Nothing is more annoying than a cockroach. These critters are persistent, breed quickly, and may even transmit diseases. When left uncontrolled, they can swiftly infest your vehicle.
If you’re an unfortunate victim of a cockroach infestation, read on to find out how you can prevent future invasions and learn how to get rid of them.
Common Places You Can Find Cockroaches in Your Car
Openings
Cockroaches may enter your car via openings like windows or air-conditioning vents. Thus, it’s important to ensure that all openings are securely closed before leaving the car.
Under the car seat or carpet
Crumbs and dirt from your leftover meals may fall into crevices in your car, attracting cockroaches to these areas.
In the car boot
Cockroaches thrive in cluttered areas; a boot packed with items may pose a higher risk of having these pests around.
From other items
Cockroaches can be found in items such as shopping bags, using them as an entryway into your car.
Dangers of Having Cockroaches in Your Car
While finding cockroaches in your car is disgusting, these pests can cause more harm than you’d expect.
They’ll defecate and regurgitate bodily fluids, transmitting bacteria and diseases that lead to fatal health consequences.
A cockroach scurrying across your dashboard can shock and frighten you. This can be exceptionally dangerous, especially if you’re driving on the road.
It can cause a loss of concentration, resulting in potential accidents. It may sound ridiculous, but it’s true; in 2018, a cockroach caused a woman to crash into an overhead bridge.
Tips to Prevent Having Cockroaches in Your Car
How to Tell When Your Car is Infested with Cockroaches
Faecal droppings
Finding cockroach faeces in your car is a tell-tale sign of a cockroach infestation. These droppings can look like tiny pepper-like specks or coffee stains.
The larger the number of droppings, the higher the level of infestation.
Cockroach eggs
When the eggs hatch, they leave behind cases. Identified from their oval shape and brownish colour, these cases can hold between 20 – 50 eggs. The eggs should be destroyed immediately when spotted to prevent them from hatching.
Odour
Described as oily and musky, cockroaches produce a pervasive odour that worsens with time. A single cockroach may not produce a smell pungent enough for you to notice; the presence of many cockroaches, however, can intensify the smell.
A strong offensive odour is often an indication of a serious infestation. Odours are also emitted from the corpses of dead roaches during decomposition.
Dead cockroaches
Cockroaches are gregarious creatures, which means that they live in groups. Spotting the corpse of a single cockroach could mean that there are hundreds of them lurking in your car.
Cockroach sighted during the day
Cockroaches are usually nocturnal; you’ll typically find these pests active in the night. If you do find them during the day, it’s likely that you have a major infestation. That’s because there are so many roaches that some are forced out of their usual hiding space.
Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Car Quickly
Leftover food crumbs attract cockroaches, causing them to invade your car. Thus, you have to maintain the cleanliness of your car. Vacuuming your car regularly removes their source of food and they’re less likely to stick around when their food source is gone.
Once your car has been properly cleaned, buy a roach bait to eliminate the infestation. A safe way to use roach bait is to set them in areas under your floorboards and in the corners of your boot. The roaches will come out of hiding to consume the poison-laced food, killing them and their nest.
Traps are also an effective way to kill cockroaches. Using a lure and strong adhesive, a cockroach comes into contact with the trap, gets stuck and dies.
Best Solution: Car Cockroach Fumigation Service in Singapore
What is car pest fumigation?
Despite your best efforts, your attempts at eliminating the cockroaches have proved to be futile. If you are in a similar predicament, professional car pest fumigation may be the answer to your troubles.
Pest fumigation is an effective pest control technique that covers an entire area with fumigants, killing them successfully.
How does it help to get rid of cockroaches?
Fumigation involves filling your car with chemicals that will reach every possible area of the vehicle. It’s a hazardous procedure that should only be carried out by a licensed, NEA-approved fumigator.
Effective fumigation, coupled with proper hygiene, should guarantee the complete extermination of the cockroaches.
