Cockroach Control

There are around 4,000 known species of cockroach but less than 1% of those invade our buildings.   Basements and apartment buildings with old ventilation systems are the most common places to find a roach, but in summer they can (and do) appear anywhere.   They come inside to hide from the humid heat, and to feast upon the ample sources of food and water.

Cockroaches are prolific breeders.   In theory, a single pair can produce enough offspring in a year to carpet an average home to a depth of one metre.

If you own a bar, restaurant or other space used by the public, you will use professional pest controllers at least every two years.   Make sure you receive the appropriate certificates after each visit – Health Inspectors will always ask to see these.   At home, you shouldn’t need to go to the expense of professional help.   The following tips should do the trick.

·        Roach Motels (traps) are usually available at bargain shops and supermarkets.   The latter also often sell Trampas de Cucuracha during the summer months.

·        Fit a sheet of metal gauze behind your vents.

·        Fans, air conditioners and dehumidifiers help to keep cockroaches (and mosquitoes) at bay in the evenings.

·        Routinely clean corners and skirting boards of dust (which is 80%+ human skin, upon which they feed).

·        Push talcum powder into cracks; seal any that you know the insects use.

·        Make bait of 45% baking soda, 45% powered sugar and 10% powered yeast or powdered vitamin C.

·        Steep a clove of garlic, an onion, a tablespoon of chilli or cayenne pepper and a sprig of peppermint in a litre of hot water for an hour.   Strain, add a tablespoon of washing-up liquid and put the mixture in a spray bottle.   Squirt around the rooms.

·        Grow peppermint in your window boxes and cut sprigs for your flower vases inside.   Cockroaches (and other insects) detest this smell.

·        Mop floors with a cup of Borax per two gallons (nine litres) of hot water.

·        One hour after dark, enter the room with a red/yellow light and use an insect spray (or vacuum cleaner!) on any visible cockroaches.