Tag Archives: cockroach extermination

Should I Use a Cockroach Bomb?

Residential Pest Control / February 02, 2024

Dealing with a cockroach infestation is a daunting task for most homeowners. When you find a cockroach in your space you’ll rightly want to deal with the situation immediately and effectively. Unfortunately, this adrenaline also leads many homeowners to make rash decisions such as using cockroach bombs. Below we’ll explore the pros and cons of using cockroach bombs and the discuss reasons they are not the right choice for every cockroach infestation. 

Summary

What is a cockroach bomb?

A cockroach bomb, also known as a cockroach fogger, bug bomb or total release aerosol is a pest control product designed to eliminate cockroaches in a home. When activated cockroach bombs release a fine mist of insecticide into the air. As the mist settles it coats all the surfaces in the room in a toxic film that is deadly to cockroaches. 

While these bombs are marketed as a convenient and cost-effective solution for homeowners dealing with cockroach infestations, the use of cockroach bombs comes with serious health risks and limited effectiveness. It is essential that homeowners who decide to use cockroach bombs follow proper safety precautions and are realistic about the results they can achieve with a bomb. 

Cockroach on tea cup

Is using a cockroach bomb safe?

Put simply, no cockroach bombs are not safe. Just because they are easily accessible at hardware stores does not mean they are safe to use in your home. The insecticide that is sprayed from cockroach bombs is extremely toxic not just to insects but also to humans and pets. If you are going to use a cockroach bomb in your home make sure to closely follow the safety protocols outlined on the label. Make sure the area is evacuated during the treatment, properly air out the area after the treatment and thoroughly clean all surfaces before allowing children and pets back into the area.

When should you use a cockroach bomb?

A cockroach bomb is best used as the first step in eliminating a heavy cockroach infestation. This is because cockroach bombs are best at eliminating a large number of cockroaches out in the open. When cockroaches hide in tiny crooks and crannies (as they often do in the early stages of an infestation) it is difficult for the toxic spray of a bomb to reach them. For this reason, they are not the right choice for the vast majority of Canadian homeowners. If you have spotted only one or two cockroaches in your home, unfortunately, a cockroach bomb has a very low chance of resolving your issue. – Learn more about how to get rid of cockroaches 

Pros

Convenience: Cockroach bombs are readily available at most hardware stores and supermarkets. They provide a quick and seemingly easy solution for homeowners looking to address a cockroach problem.

Cost-Effective: Cockroach bombs are relatively inexpensive.

Cons

Incomplete Extermination: Cockroach bombs often do not eliminate all cockroaches in a home. Cockroaches often hide in areas inaccessible to the insecticide. 

Health Risks: The insecticides used in cockroach bombs can cause health issues in humans and pets. Exposure to these chemicals may result in respiratory issues, skin irritation and more. 

Risk of Fire Hazards: Cockroach bombs are flammable, and improper use can cause fires.

Required Training: Without a proper understanding of cockroach behaviour and biology, homeowners often do not deploy the bomb in an effective position.

Pest Control Tech in Truck

Alternatives to cockroach bombs

While cockroach bombs claim to offer a quick fix to a stressful issue, in reality, they are not a good option for most infestations. Instead, it’s best to leave cockroach extermination to the professionals. Cockroaches are notoriously resilient, frequently surviving mutilation, starvation and even radiation! The fastest and safest approach to dealing with a cockroach infestation is to seek professional pest control services. 

Looking for a cockroach exterminator? Rentokil Terminix has you covered! We offer expert pest & wildlife control services for both residential and commercial properties with locations across Canada including BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

All of Rentokil Terminix’s pest control experts are fully licensed, certified, and held to the highest professional standards possible. We are part of the National Pest Management Association, Canadian Pest Management Association, QualityPro, and the Structural Pest Management Association of Ontario, among other provinces. We are proud to have provided Canadian homeowners with quality pest control services for over 90 years!

Do Cockroaches Die In Winter?

Cockroaches / January 03, 2022

For the insectophobes among us, the question remains: do cockroaches die in winter? When freezing temperatures come around, Canadian homeowners often feel relief from the onslaught of flies, bees and mosquitoes endured during the warmer months.

When technically answering “do cockroaches die in winter”, direct exposure to frigid weather does kill them. However, these nasty buggers have made escaping the cold an art form. Cockroaches achieve this by seeking refuge in our homes.

Cockroach Infestation Signs And Causes

Cockroach infestations in Canada tend to occur when roaches hitchhike their way indoors. Carried indoors on products and belongings, it’s no wonder that cockroaches want to avoid the great outdoors. When temperatures reach -10°C, any cockroaches that remain outdoors begin to die. In other words, it’s a life-or-death situation living rent-free.

Fundamentally tropical insects, cockroaches enter our dwellings at this time of year not only seeking shelter but humidity and food too. This is all part of the reason why cockroaches tend to set up shop in our kitchens and bathrooms.

It only takes food dirt on kitchen countertops, dirty dishes in the sink, or food crumbs lying on the floor to attract cockroaches. Nocturnal pests too, their evasive nature means that cockroach infestations may not reveal themselves until you’ve got a full-blown problem.

Where Do Cockroaches Hide In Homes During Winter?

Masters of subterfuge, there are many tell-tale cockroach hiding places throughout our homes, including but not limited to:

Cabinets

Unfortunately, wooden cabinet doors are no match for inquisitive cockroaches. Roaches can sniff out the tiniest food crumbs and can use their slender bodies to infiltrate gaps in your cabinets.

Appliances

Pooping where you eat, this is homeowners’ worst fear. Stoves, heaters, microwaves, coffee machines and toasters are all cockroach hotspots. It’s your duty to clean these appliances regularly to deter these pesky intruders.

Pipes

Cockroaches use pipe networks in homes to travel from one part of properties to another. A dark and moist harbourage area providing roaches the perfect environment they need to thrive; you should always check your pipework for leaks.

The ceiling

Believe it or not, cockroaches hide on ceilings too! Laughing in the face of gravity, you can seal cracks and holes in your ceiling to prevent roaches from burrowing deeper into your property.

The trim and moulding

Thought the cracks in your trim and crown moulding were too thin for roaches to breach? Think again! Cockroaches are more than adept at squishing themselves into the tightest of places just like this.

Electronics

Who isn’t a multitasker nowadays? If you work from home and eat lunch by your laptop on your desk, remember that any beverage spills or crumbs will attract roaches into your home office.

Furniture

We all enjoy eating snacks and refreshing ourselves with drinks on the sofa or couch. During your next Netflix binge in hibernation season, bear in mind that any rogue popcorn or chip crumbs will attract pesky roaches.

Ultimately, cockroaches will get comfortable anywhere that’s nearby a water source.

Notoriously difficult to dislodge once they make themselves at home, the best way to prevent a cockroach infestation is by keeping your residence clean. By making sure you don’t leave out discarded food items, partially washed dishes, or other food residue, you stand a better chance of eliminating roaches.

How Do I Get Rid Of Cockroaches?

Sure, cockroaches can’t survive Canada’s extreme winter weather. However, you’ll want more of an effective cockroach removal strategy than simply leaving your windows open during a snowstorm!

In short, effective cockroach control involves diligent sanitation to eliminate excess food, water, and harbourage areas. You can use gel baits and dust as effective means of cockroach control. If you’ve been recommended glue traps before, these are helpful but are seen more as monitoring devices than a cockroach control tactic.

If you have a vacuum cleaner handy, use it to vacuum cockroaches’ harbourage areas. By destroying cockroach eggs, you’re effectively neutralizing the cockroach populations living within your house.

We won’t lie to you. Cockroaches lay their eggs aggressively and persistent cockroach treatment is required to effectively solve the problem. That’s why you need to call a professional cockroach exterminator like Terminix Canada.

Leave Professional Cockroach Extermination To The Terminix Canada Team

Now you know the answer to “do cockroaches die in winter”, do something about your roach infestation with Terminix Canada. Our cockroach pest control strategies kill cockroaches quickly with minimal disruption to your home. Roaches have learned how to breach homes in winter, but they won’t breach our team.

Backed by over 90 years of professional pest control experience, our cockroach control and cockroach removal teams have ended thousands of cockroach infestations from Halifax to Vancouver. To learn more about how we get rid of cockroaches, call us today.

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The Entomological Society Of America Now Classifies Termites As Cockroaches

Cockroaches / May 25, 2021

Most people really hate cockroaches, and who could blame them. Most people also aren’t very fond of termites, but normally that’s the only thing that groups these two pesky pests together.

Until now.

In the biggest reclassification (not really) since International Astronomical Union (IAU) deemed Pluto wasn’t deserving of a planetary title, termites have now been deemed cockroaches.

Termites Are The New Cockroach

No, really. According to the Entomological Society of America in their updated master list of insect names, termites are the new cockroach. Recategorizing the termite order is backed by many decades of genetic evidence that the wood chippers should be part of the cockroach order, Blattodea.

Since the 30’s, gossip of termites getting lumped into the cockroach order has exists. It was back then that researchers first discovered that the microbes in termite guts are also present in wood-eating cockroaches. Weird coincidence, right?

As technology has advanced and the genealogical relationship kinks were ironed out, so began the argument that termites are simply a part of the hydra-like family tree of cockroaches. The first suggestion of reclassification came from termite biologist Paul Eggleton of the Natural History Museum in London. In his study, Death Of An Order, published in 2007, positioned termites on the tree near the Cryptocercus cockroach.

Chemical ecologist and cockroach enthusiast Coby Schal at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, has stated that termites are nothing but social cockroaches. For example, Macrotermes termite colonies can grow to three million strong, fairly easily. This despite them having just a single queen and king.

Deciding whether to demote the entire termite order was an unusual conundrum, says Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He was a part of the naming committee members put to a vote to make the final decision.

“Probably some of us, including myself, didn’t want to make the change because we liked it the way it was,” said Cranshaw. Namely, it was a lot easier for his students to memorize termites and cockroaches as a part of two distinct orders. However, that didn’t stop him from voting in favour of the change regardless.

“It’s what’s right,” Cranshaw shrugged.

What Hasn’t Changed? How Terminix Handles Termite Control!

This reorganization is all fine and dandy for the good people of the science committee. However, at the end of the day, does this change anything? How does this affect pest control?

The bottom line is that it doesn’t. Regardless of whether you want to consider termites cockroaches, or whether you prefer to continue separating the two pests, Terminix Canada is still here to stop both bothersome insects in their tracks.

Whether you are experiencing a cockroach outbreak or a termite infestation, it’s important that you quickly call in the experts. Both pests can cause serious, expensive structural damage to your home. This damage is no easy fix if you wait too long to deal with the problem.

Like mice, if you notice one termite around your home, there’s likely another hundred nearby that are better at hiding.

Likewise, for cockroaches, immediate cockroach control is imperative in preventing infestations from reaching critical, untenable levels. They multiple rapidly, so a small pest problem can quickly turn into a sizeable cockroach infestation if given the chance. 

Get the best termite (and we mean termite) control and cockroach control across the country from Terminix Canada. With over 90 years of experienced, you can trust that our expert exterminators will work fast, efficiently, and effectively. Contact us today to receive a free consultation and solve your pest problem.

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