Cockroaches

Yes. There are three species of cockroaches infesting urban environments including American Cockroach, German Cockroach and Brown Banded Cockroach.  Pest control company has experts who are highly trained in identifying cockroach species, where they are most likely to nest, and where to check for cockroach eggs. They are experienced in using professional cockroach control solutions including residual spray, gel and baits to achieve maximum effectiveness in eliminating cockroaches.

Some DIY methods for getting rid of roaches in your HDB:

• Sealing cracks and crevices in your walls and floors as roaches often use them as entry points into a HDB
• Cleaning cupboards, under sinks and any damp and dark areas in your HDB as they are common nesting grounds for cockroaches.
• Clearing up food and water spills so that roaches do not have access to food and water

However, if you keep finding roaches in your home, it is likely that you might have a cockroach infestation, especially if you spot them in the daytime. In such cases, DIY methods will have limited effectiveness and it will be in your best interests to engage a professional pest control service to eliminate cockroaches for the long-term.

Like most insects, cockroaches have a keen sense of smell that they use to find food and water. As such, very strong scents often confuse them and may work as a natural repellent to keep them away from your premises. Such strong scents include essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, and mint. Food items with strong scents such as garlic, cloves, and pandan leaves have also been observed to deter roaches. However, do take note that these scents do not kill cockroaches and may just move them to a different location while they are trying to avoid the smells. Moreover, after the smell diminishes, they are no longer as effective. Essentially, scent only works as a short-term cockroach repellent.

The cost for getting rid of cockroaches is typically cheaper than for other pests that may be complex or require extensive applications such as termites’ treatment and rat control.

Price is determined by the following factors:

• The severity of the infestation
• Frequency of treatment
• Size of your property
• Type of treatment and active ingredient
• Nature of space (residential versus commercial)

A good pest control company will first do a visual inspection of your premises and consider environmental and risk factors. This helps in better understanding of your pest problem before recommending the pest control packages that effects the cost of the pest control.

Cockroaches dislike the strong smell of essential oils or food with pungent and distinctive scent such as spices and condiments as they cover the smell of their scent trails that they use to find food. They favour dark, quiet and damp spaces including drains, bathrooms, store room, back of appliances and within cabinets.

For roaches, you can leave a mixture of boric acid and sugar water near their hotspots. Once cockroaches consumes it, the boric acid will destroy their guts from the inside. Moreover, if these cockroaches die and are eaten by other cockroaches, they are still effective in some form of residual effect. If you happen to find cockroach eggs, you can either spray insecticide on them to eliminate the embryoes or vaccum them up and dispose of them far away from your premises. However, the dosage and dilution rate of the insecticide spray or DIY pest remedies may be inadequate to get rid of cockroaches effectively. Professional pest control specialist has the expertise to carry out well-formulated solutions to control the cockroach infestation in a safe and responsive manner.