What can be done to reduce cockroach levels?
Cockroach management and control is best accomplished by removing sources of food and household food wastes. Foods should be stored in sealed containers. Every attempt to reduce access to water should be made such as fixing leaking faucets or preventing condensation on pipes. Improving ventilation to eliminate damp areas is helpful. Caulking or sealing cockroach access and entry points is also helpful. Spraying cockroach runways around kitchen cabinets and drawers with insecticides known to kill cockroaches will kill the parent cockroach but will not kill their eggs. Therefore repeated spraying with bait stations every one to two months is necessary to effectively control cockroach populations. Finally, thorough and frequent housecleaning to remove dust and cockroach byproducts is necessary. If these interventions are maintained, recent studies have shown that cockroach allergen levels will decrease in the home after 6-12 months.
