Cockroaches are hard to get rid of because they’re good at hiding. If you have a cockroach problem, there are some steps you can take to find where the roaches are hiding and block off that entry point.
Then you can use a roach bait or spray the nest with an insecticide aerosol.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| When dealing with a cockroach infestation, it’s important to take action immediately to prevent potential health risks. |
| Natural remedies and chemical pesticides both offer effective options for controlling cockroaches, and it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each method for your specific situation. |
| Prevention is always better than cure, so having regular inspections and treatments can be crucial for keeping cockroaches out of your home. |
| Effective ways to get rid of cockroaches include reducing moisture levels, plugging up gaps and cracks, and keeping food sources in secured containers. |
| If you’re having trouble finding hidden cockroaches, try using bait or glue traps, and contact a professional if necessary. |
Caulk Cracks And Other Gaps In Your Home’s Foundation
There are many small cracks and gaps in the foundation of homes that can be easily overlooked, but it’s these unnoticed holes where cockroaches like to hide. If you’re not sure if your home has any cracks or holes, start looking for them now.
Cockroaches will get into your house through these openings, so make sure you caulk them up before trying this method for getting rid of roaches. Don’t forget to seal around pipes, electrical outlets and other openings as well!
“If you’re looking for effective cockroach control methods, you might want to consider natural remedies or chemical pesticides. Natural Remedies vs Chemical Pesticides – this article provides an overview of the pros and cons of each approach to help you make an informed decision
Fix Leaks
Leaking pipes, drains and faucets are major cockroach attractors. If you have a leaky basement, roof or plumbing system, the answer may be as simple as fixing it.
You can also apply a bleach-and-water solution to cracks in your foundation that might allow insects entry into your home.
Use A Roach Bait
Cockroach baits are designed for use in areas where roaches are likely to travel, eat, or hide. Placing the bait in these locations will increase your chances of getting them out of hiding and returning them back to their natural habitat.
Some common places to place roach bait include:
- In cabinets or drawers near a sink where water can spill onto it
- Under sinks directly above cabinets or drawers that contain food products
- Along tile grout lines where water may seep into cracks and crevices (especially if there is plumbing nearby)
Don’t take a cockroach infestation lightly – it can pose serious health risks to you and your family. If you want to learn more about the dangers of infestation and how to prevent it, check out The Dangers of Cockroach Infestations and How to Prevent Them to protect your home from cockroaches.
Remove Roaches By Hand
Another way to get rid of roaches is by hand. If you have a flashlight and some gloves, you can use these tools to find them and remove them from your home. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when trying this method:
Wear protective gear such as goggles, long sleeves, pants and shoes. The roaches may bite or scratch if they feel threatened; this could cause an allergic reaction or infection if you don’t take precautions.
Don’t touch the cockroach with your bare hands; use tongs instead! This will protect against getting bitten or scratched by an insect (which would be very gross). Also make sure that whatever tool you’re using has been cleaned thoroughly so it’s not covered in other germs either!
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Handpicking | Physically removing cockroaches from the surfaces, by picking them up and disposing them in sealed plastic bags. |
| Vacuuming | Using a vacuum to suck up cockroaches and their eggs, then disposing the bag in a sealed plastic bag. |
| Sticky Traps | Traps made with a sticky, adhesive surface attract and trap cockroaches, making them easy to dispose of. |
| Barrier Tape | Sticky tape applied to surfaces where cockroaches may be present, trapping them on the surface. |
| Alcohol Spray | Spraying walls, crevices, and other areas with rubbing alcohol to kill cockroaches on contact. |
Use A Vacuum Cleaner To Suck Them Up
A vacuum cleaner can be used to suck up cockroaches. If you’re getting cockroaches, it’s likely that they are hiding in hard-to-reach places such as behind the fridge or under your bed. A vacuum cleaner lets you suck them up and dispose of them easily.
Roaches are not too big, so you can use a regular household vacuum cleaner to get rid of them without much trouble.
Make A Homemade Roach Trap
Use a jar with a lid. Take the cap off of a glass jar, then place it on top of a piece of paper and trace around it with your pencil.
Cut out this circle and use it as your template to cut out another circle from cardboard (the thicker the better). The cardboard should fit inside the bottom of your jar without falling through or sticking out.
Fill the jar with bait. You can use pretty much anything that roaches like: peanut butter, oatmeal or sugar cookies—whatever makes you feel good about yourself while you’re killing them!
Make sure not to fill up more than half way because otherwise they might not have enough room to drown themselves in their own feces later on down the road when they’re too full from eating all those delicious treats above them in order for them to fit down into that tiny little hole where we put our homemade trap!
Place bait inside cardboard circle at bottom of glass jar so that when lid is screwed back on tightly there will be no gaps between filled container opening and outer edge (this makes “swimming pool” easier for roaches who want some tasty snacks but don’t want any competition).
If you’re tired of dealing with cockroaches in your home, you may want to try these 15 effective ways to get rid of them. 15 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Home provides practical and useful tips that can help you get rid of these pests for good.
Make Sure They’re Actually Cockroaches!
Before you do anything, make sure you actually have cockroaches. The most common mistake people make is believing they have a roach problem when, in fact, they’ve got another type of insect.
This can be easily avoided by using a magnifying glass to check your insect’s body shape and antennae. A beetle or other bug will have six legs and two antennae while a cockroach has eight legs and no antennae at all—and very visibly so!
| Indicator | Description |
|---|---|
| Physical Appearance | Cockroaches have elongated, shiny, and flattened bodies with long antennae that are longer than their bodies. |
| Feces | Cockroach droppings are small, dark, and cylindrical with ridges on the sides and blunt ends. |
| Smell | Cockroaches sometimes produce a musty or oily odor that may be noticeable in areas of infestation. |
| Movement | Cockroaches are fast-moving, able to scurry quickly from one location to another. |
| Habitat | Cockroaches are commonly found in areas with moisture and warmth, such as kitchens and bathrooms, and will often hide in dark places during the day. |
Hire An Exterminator If You Have An Infestation
If you have an infestation, then hiring a professional is the best course of action. Professionals have access to better, more effective insecticides and can find the source of the problem and eliminate it. They can also educate you on how to prevent future infestations.
Throw Away Roaches (Dead Or Alive)
- Don’t just throw away roaches.
- Don’t flush them down the toilet.
- Don’t put them in a plastic bag. In addition to being gross, this will trap the smell and attract other roaches to come investigate (for example, there’s always one that loves other people’s trash). Instead: make sure you take care of the dead roach properly so it doesn’t attract more pests or cause an infestation in your home or business!
Spray The Nest With An Insecticide Aerosol.
If you live in a home with an infestation, your best bet for eliminating the problem is to spray the nest with an insecticide aerosol.
Make sure not to spray directly onto the cockroaches, though—you’ll just end up killing them and then they’ll be stuck on top of one another in their death throes. You must also take care not to spray into areas where there are no roaches (like inside walls or in inaccessible places).
This method tends to work best if you have access points into your home that allow you easy access to roach-infested areas such as attics, basements, and crawl spaces.
If all else fails and you simply cannot find or get rid of your little friends by any other means—or if they’re starting to make their way into places where they shouldn’t be like behind refrigerators or under furniture—try laying down sticky traps around those areas so that any stragglers can be picked off easily until there’s no more left for them here!
Prevention is always better than cure, especially when it comes to cockroach infestations. If you want to keep your home cockroach-free, it’s important to have regular inspections and treatments. Check out The Importance of Regular Cockroach Inspections and Treatments to learn why regular inspections are crucial for preventing infestations.
Set Out Boric Acid In Your House
Boric acid is a white powder often used to kill cockroaches. It’s safe to use around humans and pets, but it can be harmful if ingested by insects such as cockroaches. You can buy boric acid from most hardware stores or online retailers.
To use the powder effectively, mix one part boric acid with four parts flour and sprinkle it around your house where you’ve seen roaches scurry away or hide in the past few months.
You may have to do this process several times throughout the year depending on how much of an issue you have with roaches coming into your home!
If that doesn’t work for you, try putting out some bait traps instead:
Find Out Where The Cockroaches Are Hiding And Block Off That Entry Point
If you still have cockroaches, it is likely that they have a hideout somewhere in your house, especially if they’re coming in from outdoors. Find out where they are living by looking for droppings or tracks and sealing up cracks with caulk or expanding foam insulation. You can also make an insect trap to catch any remaining roaches (here’s how).
- Use a roach trap to lure them out of hiding spots
Another way to get rid of cockroaches is by luring them with food and then killing them with insecticides sprayed into their nests using an aerosol sprayer or boric acid sprinkled throughout your house (this guide will tell you more about using boric acid).
Are you having trouble finding cockroaches that are hiding in your home? How to Lure a Cockroach Out of Hiding: Pro Tips provides specific tricks you can use to entice these pests out of hiding, facilitating the extermination process and keeping your home cockroach-free
Conclusion
Roaches are gross and annoying, but they can be dealt with so long as you know where they’re coming from. If you’re seeing cockroaches in your home but aren’t sure where they’re hiding, try some of these tips.
You may need to do more than one at once for it to work! For example, if caulking cracks doesn’t do the trick then maybe it’s time for an exterminator or boric acid powder.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for getting rid of cockroaches and keeping them out of your home:
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in 5 Steps – This guide provides five simple but effective steps for getting rid of cockroaches in your home.
How to Get a Cockroach Out of Hiding – This article provides tips and tricks for finding and luring cockroaches out of hiding.
How to Get a Cockroach Out of Hiding – This article offers several methods for getting cockroaches out of hiding places, such as using glue traps or employing additional preventative measures.
FAQs
What are the dangers of cockroach infestations?
Cockroach infestations pose potential health risks, such as asthma triggers and pathogens spread in case of contact or contamination from their feces or bodies.
How can I prevent cockroach infestations in my home?
Some ways of preventing infestations are reducing moisture, plugging up cracks and gaps, and keeping food sources away from reach.
What are some natural remedies I can use to get rid of cockroaches?
Some natural solutions include keeping a clean home without crumbs, fixing leaks, and placing bay leaves or cucumber peels in locations roaches are likely to be.
Are chemical pesticides safe to use for cockroach control?
Chemical pesticides can be effective at getting rid of cockroaches, but it’s important to follow instructions carefully, and make sure the area is adequately ventilated during use.
Do professionals offer cockroach control services, and how effective are they?
Pest control professionals offer cockroach control services and can assist in assessing and applying the best methods for your infestation. Regular applications and maintenance can additionally help sustain its controlling effect.
Hello! I’m Hellen James, and I write about how to keep pests from invading your home. For the last 10 years, I’ve been working in pest control and am excited to share my expertise with you!
