Do Roaches Like The Cold
Do roaches like the cold? If your home has a roach infestation, then you should know that even in their natural habitat, where they are exposed to all types of weather extremes and temperature changes.
You still have roaches living among you inside. Some even say that during the winter months there may be an increase in roach numbers. Could this be true?
Not necessarily! In some cases, during the colder months, we see a decrease in egg hatching for cockroaches’ eggs which is why some people think there are fewer but rest assured these resilient creatures will survive any weather conditions thrown at them including the cold.
Do Roaches Like The Cold
Roaches don’t generally like the cold. They have a sluggish metabolism and in most cases, the temperature differs from their bodies.
This causes their bodies to react accordingly. Some of them will go into a diapausing state where they stop growing and their metabolic rate slows down significantly.
1. Cracks and gaps in your home’s walls
Cracks in the walls is a sign of a big problem. These gaps give bugs an opportunity to invade your home and cause even more damage.
So don’t wait till they do, get them sealed now by using silicones. Silicone-based caulking keeps cracks sealed which naturally deters invading bugs.
Bugs can’t chew through it either which means you’re getting longer lasting protection. It’s important to take the right kind of action immediately, don’t hesitate anymore.
2. Repair leaks inside your home
Roaches like dampness. Along with food, moisture is a critical life source of roaches. And if your home is too moist, thanks to leaking pipes, then your home will attract roaches and many other bugs.
To keep this that doesn’t happen, check for damaged areas in the walls, floors or molding. Also look out for worn-out area plumbing in the kitchen or bathroom.
Always remember that excessive moisture inside homes can damage all these areas and turn into a breeding ground for roaches and certain types of ants or other insects.
So, if you notice any such damages, repair them immediately and try to correct the source of the moisture problem as quickly as possible too.
3. Keep your home and yard clean
Roaches and their eggs live in a wide range of environments regardless of the region. They nest in permafrost, deserts, mountains and can even thrive in arctic conditions due to their ability to survive extreme moisture.
While they are primarily nocturnal they are also active during the day and will come out if they smell food or ever feel threatened. While we all cringe at the thought of roaches crawling around our homes while we are sleeping.
The best approach is to remain aware of how roaches live and what attracts them – which include decaying matter and junk – so that you can prevenstively eliminated their presence before your ever see them in person.
Also remember that clutter is something that creates warmth and comfort for these creatures so try cleaning up all spaces that aren’t in frequent use so as not to welcome an unwanted guest into your home.
4. Spray Essential Oils
There are certain ingredients in roach repellent that bugs hate, such as peppermint. This ingredient is especially important around the home.
Because it can help to keep bugs such as roaches out of your home altogether if you spray it in all the right places such as underneath the kitchen sink, inside the bathroom cabinets and even in any cracks or crevices found within the attic of your house.
The clear benefit here is that by spraying your home with these types of ingredients which are found in natural roach repellents.
You won’t have to worry about coming across a nasty surprise one day while doing what you’re used to doing – like keep up with food preparations or moving boxes around or unpacking after an extensive move for instance.
As well as peppermint essential oil being warded off by these little critters, other ingredients such as eucalyptus oils and lavender also help to keep them out of sight and out of mind effectively.
5. Use Roach Traps
Roaches are sneaky creatures who can get inside your home despite your best efforts to keep them away.
Roaches are generally wary of wide open spaces without an escape route for cover, so to catch a roach simply place one of these cockroach traps or an equivalent product in the center of every room with doors and windows that happen to be blocked, (due to building construction).
In addition to Roach traps, you may use hacks & tricks to encourage their emergence by using a combination of light, texture, sound and smell.
You might try different tactics like baiting, light manipulation or other methods known to prove successful when attracting a roach.
We’ve found that even something as simple as keeping fruit in the fridge can do the trick.
FAQs
Are roaches attracted to the cold?
Many species of roaches, like most insects, just aren’t fans of the cold. So when the chill sets in and it gets colder outside, you might think that you’re rid of those pesky invaders hiding out in the cracks and crevices around your home.
However, contrary to popular belief, roaches have not left your home for good – if anything, roaches tend to live even closer to humans when temperatures drop because they find shelter (and warmth) more easily than their less evolved brethren.
During these long winter months however there is a period of diapause in which they retreat further into your walls and different parts of your home to decrease their metabolism; this slows down all activity including feeding, growth and digestion.
German Roaches will look for dark and dry places to hide in during the cold winter months. Some of these roaches may even cluster on top of each other to stay warm!
American Roaches are easy to spot because they’re large and reddish-brown. You may spot them hiding in your kitchen, bathroom, or basement where there’s a little bit of moisture sheen!
You’ll want to call pest control if you see any other kinds of roaches that are black or red and do not have markings on their bodies.
How Do Roaches React To Temperature?
Cockroaches are most active between 77°F and 98.6°F (25°C to 37°C). In this range, the roaches can both breed and grow into adulthood quickly.
They cannot breed nor develop at temperatures above 110°F (43.3ºC) but below 40ºF (4ºC), they cannot survive more than a week without food or water.
Many business owners ask if it is possible to use refrigerators to get rid of roaches,the answer is no! If you put adult roaches in the freezer, they will freeze and eventually die! In terms of heat, cockroaches cannot survive temperatures hotter than 120ºF (48.8ºC).
The best way to deal with cockroaches in commercial establishments like restaurants is using high heat by taking off sensitive equipment from within the building and heating the place up to 140º F-150º F which will kill all the roach infestation in there.
Conclusion
Do roaches like the cold. Roaches do not die when it gets cold outside. You may have noticed that their activity rate has decreased in the winter compared to the summer months. But that doesn’t mean roaches have abandoned your home. It just means they are forced to shelter inside your home, so they must find warm places to stay or attempt to evade the cold altogether.
Roaches feel a lot of pressure and stress during the winter months since they have to deal with less warmth and more moisture as opposed to during warmer seasons, yet many species survive through extreme winters all over the world! In this guide you’ve also found out at what exact temperatures roaches are most active in their environment.
Related Guides
