It can be common to spot cockroaches inside your home after a heavy rain. Humans have a tendency to prefer the indoors when the sky opens up. Does this hold true for cockroaches?
Before you begin exploring the steps you can take to help prevent seeing roaches inside your home after heavy rain, it helps to know what brings cockroaches inside in the first place. Keep reading to learn why roaches run from the rain and the steps you can take to dissuade them from riding out the weather in your home.
How Do Cockroaches End Up Inside Anyhow?
The reason that roaches show up in your house when it rains is simple: They don’t want to drown. There are millions of cockroaches living in sewer systems throughout the country. When these sewer systems become flooded after a heavy rain, the cockroaches can get flushed out. This can send cockroaches running to seek shelter elsewhere, including inside your home. The rising water can cause them to climb up pipes and they will exit wherever they find a gap. This is generally true of the American and Oriental cockroach.
So, to save themselves from what may seem like an insect-sized tsunami, cockroaches search for shelter that is high and dry. Sometimes, that safe spot is your house.
What Attracts Cockroaches?
Like most creatures, cockroaches have three basic needs for survival: food, water and shelter. All of these can be found in your home.
Food can be located in your kitchen, as roaches will eat crumbs, debris in the drains and even items in your pantry. Roaches find water from leaky faucets, pipes, sink drains and pet water bowls.
Related > What Bugs Can Live in Your Drains?
As for shelter, well, your whole home provides protection for roaches, which is why they are likely to run to it during heavy rain. Once inside your home, they particularly enjoy dark areas that are snug, warm and provide moisture — think the kitchen and bathroom — and roaches hide in a variety of places, from baseboards to appliances.
What Species of Roaches Run for Cover in the Rain?
As mentioned before, you’re likely to see new visitors of American and Oriential cockroaches inside your home after a heavy rain. That’s because these species of cockroaches are more commonly found outdoors, therefore, they’ll likely be looking for a place to take cover during a heavy rain.
How to Help Keep Roaches Out of Your Home
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to help keep cockroaches out of your house regardless of the weather:
- Add screen drains and keep water traps full
- Inspect the perimeter of your home to make sure all cracks and crevices that cockroaches could use as access points are sealed.
- Don’t leave food out in the open in your home.
- Store pantry items in sealed air-tight containers.
- Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
- Keep sink drains cleaned out.
- Empty trash cans regularly.
- Take pet food up at night before you go to bed, if possible.
Rain or shine, one of the best ways to help prevent a roach infestation is with the assistance of a pest control professional, like the ones at Terminix®. Our trained technicians can evaluate your problem and recommend a comprehensive pest control solution that’s custom-tailored to your home’s needs, so you don’t have to let roaches rain on your parade. A Terminix pest control plan covers more than just cockroaches as well.
