When thinking about family memories from the past, you might remember having an old photo album in your attic from way back when. However, as you move those cardboard boxes and other special items, you notice a few cockroaches scurrying away, and you scream! Now you are wondering if a cockroach infestation exists and how to eliminate them from your home.
In this article, we will discuss if cockroaches can live in your attic and what different signs there are. You also may wonder how to gain cockroach control and essentially eliminate them from your home so it does not become a more massive issue. We encourage you to continue reading if you want more information.
Can Cockroaches Live in the Attic?
Yes, cockroaches can live in the attic. You might think this is impossible because there is no food or water source in the attic as far as you are concerned.
However, cockroaches have essentially everything they need to survive inside an attic. A cockroach can survive if there is ample food, shelter, and water.
For example, a cockroach will feed off the materials in your home if you have multiple cardboard boxes or other organic materials (leather, wool, paper, etc.). If you are storing food upstairs, it obviously contains excellent food sources for roaches to eat.
Another thing to consider is all the hiding spots an attic provides cockroaches. They love to seek shelter in multiple areas of your home and lay eggs in ideal locations for their nests. Suppose your attic contains boxes of old clothes or blankets. In that case, roaches will gladly place their egg cases in these areas.
Signs of Roaches in Your Attic
There are multiple signs that roaches are in your attic. They are feces, smell, and egg cases. Let’s go over them.
1. Cockroach Feces
If you notice cockroach feces in your attic, you most likely have a roach problem. When you first spot it, it looks like small black or brown droppings. For a good comparison, they look like coffee grounds or black peppers.
You will most likely see smears against the wall or in the seams of a rafter. If there are large increments of feces, the infestation is bigger.
2. Potent Smell
Cockroaches produce a rather potent and unpleasant smell. An excellent way to find this out is by going outside and taking multiple deep breaths for a minute. Go back inside to smell your home. If there is a musty or mildew smell, there most likely has been roach activity for a long time.
Read More: How Do You Get Rid of the Cockroach Smell?
3. Egg Cases
Cockroaches love laying eggs where they feel safe and secure. Make sure to look for tan, brown, or black small cases. However, female cockroaches will hide them, making them hard to spot. They will likely hide the eggs in drawers, furniture, refrigerators, or other places.
Why Are Roaches in the Attic?
Roaches are in the attic because there might be bad weather outside, pure curiosity, or because they find something they like. There also might be specific entry points like cracks in the walls and through the vents or excess moisture in the attic.
For example, if you have a leaky roof, there may be standing water inside the attic. This is concerning because multiple pests are probably coming into your home and giving the potential for your roof to cave. In that case, getting this issue taken care of is essential before it becomes a hazard for you and your family.
Because heat rises, your attic will be relatively hot, which is an excellent place for certain insects to be. You will most likely find the brown-banded cockroach, American cockroach, German cockroach, or Oriental cockroach upstairs. All of these bugs can cause a fast roach infestation making it hard to eliminate if you do not catch the issue on time.
How to Get Rid of Roaches in the Attic
There are many ways you can get rid of roaches in attic spaces. You might need to combine treatments to ensure they are permanently taken care of. However, the first thing you need to do is block off any forms of escape.
As mentioned previously, roaches enter through holes or cracks in the walls. In that case, you need to seal it off with sealant and use weatherstripping for the windows. Overall, this may solve your entire issue.
If it continues, place sticky traps all around your attic. Put them in areas between the refrigerator and floor, behind large furniture, near windows or air ducts, and in other areas, you see multiple cockroaches.
Use roach killing products or natural remedies like diatomaceous earth. Create a bait by mixing ingredients with peanut butter or sugar to eliminate roaches.
Fix leaky pipes, which create moist areas and draw cockroaches inside your home. Check all areas of your home, like basements, kitchens, bathrooms, and anywhere you know the pipes connect.
Lastly, call a professional exterminator if things get worse. They will kill roaches by spraying the area and using multiple treatments. The pest control should do a follow-up to ensure these pests are gone from your house.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Roaches Be Coming From the Attic?
Yes, roaches can be coming from the attic. Suppose you checked everywhere in your house for plumbing leaks, cracks in your home, and cleaned up outdoors. In that case, cockroaches might find their way through areas often unlooked, like basements and attics.
Once you check those areas, search for anything that might lure cockroaches inside, like food, water, and dark places they use for hiding spots.
Do Roaches Nest in Insulation?
Yes, roaches nest in insulation. However, that is if you use poor or old insulation. Certain insects that like warm and dry places, like German cockroaches, will happily live in insulation for years without you knowing.
On top of that, cockroaches can eat insulation if it is old and not adequately taken care of. However, if the insulation in your home is relatively new, it is treated with boric acid and other pest-blocking chemicals that will kill other roaches.
Spray foam is an excellent choice to prevent cockroaches from entering your home because it gets all access points of your home. However, small rodents like mice and rats may chew through this, making it a more challenging choice. Make sure to talk to your contractor about the best option for you to get the best bang for your buck.
