Cockroaches can be tricky to find; in fact, it usually takes a while for people to realise that they might have staged a little home invasion. If you do think your home has been infested, it's smart to see if you can find their main nest. Just a few cockroaches can be taken out easily enough, but you'll want to check for a larger infestation to make sure you don't need professional assistance.

Here's how to find those troublesome roaches.

Round up the Usual Suspects

Different species of cockroach prefer slightly different nesting environments, but they all typically prefer to be where it's warm, moist, and undisturbed. This puts you at an advantage right away since you can check out areas that will meet those needs first.

Here are the first places to check:

• Around garbage
• Under the fridge
• In and around pipes
• Within cracks in the base board

These areas are extremely likely to be harbouring your unwelcome little guests, but you should also check out any other little nook of your house that might meet the needs of the average cockroach.  

The One You Least Suspect

Okay, you failed to find any cockroaches in those typical nesting areas, but the infestation has not ended. At this point, you should start thinking more seriously about calling a professional to provide assistance, but there are still a few extra places you can look. Furniture, for example, is sometimes inhibited by cockroaches in a pinch, especially if it hasn't been cleaned for a while. Remove your sofa cushions and have a good look. You might also find cockroaches nesting around stacks of paper or cardboard.

Lights, Cockroach, Action!

If you're still coming up short, just wait until the dead of night. Cockroaches aren't stupid; they vastly prefer to move around under cover of darkness because they know that it is much safer. However, you are now on to their little game and are in the perfect position to catch them out.

Wait until it's dark, making sure that you turn off all the lights. Take a nap for around an hour, or hang out in a smaller room where you don't think the roaches are hiding. When the hour is up, walk softly into your main room before hitting the lights. Any cockroaches who have chosen to venture out should start zooming back to safety. Watch where they go to get a pretty good idea of where the main nest is, then use the following final trick.

Get Sneaky with a Mirror

Cockroaches are incredibly fast and pretty small, so you might scare them away from their main hangout before you can even confirm that they were there. This is especially true if you need to look behind a baseboard or underneath a large appliance.

The best method of dealing with this problem is to use a mirror. You can lie on the floor, then maneuverer the mirror until it provides a view of the area in question. The cockroaches won't know you're looking, so they won't try to escape.

Only the most ninja-like of cockroaches should escape your gaze if you follow the steps listed above, but you should certainly call a professional if you continue seeing signs of an infestation or if the nest you find contains more than a few cockroaches.

For more information, contact a pest inspection professional in your area.