If you are like most individuals, just the thought of cockroaches is enough to make you quiver. Roaches are outright gross, from their shiny bodies to their spikey legs.
Just when you start to mind your business, they scurry and hide in your house’s dark, forgotten corners below the fridge and other appliances.
Besides, roaches are resilient and can survive for some time without food. So, if you see them in your home, there is a likelihood there could be many more.
In addition, the fact that cockroaches are nocturnal pests makes it harder to eliminate them, especially when you do not know what you are dealing with or whether they have built a nest in your home.
However, if you have seen roaches in your home, keep reading this guide to help you identify and destroy cockroach nests in your home.
What Attracts Roaches to Your Home
Roaches are attracted to your home by food, water, and shelter. But, like many other pests, these creatures are also attracted to filth.
However, finding a cockroach in your house doesn’t necessarily mean that your home is dirty. Even the tiniest of food particles can have roaches running into your home.
Therefore, cockroaches nest in places with plenty of food, water, and seclusion. In addition, telltale signs of a cockroach nest are dead cockroaches, cockroach droppings, and egg capsules.
Read More: Cockroach Diet Guide
Where Do Roaches Live?
Most cockroaches love moist areas. Depending on the cockroach species, some like to live in warm areas, while some live in cooler and damp places.
But, one thing that is essential for all cockroach species is moisture. In fact, some species are susceptible to dehydration.
Therefore, roaches will gather and hide anywhere with quick and easy access to drinks and food.
Moreover, hiding is not just something they do; it is one of their excellent adaptation, something they are born to do most of their lives.
How Cockroach Nests Are Made
Roaches do not make nests. Instead, they release cuticular hydrocarbon that attracts other roaches to their cockroach colony. Their nest is just a pile of dirt.
The nest can be found near food and water sources and in secluded areas of your home.
What a Roach Nest Looks Like
When thinking of a cockroach nest, the first thing that may come to mind is visible wound baskets of twigs, grass, and mounds. However, unlike other pests, roaches do not build cockroach nests. In fact, the term nest refers to a large number of roaches living in one place.
In addition, roaches do not gather because they have a sense of community like other insects like bees and termites.
Instead, they are sovereign insects primarily focused on what is best for them individually. They will nest anywhere near a food or water source.
Fundamentally, a cockroach nest looks nothing like the nest you know. Instead, it is much more of a congregation area.
In their cockroach nest, you will most likely find molted skin, roach egg capsules, and roach droppings, all of which accumulate in areas with significant roach activity.
What a Cockroach Nest Smells Like
Roaches are filthy, and the cockroach nest smell is very distinct. They carry disease-causing germs and can cause food poisoning while triggering asthma. In addition, they release an oily, greasy, musty smell that will alert you of a nest.
When cockroaches congregate in colonies, they release a compound in their droppings. This leads to the pungent odors that act like an attractant.
Roaches usually release these compounds (cuticular hydrocarbon) whenever they find food and water or want to mate.
Finding a Roach Nest in Your House
The nesting preferences are dependent on the cockroach species. Besides, they also leave some evidence behind, for instance, shed exoskeleton, droppings, and smearing.
The following are some tips to identify cockroach nests in your home:
Identify the Cockroach Species
Roaches tend to establish their nest depending on their species. This is because every species has its own likes and preferences regarding living conditions.
For instance, Asian or Oriental cockroaches like to nest near leaky pipes, sinks, toilets, and damp areas.
On the other hand, the German cockroach likes to nest in tight areas like crawl spaces, behind appliances, and moldings. German cockroaches also love dry and warm areas like closets and cabinets.
Conversely, American cockroaches will establish cockroach nests anywhere with quick access to food and water, like pantries and kitchen cabinets.
Find Their Hiding Spots
All roaches prefer to hide in dark, secluded, and damp spaces near food and water sources. So, to control the roach population, you must locate their hiding spots.
Begin by examining common areas for harborages like bathrooms, kitchens, crawl spaces, and laundry rooms. Inspect:
- Bathroom cabinets and under the sink
- Basements and attics
- Under and behind electrical appliances like refrigerators
- In cracks and crevices and every corner of your house
- Under furniture
- Near drains
- Around plumbing fixtures
- Cupboards
Pinpoint the Cockroach Nest
You can identify roach nests by their distinct smell, dropping, presence of dead roaches, molted skin, cockroach eggs, and smears.
If you are having trouble locating their nest, try placing baits or traps in various areas in your home. These traps might not be the best way to control roaches, but they will play a significant role in monitoring.
Traps that amass the most roaches are most likely close to their nest. Alternatively, you can switch on the lights in a dark room and notice where they are running to.
Where Roaches Hide Their Nests Inside
Roaches hide their cockroach nests in enclosed spaces near food and water sources.
Below are some of the most common nest areas in homes:
The Kitchen
Roaches like to live where there is ample food and water supply, and your kitchen offers them more of that.
These creatures will be attracted to pantries with rotting leftovers, food crumbs, and other organic matter in dirty dishes.
As a result, any appliance near your panty and sink can then be their nest. So, look for nest signs under your stove, coffee maker, dishwasher, and refrigerator.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Roaches in the Kitchen
Laundry Room and Bathroom
Roaches prefer warm and humid areas, and the laundry room offers an ideal condition for them. Despite not having primary food sources, this area is an excellent hiding spot for roaches.
In addition, roaches are opportunistic feeders and can eat anything in your laundry room, from leather, cardboard boxes, and cloth fibers to glue.
Look for signs of a cockroach infestation in the laundry room behind washing machines and dryers, cracks, crevices on the wall, and along plumbing fixtures and drain pipes.
Conversely, the bathroom offers a quiet, warm, and moist condition for roaches. In addition, roaches can feed on soap deposits, toilet paper, and organic matter in the bathroom.
Furthermore, there is plenty of water in there. So, look for nesting spots behind the tiles, in medicine cabinets, under the bathtub, and inside plumbing fixtures.
Read More: What Attracts Cockroaches in the Bathroom?
Locating a Cockroach Nest Outside
Roaches like the Asian and wood cockroaches prefer living outdoors. So, they will hardly get into your home unless they are carried in with your firewood or come in looking for food or water.
Also, these outdoor roaches like to stay undisturbed, and when in your home, they will establish their cockroach colonies in dark, secluded, and damp areas like:
- Sidings and wooden shingles
- Neglected meter boxes
- Beneath leaf piles
- Near decaying waste
- Inside sewer lines and floor drains
- Logs
- Under trash bins
Read More: Roaches Outside My House At Night
Getting Rid of a Roach Nest
Finding a roach nest in your home can be very frustrating. Luckily, you can get rid of the nest and beat an infestation.
After locating the nest, the next thing to do is destroy it.
Destroy the Nest
Start by cleaning up the droppings, molted skin, and egg cases. This is crucial as the pungent smell is a pheromone that will attract other roaches to the colony.
Spray Pesticides and Insecticides
An easy and quick way to eliminate the roach nest is by spraying insecticides and pesticides. This will kill cockroaches that come into contact with the spray. Unfortunately, some roaches are immune to these chemicals.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Roaches: The Best Ways to Consider
Seal All Openings
After destroying the nest, the next thing to do is to prevent an infestation from happening again. So, seal all the cracks and crevices in your floor, wall, and ceiling.
Fix Leaky Pipes
Cockroaches can barely survive without water. So, start by fixing any leaking pipes to reduce the chances of another roach infestation.
Set up Traps and Baits Around Your Home
Setting up traps can help lower the cockroach population in your home. You can use over-the-counter options like dust, paste, or gel baits which are very easy to apply. Make sure you read the labels and instructions before using roach-controlling products.
Limit Hiding Spot
Another way to prevent a future roach infestation is by limiting entry points and any hiding spots. This will include trimming plants from air vents and removing plant remains.
In addition, declutter your basements or any storage areas, such as attics. Remember that cardboard boxes attract roaches, so use air-tight storage containers during decluttering.
Read More: Dealing With Cockroaches in the Attic
Take Action Immediately If You See a Cockroach Nest
Roaches are filthy scavengers that carry pathogens and can contaminate food and trigger asthma attacks. Therefore, if you see one roach, there are more, and you need to take immediate action to eliminate them. While there are many things you can do to get rid of them, one guaranteed way of eliminating cockroach colonies in your home is to seek professional pest control.
