Let’s face it, the idea of having roaches in your home is never a good thought. From time to time, even the person that believe they keep a very tidy home may have problems with roaches. If you do have an issue with roaches, I suggest trying to deal with the problem in a sooner than later fashion.

There are a few issues to consider in making roach control important. First, roaches can spoil food. Next, a roach infestation in your home can make you sick. Roach droppings can pollute the air inside your home and can also be the cause of asthma attacks in youth.

Today, I will share roach control information from a pamphlet by Paul Guillebeau, Jorge H. Atiles and Gail M. Hanula.

The first step in roach control is to make your dwelling uninviting for roaches. As any good ball coach will come up with a plan before a game, you need to have a plan to battle roaches. If you will come up with your own home defense plan, you may stop a roach problem before it starts.

The steps to your defense plan should be Wash, Seal, Clean, Repair and Dispose. Wash any dishes and kitchen utensils daily either by hand or a dishwasher. By cleaning these items and storing properly, you are not leaving out a food source for roaches.

The seal part of the defense plan is to seal up uneaten food properly and store. Seal also means to close up trash bags and keep lids on trashcans.

The clean part of the plan is to clean up any spills or messes in kitchens or other areas of the house. Again, this is to keep food sources unavailable to the roaches. When I state repair work as part of the plan this means to fix water leaks. Roaches need water to survive. Fixing leaks will help you conserve water too and may help on the water bill.

Disposing means to dispose of trash and left over food items properly can keep roaches out of the house.

When you do have roaches in the home, baits and traps seem to be the best option. Baits according to Guillebeau, Atiles and Hanula come in pre-made traps and tubes. It is suggested to use roach baits made with insect growth regulators such as hydramethylnon. As with any product, you need to read the label for proper use and safety precautions. Keep bait and traps away from children and pets.

If you want to save money on buying products, you can actually make your own roach trap. You need a few simple supplies. You need a bottle, petroleum jelly and a food source. The food source can be a piece of potato, grapes, banana skins and even bread to bait the homemade trap. You will put the petroleum jelly inside the rim of the bottle and the food source needs to be in the bottle. Put the trap against the wall or in a corner.

The food source inside the bottle will need to be fresh to keep attracting the roaches. Keep the trap in place till you stop catching roaches for week.

You then can clean the bottle by adding one inch of water and a small amount of dishwashing liquid. Cap the bottle and shake the bottle to cleanse the inside of the bottle. Flush out the bottle contents. You can then rinse and dry the jar and then set up the bottle to trap roaches again if needed.

This can be an economically feasible approach to roach control and one that you are not using chemical products.

Finally, if you do go a chemical route, make sure you read the label completely.

Never use an outdoor use only product inside the home. Also, keep any pesticides away from children or pets.

For more information contact Gordon County Extension at 706-629-8685 or email gbowman@uga.