A cockroach infestation is probably the hardest household to control. Besides being very sneaky, cockroaches breed very fast, bite human beings when food sources are limited, scared, and may even develop resistance to pesticides.
But don’t despair; there are different best roach killers. In this article, we discuss in detail some of the best ways to get rid of cockroaches fast.
[amazon bestseller=”Best Roach Killers” items=”2″ template=”table”]Details: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches – Kill Roaches
Step 1: Eliminate Food, Water, & Hiding Places
For cockroaches, such as German Roaches, to survive, they must have a consistent supply of food and water. Therefore, the key to getting rid of them is cutting off any food and water source in the house.
- Start by cleaning food crumbs, washing dishes before retiring to bed, putting food away after meals, and cleaning up spills. Also, avoid leaving uncovered food for extended periods and keep all food containers sealed.
- Cockroaches love hiding in the fridge and munching on food crumbs back there. Clean the refrigerator as well, and always keep it locked. While at it, don’t forget to wipe the range tops as cockroaches are attracted to grease as well.
- Take out the trash regularly while ensuring the garbage bins are well sealed.
- Any water leaks must also be fixed. Cockroaches can live for a month without food but no more than one week without water.
Roaches also prefer dark and damp where they hide and breed. These include under the sink, behind refrigerators, underfloor drains, in cracks/crevices, inside significant appliances, and others.
Target these areas when doing a thorough cockroach clean up. Also, seal cracks and crevices on the walls with caulk. All openings around the pipes in the kitchen and bathroom must also be filled. This will prevent the roaches from entering your home.
Related Post: best drain cleaners.
Step 2: Use Roach Baits, Roach Sprays, & IGRs
The triple-action of cockroach baits, sprays, and Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) will kill and prevent cockroaches from reproducing.
As the name suggests, cockroach baits help draw these pests out of their hiding places. The baits contain a high-consumption bait matrix with killer ingredients like fipronil and hydramethylnon.
Upon consuming the bait, the ingredients disrupt their nervous system, leading to their ultimate death in a matter of minutes. You may also consider top roach bombs.
Pesticide sprays contain active ingredients like Pyrethrin, which produce a “knockdown effect” on bugs like cockroaches – killing roaches even back in the roach nest. Basically, the sprays interfere with the bugs’ nervous system, which results in major paralysis and speedy death.
How to Use Baits, Sprays, and IGRs for Cockroaches
- If using the combination, spray a small amount in targeted areas like cracks, crevices, behind and beneath the sinks, behind and under refrigerators around pipes and drains, etc.
- Ensure the spray penetrates well to ensure the pests are quickly eliminated
IGRs, on the other hand, cause sterility in adult roaches, making reproduction impossible. When used together, the three treatment methods can quickly eliminate any roaches lurking in your home.
Step 3: Dust with Boric Acid Powder
Boric acid is one of the best natural remedies for eliminating roaches. When ingested, boric acid kills cockroaches in just a matter of minutes. Although highly toxic in cockroaches, boric acid is completely safe for humans and pets.
The powder is best applied in areas where cockroaches are likely to walk through. Upon contact, the powder sticks on the cockroach and is absorbed into its body. Once inside, the acid destroys its digestive and nervous system, causing death.
The cockroach may also die from ingesting the powder. Boric acid is a suitable natural cockroach treatment if pesticide sprays and baits are not an option.
How to Use Boric Acid for Cockroaches
- Clean all targeted areas, including cabinets, countertops, sinks, drawers, behind and under the refrigerator, and others
- Lightly dust boric acid powder all over these areas. If dealing with a severe infestation, a heavy application may be necessary
- Vacuum the remaining powder in the morning
Step 4: Thoroughly clean house/ Vacuuming
It’s not unlikely to find a few roaches in a clean home. As long as there are cracks on the walls and perfect hiding places, you’ll still deal with a few of them crawling around since roaches don’t fly.
However, a clean home is more unlikely to experience a severe roach infestation than a dirty and cluttered home.
Even with countless treatments, roaches will still infest your cluttered home. Regularly vacuuming and decluttering your home is key to keeping these bugs at bay.
How to Get rid of Cockroaches Through Vacuuming/Cleaning
- Regularly vacuum and clean the floor, kitchen countertops, drawers, cabinets, insider appliances, behind and under the refrigerator, ovens, and other areas.
- Declutter your kitchen, sitting area, laundry room, closets, cupboards, drawers, and any other potential hiding place.
- Vacuum behind the seat cushions, behind sofas…etc
How to Get Rid Of German Cockroaches
German cockroach (Blatella germanica (L.)) is a widely distributed pest mostly found in homes, the best roach killer for apartments, and the roach bomb hotels, restaurants, and other institutions.
If your home is infested with German cockroaches, you may see them running away immediately, you turn on lights or open the cabinet door. And since these cockroaches are known to spread germs that cause allergic reactions, it’s vital to eliminate them as fast as possible.
In recent times, easy and effective home remedies to eliminate German cockroaches have been advanced. In this article, we’ll discuss The Best Home remedy to get rid of German cockroaches. But first, we’ll give a summary of the German cockroaches.
Step 1: Keep your bathroom and kitchen clean and dry at all times
We have discovered that German roaches thrive best where there are favorable conditions like good humidity, food, shelter, and water. Unfortunately, your house offers all these favorable conditions.
To get rid of the German roaches in your house, keep all kitchen and bathroom surfaces and sinks clean and dry. Wash all your cabinets and appliances regularly. You should also pay close attention to your backyard by removing all unused items or woodpiles.
You can also install a dehumidifier in your home. When your house is less humid, the German cockroaches will find it less attractive to settle in it. Also, ensure you store food in airtight containers. Also, throw away your garbage regularly. Set aside time to do general cleaning in your house; you may mop, sweep, or vacuum regularly.
Remember To: (1) Dry up all surfaces (1) Keep the roaches hungry-put foods in tight containers and eliminate leftovers (1) Do not offer them any shelter- seal all cracks and small holes in your house.
Besides cleaning, you can also seal all cracks and small holes in your home to block all pathways the bugs might be using to access your home.
If these measures are followed correctly, your house will be roach free. However, if the German cockroaches still find their way into your house, then it’s time to take more drastic measures to eliminate these annoying creatures!!
What are German cockroaches?
The German cockroach has a unique ability of high reproduction compared to other cockroach species. The female German cockroaches produce many eggs per capsule; thus, they undergo a short time from hatching to sexual maturity, leading to quick population growth.
If not stopped in time, they can be difficult to control. These roaches are pretty smaller than other roaches species and can easily hide in numerous places inaccessible by humans. You can easily recognize this roach species as they are small in size (roughly ½ an inch) and contain two dark stripes on their back.
Like most cockroaches, German roaches prefer to settle in warm and dark places. Unfortunately, your home offers these favorable conditions, and they can easily create their habitat in your house. The availability of food, water, and harborage increases the German roach’s ability to develop populations and reduce growth quickly.
This disgusting creature loves to settle in an environment that is moist, warm, and dark. Hence, they are mostly found in bathrooms and kitchens where water and food leftovers are readily available. German roaches are scavengers that consume sweet foods, meat, grease, and garbage.
To eradicate these tiny creatures from your home, you should always keep kitchen surfaces clean, use drain cleaners to keep all drainage and pipes clean, and repair leaking pipes. You can also fix all cracks and small holes where they are likely to hide.
Step 2: Use baking soda plus sugar to kill German Roaches
Using baking soda and sugar is a natural and effective home remedy to kill German roaches. Sugar acts as an important bait for a German cockroach as it likes sweet products. On the other hand, the baking soda acts as a poison that destroys the roaches’ digestive system.
Baking soda works by creating huge amounts of gas, causing the stomach of roaches to burst, hence die instantly.
When using this mixture, ensure the cockroaches have access to little water. Water reacts with baking soda to give a bad solution that acts on roaches to kill them completely.
How Do You Prepare Sugar And Baking Soda Mixture To Kill Roaches?
– Mix equal amounts of sugar and baking soda in the shallow dish
– Place another small dish container of water in a suitable location
– Sprinkle the mixture containing sugar and baking soda in various locations infested with the roaches
– Ensure you refill the water and sprinkle more mixture from time to time to kill all the roaches completely
– Be patient and watch the roaches
When using sugar and baking soda bait, you’ll need to be patient as the process might take a lot of time before achieving the desired results. This mixture may not act as fast as you may wish, but it’s safe for your kids and pets.
Why kill the German cockroaches?
Well, the German cockroaches are known to spread infections and diseases. German roaches can spread viruses, bacteria, and germs on utensils, dishes, and food preparation surfaces.
As a result, an individual may experience food poisoning, diarrhea, and gastroenteritis. Further, the feces of these roaches cause allergic reactions and asthma among some people. Also, these tiny pests bite people. If you have a cockroach infestation in your house and wake up one morning with a swollen bite mark, the chances are that the cockroaches did it!!
But No Need to Worry!! We’ve done extensive research on how you can effectively eliminate the German roaches using readily available home remedies!! Maybe you are worried about using harmful chemicals that might affect your kids, pets, or even you.
Well, worry no more!! Below you’ll find The Best Home Remedy to Get Rid of German Cockroaches faster. These German roach home remedies will guarantee you a roach free home within no time. Just follow the procedure strictly, and watch as German roaches die or disappear from your residence forever!!
Step 3: Boric acid kills German Roaches
Boric acid is a natural home remedy for killing German roaches. You can make an effective roach bait using sugar and boric acid. Because of its pesticide and poisonous formulation, Boric acid is known to destroy the outer layer of roaches and kill them instantly.
Research has also proven that boric acid and sugar are very useful compared to other traditional roach control techniques. According to the study, boric acid can kill up to 90% of the cockroach population within a short period. Thus, boric acid offers a quick and effective remedy for getting rid of Geman roaches.
Is Boric Acid Safe? NO! Boric acid is not safe. It would help if you were extremely careful when using this product. Keep boric acid away from kids and pets. After using the product, ensure you thoroughly clean your hands using soap and water.
How Should You Use Boric Acid To Eliminate German Roaches?
– Wear protective gloves to protect your hands.
– Place some boric acid in those places you mostly see German roaches; it can be on top of a bathroom or kitchen cabinets, or any other site.
– Since boric acid is a toxic substance, DO NOT place inside cabinets
– To make the boric acid even more useful, mix it with sugar and flour
– Place a fine layer of the boric acid mixture near cracks or openings where roaches are dwelling or feeding
– Replace the powder after every five days until you eliminate all roaches.
– Ensure you put the boric acid in high places like on top of cabinets or rooftops if possible. Cockroaches prefer high places; therefore, placing boric acid at higher paces won’t waste time.
Step 4: Mint oil spray naturally kills German Roaches
Mint oil is also a proven natural remedy that can effectively kill German roaches in your home. Mint oil has strong repellent formulations and is known to be very toxic to German cockroaches.
Apart from leaving pleasant smells on surfaces, mint oil also eradicates all germs and bacteria left behind by the German roaches.
Recent research endorses the effectiveness and importance of mint oil in eliminating German roaches. Mint oil is a powerful natural home remedy for getting rid of German cockroaches.
How to Mint Oil in Killing German Roaches?
— Make a natural spray by filling a spray bottle with water, then add about 20 drops of peppermint oil.
— Identify where the German roaches are hiding or their common pathways
— Shake the spray bottle properly and spray in all areas you have identified
— Continue spreading the identified regions daily until the German roaches get killed.
Step 5: Catnip naturally eradicates German Roaches
Catnip is a natural pest repellent and contains insecticidal properties that aid in killing roaches.
Catnip contains robust repellent formulations, which are useful in eliminating German roaches.
How You Should Make Roach Repellent Using Catnip
— Place one teaspoon of catnip in two cups of boiling water.
— Allow it to permeate for approximately 15 minutes.
— Put the content in the spray bottle. Start spraying the solution under appliances, cabinets, or any other place you believe the roaches are hiding.
— Ensure you regularly apply this natural home remedy until your home is free from German roaches.
Step 6: Using Bay leaves to Kill German Roaches
Bay leaves are natural home repellent that, instead of killing the German roaches, they push them away from your home.
This repellent contains a strong smell, and these roaches can’t stand the strong smell. Therefore, they run to places where it is conducive for them.
How Can You Use Bay Leaves To Eradicate Roaches?
— Take some dry bay leaves and grind them to make some powder
— Sprinkle the powder in all areas roaches are likely to inhabit
— Within a short period, the roaches will leave their habitat and relocate to some other places where the environment is conducive for them.
Conclusion
Cockroaches are not only stubborn and unsightly- but they are also disease carriers and can be dangerous to have around. Don’t wait till the infestation gets out of hand.
These useful ways on how to get rid of cockroaches will help you banish them for good. German roaches are familiar household creatures and are among the most challenging roach species to eradicate.
However, with the above-discussed tips on the best home remedy to naturally kill German roaches and extra information about this species, you can better plan how to eradicate these pests that love to invade homes effectively.