Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and found yourself face-to-face with a cockroach? Not exactly the way you want to start your day, right?
You’ve probably heard that cockroaches are nocturnal—but did you know cockroaches hate light, sound, and temperature?
You can keep cockroaches away at night using a few simple strategies. The first step is understanding how cockroaches behave during the day and at night and then using this knowledge to your advantage.
So, if you’re tired of waking up in the middle of the night to find a cockroach in your bed, keep reading this guide to learn how you can keep cockroaches away at night.
Why Do You Have Cockroaches in Your House?
Food and Water Sources
Cockroaches need food and water to live. Therefore, if a lot of it is lying around, they will make their way into your home.
For this reason, keep all food in sealed containers when you store it in your pantry or kitchen cabinets, especially if you have pets or children who may be able to reach them.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in the Kitchen
Warmth
Cockroaches love warmth and humidity, and if they can find them inside your house, they will find hiding spots during the day before coming out at night.
Try using fans throughout the year to keep the air circulating. This will help reduce humidity levels and make it harder for cockroaches to live comfortably inside yours.
Dark Spaces Where Roaches Hide
Cockroaches are almost always active at night. Therefore, if you have a dark corner in your home where cockroaches can hide during the day, they may be attracted to it.
Make sure there is plenty of light in every room of your home so that cockroaches cannot find places to hide and build their nest.
Make sure to keep things neat to avoid harboring cockroaches.
Can a Cockroach Climb Up the Bed?
Yes, a cockroach can climb up the bed. Although roaches thrive in damp and dark places like in the kitchen or bathroom, they can crawl up your bed casually.
But seeing roaches in bedroom doesn’t necessarily mean that it is dirty. There are several factors that can contribute to a roach invasion.
Can Cockroaches Crawl on You as You Sleep?
Yes, cockroaches can crawl on you as you sleep.
They aren’t even shy about it; some types of roaches will walk right up to awake people and try to climb their bodies.
If you go to bed at night, cockroaches crawl on your body and nestle themselves between your skin and clothing.
Will Cockroaches Bite You?
Yes, cockroaches will bite you, but this is not common. Usually, cockroaches don’t bite, but they have pointy mouthparts called stylets to pierce and suck up food. The stylets are inside the roach’s head and are covered by a rigid shield when not used.
Cockroaches will pierce through the skin of humans using their stylets as they try to pick on the food remnants left behind on our bodies.
The stylets aren’t strong enough to puncture human skin and are unlikely to cause any damage to your body.
However, the only way for roaches to feed is by piercing the skin with their mouthparts and sucking out the contents. When this happens on your skin, it may feel like a mosquito or flea has bitten you, but there will be no lasting damage.
Does Snoring Keep Cockroaches Away at Night?
Generally, no, snoring does not keep cockroaches away at night away unless you are loud enough.
Snoring is a vibration that occurs when you restrict your airflow during sleep. The result is a loud noise that can easily travel through walls and floors, especially if you have hardwood floors.
Roaches are sensitive to sound. Therefore, if you snore loudly enough, it can prevent adult cockroaches from coming near your room.
Roaches use sensory organs like leg hairs and antennae to detect vibrations from sources such as insects walking around on top of them. They’re sensitive enough that even the sound of a person snoring can send them scurrying away.
However, this is only a temporary solution. They’ll eventually return if they do not detect any motion or sound in your room.
The best way to keep roaches out of your home is to prevent them from entering in the first place. You can do this by taking proper steps to clean up any food messes around your house and keeping food away from areas where it can attract insects.
Ways to Sleep Soundly When You Have Roaches in Your Home
Roaches make fluttering sounds when flying, and this can make getting a good night’s sleep just a dream.
It may also be difficult to drift off when you know there are roaches around your bedroom. If you see stray cockroaches around your bedroom, here are some of the ways you can sleep soundly:
Use Ultraviolet Light
American cockroaches and German roaches hate concentrated UV light and will hide from it.
Apart from driving adult cockroaches away, it slows down their egg production. Therefore, consider placing an ultraviolet light source near your bed when going to sleep.
Keep Lights On
Roaches are nocturnal and will avoid light because they know they can’t hide from predators in a well-lighted room.
Therefore, you can drive roaches from your bedroom by leaving the lights on.
Sleep Elsewhere
You can sleep in a different room where you haven’t noticed roach activity or even bunk at your friend’s house.
This will help you to get some sleep as you plan on how to administer pest control.
However, few friends will be willing to host you when you have cockroaches in your home. This is because you can easily ferry a few of these pesky pests to their house.
Keep in mind that some DIY pest control methods may take longer, especially if you have a roach infestation in other parts of your home. Make sure to take steps to get rid of roaches in your basement, living room, and attic.
Read More: How To Get Rid Of Roaches in the Attic
Ensure Your Bed Sheets Aren’t Touching the Floor
Cockroaches have the ability to scale through walls easily, regardless of how smooth they are.
They have little hooks on their legs that can latch onto upholstery, furniture, and walls.
Therefore, if you have sheets that drape over your bed and touch the floor, roaches will easily climb them and join you in bed.
When this happens, roaches will have created a pathway that the entire roach colony will use to navigate your bed.
To prevent such a scenario, do everything possible to make it difficult for the roaches to climb up your bed. You can easily do this by getting smaller sheets than your bed that won’t touch the floor.
In addition, take a look at your bed. Are the bed frames sitting on the floor? Does your bed lie flush with the ground? Have you placed your mattress on the floor? This will make it easy for cockroaches to climb up your bed.
Ensure that your bed frame sits off the floor to prevent roaches from climbing onto your bed. While this won’t necessarily deter roaches, you can sleep soundly without fear of roaches scuttling over your body as you sleep.
Wrap Silicone Tape Around Each Bed Post Where It Meets the Floor
Get silicone tape from a hardware store and wrap the bottom of each bedpost. This will prevent roaches from climbing up your bed through the bedposts.
Clever Ways to Keep Cockroaches Away at Night
The first thing you should do is identify areas where they frequent. The best way to do this is with glue traps or sticky fly paper.
These will help you catch roaches scurrying around at night so you can identify where they’re coming from.
Some of the best ways to deal with a cockroach problem include:
Using an Insecticide Spray
You can find a good insecticide spray in your local store or online.
After spraying, remember to wash off the sprayed surfaces to avoid leaving chemical residues that could be harmful to pets or children.
Using Boric Acid
Boric acid can kill cockroaches and other insects like ants, spiders, and bed bugs.
To eliminate cockroach infestations in your home, sprinkle boric acid bait traps on areas where you’ve seen fewer roaches crawling and let it sit for a few days.
Clean up Food Spills Immediately
Cockroaches are attracted by food and water sources.
You can protect your home by cleaning up any food spills immediately and disposing of garbage in tightly sealed trash cans.
Read More: Cockroach Diet – Complete Guide
Vacuum Regularly
Vacuuming helps remove any leftover food crumbs and cockroach feces so that your home doesn’t attract cockroaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Cockroaches Make You Sick?
Yes, cockroaches can make you sick. Roaches carry various diseases, including salmonella, dysentery, and diarrhea. This is because they eat garbage and other unsanitary things that could have disease-causing bacteria.
The best way to avoid getting sick is to keep your home clean, especially in areas where cockroaches like to hide.
What Will Keep Cockroaches Away at Night?
Keeping your home clean and using natural repellents will keep cockroaches away at night.
The best way to keep roaches away at night is by eliminating the food sources that attract them. This means cleaning up after dinner, storing your trash in tightly sealed containers, and keeping your cupboards closed tightly.
You should also try using natural repellents like essential oils or vinegar as these are smells roaches hate. First, test a small area to ensure they won’t damage your home. If you’re still having a cockroach problem at night, it could be time to use boric acid or call in a pest control expert.
Why Are Cockroaches Worse at Night?
Cockroaches are worse at night because this is when they’re most active. This makes them more likely to come out and eat while you sleep.
Roaches scavenge around at night, searching for something to eat or drink to stay hydrated throughout their daylong naps in your home.
Therefore, if you suspect you have roaches in your home, you should start treating your home during the day with boric acid so you don’t have to put up with any more roaches at night.
What Smells Can Repel Cockroaches?
Some smells that can repel cockroaches include peppermint oil and citronella.
You can also deter cockroaches using bay leaves and essential oils like cedarwood or cypress.
These scents will make your home less appealing to roaches and can even stop them from invading.
