As weather warms, roaches come out

Being invaded by cockroaches is a common problem, particularly in warmer climates. Prevention is the key to control.

* Clean favorite bug hangouts regularly. Specific problem sites are kitchens, bathrooms or any other area in your home that provides an atmosphere of darkness, dampness or dust that these insects love.

* Keep tight-fitting lids on trash containers and use disposable plastic liners. Spray container interiors every two weeks with a surface insecticide.

* Move heavy furniture and kitchen appliances once a month to clean behind and under these pieces. Remove dirt from baseboards, cracks, corners, floor registers and air ducts to wipe out bug nesting grounds. Treat these areas with an insecticide.

* Empty cabinets and drawers, then clean interiors with disinfectant and apply a surface insecticide. After allowing time to dry, cover with paper or a shelf liner and replace contents.

* Remove dishes from your cupboards and give a similar treatment.

* Cover foods tightly -- especially cereals, pet foods, flour, cake mixes and other grains. I recommend plastic containers with tight-fitting covers for this type of food storage. Be sure and check for bugs before storing foods. Regular cardboard containers, or even plastic bags are not impervious to these invaders. Roaches will attack paper products; even toilet paper is a delicacy. Airtight plastic containers are a great deterrent.

* Never leave food crumbs, dirty dishes, etc., lying on countertops after eating. This means rinsing before putting in the dishwasher, or running the dishwasher immediately.

* When bringing baskets, bags or boxes into the house, inspect them for roaches that may be hiding in them. Often it's best to leave these types of containers outside, discarding them in the trash.

Avoid using insecticides on open surfaces where you are more likely to contaminate your food or dishes than to kill roaches. Regular use of a long-acting or residual insecticides behind dishwashers, baseboards, floor spaces under pullout drawers, under refrigerators and in similar dark hiding spaces can help eliminate the problem of killing new roaches as they emerge from their eggs. Most insecticides will last for about 60 days.

For long-term prevention, use a product that has a boric acid powder formula. This is the best way to eliminate roaches. Brand names include Hot Shot and Roach Prufe, a Copper Brite Inc. product. They are sold at hardware stores and nurseries. Cockroaches collect this powder on their legs and return to their nests where they ingest it and die. The powder is inorganic and is effective as long as it is in place. You can apply this powder as described above. Also consider spaces under cabinets, in closets, under carpeting, inside walls if you are in construction stages, any dark, dank spaces where these critters are apt to hide. Don't overlook treatment of areas where papers are stacked or books are kept. These are natural feeding grounds for roaches.

The boric acid powders should be used only in areas inaccessible to children and pets, as it is harmful if ingested. Another commercial product which features a bait tray that contains a substance roaches carry back to the nest is Combat, also available at home centers, hardware stores and numerous grocery stores. It is not as toxic as the boric acid product, nor is it as effective.

Unusual or severe infestations should be referred to a licensed pest control operator who is equipped to handle difficult pest problems.

If you live in a condominium or apartment, the problem needs to be treated for the entire building, as roaches will travel from one location to another in pipes, etc. If an entire building is infested, hire a professional for treatment then work with your neighbors on the above prevention steps to avoid a repeat of the infestation. Do not let this problem go unchecked. Roaches are carriers of germs and disease.