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Common house roaches, typically American cockroaches or Periplaneta americana, usually live for around one year. The male American cockroaches survive for about one year, although the females may live up to 700 days. That’s because the reproductive cycle alone can last around 600 days for this type of cockroach.

Aside from incorporating smells that roaches hate in your bedroom, such as citronella, lemongrass, or clove oil, there are a few ways you can keep roaches away at night. First, try moving your bed away from the wall, as roaches will often climb the walls and onto your bed. If you’re still having trouble, you can also purchase a mosquito tent for your bed, or hang netting from the ceiling to surround your sleeping area. Make sure it isn’t touching the ground, though, as they may attempt to climb it.

Poison will kill small rodents and can seem like the quick and easy way to get rid of them. But—in addition to its inhumane nature—poison has some drawbacks. First of all, if you have small children or pets in the home, setting out poison isn't the best idea, as your pets or children could ingest it. 

Poisoned mice and rodents don't die instantly. Instead, it can take several days for the poison to work its way through their system. In the meantime, there's a chance that a predator, such as a cat, fox, or other mammal, will eat the poisoned rodent and become poisoned themselves.

Pantry bugs are rarely able to get into sealed packages, but they may try. If you find pests on or around a sealed food item, check inside to make sure the food is still clean. Not sure whether a package is contaminated? Spread the contents onto a cookie sheet and use a flashlight to look for pests.