Where Do Cockroaches Hide In The Kitchen?

Coming across a cockroach scurrying across your kitchen floor is never a pleasant sight. After all, it is difficult to know where the vile pest has been before it arrived in your kitchen, how many of its friends it brought along, or what germs its carrying. Unfortunately, kitchens attract cockroaches and offer plenty of hiding places. In this blog post, we’ll take a few minutes to explain how cockroaches get inside, where you should look for them in your kitchen, and how our locally owned and operated pest control company can help you get rid of cockroaches in Jacksonville, Orange Park, and Neptune Beach as well as throughout our Greater Jacksonville and First Coast service area!

How cockroaches get inside Florida homes

American cockroaches and other roaches are skilled at squeezing through cracks and openings in foundations, walls, floors, and windows. They’ll also:

• Slip under entry doors and garage doors.
• Crawl through pipes and drains.
• Enter through ventilation ducts and vents.
• Hitch rides in food deliveries, grocery bags, and boxes.
• Migrate from neighboring units.
• Sneak in via the crawl space.

What attracts cockroaches to kitchens 

Like other house-infesting insects and rodents, cockroaches will go where there is food and water. Since the kitchen is the most likely place to find sustenance, it only makes sense that’s where they’d go. So, what do cockroaches eat? Great question, and the answer is just about anything they can find. Notorious scavengers, these insects are omnivores and will consume just about anything they come across, including decaying matter, hair, books, and other bugs. They also enjoy feeding on our food scraps and prefer sweets, meats, and starches commonly found in the kitchen. 

Did you know that cockroaches can survive without food for up to one month but only live for a week without water? This is probably why they have a natural ability to seek out even the most negligible sources of water or moisture in your kitchen. They can find what they need in things like your pet's water bowl, the kitchen sink, or even leaky faucets.

Where cockroaches hide in kitchens

Now that we’ve established how they get in and what attracts roaches, let's consider some places where cockroaches are prone to hiding in the kitchen. 

• In the tight gap between the stove and counter where grime, grease, and oil have built up.
• In kitchen cabinets, cupboards, or pantry where food is stored. 
• Underneath or behind the refrigerator, dishwasher, and other appliances.
• Under the kitchen sink where they go in and out through pipe penetrations.

Why you don’t usually see cockroaches during the day 

Florida homeowners aren’t likely to see cockroaches crawling through their kitchens during the day because they aren’t particularly fond of light. These nocturnal creatures typically hide in their favorite hiding places during the day and only start moving around when it’s dark and the home's occupants have gone to bed. Of course, we should note that overcrowding may force cockroaches out into the open, and if that’s the case, you could very well see live roaches during the day. 

What to do if you’ve found cockroaches in your home

For help getting rid of cockroaches, contact Lindsey Pest Services. In business since 1957, our local team of pest control specialists is highly trained, fully licensed, and has a proven track record of eliminating cockroaches and other pests from homes. We offer home pest control services that eliminate the existing pest problem and keep pests away!