How to Get Rid of Roaches

Once cockroaches make themselves at home in a house, it can be very difficult to kick them out. They can snack on your food, damage wallpaper, books, and electronics, and some species of cockroach also spread germs to humans. Serve these pests an eviction notice and keep them from coming back by choosing a bait, insecticide, trap or barrier approach that works best for you.

Steps

Deny Them Water and Food

1. Cockroaches must have a source of water. Depending on the temperature and their size, they can live for a month without any food, but no more than a week without water. Find all the water leaks in your house, and fix them. Once their water source(s) have been eliminated, they will be much more interested in eating gel-based baits you set out.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Clean your house thoroughly. A clean house is key to keeping cockroaches away, and the first place to start is the kitchen. Wash your dishes and put food away promptly after meals. Clean up crumbs and spills right away, and generally keep the area clean. Pay special attention to range tops, as cockroaches love grease.^[1]
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Keep food containers sealed, and don't leave food out for extended periods. Don't leave dirty dishes out overnight, and don't leave fruit on the countertop.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Mop the floor routinely to clean up crumbs and sticky spots. Do not slop water against the walls; remember, they need water.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


5. Take out the trash regularly. Have one trash can for food in your house. Don't let it sit for too long. Use a trash can with a lid, rather than one that stays open. Keep it in sealed containers that aren't sitting right next to your house.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Using Cockroach Baits

1. Use store-bought cockroach bait. Cockroach bait is either housed in a childproof-case or applied as a gel and contains a slow-working poison mixed in with an attractive (for cockroaches) food.^[2] The roaches eat the poison and bring it back to the nest, where it eventually kills all the other roaches.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Place the bait in an area where you know cockroaches will encounter it, such as along baseboards, under the sink, and in corners. It should be as close to the nest as possible, so that as many roaches as possible will eat it and take it back to the nest.
   
   
   • Most cockroach baits contain Fipronil .05% or Hydramethylnon 2% as the active ingredient. Roaches will eat the poison, then excrete it back at the nest, where other roaches will come into contact with it and die.
   
   
   • Killing roaches using this method can take several weeks. Once the first generation of cockroaches is killed, their eggs will hatch and more cockroaches will have to be poisoned before the nest is gone for good.
   
   
   
   


2. Try homemade cockroach baits. Mix one part powdered (not granular) boric acid (sometimes sold as a roach-killing powder, but often available in pharmacies), one part white flour, one part powdered white sugar. The sugar and flour attracts the roaches, and the boric acid kills them.^[3] Sprinkle the powder in the backs of drawers and cabinets, under the refrigerator, under the stove, and so on.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • You can also try a similar mixture of 1 part boric acid, 2 parts flour and 1 part cocoa.
   
   
   • Expect at least 3 cycles of disappearance/reemergence of progressively smaller hordes of cockroaches, lasting about 2 weeks each. Continue using boric acid till roaches are gone.
   
   
   • Kids, dogs, and some other pets will eat this mixture. Boric acid is not highly toxic to humans and pets, but is for external use only, so place it where only the bugs can get it.
   
   
   • The mixture will cake hard in humid environments, so paper or foil trays may be needed to protect your floors and cabinets.
   
   
   
   

Using Insecticides

1. Use a simple solution of soap and water. This is an easy way to kill adult roaches. Make a light solution of soap (bath soap is fine) and water that is thin enough to spray through a spray bottle.^[4] You can splash it, spray it or just throw it on the roach. Just 2 or 3 drops of a soapy water solution can kill a roach. Ensure that it makes contact with the roach's head and lower abdomen. If you can turn the roach over, hitting the belly is best. The roach will run or try to run, but will suddenly stop and die or be almost dead in one minute.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • The soapy water kills them by forming a thin film over the roach's breathing pores that stays in place due to surface tension, causing the roach to suffocate.
   
   
   • Throw the roach away as soon as possible, since it could recover if the water dries up or has not touched a large percentage of its body.
   
   
   
   


2. Use an insecticide spray. Get some insecticide that is labeled for use against cockroaches and contains Cyfluthrin or another insecticide as the active ingredient.^[5] Spray wherever cockroaches may be hiding or entering the house, including along walls, in cracks, and in vents.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Keep pets and children out of the way when you are spraying, and follow all safety instructions on the product's label.
   
   
   • If you're also using roach bait, don't spray near the bait. The spray may contaminate the bait and cause roaches to stay away from it.
   
   
   • Using spray against roaches works to keep them out of sight for the present moment, but it can also serve to drive them further into your walls and make the problem worse. It's important to treat the nest as well as killing roaches on site.
   
   
   
   


3. Apply a liquid concentrate. Liquid concentrates, once the exclusive domain of professional exterminators, are now being made for use by the public.The concentrate is a poison or deterrent chemical that is diluted with water and then sprayed, wiped, or mopped onto just about any surface, crack or crevice to kill roaches that walk there. Concentrates can be particularly effective providing protection against re-infestation, as they usually deter roaches for 1-2 weeks or more.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Get professional grade pesticides. For the worst infestations, as a very last resort, you might want to order the strongest pesticides available. Look for a pesticide that contains Cypermethrin.^[6] Professional baits, glue traps with pheromones, and professional sprays are far more effective then products bought at a local home store. Cy-Kick CS is a micro-encapsulated product that is very effective against roaches.You'll probably have to buy it online, because this pesticide isn't usually sold in hardware stores. It will kill live bugs, as well as provide a residual effect for three months. Spray it around the perimeter of your home and in places like your basement.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • The downside is that this will kill all bugs, even ones that eat roaches, like spiders and millipedes.
   
   
   • Use this only as a last resort, and don't use it at all if you have pets and kids around. It's a very strong poison that will harm anyone who eats it.
   
   
   
   

Using Traps

1. Use store-bought cockroach traps. Cockroach traps lure cockroaches in and then trap them with an adhesive. Get several of these, and place them wherever cockroaches are known to frequent. While this is an effective way to kill a small population of adult roaches, it won't affect the nest itself.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Use water jars. A simple and effective homemade way to lure and trap roaches is with a jar placed next to a wall. This allows the roaches to get in, but not escape. Any bait can be placed in the jar, including coffee grounds and water, but it also works with just plain water in drier climates. Again, this is a good way to kill adult roaches, but it doesn't affect the nest and eggs.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Use soda bottle traps. Take a plastic soda bottle and cut off the top where it curves. Invert the top and place it into the body of the bottle so that it acts like a funnel inside the bottle. Tape it into place around the rim. Pour a bit of water with soap in the bottom of the bottle, and set the trap in a place where roaches hang out. They'll craw into the trap and drown.^[7]
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Preventing Reinfestation

1. Move yard debris away from the outside of the house. Cockroaches love piles of wood and other convenient hiding places, and as the weather turns colder, they'll migrate inside the house to keep warm. Make sure your woodpile is well away from the house. Remove piles of straw, leaves, clippings, and any other yard waste.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Seal the house to keep roaches from entering. Seal cracks in exterior walls to keep roaches out of the house by blocking their entrance. Seal cracks everywhere you can inside your house as well. This takes time, but the payoff is great, because you eliminate most of their favorite hiding and breeding places.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Fill every crack inside every cabinet in your kitchen.
   
   
   • Fill the cracks on both sides of floor, door, and window moldings.
   
   
   • Fill all openings around pipes in bathrooms and kitchens.
   
   
   
   


3. Set out preventative traps. Even if you successfully got rid of a nest, prevent a re-infestation by setting out traps that will kill roaches before they get out of control. The best approach is to leave the caulk off a few cracks that are close to potential areas of entry, like the drain or vents, and place traps as follows:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Spray over with insecticide (such as Raid) in either gel or liquid form. This serves as a second line of defense should any roaches survive or get past the steel wool; this will at the very least weaken them.
   
   
   • Fix any openings with caulk, Spackle or some other hardening mixture. If the crack is on a baseboard or wood, after putting the Spackle down, rub with resin or cover with wood paint. Once the Spackle has hardened, 4-6 hours after its application, it is child-safe.
   
   
   
   

Video

Tips

• Store pots, pans and dishes upside down so you won't have cockroach droppings or eggs inside them.


• Seal open cereal packages by placing the whole inner bag inside a zip-lock bag so it's completely sealed, then slide it back into the box. Don't allow crumbs to accumulate around the sealed bag inside the box because a cockroach can live on crumbs for a long time. Chip clips or other types of clips won't keep them out of your food. Do this with everything that comes in a bag or small box. Make sure flour, sugar, oatmeal, etc. is in a sealed container. These seem like simple steps, but they work very well.


• Ants and lizards are good bug eaters. Ants eat termites as well. (Best if not using pesticides of course.)


• Don't accumulate clutter. They will nest in anything from paper to clothing. This includes the garage, attic, or basement. There is no limit.


• Keep bath plugs in so they can't come up from the drains.


• Once you find a nest of cockroaches, spray GooGone anti-adhesive in it, this will get in the roach's breathing pores, it will kill them and leave a scent that cockroaches hate.


• It's debatable whether or not stepping on a female cockroach will destroy the eggs. Eggs are laid in a thick casing called an ootheca, and will most likely not survive if the female is killed, but it's smart to clean it all off your shoe anyway.


• Natural roach repellents are peppermint oil, cucumber peel, citrus, catnip, garlic, and clove oil.


• Cockroaches hide in toasters and eat the crumbs so make sure to regularly clean these and turn them on for about 3 minutes to destroy any food scent.


• Always keep food and every thing out of their way and take out your garbage before you go to bed.


• If you do smash a cockroach be sure to thoroughly clean the surface around the bug and dispose of or thoroughly clean whatever you killed it with.


• To dispose of dead cockroaches, flush them down the toilet so it's out of your house.


• If you're cheap (or just lazy) and live in a small apartment, you can also use everyday plastic grocery bags as an easy and inexpensive alternative to caulking. Simply find cracks and openings along floors, walls, and baseboards where the little buggers might be getting in, and stuff one or two bags along each opening to effectively "seal" it. If this doesn't convince the roaches to find another apartment to invade, it should at least limit the area through which they can enter your space. Use the opportunity to apply other methods of killing and trapping with greater results.


• Put naphthalene balls on corners of the house. Roaches hate their smell.


• Make sure to clean places where roaches were squished. Roaches are cannibals.


• For an 'instant' kill a spray of alcohol (either rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle or aftershave in a spray, as long as it contains alcohol) works very well. Hairspray works too.


• Baits and traps are most effective if placed in several areas, particularly near known roach paths or where droppings are present. Try not to disturb the area too much by cleaning, or the roaches may reroute their trips.


• If you use public or community laundry facilities, wash white linens and clothing in hot water with plenty of bleach before washing your other laundry. If this isn't possible, run one wash cycle with hot water and bleach without any laundry, then do your other laundry in the same machine. Transfer them to the dryer immediately and use the hottest setting, if possible. Place the dry clothing directly into a plastic trash bag and take it out of the facility immediately. Fold or hang them at home. Your clothes might be a bit wrinkled but you will be less likely to bring home uninvited house guests. If you must fold your clothes at the facility, spray the counter top with bleach and water. Allow it to air dry so the bleach doesn't damage clothing. The safest way to avoid bringing roaches home in your laundry is to launder everything at home in your own washer and dryer.


• Make your own traps by lining the inside of a Tic-Tac box with fly paper, then replace the top. Leave the little flip top open so the roaches can get in. You can also use a match box or other small box and cut holes at each end. Fly paper is much less expensive than roach traps and works the same way.


• Clean up dog and cat feces in the yard, as cockroaches may eat it or may simply track it through the house, contaminating the home interior.


• Install fluorescent light strips or tap lights inside all your kitchen cabinets and keep them turned on. Cockroaches don't like light and it will discourage them from munching on food particles and crumbs. Another option is to leave all cabinet doors open and the kitchen lights turned on. It won't kill them but it will make your home less inviting. Use self-adhesive shelf paper that has an insect repellant built in.


• If the above methods don't work, call a pest-control expert. Exterminators are licensed to use stronger chemicals and to apply chemicals more widely, and they can do so while keeping your family safe.


• Moth ball crystals in spice jars work. One inch in a spice jar, put just the shaker lid on. Place in drawers and cabinets. Shake jars when you see them to keep crystals loose. Pair with glue boards/boxes and it will capture roaches. Glue boards work best at the front of drawers and cabinets. One box of crystals will work for 12 spice jars.

Warnings

• Insecticides, cockroach bait and other chemicals can be poisonous to people (especially children) and pets, so be sure to heed the warnings on the label, and follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter.


• When you spray the solution in the kitchen cabinets, hold your breath and spray quickly or consider buying a respirator for application. Get a pump-up pressure bottle and it works fast.

Things You'll Need

• Insecticidal spray


• Cockroach bait


• Cockroach trap


• Liquid concentrate


• Caulk and caulk gun, or drywall sealant


• Zip-lock bags and airtight food containers


• Self-adhesive shelf paper with an insect repellant


• Tap lights or fluorescent light strips

Related wikiHows

• How to Get Rid of Roaches with Borax


• How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies


• How to Trap Cockroaches


• How to Get Rid of Rats in Apartment Buildings

Sources and Citations

• VideoJug.com A video on dealing with cockroaches. The original source of this article. Shared with permission.

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