8 Surprising Items that Attract Cockroaches

What Attracts Cockroaches

Cockroaches are among the most reviled pests due to their tendency to invade homes and feed on human food. They’re hard to catch, especially in well-lit areas, which is why even the cleanest homes can get infested with cockroaches.

Getting rid of them can be challenging, but you can make your home less appealing to these pesky insects by removing potential hiding spots and sources of food.

If you’ve ever had a cockroach infestation before, you know that they love dark, secluded places where they won’t be disturbed. They also tend to like the same kinds of food that humans do — especially things like nuts, cereal and pasta that have been left out or forgotten about. Here are 9 surprising items that attract cockroaches:

Food

What Attracts Cockroaches – Cockroaches are attracted to anything edible, but certain foods attract them more than others. Food left out on counters or in open containers makes an ideal roach feeding ground. Dry beans and rice, coffee grounds and sugar are some of the worst roach attractants. It’s important to be vigilant about storing food properly and cleaning up spills.

You should also make sure to keep the kitchen clean, as roaches are drawn to crumbs on the floor and can climb up cabinets to get into food. If you have a roach infestation, you can set out traps with food inside to catch them. Peanut butter is a common choice, but it’s important to trap the roaches alive so they can be relocated to a faraway place.

Dry Beans and Rice

Like we mentioned above, dry beans and rice are great foods for roaches, making them a prime attractant in the kitchen. The best way to prevent an infestation is to clean up spills as soon as they happen and to store your dry beans and rice in sealed containers when you’re not using them. If you’re dealing with an infestation, you can set out traps with dry beans or rice inside to catch the roaches alive.

Newspapers and Magazines

Newspapers and magazines are a common roach attractant since they’re typically stacked in piles with the pages left un-sorted. If the newspapers and magazines are left un-sorted, the roaches can easily climb up the stacks and take up residence inside. It’s important to keep stacks of paper properly sorted and off the floor, especially in areas like the kitchen where crumbs and spills are common. If you have an infestation, you can set out traps with paper inside to catch the roaches.

Pet Food

If you have a pet and feed it in a bowl on the floor, the roaches will likely come for the scraps. It’s important to feed your pet in a bowl that’s high enough off the ground that roaches won’t be able to reach it. You should also make sure to clean up spills promptly, as roaches are drawn to pet food that’s been left out. If you have a roach infestation, you can set out traps with pet food inside to catch the roaches.

Cardboard

The inside of cardboard boxes is a great roach habitat, so it’s no wonder they’re attracted to cardboard boxes. It’s important to keep your cardboard boxes off the ground, since roaches love to live in them. You can also set up traps on the cardboard boxes to catch the roaches. It’s crucial to clean up spilled food and crumbs as soon as they happen, and to make sure to store food properly.

It’s also important to keep the kitchen clean by wiping up crumbs off the floor and keeping the sink free of spilled food. It’s also helpful to make the kitchen less appealing to roaches by setting up traps to catch them.

Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds are a great habitat for roaches and can attract them even if they aren’t in an open container. To prevent an infestation, it’s important to make sure coffee grounds don’t build up on the counter. It’s also helpful to make the kitchen less appealing to roaches by setting up traps to catch them. If you have a roach infestation, you can set out traps with coffee grounds inside to catch the roaches.

Detergent and Dish Soap Scrapings

Detergent and dish soap scraps can be very attractive to roaches, especially if they’re left out on the counter. It’s important to make sure to keep the kitchen clean, especially the countertops. It’s also important to make sure to store food properly and to clean up spills as soon as they happen. If you have a roach infestation, you can set out traps with detergent or soap scraps inside to catch the roaches.

Bowls of Fluffy Stuff (Like Flour)

There are a lot of things that roaches love to eat, but flour is one of their favorites. Unfortunately, it’s also quite easy to spill flour, which creates a problem. The best way to keep roaches away is to store flour in sealed containers, as they’re drawn to flour that’s left out. It’s also helpful to make the kitchen less appealing to roaches by setting up traps to catch them. If you have a roach infestation, you can set out traps with flour inside to catch the roaches.

Rotting Food

Cockroaches are drawn to rotting food, so it’s important to make sure to clean up spills as soon as they happen. It’s also helpful to make the kitchen less appealing to roaches by setting up traps to catch them. If you have a roach infestation, you can set out traps with rotting food inside to catch the roaches.

Conclusion

Getting rid of them can be challenging, but you can make your home less appealing to these pesky insects by removing potential hiding spots and sources of food. If you’ve ever had a cockroach infestation before, you know that they love dark, secluded places where they won’t be disturbed.

They also tend to like the same kinds of food that humans do — especially things like nuts, cereal and pasta that have been left out or forgotten about.