Are Roaches Worse in Summer or Winter?

When it comes to cockroaches, no one wants to find them in their house…ever! The answer to whether roaches are worse in summer or winter is a trick question, as it depends on the species. No matter whether we’re experiencing hot or cold weather, roaches are going to look for ways to take shelter inside your home. And if they find plentiful food and water sources, why go anywhere else? Sometimes, it is common for people to let their guard down in the winter months. But if anything, it’s important to take extra precautions in the wintertime to keep pests from hunkering down with you. Keep reading to learn Rentokil’s best tips to keep roaches out of your home this winter and year-round.

Seasonal Cockroach Prevention

Seeing even one cockroach is indicative of a possible infestation indoors. If you want to avoid the discovery of roaches in your home, it’s important to learn how to prevent them in the first place. Our best tips include:

1. Keep Your House Clean & Uncluttered to Keep Roaches Away

Cockroaches can adapt to any environment but are especially attracted to filth. 

• Keep all of your food stored in airtight containers and don’t leave any dirty dishes out overnight. They don’t care if the food is fresh or rotten, they will eat it.
• Along the same lines, you should take your trash out regularly to avoid attracting these pests.
• Get rid of any clutter in your house that gives them the perfect place to hide out during the day. These nocturnal pests are looking for cover when the sun comes out, so make sure you aren’t supplying them with that.

2. Remove Water Sources to Prevent Cockroaches

These pests are looking for three basic elements: food, warmth, and water.

• If you have any leaking pipes or standing water anywhere, you want to have them repaired for more reasons than structural damage. This standing water gives cockroaches the moisture they need to survive and will attract them just as fast as food sources.
• Wipe up spills quickly from the floor, especially around your pets’ food and water bowls.

3. Seal Your Home Off From Roaches

Make sure you aren’t allowing cockroaches an easy way into your home.

• Seal any cracks or holes that are present in your foundation or around your windows and doors. They can get through even the smallest cracks so fill them all in.
• If there are any gaps around the plumbing leading into your home, make sure you seal them off with some caulking. The plumbing is one of the main areas that cockroaches will go to since they are looking for water.

4. Don’t Bother with Ineffective Store-Bought Insect Spray

Using insect sprays in your house will likely not solve a cockroach problem.

• Cockroach sprays are designed to be contact killers. This means that they may get rid of the cockroaches that you see, but where you see one, there are many more you can’t see.
• Additionally, some of these store-bought insecticides are dangerous and can be harmful to your children or pets when mishandled.

How to Prevent Cockroaches Year-Round

The best way to keep cockroaches out of your home is with an integrated pest control program. The professionals at Rentokil have the training and resources needed to keep cockroaches from entering your home with regularly scheduled pest management services. We can monitor your home to ensure you don’t have cockroaches or any other insects and spiders infesting your home no matter what time of the year it is. Contact our roach exterminators today to learn more!