Banking (ICSE Class 10 Mathematics Project)

How to Get Rid of Roaches

Five Methods:Deny Them Water and FoodUsing Cockroach BaitsUsing InsecticidesUsing TrapsPreventing Reinfestation

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.

Method 1 of 5: Deny Them Water and Food

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

Method 2 of 5: Using Cockroach Baits

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   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 food (for cockroaches).^[1] 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.
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   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.^[2] 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.

Method 3 of 5: Using Insecticides

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   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.^[3] 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.
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   Use an insecticide spray. Get some insecticide that is labeled for use against cockroaches and contains Cyfluthrin or another insecticide as the active ingredient.^[4] 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.
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   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.
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   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.^[5] 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.

Method 4 of 5: Using Traps

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   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.
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   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.
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   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.^[6]

Method 5 of 5: Preventing Reinfestation

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   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.
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   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.
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   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.