People often blame a cockroach problem on poor housekeeping. While cleaning floors, kitchens, and bathrooms is useful and very important to reduce food sources used by cockroaches, they may get inside and cause an infestation for other reasons. These pests can hitch a ride on infested items brought inside, get indoors via cracks and gaps in the home’s exterior, enter through drains or sewer pipes and a few species of cockroaches can fly inside when attracted to lights.
While cockroaches are one of the most common pest problems, they are also one of the most stubborn. Infestations are hard to get rid of because the insects hide in a host of areas, breed quickly, have a very high reproductive potential and may develop resistance to pesticides.
Cockroaches often taint food with E. coli and Salmonella bacteria, so it’s not safe to ignore these pests. Exposure to cockroach feces and the body parts of dead roaches over time can even trigger allergies and asthma.