Cockroaches are a universally despised pest. They’re simply not pleasant to have in your home. Unfortunately, summer is one of the worst times for roaches. Why? Because cockroach populations tend to explode in the warm, moist heat of the summer.

The only way to prevent a cockroach infestation is to educate yourself about them. Here’s what you need to know about why cockroaches swarm in summer and how you can keep them from setting up a summer vacation home in your abode.

Summertime Is Cockroach Time in Toronto

As mentioned above, cockroaches love the moist, warm air of summer. This makes sense because in the wild they’re mostly found in tropical locations. In contrast, these bugs do not do well in cold temperatures — which is why we don’t tend to see them as much in the fall and winter.

Another reason you may notice more cockroaches? Summer is their biggest breeding season. One the weather gets hot enough,  they will begin to breed in earnest — creating even more roaches.

How Toronto Home Infestations Begin

Some people suffer under the misapprehension that if their homes are clean enough, then cockroaches will stay away. Sadly, that’s not the case. While keeping your home clean does help (we’ll get to that in a bit!), cockroaches find all types of ways — and reasons — to invade your space.

Roaches can hitch rides on grocery bags, boxes, suitcases, and even brand new furniture. German cockroaches like to make their homes in the walls of apartments, houses, supermarkets, restaurants, and other buildings where they have a food source close by. American cockroaches, their much larger cousin, are the cockroaches that typically appear in droves in the summer.

American cockroaches prefer warm areas with high moisture. They can get into your home through any tiny opening they can find, but live outside too. They are commonly found in places such as under mulch, in flower beds, landscaping, and woodpiles.

These aren’t the only two types of cockroaches to be on the lookout for, however, as there are many others. All of them have one thing in common, though: They will invade your home in the summer if you don’t take steps to prevent it.

How to Keep Cockroaches Away in Summer

Luckily, there are some actionable steps you can take to keep cockroaches from invading your home this summer. Specifically, you should:

Remove Potential Habitats

You don’t want to provide an inviting habitat for cockroaches in and around your home, either. To help make it as inhospitable as possible, clean up any debris, trash, boxes, and other materials lying around your home, garage, or yard. These are ideal places for summer breeding, which you’re trying to discourage.

Seal the Cracks

As mentioned, cockroaches also gain entry into your home through tiny cracks. Seal up crevices and cracks around the outside of your home to help.

Reduce Humidity

One of the best things you can do is work to control moisture and humidity in your home. You may want to think about using dehumidifiers in places that tend to be damp, such as basements, to help reduce your chances of a roach infestation.

Store Food Properly

Remember, roaches are looking for a food source when they come into your home. If you remove sources of food from their grasp, then you can help to discourage them from invading.

Keep your kitchen clean and tidy, without food sitting out. If you spill something, make sure to clean it up right away — and don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink!

Store food properly, too. Leaving food uncovered makes it a prime target for cockroaches. So keep all food — even dog and cat food — in sealed containers a roach cannot get into.

You can prevent cockroaches from getting into your home if you know what to do, and if you can’t avoid them, you can work with a professional exterminator in Toronto.

About the Author:

Daniel Mackie, co-owner of Greenleaf Pest Control, is a Toronto pest control expert and a regular guest on HGTV. He is renowned in the industry as an innovator of safe, effective pest control solutions. Mackie and business partner Sandy Costa were the first pest control professionals in Canada to use detection dogs and thermal remediation for the successful eradication of bed bugs. In his free time, he is an avid gardener.