How to save family from roach germs

You don't want to see cockroaches in the home or anywhere near food or family because you don't know where they've been.

Roaches and other insects enter homes from the outside and prefer warm, dark, humid places to live inside. They invade a house by crawling through loose door frames or baseboards, the molding around windows or cracks around cabinets. They can even be found under the kitchen sink.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says droppings or body parts of cockroaches and other pests can trigger asthma.

The Arizona Cooperative Extension says certain cockroaches carry germs that cause human diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, food poisoning and salmonella. The transmission of these diseases can be caused by the roaches' habit of wandering through organic wastes and then traveling over countertops, cooking utensils, food, plates and silverware.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, other recommendations include starving cockroaches out of your home by cutting off their food supply:

•Clean up spills and crumbs right away.

•Don't leave open bags of food or candy lying around.

•Don't walk around the house with food.

•Clean dirty dishes right away. •Keep a tight lid on the kitchen trash and empty it often.

•Don't leave pet food out overnight.

•Fix leaky pipes, faucets, toilets and other plumbing problems. Caulk all cracks and crevices throughout the home.

This article provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.