How to keep roaches out of homes – Cockroach control tips – No other pest seems to cause more grief in the mind of homeowners than the cockroach. We even come up with other names for them such as palmetto bug or water bug just to keep from having to say the word roach. Most roach species are relatively large such as the Smokey brown roach, American roach, and the Australian roach. They can enter our home through openings, gaps and holes. These include door thresholds, windowsills, pipes, vents, cracks, louvers and eaves. Using caulking, screening and weather-stripping to seal up all entryways will go a long way toward keeping roaches out of your home. Treatments with chemicals and insecticides should be left up to the professionals. Do-it-yourself applications of those products are seldom very effective and can lead to a trip to the emergency room for people and their pets.