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Natural ways to get rid of roaches


How To Get Rid Of Roaches In Your Home: A Complete Guide [2022]

Unfortunately, they’re common pests, and they can be difficult to get rid of. If you have roaches in your home or apartment in areas such as kitchen cabinets, the attic, or in your bathroom, it’s important to get rid of them fast.

Here at Smith’s Pest Management, we help homeowners throughout Northern California, from Marin to Monterey, get rid of pests. Our team offers professional cockroach control services to help you reclaim your space and get life back to normal.

In this post, we’ll share the best and fastest ways to get rid of roaches for good, and everything you need to know about your various options.

Here’s an overview of the roaches you’re most likely to see indoors:

German Cockroaches


Image: LMBuga via Wikipedia / CC by SA 3.0

The German cockroach is the most common cockroach in the U.S. Because they breed so rapidly (each egg case can produce 20-40 baby roaches), even a single female in your home could produce a cockroach infestation of more than 30,000 individuals in a single year.

Unlike other roach species, the female German cockroach carries her egg pouches with her until they’re ready to hatch.

This means infestations spread easily and can be difficult to contain.

All cockroaches have flat, broad bodies with long hind legs and antennae. Their wings lie folded flat on their backs, and most are black or brown.

The German cockroach, however, tends to be light-brown with two dark, parallel stripes that run down the body from the head to the wings.

Brown-Banded Cockroaches


Brown-banded roaches love warm, dry areas, and are commonly found inside walls or electronics like televisions or refrigerators.

A flying cockroach, this species hates water and doesn’t like to live in moist or damp places.

They are about 0.5” in length, and tend to be dark brown. Both males and females have light yellow bands on their wings and abdomens.

American Cockroaches


 Image: Gary Alpert via Wikipedia / CC by SA 2. 5

While the American cockroach isn’t the most common roach species in the U.S., it is the largest.

It’s also one of the longest-lived – with lifespans of about two years.

These roaches are sometimes called the “sewer roach” or “palmetto bugs.” They can reach 1-3” in length and tend to be brown or reddish-brown with light yellow edges around their bodies.

What Attracts Roaches to My Home?

Regardless of what kind of roaches you have in your home, one thing is certain: you don’t want them there.

In addition to giving you the creepy-crawlies, roaches can trigger allergies, spread disease, and create an unsanitary living environment.

Fortunately, the first step to getting rid of roaches is understanding what’s attracting them to your property in the first place.

Here are some of the most common culprits:

1. Food sources

Roaches are omnivores, meaning they’ll eat anything. They are particularly fond of starches, sweets, greasy food, and meats.

Easy sources of food – like dirty dishes in the sink, pet food on the floor, or crumbs on the counter will draw them in.

Roaches also love garbage, so make sure to take the trash out regularly and keep all household garbage cans tightly sealed.

2. Shelter

Cockroaches enter homes for shelter.

Depending on the species of roach, they may live behind picture frames, in hollowed-out wood, in damp places like beneath the sink or behind the toilet, or in the backs of your electronics.

As the temperature dips outside, roaches will venture indoors.

They love quiet, forgotten areas, and may live underneath large appliances, in the corners of basements, and the attic.

3. Location

If you’re wondering “why do I have roaches in my clean house?” we understand.

Solving a roach problem can be frustrating – especially if you’ve been careful to avoid common attractants.

Unfortunately, some locations are just more appealing to roaches than others.

Species like the American cockroach don’t need unsanitary conditions to thrive – they simply enter through a gap in a window seal or a door left open and start establishing themselves in your house.

4. Water

Like all animals, roaches need water to survive – and they’ll enter even the most sanitary homes to find it.

Leaky pipes and faucets are common attractants, as are open showers and pet water bowls.

5. Landscaping

While roaches love to live inside, they’ll also enter your yard in search of food, shelter, and water.

Standing water in birdbaths, gutters, and flowerpots will all attract roaches, as will food sources like birdseed or fruit plants.

How Roaches Enter Your Home

Shelter, food, and water attract roaches to your home, but how do they get in? The most common way roaches enter your home is through tiny cracks and gaps in windows, doors, and other areas.

Here are some of their favorite access points:

1.

Cracks and Gaps in Windows and Doors

Cracks and gaps in your home’s doors and windows are the top way roaches make their way into your home. Doors that aren’t sealed properly and windows that don’t close entirely are perfect access points for roaches.

2. Holes in Pipes and Vents

Another common entrance point for roaches is through holes in pipes and vents. If you live in an older home with vents that have holes or don’t properly seal, it’s an invitation for roaches to come inside.

Check your vents when you replace or service them and keep an eye on pipes and plumbing fixtures for holes or other potential roach access points.

3. Hitching a Ride on Furniture and Other Items

If you’re bringing used furniture or other items into the home, check them for roaches, first. These insects can hole up and hide in used items, only to emerge once they’re safely inside your home.

How to Get Rid of Roaches Naturally: 6 Home Remedies

If you want to get rid of roaches without chemicals such as bombing, foggers, or sprays you’re in luck. There are a handful of effective home remedies that will send these nasty critters packing and many of them are not harmful to children or pets.

Here are a few we recommend:

1. Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth, or DE for short, is an excellent natural insecticide. Composed of pulverized, fossilized algae, DE’s particles are sharp and dehydrating. When roaches come into contact with DE, it damages their exoskeletons and dehydrates them to death.

Purchase some food-grade DE and sprinkle a light coating on any surface where you’ve noticed roach activity.

Pros: Effective, affordable, safe for kids and pets

Cons: Messy, requires re-application, you will have to locate and dispose of dead roaches after each DE treatment

2. Baking Soda

Baking soda is one of the fastest, easiest ways to get rid of roaches – and it’s probably something you already have in your pantry. To make a DIY roach bait, dice a handful of onions and sprinkle them with baking soda.

Place this appetizer in a shallow dish anywhere you’ve noticed roach activity. When the roaches consume the baking soda, it creates gasses in the roaches’ stomachs, causing them to burst.

Pros: Effective, non-toxic, affordable

Cons: Pets may consume the onion mixture (onions are toxic for dogs), messy, requires you to locate and dispose of dead roaches

3. Boric Acid

Boric acid is a naturally-occurring compound. A mixture of water and boron, it shows up in fruits and plants.

And while it’s harmless to people and pets, it’s deadly for roaches. When cockroaches come into contact with boric acid, it sticks to their legs and wings. When they ingest the powder, it acts on the roach’s nervous and digestive systems – killing it rapidly.

To use boric acid to get rid of roaches, sprinkle a light dusting onto a paper plate. Put an orange peel or spoonful of peanut butter in the middle of the plate and place the whole thing anywhere you’ve noticed roach activity.

Pros: Effective, affordable, natural, non-toxic, easy

Cons: Can be messy, requires several applications or treatments, may not be ideal for homes with pets or young kids, requires you to track down and dispose of dead roaches 

4. Borax

Borax is a readily-available laundry product that’s excellent for killing roaches. For best results, combine equal parts borax and white table sugar. Dust the mixture any place you’ve seen roach activity. When the roaches consume the borax, it will dehydrate them and kill them rapidly.

Pros: Effective, affordable, kills both adult and baby roaches  

Cons: Can be messy, requires re-application, requires you to track down and remove dead roach bodies

5. Citrus

Citrus is a tasty treat for humans, but it’s a repellent to cockroaches. The smell of lemons, specifically, deters roaches. Add a few drops of lemon oil to the water you use to mop your floors. The scent won’t be detectable to people, but it will send roaches packing.

Pros: Effective, affordable, ideal for homes with kids and pets

Cons: Does not kill roaches – only deters them

6. Essential Oils

Essential oils are a great natural roach repellant. For best results, purchase peppermint or lemongrass essential oil and mix it with a bit of water. Spray the mixture anywhere you’ve seen roaches.

Pros: Effective, affordable, safe for kids and pets, non-toxic

Cons: Does not kill roaches 

How to Get Rid of Roaches Inside the Home: 5 Conventional Methods

Looking for more conventional options to solve your roach problem? Here are some of the fastest ways to get rid of roaches:

1. Use Glue Traps to Identify Problem Areas

Glue traps are an effective way to identify roach problem areas and resolve infestations.

The smell of the trap lures roaches in and, once they step on the strip, the glue traps them.

For best results, place store-bought glue strips in any place you’ve noticed roach activity, including behind the refrigerator or under the sink.

Pros: Effective, safe for kids and pets (as long as the strips are hidden), fast-acting

Cons: You must monitor strips for a few days or weeks and change and replace them when they become filled with dead roaches 

2. Set Bait Stations

What kills cockroaches almost instantly? Bait stations. Typically, these bait stations come in a long tube and can be placed anywhere you’ve noticed roach activity.

The smell of the bait attracts roaches who then eat the poison. When the roach travels back to its home location and dies, the other roaches will eat it, passing the poison through the group.

Pros: Effective, fast-acting

Cons: Bait stations look unattractive around a home, can be toxic to kids and pets, will leave dead roaches around the home, dead roaches may be consumed by non-target species like birds and other animals – poisoning them as well

3.

Caulk all Entry Points

While glue strips and bait stations can be effective to get rid of roaches, they won’t do much good if new roaches are constantly entering your home. With this in mind, use caulk to seal gaps and possible entry points. Pay close attention to gaps between walls or tile, worn-out weather stripping, or gaps in door and window seals.

Pros: Effective, safe, affordable

Cons: Caulk wears out over time, so you must check and recheck access points routinely

4. Use a Liquid Concentrate

Purchase a liquid roach deterrent concentrate at your local home improvement store. This concentrated liquid is designed to be diluted and sprayed into cracks and crevices where roaches like to hide.

If you need a more comprehensive solution, you can also add a bit of the concentrate to a mop bucket and mop your floors with the solution. This option will deter roaches overnight and keep them from coming back.

Pros: Effective, fast-acting, affordable.

Cons: Contains toxic ingredients, not ideal for homes with kids and pets. 

5. Hire a Pest Management Professional

For best results, hire a professional roach management team like Smith’s to get rid of your infestation once and for all.

Professional teams know how to locate and eradicate roach infestations safely and effectively, without putting your kids, pets, or household at risk.

Pros: Effective, safe, long-lasting, can deal with roach infestations both indoors and outside the home

Cons: Requires a larger upfront investment than DIY options

Roach Bombs: Avoid if Possible

When wondering how to get rid of roaches without an exterminator, some people turn to roach bombs.

Also called “foggers,” roach bombs spray a pesticide into the air.

When the pesticide falls to the ground, it coats indoor surfaces and kills target pests. Most roach bombs are designed to be placed in the center of the room and activated.

Unfortunately, roach bombs are extremely toxic, and we recommend against using them. There are safer and more effective ways to get rid of your roach infestation.

Pros: Fast-acting

Cons: Toxic, flammable, most effective only for flying roaches, not suitable for homes with pets or young children, requires you to vacate the home while the roach bomb works 

How to Get Rid of Roaches Outside Your House

If you want to prevent cockroaches in your house, you have to start by limiting their numbers outside your home.

Here’s how:

1. Clean Up

Remember: roaches need three things to survive – food, water, and shelter. While you can’t eliminate these things in the outdoor environment, you can make your landscaping less welcoming for them.

Here are a few tips:

Pros: Effective, affordable, makes your landscaping look beautiful

Cons: Does not kill or get rid of roaches – only makes your landscaping less appealing for them

2.

Use Sticky Traps

Sticky traps aren’t only for indoor use – you can place them outdoors, too. Lay sticky traps down any place you see roaches entering your home, such as cracks around doors or windows, or foundations.

If you’re not sure where the roaches are coming from, lay the traps down in a few locations and check the traps daily to identify high-traffic routes.

Pros: Effective way to identify roach routes

Cons: Unsightly, time-consuming

3. Place Bait

To decrease the number of roaches entering your home, kill them with bait before they get inside.

Since roaches like to keep the top or side of their bodies pressed against something as they walk, your bait stations will be most effective when placed next to outbuildings, ledges, corners, fences, or the foundation of your home.

Pros: Effective, fast-acting, long-term solution

Cons: Toxic, can be dangerous for kids, pets, and other animals

4.

Spray Pesticide

One of the more effective ways to get rid of roaches is to spray a pesticide around the perimeter of your yard and home. These sprays are long-acting (many last three months or more) and will kill roaches on contact.

Pros: Effective, long-acting

Cons: Toxic, can be dangerous for kids, pets, and other animals 

How do Exterminators Get Rid of Roaches?

If you hire a professional exterminator to get rid of roaches, what can you expect?

Here’s how our team at Smith’s Pest Management does it:

Step 1: The Inspection

Our cockroach control experts will arrive at your property to inspect the infestation. We’ll look for areas where the roaches are accessing your home, and sources of moisture or food that may be enticing them.

We’ll also identify the species of cockroach you’re dealing with and formulate a plan for cockroach control.

Step 2: The First Treatment

Based on the information we gleaned during our initial inspection, we’ll develop a treatment plan for your home. Since cockroaches can be a difficult pest to eradicate, we take a two-step process to get rid of them.

Depending on the severity of your infestation, our preliminary treatment may include baiting, monitoring, trapping, or spraying the cockroaches or providing education, cleaning and sanitization services, or insect growth regulators.

During this step, we’ll place cockroach monitors to gauge activity.

Step Three: The Follow-Up Visit

Once we’ve deployed our initial treatment, we’ll check our monitors and deploy additional treatments, as needed. The result is a complete end to your infestation, as quickly as possible.

How Do I Keep Roaches Out of My House?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Keep roaches out of your home in the first place with these simple tips:

1. Clean the House

First things first: start by removing everything that could attract roaches.

Any homemade roach killer you employ will be more effective if you make your home as unwelcoming as possible before using it.

Here are a few items to check off the to-do list:

2. Get Serious About Storing Food

If you want to keep roaches out of your house, eliminating food sources is critical. One of the best ways to do this is to store food in airtight glass or plastic containers.

Store perishables in the refrigerator, and avoid leaving fruits and vegetables out on the counter.

3. Clean Kitchen Appliances

Remember: roaches love fat and grease, and your kitchen is a great place to find these tasty treats. With this in mind, keep the stovetop, dishwasher, and other cooking appliances clean.

Pay special attention to areas like the drip pans under stove burners, the backsplash, and your garbage disposal.

Additionally, make sure you’re wiping counters and tables after you cook each night. To add an additional layer of protection, add a few drops of lemon oil to your cleaning water. The scent of citrus will keep cockroaches from coming back.

4. Get Rid of Newspapers and Cardboard Boxes

Roaches love newspaper and cardboard boxes because they make excellent breeding and nesting material. To prevent roach infestations, recycle or get rid of old newspapers and used cardboard boxes as quickly as possible.

5. Seal Cracks and Entry Points

Roaches can squeeze their small bodies through tiny gaps and cracks. To prevent them from gaining access to your home, seal cracks in the home’s foundation and install door sweeps to block gaps under doors.

You’ll also want to check for gaps around windows, and around holes used for gas, plumbing, and electric lines, and crawl space vents. Use caulk or sprayable foam to seal these cracks and keep your home roach-free.

6. Fix Leaks Right Away

If you have plumbing leaks in your home, fix them as quickly as possible. Even a tiny pipe drip is enough to provide roaches with the moisture they need to survive.

In addition to fixing leaks, regularly inspect sinks, refrigerators, appliances, and faucets to ensure they’re not leaking or producing excess moisture.

Are Roaches Taking Over Your San Francisco Bay Area Home? We’re Here to Help!

Our team is here to help you get rid of roaches permanently. We provide top-quality pest control services to residential and commercial customers in Northern California – from Marin to Monterey.

Don’t settle for living with roaches – call our team for fast, effective roach control services: (408) 871-6988

5 remedies to keep them out |

(Image credit: Piman Kittiboonchouychoo / EyeEm)

A cockroach problem isn’t an abnormal occurrence. These speedy pests thrive in human conditions and are notoriously hard to catch – so it is important to know how to get rid of cockroaches for good. 

If you find yourself battling this pest, it can be easy to call on a professional immediately. However, just as when you’re getting rid of fruit flies, the best cockroach deterrents may be hiding in your kitchen cabinet. 

According to pest control experts, you can get rid of cockroaches with five natural remedies – many of which are already pantry staples. From coffee grounds to dish detergent, these cockroach repellents can help get rid of cockroaches naturally, and permanently. Of course, prevention is better than cure, and we have included ways to discourage cockroaches from entering your home in the first place, too.

How to get rid of cockroaches naturally – 5 expert-approved methods  

According to certified entomologist and technical director at Braman Termite & Pest Elimination Natasha Wright, the fight against cockroaches doesn’t need to involve harsh chemicals and toxins. Here are five organic methods that you can try. 

1. Sugar and borax

(Image credit: GettyImages)

‘Borax is effective for roach infestations because it will slowly dry the exoskeleton of the insects, affect their digestive system and finally kill them,’ Natasha says. 

The entomologist recommends mixing borax and sugar in a 3:1 ratio before spreading the homemade detergent in the spots where you have noticed them.

2. Peppermint oil 

(Image credit: GettyImages)

Peppermint oil is one of the most celebrated pest control deterrents on the market, so it is unsurprising that this remedy is effective in curing a cockroach infestation, too. 

‘A peppermint oil spray can deter roaches in a non-toxic way and is safe to use around children,’ Natasha says. The expert suggests mixing 15 drops of peppermint oil with 10 ounces of water before spraying the formula around infested areas. 

3. Dish detergent 

(Image credit: Alamy)

If you know how to clean an area rug or remove coffee stains from your favorite fabric, you may already know about the power of dish detergent. However, it has its place in your battle against cockroaches too. 

‘A mixture of water and soap can suffocate and kill cockroaches and is especially effective against German roaches. Mix four tablespoons of dish detergent in a liter of water and spray it where you’ve noticed activity,’ the entomologist says. 

4. Coffee grounds

(Image credit: GettyImages)

Did you know you can use coffee grounds to clean furniture? And that coffee grounds are good for plants? Well, you can also use some residue from your coffee maker to deter these pests – but not in the way you might initially expect. Cockroaches are attracted to the aroma of ground coffee – meaning it can create the perfect trap. 

‘Put the grounds in small paper cups and place those cups in water-filled jars, then place the jar against walls or baseboards where you’ve seen bugs,’ she instructs. The scent will lure the pests into the trap where they are unable to escape, so you can dispose of the contents the following day.  

5. Lemon juice 

(Image credit: Getty Images)

‘Lemon juice provides a sweet-smelling elimination option, as lemons possess natural anti-pathogenic properties that keep roaches away,’ Natasha says. Sharing her cleaning tips, the expert recommends adding two to three tablespoons of lemon juice with a few gallons of water in a bucket before mixing and washing the problem areas with a mop in the solution. 

Now you know how to get rid of cockroaches (the natural way), only one question remains – which solution with you begin with?

How to get rid of cockroaches permanently?

The best way to get rid of cockroaches permanently is to remove whatever it is that's attracting them in the first place. These require little more than good housekeeping and kitchen cleaning:

What is the best home remedy to get rid of roaches?

The best home remedy to get rid of roaches is boric acid. To create the boric mix, combine it in equal amounts with flour and sugar to make 'dough balls', each around an inch across. Put the dough balls where you've seen the cockroaches; they will feed on them and be killed. It is really important to ensure that pets and children do not have access to the dough balls. 

Megan is the News and Trends Editor at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes. As the News Editor, she often focuses on emerging microtrends, sleep and wellbeing stories, and celebrity-focused pieces. Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US while studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site. She currently lives in London with her antique typewriter and an expansive collection of houseplants.  

How to get rid of cockroaches in an apartment forever

December 22, 2021LikbezDo it yourself

At night you went to the kitchen to have a bite, but instead of a cake you found only crumbs and mustachioed swallows thrown in all directions? Congratulations, it's cockroaches! But you should not be afraid, but read: how to make traps, what to buy at the pharmacy so that the insects leave, and how to wash the floors so that they never return.

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How to understand that there are cockroaches in the apartment

  1. Black dots. If small dark balls appeared on dishes, kitchen shelves, wallpaper, alas, they were left by cockroaches. This is what their products look like.
  2. Specific smell.
  3. Clutches with eggs in corners and crevices. If you find them, you can, of course, be glad that your apartment has officially received the status of "cockroach-friendly", but this also means that the insects will have to be removed twice. First, the main number of pests will be destroyed, then the hatched offspring.
  4. Personal meeting. Cockroaches are curious and sociable creatures, therefore, if you do not pay attention to the alarm bells described above, sooner or later they themselves will make contact. Most often, black (up to 3 cm in length, kitchen) or red (up to 1.3 cm in length, Prussians) cockroaches start up in houses.

Why did they come to you

  1. You have a lot of delicious food. Cockroaches also like to eat. Only if you are eating sandwiches in front of the computer, they are content with little: leftover crumbs. And they also have enough open garbage bags or buckwheat scattered in the kitchen drawer.
  2. You have plenty of water available. A good dinner should be washed down. Therefore, puddles at the sink and a leaky shower cabin will come in handy.
  3. Your neighbors have plenty of food and water. No matter how hard you try to exterminate pests, all efforts can be broken by the stubbornness of your dirty neighbors. If you can’t agree with them, it’s enough to seal your own home: eliminate cracks and cracks.
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Effective remedies for cockroaches

Folk methods

Boric acid is the strongest poison for cockroaches. Getting into the digestive tract of an insect, it affects its nervous system. The cockroach is paralyzed and dies of suffocation. It is best to use boric acid in powder, you can buy it at any pharmacy.

Ammonia has a strong smell that cockroaches don't like. Therefore, they tend to leave the premises treated with this substance as soon as possible. To get rid of cockroaches, add ammonia to your water to clean floors, shelves, walls, and ceilings.

Freezing. Cockroaches are cold-blooded creatures. They cease to multiply and weaken at temperatures below +7 °C. However, this method can only be applied in winter, preferably in hard frost. It is enough just to leave the windows wide open for a day (or better for two). It is necessary that all rooms freeze to -10-15 °C.

Trap will help if there are not so many cockroaches. It can be made at home. A jar with a wide neck, a deep enameled or glass bowl, grease the inside with oil, fat or petroleum jelly, and crumble the bait on the bottom: cookies, bread, sugar. Insects will be drawn to the smell of delicious, and then they will not be able to get out. You can also use a plastic bottle as a dangerous container: cut off the neck and, turning it over, insert it back like a funnel.

Leave the trap overnight in the kitchen or bathroom and in the morning be sure to kill the pests. They can be poured with boiling water or sprayed with insecticide.

Chemicals

The market is rich in various specialized products: from sprays and crayons to nanotechnology lamps and traps. The main thing when working with such things is to carefully follow the instructions and do not forget about gloves and a protective mask.

How to get rid of cockroaches forever

If you live in a private house, it will be enough to thoroughly poison insects once, and then regularly take preventive measures so that in the future insects do not come to visit.

But if you are a happy homeowner in an apartment building, you can't do without actions coordinated with your neighbors. Agree with all residents and carry out pest control at the same time. Otherwise, it may happen that a cockroach landing from another floor will again and again enter your neutralized apartment.

Preventive measures

  1. Keep your home in order. One single cleaning is not enough to destroy pests, it is necessary to clean it regularly. Store food in airtight containers, remove crumbs from the table, and keep an eye on areas where pets eat. It would be a good idea to audit kitchen drawers for spilled cereals. It is advisable to wash the dishes immediately after eating, and not store them in the sink with the remnants of the meal inside.
  2. Take out the trash. Don't keep trash in a cabinet under the sink or store overflowing bags at the front door. Get in the habit of regularly walking to the trash cans (or the garbage chute), and put a container with an airtight lid in the kitchen.
  3. Repair leaks promptly. Whereas cockroaches can survive for weeks without food, they cannot live even a day without water. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly check potentially dangerous places (toilet bowl, sinks, pipe joints) for leaks. In addition, do not forget to dry the surfaces in the bathroom after active bathing. Well, it’s better not to abuse the sailor’s way of washing floors (this is when a bucket of water is poured onto the deck at once).
  4. Repair cracks. If your neighbors are not clean, take care of the inaccessibility of your apartment. Examine the walls, ceiling, corners of the room: there may be cracks. They deserve to be patched up. And close the ventilation holes with a special fine mesh through which insects cannot crawl.

Are you worried about whiskered pests? How do you protect your apartment from cockroaches? Share your tips in the comments.

How to get rid of cockroaches quickly at home

Published:

How to get rid of cockroaches: Pixabay

Cockroaches are creatures that not only cause disgust, but also spoil food, pose a threat to human health. Looking for ways to get rid of cockroaches? Effective ways to kill insects, as well as measures to prevent their reappearance in the house, are suggested by authoritative publications.

Effective ways to deal with cockroaches

Cockroaches are small insects that prefer to live next to humans. In total, there are more than 7,500 species of cockroaches. The red cockroach, or Prussian, causes the greatest trouble to a person.

Insects living next to humans, according to the authors of the book "Cockroaches near us" D. Zhuzhikov and N. Alyosho, are dangerous as mechanical carriers of a number of pathogens of infectious diseases in humans and domestic animals, as sources of allergens.

The feeling of disgust and the threat to health prompts to get rid of vile pests in accessible ways. There are many methods for destroying the Prussians.

How to get rid of cockroaches: NUR.KZ

Freezing

Cockroaches are hardy: they can live without food and water for several weeks. But there is something that the Prussians are afraid of. This is cold, and more specifically, the sub-zero temperature in the room. At temperatures below +7 °C, they cease to multiply, and at -10 °C they die.

This knowledge can be used to destroy the pest population. What should be done to get rid of cockroaches? The instructions are as follows:

  1. In winter, when the outside temperature reaches –10–15 °C, open all windows and doors in the house.
  2. Move pieces of furniture and household appliances in which cockroaches have been noticed to the balcony or outside.
  3. Wash home textiles (spreads, bed linen, clothes) in a washing machine and hang out in the cold.
  4. Keep your windows open and your belongings outside for 24, preferably 48 hours.

After 1-2 days, do a general cleaning and bring things into the house.

Boric acid

An effective way to eliminate insects is to use insecticides. The market is rich in various specialized products: sprays, gels, crayons and poison traps. These products contain aggressive chemical components that can harm not only insects, but also people.

A safer option is boric acid bait. This substance is the strongest poison for cockroaches. Getting into the digestive tract of an insect, it affects its nervous system. How to poison cockroaches? Follow the step by step guide:

  1. Make poison bait. Crack the egg and remove the protein. Add 1 pack (10 g) of powdered boric acid to the raw yolk. To enhance the smell, add a pinch of vanilla sugar.
  2. Stir the bait thoroughly and roll into small balls. Wear gloves to protect your hands.
  3. Place baits in places where pests tend to accumulate - against walls, in the corner of the floor, on shelves, in food pantries, under equipment and household appliances.

Remove other food so that the cockroaches feed on the extremely poisonous mixture. Make sure that poisoned balls are not tasted by children and pets.

Destruction of cockroaches: Pixabay

Folk remedies and traps

How to get rid of cockroaches with folk remedies? If cockroaches bother, turn to folk remedies. A homemade trap will help. It is done like this:

  1. Take a large jar or plastic bottle. With the latter, you need to cut off the neck.
  2. Lubricate the inside of the container with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil (this will prevent cockroaches from getting inside).
  3. Sprinkle bait on the bottom: honey, sugar, biscuits, breadcrumbs. You need to change the bait every 3-4 days.
  4. Place a trap near the place where cockroaches crawl out.

This is a great way to kill Prussians if the pest colony has not yet grown. If there are a lot of cockroaches, the author of the book "The Complete Encyclopedia of Household" Elena Vasnetsova recommends using pyrethrum - powdered dry flowers of Caucasian or Dalmatian chamomile. Pour the mixture into places where pests accumulate and treat the likely areas of penetration of cockroaches.

Smells

Unpleasant neighbors can be banished with scent weapons. What smells don't like cockroaches? Most pests are repelled by such substances and plants:

  1. Ammonia, vinegar, gasoline or kerosene. Add one of the listed substances to water (ammonia and vinegar in a ratio of 1:2, gasoline - 1:5) and treat all surfaces, ceilings, pantries and floors in the house with a solution. Repeat the procedure daily for 3-4 weeks.
  2. Bay leaf, wormwood. You can use them:

Despite the fact that some biologists have noted a decrease in the number of Prussians, they still appear in apartments and houses. To get rid of insects, you have to make an effort.

Bay leaf repels cockroaches: Pixabay

Causes of cockroaches and preventive measures

Insect pests are predominantly nocturnal. During the day, cockroaches hide from people in hard-to-reach dark places - in cracks and holes in the floor, under baseboards, behind a refrigerator or in household appliances.

Why do cockroaches appear in the apartment? The main reasons that contribute to the appearance of the Prussians:

  1. Access to food. Cockroaches feed on human food, its remains and waste. They are attracted to open trash cans, unwashed dishes, bread crumbs, or traces of grease. Prussians are interested not only in human food, but also in pet food.
  2. High humidity. Insects need a source of water to live. Leaking pipes and faulty plumbing are a haven for cockroaches.
  3. The ideal conditions for their life are warmth, darkness, the presence of rubbish where they can hide.

How do cockroaches get into an apartment? The most likely ways for pests to enter the house:

If you have ever had to remove cockroaches, you know what a hard job it is. The more relevant are the actions that prevent the appearance of these insects.

What measures are there to prevent the appearance of cockroaches in the house? According to Steve Jacobs of the University of Pennsylvania, hygiene is the key to prevention.

Cleaning the kitchen: Pixabay

To prevent the reappearance of the cockroaches:

  1. Seal all cracks and holes in the apartment so that cockroaches cannot get into the house from neighbors. To do this, cover the holes in the walls, on the floor and ceiling with putty, eliminate the gaps near the pipes, attach to the ventilation grill or mesh.
  2. Keep plumbing and pipes in good condition to prevent leakage and high humidity.
  3. Clean up any spilled or spilled food, including crumbs on the floor.
  4. Do not leave dirty dishes overnight.
  5. Store food in sealed containers.
  6. Take out the trash every evening.

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