How to get rid of cockroaches. Unfortunately, they’re pests that are hard to get rid of. It’s critical to get rid of roaches as soon as possible if they’re spotted in places like kitchen cupboards, the attic, or your bathroom.
We’ll discuss the finest and quickest ways to get rid of roaches for good, as well as everything you should know about your possible choices, in this article.
What Attracts Roaches to My Home?
Whether you have domestic roaches of various kinds, it is evident that you do not want them in your house.
Roaches may cause allergies, spread illness, and create an unhealthy living environment in addition to giving you the creeps.
Fortunately, understanding what attracts roaches to your home in the first place is the first step in getting rid of them.
Here are some of the most common culprits:
1. Food sources.
Roaches are omnivores, so they can eat whatever they want. Starches, sweets, fatty foods, and meats are some of their favorites.
They’ll come in because there are easy sources of food, such as dirty dishes in the sink, dog food on the floor, or crumbs on the counter.
Garbage is also a favorite of roaches, so make sure to empty all trash cans on a regular basis and tightly seal them.
2. Shelter.
Cockroaches enter homes for shelter.
Roaches may reside behind picture frames, in hollowed-out wood, in damp locations such as under the sink or behind the toilet, or in the backs of your electronics depending on the species.
Roaches will enter indoors as the temperature drops outdoors.
They prefer quiet, out-of-the-way places, and may dwell under huge equipment, in the nooks of basements, and attics.
3. Location.
We get it if you’re confused “why do I have roaches in my clean house?”
When you’ve been careful to avoid common attractants, solving a roach problem might be challenging.
Unfortunately, roaches prefer some sites over others.
The American cockroach, for example, thrives in unsanitary conditions because it simply breaches a window seal or a door left open and starts establishing itself in your home.
4. Water.
Roaches, like other creatures, require water to live and will seek it out in the most hygienic of environments.
Open showers and pet water bowls are all common attractants, as are leaky pipes and faucets.
5. Landscaping.
Roaches will come into your yard in search of food, shelter, and water, despite their preference for living indoors.
Roaches will be attracted to standing water in birdbaths, gutters, and flowerpots, as well as food sources like birdseed or fruit plants.
How to identify types of roaches
Oriental cockroaches (Peridomestic) are a little slower than regular cockroaches and won’t scuttle across your floor like them. They’re black and prefer to infest in ground-level areas like sewage because they can’t climb straight up a wall.
The German cockroach is the most frequent cockroach in the United States.
Even a single female in your home could produce a cockroach infestation of more than 30,000 roaches in a single year due to their breeding speed (each egg case can create 20-40 baby roaches).
The female German cockroach carries her egg pouches with her until they are ready to hatch, unlike other roach species.
This implies that infestations may be difficult to contain since they are widespread.
Cockroaches have long hind legs and antennae, and their bodies are flat and broad. Most are black or brown, and their wings are folded flat on their backs.
The German cockroach, on the other hand, has a light brown body with two dark parallel stripes that go down from the head to the wings.
While the American cockroach isn’t the most prevalent roach species in the United States, it is the biggest.
With lifespans of around two years, it’s also one of the longest-lived.
These roaches, sometimes known as “sewer roaches” or “palmetto bugs,” grow to be 1-3″ long and have light yellow margins around their bodies.
Brown-banded roaches (Domestic): Brown-banded roaches have two light brown stripes, similar to German cockroaches. A brown-banded roach, on the other hand, has stripes that run across its belly.
These roaches prefer to live in high places, especially in warm parts of a home.
These roaches’ bodies, which are generally a dark, gloomy mahogany with an almost black pronotum (shiny shield-like cover on a roach’s head), may grow to be quite huge, ranging from 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches.
They have a strong ability to fly and often enter a residence via the surrounding vegetation. Hodges recommends that to avoid Smokybrown roaches entering indoors, you should practice good exterior upkeep and treatment.
How Roaches Enter Your Home
How do roaches get inside your home, whether it’s shelter, food, or water? Little holes and gaps in windows, doors, and other places are the most prevalent route for roaches to enter your home.
Here are some of their favorite access points:
1. Cracks and Gaps in Windows and Doors.
The most common way roaches enter your home is via cracks and gaps in your doors and windows. Roaches have easy access to entrances that aren’t properly closed and windows that don’t completely close.
2. Holes in Pipes and Vents.
Holes in pipes and vents are another frequent roach entry point. It invites roaches to come inside if you live in an older home with vents with holes or don’t properly seal.
Keep an eye on pipes and plumbing fixtures for holes or other possible roach access points when you replace or service your vents.
3. Hitching a Ride on Furniture and Other Items.
Before bringing in used furniture or other objects, make sure they aren’t infested with roaches. These insects may hide in repurposed items and then reveal themselves once they’ve safely entered your home.
How to get rid of cockroaches
Apply boric acid.
A popular home remedy is Boraclastic acid. The roaches will be attracted to the boric acid, which will kill them, according to this DIY plan.
Equal proportions of boric acid, confectioners sugar, and flour are mixed together into a dough.
Place these marble-sized dough balls around your home, such as under the kitchen and sink, to break up the pattern.
Diatomaceous Earth.
Diatomaceous earth is an effective method for getting rid of cockroaches, and it may seem to be more appropriate in a garden than in a residence.
Cockroaches don’t eat it, and it isn’t poisonous. Instead, they stroll through the diatomaceous earth.
The waxy coating on the roach’s exoskeleton is quickly destroyed by diatomaceous earth, which is extremely abrasive (made up of broken down fossils).
Roaches may also detect diatomaceous earth and bring it back to their nests, killing other cockroaches.
Add baking soda to your arsenal.
Another common household ingredient that you can use to fight pests is baking soda.
Bait the roaches with a combination of baking soda and sugar. Baking soda ingestion causes their insides to swell and expand, killing them when they eat it and drink water.
Baking soda alone, on the other hand, is less effective than boric acid. Nonetheless, they may be combined in certain ways.
Pellets created using a blend of three parts boric acid and one part baking soda were shown to be lethal to roaches in a 2013 test, with an average mortality period of 5 hours after consumption.
Citrus.
Cockroaches are deterred by citrus, but it doesn’t kill them. Mix citrus acid with water and spray it in high-traffic areas if you want to take preventative measures before the cockroaches arrive.
The stench makes cockroaches avoid this location. To keep the fragrance in your kitchen, place a few citrus peels around.
Benefits of using citrus:
-Preventative method
-Deters cockroaches before they become a problem
Borax.
Borax is a effective roach killer that can be purchased at any grocery store. Combine equal portions of borax and white table sugar for optimum results.
Anywhere you see roach activity, dust the combination. The borax will dehydrate and kill the roaches after they have consumed it.
Adults and larvae roaches are killed, and they don’t cost a lot of money.
Con: May be difficult to apply, and you’ll have to locate and destroy dead roach corpses.
Rosemary:
Rosemary essential oil was deadly to brown-banded cockroaches, according to the same 2016 research, when exposed at a dosage of at least 2.5% for 24 hours.
Use a syringe to apply gel baits.
It’s simpler to cover a broad range of hard-to-reach areas with products that bait roaches with a gel applied by syringe. Rookies are more likely to encounter the bait when it is spread across a broader area.
Little dollops of gel should be put in places where roaches may roam or enter and leave, such as at corners, beneath cupboards, and around cracks and edges, according to experts.
Rather of huge globs in just a few locations, utilize little dots in many locations.
Time allows roaches to potentially infect other roaches, and baits may take one to three days to kill them.
Use Glue Traps to Identify Problem Areas.
Roach problem areas can be identified and infestations can be resolved using glue traps.
The Trap attracts roaches by the smell, and the glue traps them as soon as they step on the strip.
Place store-bought glue strips anywhere you’ve seen roach activity, such as behind the fridge or underneath the sink, for optimum results.
Pros: Effective, non-toxic for children and animals (as long as the strips are covered), fast acting
Pros: You’ll need to check strips every few days or weeks, and when they’re full of dead roaches, you’ll have to replace them.
Seal Cracks & Install Door Sweeps.
Roaches enter your home through doors and around cracks in the foundation, gaining access.
Easy access locations might be difficult to detect since they might be small, however a skilled should be able to point out entry points for you. The following are some of the concerns:
-Around windows and doors
-Along the foundation or roof
-Attic and crawl space vents
Electric, gas, and plumbing lines are all routed through holes in the ground.
We suggest that you check these problem zones at least once a year, and if cracks and holes are detected, seal them immediately.
Small gaps may be sealed with caulk, while larger gaps, particularly around pipes, should be filled with steel wool and foam. You may use a fine wire mesh to construct a barrier for bigger openings around chimneys or attic vents.
Pull out the poison and traps.
You may have to use the big guns on occasion. Roach poisons and roach traps are widely accessible and typically work immediately. Here are some of the best roach killers we’ve found:
Hire a Pest Management Professional.
If you want to get rid of your roaches for good, hire a professional roach management company like Smith’s to do the job.
Roach infestations can be safely and efficiently located and eliminated by professional pest control companies, without endangering your children, pets, or home.
Con: Reliable, safe, long-term, and capable of treating roach problems both inside and outside the home
Con: As compared to do-it-yourself alternatives, it takes a bigger up-front commitment.
Regularly Inspect and Fix any Plumbing Issues or Leaks.
Bugs, like humans, are attracted to moisture because they need water to live. Leaks and water issues are common problems that attract insects and are undetected by homeowners.
If you notice any leaky or plumbing problems, contact a plumber right away. Regularly checking the faucets, sinks, refrigerators, and equipment in your home for leaks or producing too much moisture is a good idea.
Clear Up Your Garbage.
Garbage and cockroach remedies are never going to mix! There are bound to be pests in your home if you have open and overflowing garbage cans. To keep sanitation, use garbage cans with lids. Separate trash and dispose of it on a regular basis.
Water supplies have been cut off. Water is required for cockroaches to survive. They can survive for a month without food but only one week without water, depending on the temperature and their size.
In your home, locate and fix all of the water leaks. They’ll be much more interested in eating gel-based baits you place out once their water source(s) have been eliminated.
Get rid of any cardboard boxes.
Cardboard boxes are also common cockroach breeding habitats, in addition to being a dependable food source. Cockroaches send messages using pheromones, which are better absorbed into wood, paper, or cardboard surfaces.
The quickest way to discourage cockroaches from using cardboard boxes as breeding grounds (or for their next meal) is to recycle or dispose of them.
Similarly, since any unused cardboard moving boxes you store might be a source of food for the insects, it is highly recommended to recycle and replace them before your next move.