roach trapto help identify if there’re roaches moving around when humans are inactive]
>> Related article: Best Roach Fogger & Bomb
How to Get Rid of a Cockroach Nest
When you find a cockroach nest, you should not interfere with it. Remember, your goal is to get rid of all the cockroaches in your home. That includes those roaches that are out for a stroll. So what’s the best way to deal with the nest?
1) Spray it with the strongest bug spray you can find
While some might manage to get away at the time, the effects of the bug spray will ultimately kick in and kill them. This way, you’re able to destroy the nest without subjecting yourself to the risk of some of the roaches running up your arms. I know what you’re thinking, what about the roaches that survive?
>> Read: Best Roach Sprays
Well, this is why you should follow up with additional treatment and prevention measures. For instance, ensure that you don’t leave any food exposed as the roaches will use it as their source of food for survival.
2) Use a cockroach bait to contaminate all the cockroaches living in the nest
Baits come in various forms- roach tablets, dusts, granules and gels. Apply these in areas where the cockroaches visit frequently. The best thing about this approach is that it kills current roaches in the nest as well as those that join the nest later on. Obviously, it might take a while to get rid of all the cockroaches but it’s worked well for most homeowners over time.
>> Read article: Best Roach Killer Products
3) Hire a professional pest exterminator
If all else fails, enlisting the help of an expert pest control service is your best bet. Just be ready to shell out a chunk of your next income. But even though this is a pricey option, experienced exterminator can clear your home of roaches in such an effective way that you’ll never have to worry about another infestation.
How to Prevent Cockroach Nests
Getting rid of cockroach nests is no small task. That’s why you should spare time to put measures that prevent future infestations.
The first thing you should do is seal off entries that roaches can use to access your home. Look for caulk and use it to fill every crevice and crack no matter how small it is. For larger gaps, spray foam is a more effective sealing agent.
Next, install weatherstripping on the bottom section of your door. This way, no roaches or pests will be able to enter your home.
>> Buy pest weatherstripping for door here
If you’re not doing this already, you should also keep your house and yard clean. That entails getting rid of trash every day, removing unused boxes, and clearing leaves from your yard. If you have bushes or a lawn, it’s important to trim them on a regular basis.
Conclusion
A cockroach nest is a term used to describe a gathering of many cockroaches within a home. These nests are often found in hidden areas that are close to food and water sources.
>> Also read: Boric Acid For Roaches
Signs that indicate your home is infested by roaches include fecal remains, shed skin (from moulting), and egg cases. To get rid of roach nests, you can use top-rated bug sprays or contaminate them using roach baits.