Cockroach Control

Getting Rid Of Roaches On Your Own Is A Nightmare

The last thing you need is someone coming over and finding out that you have roaches.
Gross bug spray from the store is the worst way to get rid of roaches.
Unless you know exactly what to do, roaches do not go away quickly or easily. How much longer do you really want these around?

roach home services- Lakewood Exterminating in Cleveland, OH.

German Cockroach Inspection

Finding The Source

In order to get rid of cockroaches, a number of factors need to be considered. The first thing to remember is that cockroaches are a tropical species. With this in mind, the main thing to figure out how they came inside.

Infested material from neighboring properties is a big cause for new infestations. Many homeowners are devastated to find roaches in their homes because they think it means their homes are dirty. That’s not always the case! Trash placed outdoors gives roaches a perfect opportunity to visit the kitchen next door. Do you suspect neighboring properties to be a problem? If so, consider year-long protection with our annual plan.
On a similar note, consider your actual trash receptacles. Roaches in a nearby dumpster or trash can will easily migrate over to your can, giving them easy access to the interior of your home.
German cockroaches love corrugated cardboard boxes — especially those that once held produce or other food products. If you take boxes from grocery stores — whether you’re packing up old clothes, moving out of state, or simply hauling your groceries home using boxes instead of bags — make sure you carefully inspect them.
Cockroaches are excellent hitchhikers. If you notice a cockroach after a friend or family visits your home, it could mean that they carried the bug in with them. Cockroaches are particularly prevalent in the Southern part of the country.

How Roaches Get Established Once Indoors

German cockroaches require a warm and humid environment. They are highly adaptable scavengers and will eat a variety of foods. Cockroaches mainly infest kitchens and bathrooms. They’re commonly found around dishwashers, stoves, refrigerators, and sinks.

In order to make your home inhabitable to German cockroaches, consider these 4 factors: shelter, food, water, and heat/humidity.

Shelter

If there’s one thing in common between all of the cockroach jobs we take on, it’s that they all have excellent cockroach hiding places. Cockroaches are nocturnal and retreat into crevices during the day. They prefer any place that’s warm, dark, and humid — think behind/inside of sinks, stoves, refrigerators, and dishwashers. The gaps around cabinets are also great hiding spots. Cockroaches are also known to hide out inside cabinets, electrical outlets, door frames, and plumbing.

Water

You’d be surprised how many homes with chronic roach infestations also have a chronic water leak. German cockroaches can survive for about a month without any food. However, they can only survive about two weeks without water. With that in mind, it’s very important to repair water leaks and dry up the infested area as much as possible. Something as simple as a wet wash rag stored under the sink is enough to keep cockroaches alive and well for quite some time.

Food

These critters come out of their hiding spots at night to feed. They are not picky eaters. Their diet consists of grease, meat, starches, and sugary foods. Their main food source is garbage. They especially like it when you store your trash next to the fridge or underneath the sink. Grease on the stove is also a very significant food source. The lesson here? Clean up your kitchen before you head to bed!

Heat/Humidity

The peak of activity for this tropical pest is summertime, during which they ramp up their reproduction and translocation. However, they don’t go away when it gets cold outside. So without the exterior heat and humidity of summer, what’s a cockroach to do? The answer is simple: they find a home that is near 70 degrees with much dryer air. Start looking for hot spots:

Underneath the refrigerator.
Under the hot water tank.
Inside gas stoves.
Around heating vents.
Surrounding hot water pipes.
Inside electrical outlets.

Preparation Guidelines

The Different Kinds of Cockroaches

There are approximately 30 different species of cockroaches living among us. Cleveland is home to 4 species, especially the German Cockroach. The American Cockroach also requires structural cockroach control. The black Oriental Cockroach is rare, yet still worth mentioning.

Oriental Cockroach

These large black roaches require cool temperatures with high levels of humidity. Oriental roaches spend their life outside, causing little harm (if any). Generally speaking, cockroaches are beneficial in nature — as long as they stay outdoors and out of your home. You see, cockroaches are great at breaking down organic debris, and Oriental cockroaches are no exception. However, during cooler weather, Oriental cockroaches sometimes venture indoors. If you find one or several within a structure, it’s often directly related to the cool, damp environmental conditions on the building’s exterior. Thick leaf accumulation against outside walls also provide them a habitat and encourages them to move inside.

German Cockroaches

Who would ever imagine that a tropical insect could thrive so well in Cleveland, OH?! German cockroaches have many tricks up their sleeves to make a cozy life here. If they find the right home, they honestly don’t ever need to go outside. The warmth of your refrigerator keeps them warm. The grease on the side of your stove gives them nourishment. And they get plenty of water from the leak under your sink. On top of that, they’ll eat nearly anything. (Not to mention the fact that they can go about a month without eating at all!)

American Cockroach

People sometimes refer to American Cockroaches as water bugs or Palmetto bugs. They are the largest cockroach found inside our homes. With that being said, they are rare in residential areas of Cleveland. These creatures love old commercial buildings above all else. Since these critters come up through the sewers, infested structures commonly carry a musty odor. On a similar note, they also drag around raw sewage, which can cause food-borne illness. Many people with an American Cockroach problem will often mistakenly assume they have a mouse problem, because their feces appear similar. However, roach droppings have ridges.

How Much Does It Cost To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Cleveland?

This Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Cleveland, OH!

2-Visit Service Plan

$250⁰⁰Starts At

60 Day Warranty When Preparation Guidelines Are Followed
80$ Per Additional Apartment Unit
Best coverage for homes without sanitation issues
Receive two scheduled visits 2-4 weeks apart
Attack roaches through their entire lifecycle. Use this treatment plan for well established infestations

Schedule

Single Service

$185⁰⁰Base Price

40$ Per Additional Apartment Unit
Half Price Follow-Up Visits Within 60 Days
This is an affordable option for newly-found infestations
If there are sanitation issues that would compromise any warranty, this is the best choice to get rid of your roaches
Great choice if you want monthly or bimonthly service

Schedule

What Is Included?

Our single service cockroach control comes with a 60-day warranty.

We place low-toxicity borate dust into typical cockroach shelters. By doing so, we leave them nowhere to hide.
In addition to the borate dust, our highly effective gel bait is applied in and around cabinets. As a result, you are not required to empty your dishes and food items.
We also set bait in other hot spots. For example, bait is very effective underneath the base of kitchen appliances. Of course, we always apply bait out of reach from children and pets.
Glue traps catch these creepy crawlies in areas of high activity.
We purposefully combine liquid, non-repellent spray products with an insect growth regulator. This tank-mix targets all life stages. It is highly effective coupled with the rest of our control methods.

Add-On Services

Although our cockroach control service is unmatched in the area, we’re also happy to offer several add-on services to complement our basic package.

We use HEPA bug vacuums to mechanically remove roaches from their hiding spots. This is beneficial for two main reasons. Firstly, cockroach carcasses cause allergies. It is best to physically remove as many as possible. In doing so, your allergy risk is minimized. Additionally, you can’t always rely on pesticides. On the other hand, vacuuming instantly crashes heavy infestations.
Pest exclusion means sealing roaches out. Caulking around cabinets and sealing plumbing voids takes away their homes! These critters love to hide in electrical outlets, too. Therefore, we install weatherstrip pads to seal these hot spots. Exclusion methods like these help prevent new infestations from occurring.
For a small fee, you may request that all bait be applied in tamper resistant bait stations.

Tips And Tricks

Habitat modification and sanitation are essential to controlling cockroaches. Focus on eliminating all of their hiding spots.

Create a complete seal around kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
Seal underneath the sink where the plumbing lines go into the walls.
Install foam weatherstrips behind electrical outlet covers.
Clean grease residue off of stoves.
Do a clean sweep of water every night in the kitchen and bathrooms for 30 days.
Do not spray with over-the-counter products, as most of them are pyrethroids. These sprays are known as repellents. While they kill on contact, most insects tend to avoid contacting the spray after it has dried. Pyrethroids will also contaminate baits. If you try to control these pests on your own, stick to baits.