The Season of the Roach is Coming
“It’s not a roach, it’s a palmetto bug.” … Pardon our French here, but it’s a (bleep)ing roach! Palmetto bug. Cockroach. Waterbug. Call it what you will, this is Florida and especially during the humid months, it’s a nasty and annoying bug that invades our homes and makes our lives a living hell!
Some roaches are small but let’s be honest, the ones we notice are the BIG ONES! There may be differences in size and species, but the bottom line is that they’re all nasty and all pests. These mutated monsters from hell are a nuisance, and make no mistake about it, they’re evil!
But the point of this blog post is not an excuse for roach-bashing (ok, maybe a little). The real point is that we’re in Florida, this is roach season and we want to provide you with some tips on how to do some evil-cockroach pest control.
Roaches and Air Conditioning
“What do roaches have to do with air conditioning?” is a valid question you might be asking yourself right now. Well, the temperature in your house could greaten or lessen your encounters with these vile creatures! Roaches prefer warmer temperatures where there are sources of moisture. If your air conditioner is set below 77°F, they’re likely to seek a warmer spot somewhere else. During cockroach season, it’s wise to set your air conditioner’s thermostat to cool below 77°F. Cooler indoor temperatures can help repel them. (Hey, you might be trying to lower your electricity bills by keeping your thermostat higher, but take your pick: a few extra bucks on your bill or dirty demonic bugs colonizing your home? Your choice!)
The water from your air conditioner’s drain pan may have attracted roaches too. Your air conditioner evacuates water to the outside of your home, creating moisture that could draw them in. And if one of those creepy little (beep)s crawls into an air vent, be careful not to spray pesticide into it. That’s because whatever you spray in there will circulate into the air you breathe. You can open up your air vents and place roach traps inside of them as an alternative, but it’s not recommended. We instead recommend calling Super Heat & Air to get your air vents and air ducts cleaned! (You didn’t think we were going to publish a blog post without our signature shameless plug, did you?)
The Roach Approach
Now that we got the relevance of roaches to air conditioning out of the way, there are certain other things you can do to control these sneaky little (beep)s from becoming a nuisance inside your happy home:
Keep your windows and doors closed
Roaches and other less vile but still nasty insects are attracted to light. So if you leave windows and doors open at night while your lights are on, you are inviting them to fly in (and yes, THEY DO FLY!) And even if your windows are screened, make sure there aren’t any holes or crevices they can crawl in through.
Clean up food scraps
Flicking on the kitchen light and finding cockroaches scurrying about is the stuff of nightmares. Avoid leaving food out and clean up any crumbs or scraps anywhere in your home. Roaches hide in your home during the day for the most part and scavenge for scraps of food at night. Also, be sure to seal your garbage bags and cans tight.
Raid their hiding places
Cupboards and drawers are common places for roaches to hide. Make sure you keep these areas clean and sanitized, and if you notice any roach droppings in these dark areas, make sure you clean them out and spray them down.
Spray your doorway
Roaches can easily crawl in through openings in your doorways. Spray these down thoroughly to keep cockroaches from coming in, making themselves at home, and breeding their demon spawn! Be sure to spray the surrounding outdoor areas as well.
Fix plumbing leaks
Where there be moisture, there be roaches (ARGH!). If you have any leaks in your plumbing, the moisture produced by these leaks could attract roaches into your home. If you have a burgeoning roach problem, look for any leaks or crevices in your plumbing and in surrounding areas.
Way to spray
Limit the spray to the infested area and do not spray where you prepare or store food. Carefully follow instructions on the label and do not spray where children or pets play, as pesticides are poisonous. Make sure the area you are spraying is well-ventilated, and air it out after you spray, as pesticides can cause allergic reactions like skin and eye irritation.
So there you have it, the stuff of Floridian nightmares crafted into a clever blog post to give us some relevant seasonal content to share (wink, wink). … Just kidding! But seriously, if you’re reading this, you probably live in Greater Tampa Bay and have already recently encountered a cockroach or two (or twelve)!
The best thing to do is to keep your house cool and, you know, the usual: call Super Heat & Air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if your air conditioner breaks. Remember, you don’t want those evil, vile, nasty, demonic, fiendish, annoying, creepy, crawly cockroaches making themselves at home in your home now, do you?!