Roaches dislike air conditioning when it is set to make a room cold with low humidity levels. They can only survive in a room if the temperatures remain between 78-86°F. Cockroaches will go away when the air conditioner is tuned to remove warmth and moisture in a room.
To repel roaches using an air conditioner, set it at 58°F and let it run for 3 hours. Keep the room tidy and let the cold air flow everywhere. When the AC is below 75°F, roaches will hide in warm areas. However, cockroaches will die if trapped in a room conditioned at 30°F for 2 hours.
Air conditioning set below 76°F will deter roaches because they are cold-blooded. This explains why they prefer living indoors where it is always warm. An air conditioner regulated at relatively cold temperatures of 15-25°C will keep roaches away.
Will AC kill roaches?
A cold AC set at 20°F for 1 hour can kill roaches because it shuts down their entire system. If you want to use this in a room, ensure you space the timings. Running the air conditioner at a temperature below 60°F for long hours can damage its compressor.
If the AC is big enough and of high quality, then you can run cold temperatures safely. They are designed to regulate and control the timings for safety. However, there are standard AC units that should never be stressed at extra high or low temperatures.
Some AC models cannot achieve those low temperatures. Running a conditioner at extremely low temperatures for a long time may reduce its life span. Big AC units work best in repelling roaches because they have the ability to run at cold temperatures for a long duration.
Roach air conditioning is only effective in repelling them in a cleanroom. Setting the air conditioner low will not deter roaches if they have places to hide. Remove anything that they hide in and shake them off. However, rats will eat roaches if they try hiding in their habitats.
Can air conditioning kill cockroach eggs
Air conditioning cannot kill cockroach eggs because females lay eggs in extremely warm and hidden areas. However, if the eggs are exposed to a constant temperature of 45-50°F, they will never develop.
Air conditioning can help in controlling both baby and adult roaches but not their eggs. Those eggs are never laid in the open and it is also impossible for you to take the eggs and place them near the AC just because you want to kill them.
It is therefore advisable to find better pest control solutions if you want to get rid of roach eggs fast and efficiently. You will also need to know where they are hidden because they are always glued in dark areas.
How to get rid of roaches using an air conditioner
Cockroaches cannot survive in a cold house where the temperature is set at 60°F for 4 hours or more. They will either take off or die. If you want to maximize the chances of removing them, keep the room clean so that they cannot find anywhere to hide.
If you have a roach infestation in the car, you can always keep the car cool by running the AC between 15-20°C at intervals. This is best done during the warm seasons because roaches rarely infest cars during the cold seasons.
This is because the outside environment affects the interior of a car. When it is cold outside, it will also be cold inside a car and roaches will not be able to survive in there. They will therefore leave or hide in dark and warm areas. However, roaches will not live in a cold car for more than a month.
Ensure you use pesticides or natural roach solutions to kill them first. If there is food in a room, roaches will just hide until the AC stops running and they will come out to eat. Remove any unused items in a room because controlling roaches cannot be successful if the room is congested.
If you want to use AC to keep roaches away in your bedroom, ensure you do it during the day. Cold temperatures that deter roaches or other insects I.e. AC for mosquitoes are not good for humans. Never use this at night and you should also remove your pets from the room.
Check the AC manual to see the best operational levels when running cold temperatures. Different models have different abilities. Most units cannot sustain cold temperatures for a long time and you need to know what works with yours.
Roaches in air conditioner
There is a difference between roaches being attracted to an air-conditioned room and the AC machine. Roaches hate a room that has been conditioned at low temperatures. However, cockroaches like hiding in AC machines because they are always warm and vaporized.
In most cases, roaches will breed and lay eggs inside the air conditioner. When an AC machine is on, it produces heat as it runs. The air circulation cools down in it and turns into vapor. This keeps the AC moist while the system itself makes it warm.
Since it is also dark in there, roaches will comfortably live inside an AC machine. All they need is to find how to get into the machine. They will use this as their hiding point and come out to look for food. Roaches need food and they will always come out to look for it.
Roaches will always use any opening I.e. drain pipe or vents to walk on and out of an air conditioner. Once they are inside, they will hide in places where there is less activity. The best way to get rid of roaches in an AC is to open it and clean them off.
However, roaches rarely infest small AC units because there is a serious shift in temperatures that affects the interior. It either gets too hot or too cold very fast for them. The vibrations will also shake the whole AC and roaches do not like being disturbed.
Roach infestation is only common in bigger AC units because there is enough room for them to hide. Vibrations are less as compared to the smaller units. They don’t easily overheat and this makes the environment warm and dark for roaches to survive.