Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 6: Know Your Enemy
• Method 2 of 6: Cut off their access to water and food
• Method 3 of 6: Using Cockroach Bait
• Method 4 of 6: Using insecticides
• Method 5 of 6: Using traps
• Method 6 of 6: Preventive Measures
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

If cockroaches have settled in your home, it can be very difficult to get rid of them. They can feed on your food, spoil books and equipment, and some species of cockroaches can even carry diseases and parasites. Evict your uninvited guests and forbid them to return on pain of death from bait, insecticide or a trap - that's at your discretion.

Steps

Method 1 of 6: Know Your Enemy

1. 1 Determine where the cockroaches live. Cockroaches are black or brown insects, oval in shape, with serrated legs and long antennae. If you stumbled upon at least one cockroach, then, no doubt, you have many more. The problem is, these critters tend to hide during the day, so check your closets and closets for cockroach droppings, which look like little brown spots or pellets.
   • If you see a cockroach - watch where it goes. Notice if it goes towards a crack or hole in the wall or behind the baseboard. Most likely, their "nest" will be somewhere nearby.
   • You may need to play the role of a tracker. Examine your entire home for cracks or holes that cockroaches can enter. They often crawl through drain holes or ventilation.
   • Alternatively, you can place sticky traps in different parts of your house, wait a little and see how many cockroaches to catch on each of them - this will determine where the concentration of insects is higher.

Method 2 of 6: Cut off their access to water and food

1. 1 Cockroaches need water to live. Depending on the ambient temperature and size, a cockroach can survive without food for about a month, but without water - no more than a week. Repair all water leaks in your home. If insects do not have a water source, they will be much more likely to eat the gel-based baits you install.
2. 2 Keep your home clean. Cleanliness in the house is a guarantee of the absence of cockroaches, and first of all it concerns the kitchen. Wash dishes and hide food immediately after eating. Clean up crumbs and spilled liquid immediately and keep the entire kitchen clean. Pay special attention to the stove, as cockroaches love fat.
3. 3 Try to keep food in closed containers or utensils, do not leave it open for a long time. Do not leave dirty dishes overnight, and do not leave fruit on the table.
4. 4 Mop frequently to remove crumbs and food stains. Try to keep the water from the mop away from the floor and walls - remember, they need water.
5. 5 Take out the trash regularly. Have a separate food waste bin and don't let debris accumulate. The bucket should preferably be with a lid, not open.If possible, do not keep it in or near the house.

Method 3 of 6: Using Cockroach Bait

1. 1 Use store bought baits. Cockroach bait is either made in containers that are childproof, or it is a gel and contains slow-acting poison mixed with tasty (for cockroaches, of course) food. Cockroaches eat poison and carry it into the nest, and there the poison eventually kills other cockroaches as well.
   • Place baits where cockroaches are likely to find them: along baseboards, under sinks, in corners. They should be as close to the nest as possible so that the maximum number of cockroaches will eat the bait, bringing the poison into the nest.
   • As an active ingredient, baits usually contain 0.05% fipronil or 2% hydramethylone. Cockroaches eat poison, then excrete it in the form of excrement in the nest, there other cockroaches come into contact with them and as a result everyone dies.
   • Killing cockroaches using this method can take several weeks. When the first generation of cockroaches dies, others will hatch from the eggs, which will also need to be poisoned - and so on until the nest is completely destroyed.
2. 2 Try homemade baits. Mix 1 part boric acid powder (not granulated, sometimes sold as cockroach powder, but you can buy it in pharmacies) with 1 part flour and 1 part powdered sugar. Sugar and flour attract cockroaches, and boric acid kills them. Apply the powder behind cabinets, behind the refrigerator, under the stove, and so on.
   • You can try another option: 1 part boric acid, 2 parts flour, and 1 part cocoa powder.
   • Expect about 3 cycles of disappearance and reappearance of diminishing numbers of cockroaches within about 2 weeks. Continue using boric acid until the cockroaches are gone.
   • Children, dogs, and other pets can consume this mixture. Boric acid is not particularly toxic to humans and animals, but it is for external use only, so place it only where only insects can reach it.
   • In humid rooms, the mixture can "bake" into a solid mass, so it will not be superfluous to put it on a foil or paper substrate so as not to damage the surface of furniture and the floor.

Method 4 of 6: Using insecticides

1. 1 Use a simple soapy solution. This is the easiest way to kill adult cockroaches. Make a mild soapy solution of soap (regular toilet soap will do) and water that's thin enough to spray out of a spray bottle. It can be sprayed or sprayed on cockroaches. Just 2-3 drops of soapy water can kill a cockroach. Make sure the solution gets on the head and abdomen of the cockroach. If you can turn the cockroach over, it is best to hit the liquid on the stomach. The cockroach will try to escape, but it will suddenly stop and not even a minute will pass before it dies.
   • The soapy solution creates a thin film that closes the cockroach's breathing pores and thus suffocates the insect.
   • Throw the cockroach as soon as possible (down the toilet), as if the water has not touched a large enough part of the insect's body, it can "come to life".
2. 2 Use an insecticide spray. Buy an insecticide that says it is effective against cockroaches and contains cyfluthrin or another active ingredient in the insecticide, and spray where insects might hide or at the entrance to their nest, along walls, in crevices and vents.
   • Keep children and pets away while spraying and follow instructions on the product packaging.
   • If you use baits at the same time, do not spray near the bait. The aerosol can get on the bait and cockroaches will avoid it.
   • Using an aerosol can work and for a while the cockroaches will not be visible, but, on the other hand, it can drive them deeper into the walls, exacerbating the problem.It is important to both process the nest and destroy the cockroaches that caught your eye.
3. 3 Apply liquid concentrate. Liquid concentrates, previously available only to professional exterminators, are now available to everyone. Concentrate is a poisonous or repellent agent that dissolves in water and then sprayed or applied with a rag or mop to almost any surface, crevice or crack, killing the cockroaches that walk over it. Concentrates can be especially effective in providing protection against roach reappearance, as they usually keep cockroaches away for 1-2 weeks or more.
4. 4 Obtain professional insecticides. If the cockroach situation has become catastrophic, you can order the most powerful insecticides as a last resort. Look for insecticides that contain cypermethrin. Professional baits, sticky traps and aerosols are much more effective than products from a household chemicals store. Cy-Kick CS is a microcapsule product highly effective against cockroaches. It may have to be ordered online as it is rarely sold in regular stores. It will kill live cockroaches and provide a protective effect for 3 months. Spray it around the perimeter of the house, as well as in the basement and attic.
   • The downside of this remedy is that it kills of all insects, including those that eat cockroaches, including spiders and millipedes.
   • Use these products only as a last resort and do not use them if there are children or pets in the house. It is a very powerful poison that can harm anyone who uses it.

Method 5 of 6: Using traps

1. 1 Use store-bought traps. Traps lure insects and then the cockroaches stick to the sticky layer. Buy some of these traps and set them up in areas where cockroaches appear most often. This is an effective technique for wiping out a small population of adult cockroaches, but it will not affect the nest in any way.
2. 2 Use cans. A simple and effective way to trap cockroaches is to place cans against the walls. Cockroaches will be able to get inside, but they will not be able to get back out. You can put any bait in the jar, including ground coffee and water, but even plain water will work in hotter climates. Again - this is how you can destroy adult cockroaches, but the nest itself and the eggs will not be affected.
3. 3 Use plastic bottle traps. Take a plastic bottle and cut off the top where it tapers. Flip it over and insert this piece into the bottom of the bottle to act as a funnel. Secure it with tape or tape. Pour some soapy water on the bottom of the bottle and place it where the cockroaches crawl. They will crawl into the trap and drown.

Method 6 of 6: Preventive Measures

1. 1 If you live in a house, remove trash and debris from the house. Cockroaches love to live in piles of firewood and other similar places where it is convenient to hide, and when it gets colder outside, they move into the house. Make sure the woodpile is far enough away from the house. Move stacks of straw, cut branches, leaves, and other garden debris away from your home.
2. 2 Block the passage to the house for the cockroaches. Putty the exterior cracks in the walls to prevent cockroaches from entering the house. Also seal internal cracks in the walls of the house. This will take a lot of your time, but the results will be worth it, as you will deprive the cockroaches of shelter and breeding grounds.
   • Fill every crevice in your kitchen cupboards.
   • Fill up gaps in doorframes, skirting boards, and window frames.
   • Seal cracks around pipes in the bathroom and kitchen.
3. 3 Set preventive traps. Even if you've gotten rid of the nest, set up traps to kill the cockroaches before their numbers spiral out of control.The best option is to seal any cracks near potential entry points, such as vents or drainpipes, and install traps such as:
   • Spray an insecticide (such as Raid) or apply a gel-like insecticide. This will serve as a second line of defense, if some cockroach does crawl through the protective mesh - this, at least, will greatly weaken it.
   • Seal any holes with sealant, putty or other curing compound. If there is a crack in the wooden floor or plinth, then after puttingtying, rub the place of putty with rosin or paint over with paint. The putty hardens 4-6 hours after application.

Tips

• You can make moth ball traps with adhesive paper.
• Remove crushed cockroaches and their remains. Cockroaches are cannibals.
• Any alcohol-containing liquid is suitable as an 'instant' means for killing a cockroach. Hairspray will also work.
• Place an open pack of cereal or muesli in a bag with a fastener, and then put it back in the box. Don't let the crumbs gather around the bag, as cockroaches can live on the crumbs for a long time. The clothespins on the bags won't help. All products that you keep in sachets or pouches put them in zipped bags. Make sure you keep flour, cereals, sugar, and so on in airtight containers. These seem to be the simplest steps, but they are quite effective.
• Store pans, pots, and dishes upside down to prevent cockroaches from laying eggs in them.
• If the above methods did not work, call a professional exterminator. Pest controllers have the right to use more powerful chemicals and use them more widely, and it will be safer for you and your family.
• Cockroaches hide in toasters and eat crumbs, so clean them regularly and turn them on for about 3 minutes to eliminate food odors.
• Plug the drain holes in the bathroom to keep cockroaches from getting out.
• If you crushed a cockroach, thoroughly wipe the surface where it happened, and also wash or discard the object with which you crushed it.
• Don't accumulate trash. Cockroaches can nest in anything from paper to clothing. This also applies to the garage, attic or basement. There are simply no boundaries.
• If you wash in a public laundry, put the laundry in a bag immediately after washing and dry the laundry at home - this way you minimize the chances of bringing home intruders.
• Always clean up all food and trash before bed.
• Remove dog and cat faeces from the yard, as cockroaches can eat them, or simply carry them around the house.
• Whether you kill cockroach eggs by stepping on a female is a moot point. The eggs are contained in a hard egg capsule (ooteca) and are unlikely to survive the death of the female, but it is wise to remove their remains from the sole.
• If you find a cockroach nest, spray it with GooGone anti-glue spray - once it gets into the respiratory pores, it will kill cockroaches and leave a smell that cockroaches simply hate.
• Cockroaches don't like light, so you don't have to turn off the lights in the kitchen or close the cupboards or install lights in the kitchen cabinets and also leave it on at night. This will not kill cockroaches, but it will make your home less attractive to them.
• Ants and lizards are natural enemies of insects. Ants also eat termites. (In this case, it is better not to use insecticides).
• The best way to get rid of a cockroach corpse is to flush it down the toilet.
• Natural substances that repel cockroaches: peppermint oil, cucumber peel, citrus fruits, catnip, garlic, cloves.
• If you're on a tight budget (or just lazy), you can use regular plastic bags as an alternative to sealant. Find the cracks and holes between the floor and the baseboard, through which small creatures can crawl through, and cram into all one or two bags, thus "sealing" them.If this does not discourage cockroaches from your apartment, at least you will limit the number of places through which they can enter your house. This will make it easier for you to use the other pest control methods outlined in this article.
• Place mothballs in the corners of the house. Cockroaches hate their smell.
• Traps and baits are most effective when located in multiple locations, especially where roaches move and where you spot their droppings. Try not to actively clean up these areas, as cockroaches can change routes.
• Make your own traps by covering the inside of the Tic-Tac box with pieces of paper fly traps and closing the lid again. Leave the small hole open for the cockroach to enter. Similarly, you can use a matchbox or other small box by cutting the entrances into it. Sticky flycatchers are much cheaper than cockroach traps and work the same way.

Warnings

• Insecticides, cockroach bait, and other chemicals can be toxic to humans (especially children) and pets, so be careful about label warnings and follow the manufacturer's directions down to the last detail.
• When spraying chemicals in your kitchen cabinet, hold your breath and spray quickly, or buy a respirator for this purpose. By purchasing a pressure booster sprayer, you can work faster.

What do you need

• Insecticidal aerosol
• Cockroach bait
• Cockroach traps
• Liquid concentrate
• Sealant and sealant gun or dry putty
• Zip bags and sealed food containers
• Sheets of adhesive paper and insect repellent
• Luminous stripes