Ants and cockroaches are a health hazard – they contaminate food and surfaces and can even destroy electrical fittings. The presence of cockroaches and their waste is also said to cause asthma. If you have children in your home, you need to be even more vigilant because the little ones are unaware of the danger posed by these pests.
When an infestation of ants or roaches occurs in the home, it is usually because they have access to food or a place to hide. Sure, we can use the commercial insecticides prevalent in the market to get rid of them, but there are other ways to do so without exposing your family to potentially toxic chemicals. Here are some tips on how to keep the roaches and ants as far away as possible.
- Keeping Your Home Clean
As the adage goes, “prevention is better than cure”. To avoid the deplorable cockroaches, ants and other pests from breeding in your home, you should keep it spick-and-span, especially in areas such as the kitchen and dining room where food is prepared and consumed. That means wiping up spills and crumbs immediately, leaving no unwashed dishes overnight (every morsel of food attracts pests!) and throwing away the trash daily.
You should always store leftovers, fruits and other foods in the refrigerator or airtight containers, and dry out the wet laundry and towels. Don’t forget that pet food is also a source for the creepy-crawlies, so remove any remaining food after every meal rather than leave them around.
Keep your food in sealed jars and containers or in the refrigerator so that ants and roaches can’t get to them. (Image by monicore from Pixabay)
- Clutter-free Living
Bugs thrive and nest in dark clusters. Therefore, the more cluttered your home, the more attractive it is to them because there are lots of nooks and crannies to hide from you. By keeping your home clutter-free, you are making it much easier to seek and destroy any colony.
An uncluttered kitchen is a bug-free kitchen. (Photo by Aaron Huber on Unsplash)
- Sealing Up Cracks and Gaps
Roaches and ants can crawl through the smallest holes, cracks, openings or gaps in cupboards, walls and windows, so make sure they are sealed up with a solid material. And don’t forget the electrical conduits and pipes pass, where lots of them like to build nests.
Holes and unsealed electrical conduits are the perfect home for small insects. (Photo by Michal Jarmoluk on Stock Snap)
- Non-toxic Insecticides
Rather than spraying commercial insecticides, why not try some home remedies? All you need is boric acid and powdered sugar – the sugar to lure the pests in while the boric acid is used to exterminate them. Simply sprinkle the mixture over areas where the bugs are likely to enter or hide in, such as window sills, drawers, top kitchen cabinets and spaces between the ceiling and shelves. The thing about boric acid is that it is not harmful to human or pets, but deadly to roaches and ants. After they consume it and return to their nest, other roaches or ants that come in contact with them will also be infected.
Placing some boric acid mixed with powdered sugar underneath the compartments in the drawers can drive away the appalling bugs. (Photo by Jarek Ceborski on Unsplash)
- Water Leakage
Drip, drip, drip… the sound of water leakage is music to the ears of the roaches. Roaches love moisture, and places with leaking pipes are like Disneyland to them. While roaches can live up to months without food, they can’t go very long without water. Thus, you are better off sealing up leaks, overturning pots for plants and draining all water off your sink regularly.
Fixing your leaking tap can prevent roaches from making your home theirs. (Photo by Sasikan Ulevik on Unsplash)
With these measures, you can keep unwelcomed roaches and ants away and prevent them from breeding in your home. After all, a bug-free home makes a better living for you and your family.
