Cockroach Infestation

Summary: A c ockroach infestation cannot always be fixed with pesticides alone. Living in clutter and failing to do a good job of cleaning can cause a major cockroach infestation to occur.

Felicia; Anniston, AL asks:

I am the only one in my household that gets bitten by roaches. Why is that?  We have roaches really bad and have tried everything to get rid of them. What can I do? I went to my doctor and she said there was nothing she could do. She gave me hydrocortisone cream for the bites.

Dear Felicia,

I'm going to try to help you through, what appears to be a serious problem with cockroaches. First, cockroaches do not intentionally bite humans. If you .

Infested refrigerator

have cockroaches in or around your bed they may be attracted to the smell of food coming from your mouth, face or hands and "bite" you as they attempt to get at the food residues

With today's advanced technology available for the control of cockroaches there is no reason why you should be suffering with these insects. Roach baits are known to be very successful in controling cockroach populations. However, pest control is only part of the answer. Cockroaches live among us because we provide them with food and shelter. We can just as easily remove that food and shelter with a bit of work.

Cockroaches love clutter. If your home is not kept clean and organized you are giving cockroaches places to live. If you have things stored in cardboard boxes you are giving cockroaches shelter. the construction of the box gives the roaches places to lay their eggs and the glue gives them a food source. Get rid of the boxes. I'd rather see you put items in plastic garbage bags.

If your kitchen is not spotlessly clean, and that means all cooking surfaces and sides of the stove and refrigerator, legs of tables, under equipment and furnishings, you are giving cockroaches ample food to survive and multiply.

Infested door hinge

Just the smallest amounts of grease accumulating on the sides of appliances is ample food supply for a nest of cockroaches.

When you tell me that you are being bitten I can only guess you are experiencing that while you are asleep. (Cockroaches cannot chase you down when you are up and moving around.) Wash your bed linens, vacuum under your bed, empty garbage and do what you have to do to eliminate all the things cockroaches need to live. Food. Shelter. Water. Take away just one of those items and the cockroach cannot survive.

There is simply no reason to live with cockroaches, but you need to work at it. Pesticides alone will not resolve your issues.