Did you know that cockroaches can fit into a gap half their body size? They can squash themselves down to access your home and food supply!
Your home attracts cockroaches, and it is easy for them to find an entry point, which begs the question:
‘What are the most common cockroach entry points?’ and ‘How do roaches get in your house?
In this post, we are going to answer these 2 questions!
Cockroaches can cause allergies, affecting you or someone you live with. It is best to get these entry points sealed up so they cannot get in, right?
What you will learn in this post:
- The 10 most common cockroach entry points to your home
- Frequently asked questions
How Do Roaches Get In Your House? 10 Most Common Cockroach Entry Points
1. Drains
Drains are one of the most common entry points that a cockroach will use to access your property and one of the worst too!
Why is it the worst? Because roaches can carry some nasty diseases, some (E. coli) have been found in drains! That means a cockroach can crawl through all the nastiness of a drain and appear in your home, waltzing over countertops and even your bed!
2. Door Cracks
As mentioned above, cockroaches can flatten themselves to around half their height to squeeze under doors or through gaps. They are versatile pests; there is no doubt about that!
They can do this means they can easily squeeze under your doors if the gap is big enough. So it makes traveling through your home very easy indeed.
3. Gaps Around Door Frame
Over time, your house will move, and cracks will appear around door frames. This movement may produce a gap big enough for a roach to enter your home.
Roaches can use these gaps as a way into your home.
Also – check around the doors to your garage. Getting rid of roaches in your garage is almost as challenging as getting rid of them in your home!
4. Gaps Around Window Frame
Same as above, over time, your house will move and adjust. This can cause gaps around your window frames that you might not be aware of.
It would be best if you sealed these up ASAP because they will:
- Let roaches into your home, and;
- Increase your heating cost!
5. Cracks In Foundation
Cracks in the foundation of your home will let roaches in. As part of your regular checks, you should thoroughly check the foundations to see if you can see any cockroach entry points.
6. Utility Entry Points
You should also check around areas where piping and cables enter your home.
Check your gas, electricity, cable, and other utilities entering your home. Ensure there are no gaps around the entry points that will allow a roach to get into your home.
7. Luggage
Believe it or not, your luggage is a cockroach entry point! I know this from first-hand experience.
After returning from vacation, my wife opened the luggage and let out an ear-piercing scream. Then, as I rushed upstairs, I heard the word ‘cockroach’ being screamed!
The luggage was open, and tucked away in the corner was 1 cockroach. This roach had traveled thousands of miles to reach this destination!
Unfortunately for the roach, it was the final destination.
8. Brick Holes
Gaps in your bricks or around your bricks are widespread cockroach entry points.
A picture paints a thousand words, so here is a picture of brickwork at a friend’s home that I helped him fix:
A hole such as the one above will let cockroaches into your home!
9. Visitors
If you wonder, ‘how did I get roaches in my home?’ the answer could be ‘your friends.’ Cockroaches can hitch a ride inside your friend’s clothing or even any bags that your friend is carrying.
Let’s say your friend brings a bag over to your home and places it down as they enter. The roach will leave the bag and journey through your house looking for food and water.
10. Baseboard Gaps
Baseboard gaps are one of the most common cockroach entry points and will also be an excellent hiding place for roaches! You will never know they are there.
It would help if you fixed any gaps around your baseboards ASAP to stop cockroaches from getting into your home and make it more difficult for them to hide.
Fixing baseboards will also reduce the chances of getting cockroaches in your bedroom.
Blocking Cockroach Entry Points
If you wonder how to prevent cockroaches from entering your home, I will begin by closing off the roach entry points identified above.
There are 3 ways you can achieve this.
Caulking
It would help if you looked to seal that up straight away whenever you see an entry point that a cockroach can use to get in.
I use caulk to seal up holes, especially those inside my property. The cockroaches cannot get in as soon as these holes and cracks are sealed up.
Remember the picture above of gaps around brickwork? It would be best if you got this re-pointed ASAP.
Door Sweeps
Door sweeps are an excellent way of stopping roaches from:
- Getting into your home and;
- Traveling around your home if they do get in
If you are prone to a cockroach infestation, you should add door sweeps to all rooms you store food in.
Sink Drain Strainers
As cockroaches can appear in your home via drains, it is good to use drain strainers to stop them from doing this.
These will let water into the drain but not let roaches out of the drain! These are also good for stopping food from going down the drain. If you have food stuck in your drain, it can attract cockroaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What attracts cockroaches in your home?
Cockroaches enter your home because they look for food, water, and a place to lay their eggs. Gross, right? Well, it is true; you should learn what attracts roaches to your home to remove some of those attractions and reduce the chances of an infestation.
Do roaches come up through drains?
Yes, they do! Disgusting, right? If you wonder how roaches get in your house, then your drain is probably the answer! Roaches can waltz through the underground drainage system and then exit your kitchen. After wading through all of the nasty stuff in a drain, it will traverse your countertops searching for food. All of this could take place without you even knowing!
Does one roach mean an infestation?
If you saw one cockroach, should you be worried? Not necessarily, no. Although it is a concern to see one cockroach, it doesn’t mean that you have an infestation! It does mean that one roach has found its way into your home, so you should look around your property to find the entry point.
Conclusion
How do roaches get in your house? Easy; they use cockroach entry points, and we have given you 10 of the most common in this post!
If you notice any of these entry points, these are a great place to lay roach bait stations down until you fix them!
It is not enough to know the entry points; you must also FIX the entry points. It is by far the best thing you can do to stop a cockroach infestation in your home. If a roach cannot get into your home, you will not have a roach infestation.
In reality, it is difficult to get rid of all the entry points. There are some that you may miss. If you perform regular checks around your home for cockroach entry points, then you can seal these up and greatly reduce the chances of a roach getting in your home.
Good luck!
