Cockroach Prevention Tips Every Business Should Know
If you spot a cockroach in your facility, don’t turn a blind eye. Cockroaches are hide-and-seek champions (spending 75 percent of their life in hiding*), so the one you see is a likely indication of many more nearby that you don’t see. Prolific breeders, a female roach can hatch more than 300,000 roaches in just one year**—that’s a sizable threat hiding inside your business. (To improve your odds against cockroaches, download our free guide, Cockroach Chronicles: Your Guide to the World’s Most Resilient Pest.)
How do cockroaches get inside businesses?
Cockroaches are highly resourceful pests that can enter businesses and facilities in a variety of ways, making them a constant challenge to keep out. They can sneak inside through doors, vents, windows, and cracks in walls or foundations. Even the smallest openings, as tiny as 1/16 of an inch, are enough for them to squeeze through. Sewage pipes and drain systems are another common entry point, allowing cockroaches to travel through plumbing and into buildings unnoticed. Additionally, they often hitch a ride on shipments, delivery boxes, bags, and even on clothing, making it easy for them to be introduced unintentionally by employees, suppliers, or customers.
Once inside, cockroaches quickly seek warm, dark, and damp spaces where they can hide and breed, such as storage rooms, kitchens, and areas near water sources. To effectively help prevent infestations, businesses need to adopt a proactive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. This approach focuses on key strategies like sealing entry points, maintaining sanitation standards to remove food and water sources, and ensuring regular facility maintenance to eliminate potential hiding spots. Without these measures, cockroaches can easily infiltrate and multiply, leading to significant pest control challenges over time.
Best Practices for Cockroach Prevention
Cockroaches are drawn to your facility because it offers the three things they need to survive: food, water, and shelter. Here’s how to make your business less inviting.
1. Remove Access to Entry Points
Your first line of defense is a good offense. Use exclusion strategies to block their entryways before they even get a chance to come inside.
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Seal Gaps: Caulk around utility lines and outlets.
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Secure Doors & Windows:
Apply door sweeps or weather stripping to all exterior doors and ensure all vents and screens are tightly sealed and in good repair.
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Eliminate Moisture:
Repair all leaky drains and pipes to help reduce sources of moisture.
2. Keep Your Facility Clean
The presence of clutter, food and trash may increase the odds of a cockroach infestation, so follow a stringent sanitation plan:
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Clean Up Promptly: Immediately clean up food debris, spills, and scraps.
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Manage Trash: Line garbage cans and keep the lids tightly sealed. Empty trash regularly, and clean areas near dumpsters.
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Deep Clean Regularly: Sweep and mop regularly under machines and appliances, or around furniture.
3. Monitor for Cockroach Activity
Once inside, cockroaches can hide in various areas of your facility, especially ones that are hard to reach or see. Monitor the “hot spots” of your facility that offer the most hiding spots for roaches:
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Inspect Shipments: Check all incoming deliveries for cockroach droppings, egg capsules, and musty smells.
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Check Hot Spots: Regularly inspect less-trafficked areas that provide cockroach havens like utility rooms, basements and supply closets.
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Work with a Professional: Identify the root causes of the cockroach infestation and establish an ongoing, customized treatment plan with an exterminator.
Want to know more about how to craft the perfect cockroach approach? Download our free guide, Cockroach Chronicles: Your Guide to the World’s Most Resilient Pest.
*http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcsaferoach.htm
**http://www.combatbugs.com/en/home/pest-identification/bug-files/how-often-do-cockroaches-lay-eggs.cky.html
More Cockroach Resources
The 5 Most Common Cockroaches in Commercial Environments
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Cockroaches in hospitals can carry bacteria and allergens, posing health risks to patients and staff. Maintaining cleanliness and sealing entry points helps prevent infestations.
How Cockroaches Impact Restaurants & Food Safety
Cockroaches in restaurants can contaminate food, spread diseases like E. coli and Salmonella, and damage your reputation.