I live in a warm country, cockroaches are endemic here, and I do my utmost to keep them out. However, occasionally one will sneak past my defenses. Is my kitchen clean? You bet ya! Have I done enough to stop these invaders, I thought so… But obviously not. What is the best way to keep these critters from even thinking about coming over for a nibble?
Kitchen Maintenance – How to Keep Insects Away from Your Kitchen
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Related Solutions
In addition to throwing things away as needed and using the pheromone traps, cleaning the pantry thoroughly once a week with hot water and a disinfectant (both shelves and outside of containers) helps.
They don't like bay leaves. Try scattering a couple of bay leaves on each shelf, closest to the 'high-risk' items like flour, rice and oats.
Good luck - they're a real nuisance!
A few fly traps can help matters tremendously. Take a plastic bottle, like for water or soda, and slice it in two just below the neck. Now take the neck of the bottle, invert it, and place it inside the base of the bottle. Add a few centimeters of "bait". When I had a terrible fly problem last year, I learned that flies really like the energy drink "Rock Star". Go figure.
After a couple of days with three traps in my kitchen, I no longer had a problem.
Best Answer
I've had problems with insects, even when I lived in a relatively cool place. (My apartment was next to the trash chute, and on the day they sprayed for bugs, it would drive them into my place for the better part of a week).
To help prevent long-term visitors, you want to remove sources of food. A big one is areas of moisture, which start creating small bits of mold that the insects feast on. Make sure you don't have water dripping below your sink and if you have a shower, leave the curtain and door or window open to let it vent after every shower.
To keep away the random explorers (or to deal with existing problems), I really like glue boards. They're just a rectangle of cardboard with a really stick substance on one side. You can either just peel off the protective paper and set them in places the insects typically visit (under sinks, behind toilets, basements, etc), but you can also typically fold them into a tent-like triangle or an open-ended box that you can place on countertops or floors. (always place them tight up against the walls, so the open sides are accessible)
Glue traps will catch most insects (even flying, if you can get them to land on them. Some are 'peanut butter scented' as a lure) and mice.
A few bits of warning, though: