Why are cockroaches in my garage? One wouldn’t expect to find roaches in the garage. However, if you see roaches in your car or the garage, then there is likelihood they have built their colonies in your garage or somewhere nearby. What causes roaches in the garage? Do you know how to get rid and keep out cockroaches in your garage? In this post, we will attempt to cover in details this subject. Read more.
Surprisingly, roaches likely to be found in garage since it provides the seclusion needed to build their nest. Garage is less visited and usually used for storage. It is so easy for cockroaches to build a colony with ample shelter to breed and look for food. It may take a while to notice plumping leaks in the garage which the cockroaches use for water.
Garages are common areas where roaches invade since any trash, pet food, paper, cardboard becomes a source of food. A large roach infestation may spread out of your kitchen into the garage.
Read Also: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Apartment, Permanently, Naturally
Large Roaches In Garage
Your garage could be a home for both small and large roaches. Cockroaches will thrive in places that are dark, warm and damp. If you garage has trash or source of food, be sure to find a colony of roaches. Since garages may less activities, cockroaches may find it an ideal place to lay eggs there.
What Causes Cockroaches In The Garage?
Unlike your kitchen where there’s plenty of food and water for roaches, your garage doesn’t have any of this. So, what would cause roaches in the garage? This part of the home has some advantages to cockroaches.
A large infestation is usually in better areas of your homes, but roaches can be attracted to the garage because: your home is too clean and lack exposed food that roaches can easily feed on, extermination methods have flushed them out of the hiding areas.
The cockroaches you see in the garage is at times an indication of a large infestation hence some roaches find the roaches an alternative place to live. Once in your garage, the roaches can thrive just as they would inside other areas such as the kitchen or bathroom.
Here are causes of roaches in your garage:
a) Lack of Cleanliness
Cockroaches are most likely to live in areas with rotting debris, leftover food, mold, and decaying matter. Your garage could be having this kind of settings that attract roaches. If your garage has debris for instance, roaches living in the wild that tend to feed on dead animals, decaying plants, among other materials, this could be the reason you are having roaches in the garage.
Your vehicle too could be responsible for roaches in your garage. It could carry traces of roadkill, and dead leaf on their wheels. On a rainy day, your kid’s bicycle may also track mud and carry it to the garage.
Some of the unwashed recyclables found in the garage could also be the reason roaches are found in the garage. The items that you leave food or materials on including glass, plastics or cardboards.
Roaches will also take notice of the trash in your garage. It is easy to store trash bags in your garage waiting for the collection day. This attract roaches. They will scurry through the trash bags looking for leftover food.
b) Presence of Moisture
You may not be attentive enough to notice leaking pipes and dripping hoses in your garage. Leaks can in some cases come from holes in the roof of the garage or improper roof drainage.
The leaks in your garage provides moisture for the roaches to survive. Remember, roaches can live without food and water for 42 days. Pipes and hoses may not be the only source of moisture. Snow and rain can also be another source of moisture in your garage.
c) Limited Activities
If your garage has less activities, which is the cases for most garages at home cockroaches are likely to build their colonies there since would feel secure. Unless there is a workshop in your garage, the garage happens to be least visited space in your home.
Cockroaches will find secure place in your garage to lay eggs and breed with minimal disturbance. This means that the nymphs will be able to grow and feed without disturbance. It makes it easy for adult roaches to reproduce and increase their population.
d) Garage is Opened to The Outside
Unlike your home that is usually insulated, your garage may not be. The garage is open to the outside meaning that the doors may not be properly sealed. While you open and close to allow in cars, it allows wide opening for cockroaches to crawl through.
How To Get Rid of Cockroaches In Your Garage
Getting rid of roaches in your garage should be an ongoing process. A clean house still get roaches sometimes. To get rid of roaches in your garage, always eliminate the areas that may provide safe shelter to the roaches. Your garage could be a home for different cocroaches species; below is how you can get rid of American cockroaches in your garage and many other cockroach species.
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches, Effectively & Best Roach Killers Review
Here are ways to get rid of roaches in your garage:
I) Remove Trash
If you put trash in your garage, then you have to start by taking out more frequently. Cockroaches are drawn to trash. Removing the trash will deprive them source of food. You may instead the trash somewhere else and get new trash containers.
Put the trash in outdoor bins and keep the lids closed to keep the roaches out. If you have to keep the trash indoors, then you have no option but get new containers: usually thick plastic with a lid that seals tight.
II) Eliminate Paper and Cardboard
If your garage has cardboard boxes, paper bags, books, newspaper or stored magazines, then you may be required to eliminate them. These items are the breeding ground for roaches. Not only does this items provide a home for the roaches but also food. The papers, cardboard or newspaper provide nutrient in form of starch and roaches can use the energy derived from them to grow their colony.
III) Clean and Rinse Plastic Containers
Containers used to store items or storing trash in your garage are at times neglected, which end up attracting roaches in your garage. The containers include even the airtight containers. The smell that comes from the unwashed containers could attract the roaches and make them stay expanding their colony.
To eliminate roaches in your garage, start off by regularly cleaning your containers. If there are food residue or spills on the container, clean with water and soap. Dirty plastic containers could also encourage the growth of mold which is a health risk.
IV) Get Rid of Moisture
Roaches thrive in damp areas especially near and around leaks or puddles in the garage. To eliminate roaches in your garage, start off by fixing any leaks and plumbing issues. If there are leaking puddles, dry them up using sealants.
V) Use Roach Traps, Baits
Baits or roach traps are effective ways to get rid of roaches effectively from your garage. Baits are the small food laced with poison placed in cockroach infested rooms. Baits or traps are made to target roaches without necessarily requiring your presence unlike roach spray. You can place the baits at strategic locations around your garage.
Baits will lure the roaches out of their hidings, this means it will kill more roaches the ones you see. Although baits work in delayed manner, once a cockroach eats the bait, it will carry back to its nest. This will poison the other roaches reducing their numbers significantly.
Read Also: 7 Best Roach Traps Of 2021 – That Kills Roaches Effectively
VI) Use Sprays or Foggers
The first attempt to get rid of roaches is spraying the visible roaches with a pesticides. Sprays have chemicals, pyrethroid, that damages the nervous system of the roaches. The spray may seem not to kill the roaches instantly; it can take a couple of days up to a week to kill roaches with sprays.
The other reliable option is to use a fogger which targets hard-to-reach areas such as cracks and walls to eliminate hiding roaches.
VII) Store Pet Food in Containers
Pet foods in your garage could be one of the reasons there are roaches in there. If you often store bags of dog or cat food in your garage, then there is a possibility of roaches invading your home or garage. This tend to happen when the bags are not properly sealed or made of flimsy material which a cockroach can chew through.
You should put pet food in containers where the roaches cannot get through. Place the food in plastic air-tight container that.
VIII) Deal with Other Areas
Cockroach infestation in your garage could also mean that the infestation is somehow else. Roaches normally will access your garage from outdoors but they can also come from places like your kitchen, bathroom or living room. To get rid of roaches in your garage, evaluate these mentioned areas.
IX) Seek Help from A Professional
If the cockroach infestation is large such that it takes long for the baits, traps and sprays to get rid in time, you may call a professional. Large infestation can be hard to deal with especially if there are multiple colonies around the garage.
Calling a professional pest exterminator will save you time. These experts are good at what they do and have more lethal poisons to get rid of roaches in your garage.
How To Keep Cockroaches Out Of Your Garage
You can keep cockroaches out of your garage with the following steps:
Take Trash Out of The Garage
To keep roaches out of your garage, make it a habit to take trash out more frequently. Alternatively, you can store the trash elsewhere and get new containers for the trash. This may however depend on how often the trash is collected. Removing trash out of the garage as often reduces the chances of roaches invading your garage.
If you have to keep the trash outdoor, make sure the bins are secure and with a lid. This is to keep off any raccoon that may attempt to get inside. Trash kept indoors should have new containers normally made of thick plastic and a lid that seals properly.
Seal Gaps and Cracks
To keep roaches out of the garage, make sure in the first place they cannot access the garage. Start by sealing gaps between walls, floors, and ceilings. Fix broken seals along windows and doors. Don’t forget to seal small holes around pipes, light fixtures or in corner. This will deny cockroaches entry.
Clean the Garage Regularly
Keeping the garage clean regularly is one of the way to keep the roaches out. This involves removing food sources near and around the garage. Make sure storage items in your garage are kept in secure containers.
Cleaning involves removing out leaves, dirt or other debris that are in most cases brought in by your vehicles. Get rid of any mold growth and mildew as this attract roaches. Remember to also clear out spills.
Keeping the outdoors neat and tidy is key to keeping out roaches out of the garage. Cockroaches can thrive in the wild well just like they will do indoors. Cleaning your yard and keeping it tidy helps to reduce the chances of roaches coming near your garage or home. Don’t forget to remove the piles of wood or fallen branches as this may become the possible nesting points for the roaches. Clear out any puddles or stagnant water that may have accumulated near and around your garage or house.
