How To Get Rid of Roaches

To rid yourself of, or discourage cockroaches, arm yourself with as much information as you can, so you know exactly what you're dealing with. The cockroach is an expert at survival. It has been around since before T-Rex, so roaches have had hundreds of millions of years practice at beating the odds, evolving into the sheer numbers they are today. A female cockroach can lay hundreds of eggs every several days, and roaches have also become resistant to certain insecticides.

People think that cockroaches are filthy insects. Well, they're insects all right, three segments to the body -- the head, thorax and abdomen -- and they have six legs, like all other insects, and it's common to see cockroaches around garbage and spoiled or rotting food, because, well, that's where their food is, and the rotten food smell attracts them. But if you ever get the chance to watch a cockroach closely, (easy now), you'll see him or her constantly preening and cleaning their antennae and mouth-parts and other areas of their bodies.

To rid yourself of these pesky varmints, use simple common sense. Get those crumbs of food off the floor, especially in the pantry and under appliances. Roaches love it where it's dark and moist. Who doesn't? Make sure to keep your outdoor garbage cans covered and free of spillover. That's the deterrent and prevention. Now the actual elimination:

• Stay away from any chemical concoction that is not "green," or rather, environmentally friendly.
• Read the label (and any label for that matter) carefully.
• The best traps to use are the roach traps on the market which look like little, rectangular cardboard boxes, containing bait, which attracts the roaches, a sticky substance to trap them, and roach killer to finish the job. When full, just toss it away. You barely have to even look at 'em, 'cause they're all inside.
• One other thing; if you're seeing roaches during the day, (roaches are mainly nocturnal), especially out in the open, you probably have a major infestation, in which case a professional should be called in.

There is a species of roach that has really caught on in the pet world. It's the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. I think they're pretty cool and have kept some myself. Really. Not a bad thing to consider, if you are grossed out by insects. They just might make you see them in a different light, I mean, besides the ones flying around the street lamp, that is.