You can apply natural remedies like boric acid, neem, bay leaves, etc., and conventional methods like gel baits, bait stations, roach bombs, etc to get rid of cockroaches. Let’s investigate how to get rid of cockroaches.
Erik Karits,Pexels.com,Copyright 2022
1) What are Cockroaches?
Cockroaches are opportunistic predators. They survive in human and tough situations, unlike other animals. Because of the insect’s extraordinary capacity to adapt to practically any habitat on Earth, it frequently comes into contact with humans.
The cockroach is distinguished by its flattened oval shape, strong threadlike antennae, and glossy black or brown leathery integument. The head is inclined downward, and the mouthparts point backwards instead of forward or downward, as in most other insects. Female cockroaches are wingless or have vestigial wings in some species, whereas males have two sets of wings.
The cockroach enjoys a warm, humid, and gloomy environment and can be found in tropical or other moderate regions. The roach’s diet comprises both plant and animal materials, ranging from food, paper, clothes, and books to dead insects, particularly bedbugs.
You can spot roaches in your kitchen or dark and hidden places in your house. They excel in hiding and mostly come out after midnight. They look for food and water sources to survive in your home environment.
2) How to Identify Types of Roaches?
The ability to recognize different roach species and determine whether they are domestic or peridomestic. According to Hodges, the knowledge of knowing types of cockroaches will help you understand how and why roaches enter your home in the first place and which methods to put to use first.
Although most roach species have no desire to infiltrate homes, there is a handful that will happily set up shop in your home. Get rid of roaches entirely after you have grasped their nature and types.
2.1) Types of Roaches
2.1.1) German Cockroaches (Blattella germanica):
A common domestic nuisance, the German cockroach is light brown with two black stripes on the prothoracic region. The female creates the ootheca three days after mating and carries it for around twenty days. Every year, three or more generations may occur.
These German cockroaches are frequently brought into houses in supermarket bags and cartons due to their tiny size (approximately 12 mm). It has spread around the world due to human transportation, notably long-distance shipping.
It is suggested to concentrate on minimizing German roach presence by removing food, water, and harborage in areas like the bathroom and kitchen because they are domestic and already reside indoors.
2.1.2) American Cockroaches (Periplaneta americana):
The American cockroach can appear as big, can fly, and usually enter homes through vegetation. However, American cockroaches are larger than smoky brown roaches, typically reaching lengths of 1 to 2 inches, and they glide through the air rather than flying.
One of its other more distinctive characteristics is that American cockroach has heads that somewhat resemble raccoon masks, with mostly gold heads and smaller, darker brown spots. American cockroaches are known to reside either outside of the house or in hot, gloomy, and dark indoor places like furnace rooms and basements.
2.1.3) Brown-banded cockroaches (Supella longipalpa):
The brown-banded cockroach is similar to the German cockroach but smaller. The male has fully formed wings and is lighter in colour than the female, who has short, nonfunctional wings. Two light-coloured bands go across the back of both sexes.
Brown-banded roaches have two light brown stripes as German cockroaches do. A brown-banded cockroach, on the other hand, has stripes that span its entire abdomen.
Adults live for roughly 200 days, and there may be two generations every year. Eggs can be found in clothing, wood moulding, or floor cracks. These roaches prefer to live in warm places in a house, so you’ll usually find them up high.
2.1.4) Smoky Brown Roaches (Periplaneta fuliginosa):
Smoky Brwon roaches can grow to be quite large, up to 1.5 to 1.7 inches, with primarily deep bodies, dark mahogany, and an almost black pronotum (the shiny, shield-like covering on a roach’s head). They have excellent flying abilities and frequently access homes through the nearby vegetation.
In the summer, smokey brown roaches infiltrate homes or hitchhike on firewood. They can enter through small cracks and crevices surrounding doors and windows, ventilation spaces, or any other small opening that leads inside. These roaches fly toward lights at night.
It is advised to perform good exterior maintenance and treatment, as a result, to aid in preventing Smoky brown roaches from migrating indoors.
2.1.5) Wood Roaches (Parcoblatta Pennsylvania):
Despite their name, wood roaches are not common pests in eastern and central North America. The Pennsylvania wood roach is found in northern latitudes under logs and stones. Males and females are so different that they were originally considered distinct species.
The male, which is 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) in length, has wings that extend past the abdomen. The female is smaller and has significantly shorter wings than the male.
The Florida woods cockroaches, often known as the palmetto bugs (Eurycotis Florida), are huge cockroaches that can grow to be 30-40 mm long.
2.1.6) Oriental Cockroaches (Blatta orientalis):
One of the filthiest household pests is the Oriental cockroach. It is oval, glossy black or dark brown, and 25 to 30 mm (1 to 1.2 inch) in length Oriental roaches have a life cycle identical to that of the American cockroach.
The male has completely formed short wings, whereas the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has spread from its Asian origins to all temperate zones via commercial trucks.
Although it’s common to see cockroaches scuttling across your floor, Oriental cockroaches probably won’t move that way given their lack of agility. They tend to infest ground-level areas like sewage because they are black and can’t climb straight up a wall.
3) Effects of Cockroach Infestation
Cockroaches in the house are a health issue not just because of the risks cockroach antigens offer to asthma patients, but also because they can transport disease-causing bacteria and some of the techniques typically used to exterminate them entail extra health problems.
Gastroenteritis, an intestinal infection that causes diarrhoea, fever, and vomiting, is the most frequent disease carried by cockroaches. Cockroaches, on the other hand, frequently bring other infections, such as Salmonella.
Cockroaches can cause and worsen respiratory difficulties. Hundreds of allergens are found in cockroach saliva, which can cause rashes, sneezing, and itchy, watery eyes. Infestations of cockroaches can also increase pre-existing allergy problems.
Photo by Erik Karits: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-cockroach-6482827/ Copyright 2021
4) What Attracts Roaches?
Cockroaches thrive in unclean, sticky, and filthy environments. Make sure there is no spilt water or leftover food for the cockroaches to thrive in. Maintaining basic hygiene in your house can reduce the possibility of roach infestations by up to 60%. Keeping hygienic and clean surrounding prevent roaches from residing and multiplying in the home environment.
4.1) Leave No Dirty Dishes in the Kitchen
Cockroach infestation is frequently brought on by dirty dishes in the sink. You should always wash your dishes right away after meals. Try not to leave them in the sink all night.
4.2) Remove Your Garbage
Many times garbage cans are not emptied by the family members which automatically allows pests and other roaches to thrive in the filthy surrounding. If your garbage cans are left open and overflowing, you will surely attract bugs.
Pick trash cans with lids to maintain cleanliness. Sort waste into different categories and get rid of it periodically.
4.3) Gather Every Food Fragment
Cockroaches are commonly found among food scraps and leftovers. So it seems to reason that their favourite room is the kitchen! Maintain a clean kitchen at all times. After cooking, sweep the floor and wipe the kitchen countertops, and don’t store food in open spaces.
Every once a month empty and clean the cabinets of your kitchen to prevent cockroaches and other infectious pathogens from spreading the diseases.
5) How to Get Rid of Cockroaches?
Cockroaches are nothing less than a disease. And nowadays the roach problem is frequently noticed by the family members in a household. It has become essential to eliminate roaches as they reproduce anywhere and whenever they can, spread deadly and infectious diseases, and strike fear even in the strongest of wills.
You probably want to know how to get rid of cockroaches quickly. We have explored several home remedies for cockroach control in addition to hiring professional assistance, which is a good and more effective option than eliminating roaches permanently at home.
Cockroaches are amazing survivors—they’re not going away! However, the most effective technique to keep roaches and other insects out is to make your home as unappealing to them as possible. Continue reading to learn how to eliminate roaches at home or with the assistance of a pest control professional.
5.1) List of Best Home Remedies to Get Rid of Cockroaches
Following natural and impressive remedies can be used to get rid of cockroaches. If you have already tried and tested numerous chemical-based methods to get rid of the cockroach problem and found them to be entirely ineffective, we have enumerated a few successful solutions to get rid of roaches.
Killing roaches via natural remedies seems impossible, but these methods can surely prevent roaches from infecting your house. Natural methods repel roaches from your kitchen or dark places. You can use the following home remedies if you’re sick of looking for ways to get rid of cockroaches. These techniques use supplies that are frequently found at home.
5.1.1) Boric Acid Helps to Kill Roaches
One of the most practical and effective ways to get rid of cockroaches is with boric acid. Most stores that sell daily-use commodities also sell boric acid. You can easily find boric acid at your local departmental store.
Add a small amount of boric acid powder to any cracks where the cockroach might gather before dying. You can spread a small amount at night. Since roaches love to eat food spills, they will assume that the white, poisonous boric acid is pet food. The boric acid kills roaches overnight preventing cockroaches to spread infections or reproduce more.
However, to maintain the boric acid powder’s effectiveness, check that the floor surface is not overly wet because it fails to be successful when the floor is wet. Cockroaches die when they come into contact with boric acid.
The boric acid powder should be kept out of the reach of family pets and children due to its high level of poisonousness. It is extremely important to use boric acid in fewer amounts.
5.1.2) Diatomaceous Earth
DE, often known as diatomaceous earth, is a powerful natural insecticide. DE particles are sharp and dehydrating because they are made up of crushed, fossilized algae. When roaches come into touch with DE, it destroys their exoskeletons and causes them to die from dehydration.
Photo by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash/Copyright 2018
Purchase some food-grade DE and lightly treat any surfaces where you’ve seen roach activity. Be vigilant while using diatomaceous earth to get rid of roaches. The application process of this natural remedy can be messy and tiresome as it requires to be applied again and again over a short period.
5.1.3) Essential Oils to Prevent Roach Infestations
Numerous applications of essential oils exist, including skincare and aromatherapy. But did you also know that they are also natural remedies to kill cockroaches? One of the best essential oils for warding off cockroaches is peppermint oil.
Simply combine equal parts peppermint oil, water, and salt in a spray bottle, store it there, and use it to treat the areas of your home where cockroaches are found. After a few days, you may notice the cockroaches are gone. It also helps in to kill roach eggs.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash/ Copyright 2021
At times mixture of various essential oils is used to get rid of roaches. The mixtures of essential oils only repel cockroaches, it does not kill roaches. The essential oils are safe to use in households as they are non-toxic.
5.1.4) Bay Leaves
Did you know that you can get rid of cockroaches by raiding your spice cabinet? This method may also help you get rid of cockroaches if you’re looking for home remedies that won’t kill them.
Photo by Faran Raufi on Unsplash/ Copyright 2021
Simply crush the bay leaves and place them in the areas of the cabinet where you believe the cockroaches are hiding. Little did you know that cockroaches could be killed with the help of bay leaves. They won’t haunt your kitchen cabinets because they can’t stand the smell of leaves.
5.1.5) Neem
Over the years, neem has been used as a natural remedy for cockroaches and other pests. Cockroaches can be killed by the potent components found in neem powder or oil. Neem oil can be applied topically by combining a small amount with water in a spray bottle and applying it where you have observed these pests.
Photo by Madhav Malleda on Unsplash/ Copyright 2019
To get rid of cockroaches, just sprinkle neem powder in cockroach-infested areas at night and repeat in the morning.
5.1.6) Baking Soda
Baking soda functions somewhat similarly to fish and bait. Combining sugar and baking soda is one of the best ways to prevent cockroaches from multiplying. The mixture’s sugar attracts the cockroaches like bait, and when it comes into contact with the baking soda, the cockroaches perish.
Photo by Kaboompics .com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/flour-in-a-jar-5765/ Copyright 2015
Finding the areas in your home where these cockroaches live and scattering them there is all that is required. It is another effective and successful measure to get rid of roaches. The only issue that exists using this method is that pets can consume it.
5.2) List of Conventional Methods
You can apply conventional methods to kill roaches and get rid of roach infestation entirely. The chemicals and baits are used to eliminate roaches. These methods include roach traps, bait stations,
5.2.1) Bait Stations
The bait stations often come in the form of a long tube and can be put anyplace you’ve witnessed roach activity.
The bait’s odour attracts roaches, who consume the poison. When the roach returns to its home and dies, the other roaches consume it, spreading the poison across the group. Thus one adult roach reaches out to all of the roach populations and kills cockroaches.
5.2.2) Roach Bombs
Roach bombs, often known as “foggers,” spray insecticide into the air.
When pesticides fall to the ground, they cover interior surfaces and kill the target bugs. Most roach bombs are intended to be triggered in the middle of the room.
Unfortunately, roach bombs are very hazardous and should not be used. There are safer and more efficient methods for eliminating your roach infestation.
5.2.3) Gel baits
Gel bait is highly efficient against both adult roaches and little roaches. It has changed the pest control sector and given customers significant influence. It’s even efficient against the German cockroach, the most hated tiny roach invader.
Gel baits or cockroach bait are effective pest control solutions that use a specially made lure to attract roaches and then kill them with a minimal quantity of poison. Gel baits are frequently the best approach to start treating a “tiny cockroach” population since the active components are designed to attack the entire colony.
Photo by Picas Joe: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cockroach-in-macro-photography-11362662/ Copyright 2022
Using little, pea-sized droplets, you place gel droplets in the tiny cracks and crevices that small cockroaches are drawn to. Drops are placed several feet apart, concentrating on cracks and crevices, holes and gaps around pipes, wiring, vents, and other locations where little roaches congregate. Roaches eat the droplet leading to their deaths.
The dead roaches having the poison are then consumed by other adult roaches riding us of the roach problem. The dead roaches become the roach killer for other roaches.
5.3.4) Pest Control Company
Pest control experts assist in the elimination of roach infestation. The professionals can be hired by you to kill adult roaches naturally with chemical sprays. They spray the chemical at the entry points of colonies of adult cockroaches. They make sure that all the places where roaches enter the home are sprayed with the roach killer.
This method makes sure that cockroach infestation and cockroach eggs are eliminated from the house for a long period. The only disadvantage is that the operation can be expensive.
6) Preventive Measures
Knowing how to get rid of cockroaches is indeed helpful, but it’s better to be aware of preventative measures you can take before time to keep cockroaches out of your homes altogether.
6.1) CLean house
Make sure a specific area of your home is dry. Cockroaches enter your homes through moisture because humid climates support roaches. Therefore, check to see if your pipe has any leaks where water collects near the drain area, giving these cockroaches a breathing space. Clean houses also prevent roaches from entering.
6.2) Sealing Cracks
The cockroaches enter your homes by squeezing through cracks in open spaces beneath your doors. These fissures are typically found in areas near doors, windows, and electrical lines. You can solve these issues and keep your home in a good condition.
6.3) Keep the Floors Clean
If you keep a pet at home, and if the pet food is left out carelessly, a lot of nasty critters will come to visit. To get rid of roaches make sure there is no pet food on your floor that might attract cockroaches.
6.4) Newspapers and Cardboard Boxes
Cockroaches like to live near and in dark, moist places. Get rid of the clutter in your home if newspapers and cardboard are discovered lying around carelessly. These are the areas that cockroaches prefer to live in. When you can, clear the clutter from your home to get rid of roaches and prevent them from finding a place to hide.
6.5) Avoid Water Leakage
Moisture is essential for cockroach survival and attracts roaches. You can frequently find them in humid environments because they enjoy living in moist environments. Leaky pipes also attract roaches. They can be drawn in by something as simple as a dripping water pipe. To get rid of roaches make sure you don’t leave standing water near your home for an extended period.
We can prevent and treat roach infestation by many above mentioned measures. Eliminating roaches can be a tough job, but it’s surely a possible one.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
