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Pest Control Mythbusters: DIY Cockroach Pest Control In Houston?

Like everything in Texas, cockroaches are bigger here. Ok, maybe not; but they sure do seem like it when you hit them three times and they turn around and give you an obscene gesture before trotting off unfazed. All jokes aside, cockroaches can be a major problem for homeowners and businesses too—especially dining establishments. All it takes is one cockroach to crawl out from underneath a patrons table and you’re on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay yelling in your face. Not only do cockroaches go hand in hand with imagery of uncleanliness and filth, but they carry a huge amount of diseases as well as trigger allergies as you may recall from our earlier post about these lovely little critters.

DO I REALLY NEED A HOUSTON PEST CONTROL SERVICE?

While it may seem like calling for professional pest control in Houston is a drastic measure at the first sight of cockroaches—it’s really not. Cockroaches don’t want human interaction, in fact, they loathe it—they hate us as much as we hate them. Haven’t you ever seen Men In Black? If you see cockroaches, especially during the daytime—you likely have an infestation already and just don’t know it. Cockroaches are nocturnal and hate sunlight as well as people so if you see them they’re crowded or hungry, and your home is like Golden Corral for cockroaches.

But I Can Just Deal With Them Myself. I’ve Seen YouTube How-Tos!

With the YouTube tutorial era we live in, many Houston residents have resorted to taking their cockroach problem into their own hands with DIY pest control methods to remedy their cockroach issues. Nothing wrong with taking extermination into your own hands—if you know what you are doing. The problem with most of the popular or so-called, “viral” DIY methods is; they just don’t get the job done. You really need to call a Houston pest control professional as these methods we are about to debunk have limited to no real effect on your cockroach problem in Houston.

Ok, so allow us to have some fun with these remedies because some of them—well, they invite the jokes and we’ve been watching a lot of Adam Ruins Everything. Hey, at least you’re getting entertained while learning at the same time.

Killing Them Softly With The Snuggle Bear?

So, rumor has it that fabric softener such as Snuggle® is quite the effective cockroach destroyer. Supposedly the same liquid used to make your clothes snuggly soft, and make cute little bears appear before your eyes; also blocks the pores in cockroaches skin—causing them to suffocate to death. Wow, that escalated quickly didn’t it, Mr. Snuggles?

The tutorial states, that you simply create a mixture of 3 parts Snuggle with 2 parts H2o and now you are a bonafide cockroach assassin. Simply spray it on cockroaches most favorite hangouts such as The Bathtub Pub, The Laundry Bin Lounge, and pretty much any other dark and wet place in your home.

Sounds too good to be true right? That’s because it is. Yes, the world would be a cleaner place and our Houston pest control supplies could all be bought at Walmart with coupons in tow! The main problem with this “remedy” is that while the fabric softener aspect may be true—the method relies on applying the mixture directly on to the cockroaches. Have you ever seen a cockroach run? They are faster than shoppers on Black Friday. Yes, cockroaches can run at a top speed of about 3 miles per hour. Wipe that look of confusion off your face, when you factor in their size—that is incredibly fast! Even if you were able to spray one directly, that would be probably one down, 500 to go…and just like ants, when the ship goes down they sprint in ALL directions. So, good luck with that, we’ll be here awaiting your call for help.

Death By Starbucks?

Ok, this is probably one of the most nonsensical DIY fixes for cockroaches we’ve heard; and it’s nonsensical because it contradicts itself. This method involves coffee in case the title didn’t allude to that clearly. There are actually two ways this is supposedly able to be effective.

One method involves making a trap consisting of a jar, water, and some old coffee grounds to drown them. Apparently, the coffee grounds attract the cockroaches, and then they drown in the water. This might make a tiny bit of sense if the other method didn’t directly contradict the concept of the first method and vice-versa!

The second method is to sprinkle your coffee grounds around the perimeter of your home because the coffee grounds…attract the roaches? Wait, back that up a bit. Didn’t they just say they’re attracted to coffee grounds but now they say coffee grounds repel the cockroaches?

No further questions your honor, this case is…BUSTED.

Fact is, cockroaches haven’t shown to have an aversion nor an attraction to coffee. Our theory is someone was a little amped up on the java while thinking of cool life hacks to post on their Pinterest board. Try these methods if you will, but all you will do is make your yard and house smell like a Starbucks—better secure your WiFi!

Lemony Snickets! We Might Be On To Something Here!

Ah, yes, the epitome of the multitasker—the lemon. It pops up in DIY tutorials for almost anything. Got a cold? Drink hot lemon tea. Got grease on the stove, rub a lemon on it. Got a cut on your leg and want the pain to go away? Rub a lemon—OK just kidding on that one.

Lemon for repelling or exterminating cockroaches, however? Not so much. The concept in this method is that by using a mixture of fresh lemon juice and water to clean your home; you keep cockroaches at bay because they can’t stand the smell of lemons.

Hate to break it to you in the grossest of ways— but cockroaches roll around in your dog’s poop and seem to love that small as well as a dozen odd things like turpentine, rubbing alcohol and pesticides ironically. Guess which one of those actually works eh?

The truth is, the lemon isn’t the factor in this equation that makes this method work. It’s the getting off the couch and cleaning your house that works.

Once again, another myth…BUSTED. Clean your house with lemons if you want or without—just clean it! That’s really all it takes to make your home less attractive to cockroaches.

HOW CAN I GET RID OF COCKROACHES MYSELF?

If you want to try and keep cockroaches from taking up shelter in your home start by grabbing a bucket of soapy water and a mop and put a good shine on those floors.

Cleaning Is The Best Solution To Avoid Cockroach Problems!

You can mitigate your chances of a cockroach infestation by practicing a few simple household habits.

  • Keep floors, counters and other surfaces clean
  • Empty your trash regularly
  • Keep all food in airtight containers
  • Clean up all spills and crumbs right away

You Might Need Pest Control In Houston After All

If you do all of these tasks and you end up with an infestation anyway, there is usually a cause whether it’s in your control or not. If you end up with an infestation the best solution is to let a Houston pest control professional handle it because they can:

  • Identify the source and cause of the infestation
  • Offer you prevention tips
  • Provide professional pest control solutions to eliminate them
  • Most importantly, they can treat your home regularly so that it doesn’t occur again

WANT TO AVOID COCKROACH PROBLEMS IN YOUR HOME? HIRE THE BEST

At Champions Pest control we have seen it all and eliminated it all. From cockroaches to gators, coyotes to hornets there’s not a job too big or too small for us to handle. Contact us today to protect your home from the things the creep, crawl, and sting in the night!

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