Wouldn’t it be great to repel roaches instead of playing a game of catch-up with them? And if that was possible—using a roach repellent—wouldn’t it be even better to have one that worked in a safe, simple, eco-friendly way?

There’s a lot of good news—along with some things to consider—on the cockroach repellent front. So set aside your roach motels, pull up a chair, and learn how to repel cockroaches like a pro.

The Science of Cockroach Repellent

If repelling roaches was as easy as you wished it could be, there’d never be a need for a cockroach exterminator. But sadly, there often is, because cockroaches are not an easy insect to keep away.

Adaptable and persistent, roaches like living with us. So much so that certain species don’t even live outside in nature anymore.

And that’s bad news.

Not just because they destroy everything they touch and pose major health concerns. But because they ruin a lot about what we enjoy about our homes, and can drive us a little crazy.

With so many reasons to want them gone, scientists identified chemical roach repellents years ago, all of which turned out to be quite toxic.

Then someone came up with the idea of a plug-in roach repellent, which would have been awesome except for the fact that ultrasonic repellents just don’t work (you’ll find more about that below).

So if so many roach repellent products are ineffective or even dangerous, what’s a roach-weary human to do? What repels roaches safely and for real?

Enter the power of plants.

Nature, as it turns out, has been taking a whack at bugs long before humans ever gave it a try. And it’s done that largely through the insecticidal properties developed by certain plants. Properties developed as a means of self-defense.

Our ancestors knew about, and exploited the properties in these plants, and if you’ve ever fended off mosquitoes with citronella oil (the real stuff, which actually works), you know how effective natural repellents can be.

Are cockroaches an exception?

Nope.

Just like mosquitoes, cockroaches are repelled by certain natural substances, notably (but not limited to) certain plant essential oils. At higher concentrations, some of these oils will actually kill roaches, while lower concentrations will handily repulse them.

About Roach Repellent Essential Oils

Safe, pleasant-smelling, and effective to varying degrees (at least the ones below), essential oils are the single best answer for most folks looking for a store-bought or DIY roach repellent. But they’re also not a perfect solution.

Essential Oil	Effectiveness
Peppermint oil	Highly effective, and recommended
Citronella oil	Highly effective
Clove oil	Highly effective
Cinnamon oil	Highly effective
Rosemary oil	Highly effective
Lemongrass oil	Highly effective
Thyme oil	Highly effective
Oregano oil	Highly effective.
Catnip oil	Highly effective.
Geraniol	Highly effective, but not for Turkestan roaches
Eucalyptus oil	Moderately effective
Limonene	Moderately effective
Sesame oil	A carrier oil with roach-repellent properties

All these oils are capable of repelling roaches, but:

• They need to be used in sufficiently high concentrations. Because below a certain threshold (like, misted from an oil diffuser), roaches simply won’t care.
• Since they evaporate, they need to be regularly reapplied (oregano oil for example, can last about a week).
• They need to be applied strategically (like in areas you want to keep roaches away the most). Otherwise, they might just head deeper inside your walls.
• Used too frequently, there’s a possibility roaches will get used to them (but right now, no one really knows).

For more about Essential Oils for Roaches, click here.

Herbs and Plants That Repel Roaches

If you’re hoping to repel cockroaches by planting your garden with lemongrass or placing pots of rosemary around your porch or kitchen, you may be disappointed.

Living and dried plants like rosemary, lemongrass, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and others, do contain the same cockroach repellents found in bottled essential oils. It’s just that there’s too little of a concentration in them for roach repellent plants to make much sense.

Read On: Natural Cockroach Repellent: What Works and What Doesn’t

Roach Repellent Spray

There are about a dozen commercial cockroach repellent sprays, most of which use essential oils to do the heavy lifting. Most also kill roaches when you squirt the bugs directly.

The best roach repellent sprays (at least for killing) contain an additional ingredient like soap or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (substances known as surfactants) that coat and smother the insects. They also contain concentrations (3-4%) of essential oil.

That 3-4% may not sound like much, but it’s enough to work. And besides, at any higher concentration, your nose may not forgive you.

Examples?

Mighty Mint Cockroach Repellent uses 4% peppermint oil with no surfactant, while Wondercide Indoor Pest Control uses a combination of oils and surfactant. They both achieve the same ends, but work in different ways.

You can also make your own homemade roach repellent spray using any of the oils above.

Roach Repellent Home Remedies

Cleaners

If you’re interested in pursuing a more chemical route and don’t mind trying products made outside the U.S.A., there’s evidence that certain cleaning products provide a roach deterrent.

Chloroxylenol, a strong-smelling, relatively non-toxic disinfectant used in the cleaner Dettol appears to repel roaches at an impressive rate.

Methyl neodecanamide, an ingredient used in Ajax Expel (out of Mexico), apparently worked in studies, too.

Whether cleaners work for you or not, a clean home will certainly not attract as many.

Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets are another oft-debated home remedy for repelling cockroaches. Some dryer sheets contain linalool, a natural ingredient that gives the sheet its pleasant aroma. Research has shown that linalool does repel cockroaches (and is an insect killer, too).

As part of a more complete cockroach prevention plan, why not? A few dryer sheets may not be the best cockroach repellent on our list, but could convince some roaches to stay out.

Insect-Repellent Candles

Citronella candles and similar products are popular worldwide for keeping bugs away from people’s picnics and parties. Unfortunately, these candles are more effective against flying insects… and are not a very good cockroach deterrent. It’s also not realistic (or safe!) to keep candles burning at all times.

Myths

Ultrasonic Roach Repellent

So. Do ultrasonic pest repellers work on roaches?

We wish they did, and would love to find an ultrasonic roach repeller that actually did the job—as would the scientists and companies who’ve studied them.

These products claim to repel cockroaches by emitting a roach repellent sound—a sound that confuses and startles them, keeping them away.

And unfortunately there’s no evidence to support that claim.

We can’t speak definitively for other kinds of critters, but a 2006 study that tried repellent devices on German roaches found they didn’t do much, and there’s been no effective proof since then.

So the bottom line on succeeding with an electronic roach repellent is no, at least not until more encouraging research turns up. You’re better off with a proven product like essential oil than with an electronic roach repeller that to this point, is simply too good to be true.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to repel roaches with certain safe, proven, easily found tools, there’s something else we need to mention. Which is that the best roach repellent isn’t really a product. It’s an anti-cockroach lifestyle that makes roaches want to stay away.

You can learn about that here, in our How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Forever section, which shows you not only what repels cockroaches, but how to get rid of roaches completely.

Ready to repel some roaches?

You’ve got this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by Andrew Martin. Reviewed by James Miksanek, PhD.

Disclaimer: This page is strictly for informational use. When using insecticides, keep in mind—the label is the law. Insecticides should be applied correctly and safely when needed, and according to the laws of your state or country.

---

Sources

1. Appel, Arthur G. et al. (2001) Repellency and Toxicity of Mint Oil to American and German Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattidae and Blattellidae). Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University. Retrieved from https://scentsoc.org/Volumes/JAUE/v18/149.pdf
2. Haunt, Fangneng and Bhadriraju Subramanyam (2006) Lack of repellency of three commercial ultrasonic devices to the German cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae). Insect Science, 13, 1. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744–7917.2006.00069.x
3. Petersen, Dorene (2017) Green Cleaning: 10 Essential Oils that Naturally Repel Insects. American College of Healthcare Sciences. Retrieved from https://info.achs.edu/blog/green-cleaning-repel-insects
4. Maia, Marta Ferreira and Sarah J Moore (2011) Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing. Malaria Journal, 10, 11. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/1475–2875–10-S1-S11
5. Zhu J J (2009) Efficacy and safety of catnip (Nepeta cataria) as a novel filth fly repellent. Medical and veterinary entomology, 23, 3. Retrieved from https://chemport.cas.org/cgi-bin/sdcgi?APP=ftslink&action=reflink&origin=npg&version=1.0&coi=1%3ASTN%3A280%3ADC%252BD1MrosFWrug%253D%253D&md5=3dd9af2b97744fab5ddc13abc812c15e
6. Peterson, Chris J. et al. (2002) Behavioral Activity of Catnip (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil Components to the German Cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12020017/
7. Breedlove, Byron and Paul M. Arguin (2016) Inspiration and Insecticide from the Flower Garden. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 22, 5. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.3201%2Feid2205.AC2205

There are few calls more urgent in the exterminator’s world, than from people who’ve discovered a nest of German roaches. The bugs are nasty, smelly, unhealthy to have around, and ruin literally everything they touch.

Though not the easiest bug to get rid of, you don’t have to live with German roaches anymore. And you won’t need an exterminator if you learn to take care of them yourself.

Today you’ll learn how to get rid of German roaches in 3 simple proven steps, with techniques and tools that anyone can use.

Ready to take back what’s yours? Let’s go.

The German Roach Rap Sheet

First the bad news—

German cockroaches are notoriously difficult to control.

They breed and spread with dizzying speed, survive on very little, and don’t give up without a fight. They’ll infest your home winter or summer, destroy everything they touch, and so long as they’re fat and happy, will never… ever… leave.

Bombs won’t kill them all, sprays only scratch the surface, and as you’re trying to figure out a solution, all those tiny roaches are multiplying and getting worse.

But there is some good news, and it has to do with what’s proven to work before. The plan below isn’t the only solution, but it’s best way to get rid of German roaches that we know.

Here’s how to get rid of German cockroaches forever, step-by-step:

Step 1: Create a Battle Plan by Identifying German Cockroach “Hot Spots”

Let’s talk about battle plans and how you create one for German roaches.

Professional exterminators don’t go into a home and start spraying right away. They create a strategy based on information, and predictably, because it almost always does, the solution falls into place.

The core of that plan is a piece of detective work known as an inspection, which informs everything they do next. And while that might seem an obvious first step, few non-professionals do it, usually to their loss.

The inspection accomplishes a number of things, two of which are essential if you want to get rid of German roaches yourself:

• It provides a picture of how bad the overall problem is, and –
• It shows you where the roaches are most active.

If you do it right, the inspection tells you not only whether you can handle the problem yourself (if you discover that your home is literally seething with roaches, you may want to pass on the DIY), but precisely where to focus your efforts.

So an inspection is the first step in this plan, and there are two ways you can choose to do it:

By going room-by-room, and recording the signs of cockroaches that you find, or by combining those same observations with the evidence gained from sticky traps, which provide more accurate information.

Here’s how to do either kind:

Option #1. Do a visual inspection

Beside being absolutely free, a visual inspection has the advantage of being something you can do right now to put a solution into action. Like certain other problems, roaches don’t wait around as we take time to make a decision. With every day that passes, the problem gets worse. So the sooner you begin, the better.

To do a proper inspection, you’ll need a strong flashlight, a hand mirror, a step stool for high-up places, and a towel or knee pad to comfortably kneel on. You’ll also want a notepad and pen to jot down your observations, along with a piece of chalk to mark areas directly.

Being German roaches, you’ll want to start in the kitchen.

Begin your inspection in the kitchen

With plenty of food, warmth, water, and dark spaces to be found, the kitchen is a German roach’s favorite spot. You’ll find them everywhere in the kitchen, where they prefer crevices and tight places they can hide. A good place to begin is the refrigerator area, which German cockroaches love.

You don’t want to be shy with the refrigerator. With a little careful tugging, they’re usually easily moved. Pull the refrigerator a short distance away from the wall and look behind and underneath it—on the floor, the wall, and every surface of the refrigerator itself. Examine the coils and the motor area, the refrigerator’s adjustable feet, and the sealing strip along the door.

Now what do you see?

Any bits of shell, cockroach droppings, tiny corpses, or living cockroaches themselves?

Jot down the location in your notebook, along with a brief description of how much cockroach activity you see. If you found significant activity, mark the nearby floor or wall with a little bit of chalk. You’ll be returning to that spot later (and the chalk will help you find it).

Move on to the stove, pulling it away from the wall if that’s safe to do. Examine the sides and back of the stove, as well as the flooring underneath it. Examine the wall and cabinet surfaces next to and behind it.

Lift the stove top and peer underneath it. Examine the burners and drip pans. Remove the clock face if possible, and examine the internal mechanics or electronics. Examine the inside of the oven, the inside of the broiler, and any voids underneath it. Look under the oven itself with your flashlight as best you can.

Jot down your description, place a little mark of chalk where you find cockroach activity, and move on to the dishwasher, examining it in the same way. Pay special attention to the gaskets which sometimes fail and let cockroaches in.

Now that you’ve got the hang of it, move on to every other area of your kitchen, including your sink and under-sink areas, your cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Look underneath dish mats and drying racks, under pet food bowls, and underneath, around, and inside trash cans.

Look behind pictures and wall calendars, behind and inside wall clocks, under bubbles and gaps in the wallpaper, inside ceiling light fixtures and, being cautious, inside electrical outlets (you’ll need a screwdriver to remove the face plates).

Jot down your descriptions in your notebook and mark what you need to with chalk. If you think you might have missed a spot, scan the room in sections—up high, eye-level, and down low.

Then move on to other rooms

You’ll inspect other rooms in exactly the same way, beginning with rooms that offer the easiest access to food, warmth, and water. German cockroaches like bathrooms for those reasons, so take your inspection there next, paying special attention to dark, moist, hidden areas, like the holes where pipes enter the wall, and under-sink cabinets.

Move on to bedrooms, closets, and other areas of your home, repeating the same process—pulling objects away from the walls when practical and safe, examining the areas behind them, jotting down observations in your notebook, and marking any problem areas that you find.

Option #2. Couple a visual inspection with sticky traps

Where a visual inspection can be a game-changer in a plan to get rid of German cockroaches, sticky traps take things to the next level. Professional exterminators don’t usually call these devices sticky traps, but insect monitors, which is a better description of how they’re used.

Here’s why you may want to use them:

First, they actually do kill roaches, typically within just hours of laying them down. They don’t wipe out cockroach populations the way the products in Step 2 below do, but help to reduce them, especially at the beginning.

Second and more importantly, sticky traps take the guesswork out of your inspection. Rather than having to rely on signs of activity that may have happened months ago, you’ll know where all the hot spots are right now, along with where the worst infestation lies.

To use sticky traps (or monitors) in this phase of the plan, you’ll do the same inspection you did above, but lay down sticky traps at the same time you jot down your observations.

You’ll mark each trap with its location, mark the area nearby with chalk, and gather up all your traps in a couple of days. Then you’ll count the cockroaches in the trap, jot down the ares with the highest activity in your notebook, and know exactly where to hit in Step 2.

—The cost for sticky traps? About a dollar each. Less in bulk and multi-packs.

Read on: Roach-Free Recipe: How to Find Cockroaches

Step 2: Eliminate German Roaches with a Multi-pronged Attack

Okay, now that you’ve found areas of high activity, it’s time to get to work.

You’ll be targeting the high-activity areas revealed by your inspection, and hitting them with several different tools: a vacuum cleaner, cockroach baits, insecticidal dust, and for a final wallop (in an optional last step) a dose of Insect Growth Regulator (IGR).

Why not just one product? Because German cockroaches are difficult to completely eradicate and can come back if you don’t strike them hard. The best exterminators do this. You’ll be glad you did it, too.

So let’s start with a technique and tool you already know quite well: the vacuum cleaner.

1. Suction up visible German Roaches with a vacuum cleaner

How do you get rid of German roaches with a vacuum cleaner? By surprise, mostly. And by going after more than just the bugs themselves—namely, parts of their habitat. You cant get rid of German roaches entirely with a vacuum cleaner, but it’s an excellent way to start.

Using the location information in your notebook, visit the first hot spot on your list and vacuum up everything you see. You’re going to want to suction up everything that’s not clean—crumbs, debris, debris, body parts, cockroach eggs, and every panicking, scrambling roach that dashes by your feet.

Many people find this job more than a little satisfying, not just because it’s slightly murderous, but because it feels good to physically reclaim your home.

Use your vacuum cleaner’s attachments to your advantage, especially the brush and crevice tools (that you can use to scrape surfaces and poke deeply into cracks). If the mood strikes you, you can grab a bucket and do some scrubbing too, but don’t use any harsh or smelly chemicals right now. Dish soap and water would be about right.

When you’re done vacuuming and possibly cleaning, remove the bags from your vacuum cleaner, gather up any rags you used, and carefully dispose of them in a tightly sealed plastic bag. If there’s any chance a critter could discover and rip into it, pop the bag into the freezer for a few hours. The cold will kill any living cockroaches inside.

2. Poison German roaches with gel bait

Vacuuming didn’t only get rid of dead and living roaches, egg cases, and a bunch of disgusting gunk. It reduced the food supply for the colony, making products like cockroach gel bait more effective.

Gel baits—another favorite of professional exterminators—are formulations of attractant and pesticide that deliver a lethal poison when eaten. Roaches don’t die right away, but over time, typically when they return to the nest, bringing the poison with them to further spread.

The tiny amount of poison in the gel isn’t enough to harm you, your family, or your pets, but a single syringe or station of bait can often be enough to wipe out an entire German cockroach colony.

To use gel baits, you’ll return again to your home’s cockroach hot spots, then squeeze modest, pea-sized drops into any cracks and crevices that you find nearby. Within a few days you’ll notice dead or dying roaches. Within a couple of weeks, you’ll have wiped out scores or hundreds more.

It’s possible to eliminate the entire colony with gel bait, but a second product, insecticidal dust, will kill roaches that the gel bait may have missed.

—The cost for gel bait? About $30 to treat your entire house.

Read on: Choosing and Using Gel Bait for Roaches

3. Kill German roaches with insecticidal dust

Roaches depend on their hard, protective exoskeletons to shield their tissues and retain moisture. When their exoskeletons become damaged, they dehydrate and quickly die.

Insecticidal dusts take advantage of this vulnerability by causing damage to their exoskeletons, poisoning them through ingestion as they try to groom it off, or poisoning them via absorption through the exoskeleton itself. Dusts provide an excellent complement to gel bait because the products attack German roaches in different ways.

To use insecticidal dust, you’ll “puff” the product with a “hand duster” into voids you haven’t “baited”—inside cracks and crevices, gaps between moldings, long window sills, and behind electrical face plates and fixtures.

Too much dust will scare them off, but a fine layer will kill cockroaches extremely well. You’ll want to puff it deeply into cracks where it can coat multiple surfaces. Inside walls a single application of dust can work for years.

Insecticidal dusts can be purchased in “natural” products like diatomaceous earth, borax and boric acid, and in even safer, more effective man-made formulations like CimeXa.

By the end of this stage you may have killed your last German cockroach, but a last product, insect growth regulator (IGR), will keep an infestation from coming back.

—The cost of insecticidal dust? About $25 for an inexpensive hand duster and a bottle of CimeXa.

4. Stop German roaches from reproducing with insect growth regulator

German roaches’ biggest advantage is their ability to quickly reproduce. A single German cockroach female can produce over 400 nymphs in her lifetime, and your home can become infested with German roaches within just a matter of months.

Insect growth regulators (IGR) interfere with that cycle by stopping roaches from reproducing. Used alongside baits and insecticidal dusts, IGR’s offer a kind of insurance policy that attack the cockroach life cycle and keep them from springing back.

Like baits, dusts, and vacuuming, you’ll apply IGR only where it’s needed most. Unlike baits and dusts which must be eaten or touched, IGR’s (which are also eaten in certain formulations) have the ability to travel through the air as a vapor, settling on their shells where it’s absorbed.

If you decide to use one, an IGR can help to “seal the deal,” and since they also stimulate roach’s appetite, they can make gel baits more effective.

—The cost for a dose of IGR? $15- $30.

Step 3: Keep German Roaches from Coming Back

Congratulations!

You’ve met the enemy head-on, and with just a handful of tools, won a major battle.

In this final step, you’ll make sure you don’t have to face an infestation again. You’ll make it harder for German cockroaches to discover your home, and harder to survive should they get in.

Keeping German roaches out

Here’s an important question to ask yourself: How did German roaches manage to get inside your home in the first place? Do you know?

If you live in an apartment they might have made their way through your neighbor’s walls (see below), but there’s another way they do it, too. They hitchhike. German roaches are expert hitchhikers that climb into things you might not expect, and end up in new territory like your home.

They might have hitchhiked into your home through:

• Second-hand bargains. Love them? German cockroaches love them too! And will happily travel back with you from thrift shops, yard sales, and in boxes of free stuff sitting by the road.
• A visit to a roach-infested home. Unrecognized infestations are no joke. A quick visit to an ailing aunt may be all it takes to bring back a tiny stowaway inside your purse or pant cuff.
• Groceries. It’s only a short hop from an infested grocery store to your home. Grocery bags are notoriously easy for German cockroaches to crawl into, and they’ll end up not only in your home, but your car as well.

Your first task if you want to keep German roaches from coming back is to consider how they might have gotten in originally, and to figure out a way to keep them from doing it again.

Making your home inhospitable to German roaches

The next task is to make your home a barren, awful place for German roaches. The sort of place that when they pay a visit, they’ll turn around and run. You can do that by depriving them of the two things they can’t live without—food and water.

Do a second inspection of your home if you need to—beginning with kitchens and bathrooms—to find the water sources that have been keeping the colony alive. These could be leaky pipes or faucets, drips from window sills or air conditioners, pools of water that collect around the sink or bathtub, or areas of condensation.

Fix what needs fixing, and begin mopping up moisture where it occurs.

Next, start eliminating food sources by storing pantry items and cooking ingredients in hard, airtight containers. If you have pets, don’t leave their food out overnight. Use a trash can with a lid and change the bag frequently.

Finally, focus on your cleaning habits, which make a big difference in what roaches find to eat. Wash the dishes and rinse the garbage disposal every night. Clean it with baking soda and vinegar every few weeks, too. Make it a habit to sweep and vacuum the floors at least every 2–3 days, removing every crumb that could provide a roach a meal.

Read on: How to Keep Roaches Away for Good

Conclusion

A serious pest deserves a serious pest control plan. Using the one here, you’ll know how to get rid of German roaches, and keep them away for good. Now all you need to do is start.

You’ve got this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by Andrew Martin. Reviewed by Rae Osborn, PhD.

Disclaimer: This page is strictly for informational use. When using insecticides, keep in mind—the label is the law. Insecticides should be applied correctly and safely when needed, and according to the laws of your state or country.

---

Sources

1. Ogg, Barb et al. (2006) Cockroach Control Manual. University of Nebraska Extension. Retrieved from https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/roach/cockroach%20manual.pdf
2. How to Get Rid of German Cockroaches. Ortho. Retrieved from https://www.ortho.com/en-us/library/bugs/how-get-rid-german-cockroaches
3. Nagro, Anne (2019) Rethinking German Cockroach Control. Pest Control Technology Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.pctonline.com/article/rethinking-german-cockroach-control/

Sure. Roaches can be controlled with chemical pesticides, but many of us don’t want unnecessary chemicals in our homes. Luckily, roaches can be repelled naturally—and yes, killed naturally, too.

The best natural roach killer? There are a few. We’ll tell you about them along with how they work and how to easily use them.

Ready to learn how to kill roaches naturally, safely, and effectively?

Let’s go!

Killing Roaches with Natural, Eco-Friendly Powders

Natural or otherwise, there are two kinds of products for killing roaches: Contact sprays for when you want to kill a single roach outright, and strategic treatments that kill them in far larger numbers, including the roaches that are hiding and you seldom ever see.

For a strategic natural roach killer, your absolute best choice would be an all-natural cockroach killer powder—boric acid, borax, or diatomaceous earth. So let’s look at how to use these products.

How To…

How to kill cockroaches naturally with food-grade diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an abrasive, naturally occurring powder made from ground up shells.

Sold in two grades (“food-grade” is the one you want) DE is used in everything from toothpaste to supplements to facial scrubs and is safe to touch and even eat (take care not to inhale the stuff, though—it can damage your lungs).

For our purposes and in addition to its other uses, DE powder is also a great natural way to kill cockroaches!

DE works by damaging a cockroach’s hard exoskeleton, killing it by dehydration. When a cockroach crawls through DE, the abrasive powder adheres to its body, gradually weakening the roach until it dies. Sometimes the powder gets carried back to the cockroach nest, where other roaches die from it, too.

To use DE, you sprinkle a thin layer onto surfaces where roaches are likely to walk, then let it do its job from there. Light coatings work best, and the more places you can find to use it, like wall cavities, cracks and crevices, and gaps in the floor, the more successful you’ll be. Also consider DE for roaches in your car, sprinkling it under mats and seats.

DE has to stay dry to work. If you’re using it in a humid room (or if it gets wet), wipe it away and reapply once the area is dry. During dry weather, you can sprinkle DE outside, too! It’s a great natural way to kill roaches before they even make it inside.

Read on: Diatomaceous Earth & Roaches: What You Need to Know

How to kill cockroaches naturally with borax and sugar

Borax is another natural roach killer dust, one you might already have in the laundry room. Unlike DE, borax kills roaches when they eat it.

Using borax takes a bit more work than DE because you’ll have to convince the pests that it’s a food source. To do that, you’ll need to mix in a little bait. Equal parts borax and powdered or granular sugar works fine for this, sprinkled near an entry point or where roaches like to feed. Don’t forget to reapply as the roaches eat it—the more they eat, the better it works!

Note: although borax is less toxic than many chemical pesticides, it still needs to be handled with care. Try to apply only in areas where children and pets can’t access it.

Read on: Borax for Roaches: Simple Recipes to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Boric acid: like borax, but works even better

Boric acid is the refined and purified version of borax. Like borax, boric acid is a natural roach killer that needs to be ingested. But unlike borax, boric acid is more finely ground, making it easier for roaches to eat, and as a result, more deadly.

You’re not likely to find boric acid in your laundry room, but its effectiveness makes it worth a special trip to the store.

Boric acid is used in the same way as borax. You spread a light dusting of a boric acid/sugar mixture across surfaces (so slight that you shouldn’t even see the powder from a few feet away). Or mix it with some other sweet or fatty bait. You should notice a difference in the number of cockroaches within a few days.

How to kill roaches naturally with baking soda and sugar

If there’s one thing on this list you almost certainly have in your pantry it’s baking soda. It’s the all natural cockroach killer hidden in plain sight—baking soda and sugar really does kill roaches!

This homemade roach killer is just as simple as the previous powders. Just sprinkle baking soda onto dry surfaces or fill a small bowl with it and add a little sugar. Ingesting baking soda kills roaches quickly. What’s even better about baking soda is that the small amount you need is perfectly safe for kids and pets!

Spot Treatments with All-Natural Roach Killer Spray

Spray roach killers aren’t particularly helpful for a bad cockroach infestation, but they certainly have their place. Natural sprays use combinations of herbs and essential oils to individually kill cockroaches or keep them away.

1. Wondercide Natural Spray

One of these is Wondercide Peppermint Indoor Pest Control Spray. It’s eco-friendly and safe for dogs and cats (and kids!) so you can use it around your home without worrying about harmful chemicals. Wondercide makes natural outdoor spray, as well.

Wondercide uses cedarwood oil and peppermint oil as its main cockroach killing ingredients. It’s 100% effective at killing fleas and ticks and is advertised as killing or repelling roaches, too.

2. Hotshot Natural Spray

You’ve probably seen Hot Shot products at most stores and supermarkets. Hot Shot Natural Insect Control products are non-toxic, pet-safe when dry and, according to reviewers, effective at killing roaches.

Unfortunately, these are kill-on-contact sprays, so you’ll only eliminate cockroaches you can see and spray. But the roaches you see are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tackling an infestation.

3. Zevo Natural Spray

Zevo also makes natural cockroach-killer sprays and traps that utilize essential oils to eliminate pests. They’re safe for use around children and pets because they specifically target insects’ nervous systems.

Zevo sprays use cinnamon, lemongrass and geraniol essential oils as active ingredients to kill roaches and other insects on contact. Again, you’ll have to use the spray bottle to hit roaches directly, so Zevo sprays should be a part of your integrated pest management system.

4. NatureShield Natural Spray

One more outdoor way to kill cockroaches naturally is American Hydro Systems NatureShield spray. It blends essential oils to kill pests that try to sneak into your house while they’re still outside. This one’s designed to be used with specific feeders and sprayers, though, so it comes with more overhead than the others. It guards your house for up to 5 days, making it a better long-term solution.

Conclusion

You don’t have to live with cockroaches. And you don’t always need chemical pesticides to get rid of them.

• With any of the natural roach killer powders—borax, boric acid, or diatomaceous earth—you can eliminate roaches for the long-term.
• With a natural cockroach killer spray, you can kill the occasional roach, saving yourself a little peace of mind.

With some excellent alternatives to chemical pest control (including some great home remedies for roaches), you’ve got a great head start to ending your cockroach problem. Now all that’s left is to do it—naturally.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources

1. Bunch, T. R. et al. (2013) Diatomaceous Earth General Fact Sheet. National Pesticide Information Center. Retrieved from http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
2. Strong, Charles A. et al. (1993) Oral Toxicity and Repellency of Borates to German Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/86.5.1458
3. Boric Acid: General Fact Sheet. National Pesticide Information Center. Retrieved from http://www.npic.orst.edu/factsheets/boricgen.html
4. Huffstetler, Erin (2019) You Don’t Have to Use Unnatural Methods to Rid Your Home of Roaches. The Spruce. Retrieved from https://www.thespruce.com/get-rid-of-roaches-naturally–1388145
5. Insecticidal Soaps for Garden Pest Control (2019) Clemson Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/insecticidal-soaps-for-garden-pest-control/

Eliminating cockroaches doesn’t have to mean using harmful chemicals and putting your family and pets at risk.

Instead, use all-natural, non-toxic diatomaceous earth! Roaches don’t stand a chance against this dust and all you have to do is sprinkle it wherever you’ve seen them. It’s safe, cheap and easy to use!

Ready to learn the “how-to’s” of diatomaceous earth roach control? Let’s get started.

Remember, when using insecticides, the label is the law—read and follow the instructions carefully, not only for your own safety, but to make sure each treatment is as effective as possible.

Diatomaceous Earth Basics: What It Is and Where It Comes From

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a fine dust created by grinding up the fossilized shells of diatoms, microscopic ocean organisms. It’s like sand but much finer and made of only one material.

Fun fact: If you thought there were a lot of cockroaches in the world, there are even more diatoms. They produce over 20% of all of the oxygen we breathe. Diatoms have existed for at least 200 million years—leave it to an organism that’s nearly as old as cockroaches themselves to be their weakness!

What do you use diatomaceous earth for?

DE is an ingredient in hundreds of products, from hardware and paint to personal care and even food. You’ll probably see the term “food grade” used with DE. Food grade diatomaceous earth is finer than other types—and it’s the kind you want to use.

Does Diatomaceous Earth Kill Roaches? Yes!

Diatomaceous earth kills a variety of insects, including cockroaches, fleas, ticks, bed bugs and more.

As both a preventative measure and an insecticide, it’s a fantastic home remedy for killing roaches. It seems too good to be true… but diatomaceous earth really works!

How Does Diatomaceous Earth Kill Cockroaches?

Diatomaceous earth powder is abrasive and breaks down the waxy layer of the cockroach’s hard exoskeleton, killing it through dehydration. When they walk through diatomaceous earth, roaches carry away some of the DE that clings to the tiny hairs on their legs. They typically die later, back at their nest.

Diatomaceous Earth & Cockroaches: Putting DE Powder to Use

One of the benefits of DE powder is its versatility. It’s easy to sprinkle or spray it behind appliances, under furniture, inside cupboards and even outside! Use food-grade DE in the kitchen on countertops and in cupboards. Since it’s easy to clean up with a vacuum, diatomaceous earth works for roaches in cars and trucks, too.

We recommend using a duster to apply diatomaceous earth. You don’t have to buy a specialized pest control duster, though; you can make your own duster by poking or drilling holes in the top of a 2-liter soda bottle. Then, simply fill it about halfway with DE dust, twist on the cap and squeeze to spray the dust through the holes.

Bonus: Do you like a dash of powdered sugar on your French toast or pancakes? Use that handy sugar shaker to sprinkle your DE mixture (but remember to wash it thoroughly after you’re done)!

In a pinch, you can also spread DE with a scoop. Maybe you have one for pet food or you got one with a bucket of ice melt—you can always use a spoon, (washing them later, of course) too!

How to Use Diatomaceous Earth for Roaches, Step-By-Step

Step 1: Clean and dry. DE needs to be dry to kill cockroaches. If you decide to clean before applying the DE, give the area a few minutes to dry. If the humidity is too high in your attic, basement or bathroom, use fans to reduce moisture before applying DE.

Step 2: Spread a thin coating. Apply a light coating of the DE dust on surfaces and in crevices where you’ve seen evidence of cockroaches. Focus on areas like the backsides of stoves, refrigerators, and other appliances where the bugs can find crumbs and other food sources. You can treat bathrooms and closets, too, if they’re not too humid.

Step 3: Hit roaches’ entry points. Dust inside of tiny spaces, including cracks, outlets and gaps around wiring. You’d be surprised at the number of places roaches can come from.

Step 4: Treat inside wall voids. If you find any cracks or holes leading into the walls, there’s a good chance roaches could be hiding in there. Luckily, your duster bottle makes it easy to blow the dust right through the hole. (If there’s no opening, drill a small hole near the ground or behind a decoration.)

Step 5: Try diatomaceous earth outside. Spread DE in the mulch, garden soil and grass around the perimeter of your house without worrying about damaging your landscaping! Just like you did inside, sprinkle a thin layer and let it do its job. Just try to pick out a few dry days from the weather forecast!

If you have a crawl space or similar space beneath your house (or under a deck, for example), roaches could nest there. One simple solution is to pour a pile of DE right at the entrance. Then, use a leaf blower or large fan to quickly dust the whole interior of the space. When spraying that much DE, wear a mask and goggles to avoid irritation (and to definitely avoid inhalation).

Step 6: Repeat and, hopefully, relax. Keep an eye on the places you’ve treated—the DE might need to be refreshed from time to time, depending on the conditions and the size of the cockroach infestation you’re fighting.

If it rains or seems too humid, you’ll have to reapply. If you’re facing a lot of roaches, try dusting twice per week. One study saw up to 80% effectiveness within 72 hours but a large infestation will take more ammunition.

Cleaning up DE is as easy as applying it.

Clean up diatomaceous earth by simply sweeping, wiping and vacuuming. Use a damp towel to wipe it off of surfaces and a broom and dustpan to sweep it off of wood and tile floors. Anywhere there’s carpeting, a vacuum will do the trick! Best of all, it doesn’t leave any dangerous chemicals behind.

Note: You don’t want to get DE into the air, so wipe and sweep gently. Also plan to switch out your regular vacuum cleaner bags for drywall or fine particle bags.

Make Diatomaceous Earth a Part of Your Total Pest Control Plan

Diatomaceous earth doesn’t have to be your only tool against cockroaches. It works even better in combination with other treatments.

Use gel baits along walls and save the DE for tiny cracks and crevices. Or, treat the inside of your home with DE and the outside with a residual spray.

Want another natural insecticide to use alongside DE? Boric acid (and the similar borax) is a similar-looking powdered roach killer that makes a solid sidekick for DE.

Boost your roach control plan further by using natural cockroach repellents in the areas where you’re not dusting with diatomaceous earth. Cockroaches will be driven away from these areas—possibly right into your DE minefields!

Finally, every pest control system has to include good cleaning and organizational habits to take away roaches’ food sources and some of their favorite hiding places. DE will eliminate your existing problem; your long-term game plan is prevention.

Caution: DE Can Still Cause Irritation and Shouldn’t Be Inhaled

Unlike filter-grade diatomaceous earth which contains 60% crystalline silica (a hazardous material associated with various lung diseases), food-grade DE contains less than 2% and is considered safe to use.

That said, you should keep the material away from small children and pets, and use goggles and a mask when applying it (the fine particles can irritate your lungs).

Conclusion

DE is a proven and easy-to-use part of a total pest control plan. With just a duster and some diatomaceous earth in your arsenal, roaches won’t know what hit them!

Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by Andrew Martin. Reviewed by James Miksanek, PhD.

Disclaimer: This page is strictly for informational use. When using insecticides, keep in mind—the label is the law. Insecticides should be applied correctly and safely when needed, and according to the laws of your state or country.

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Sources

1. Bunch, T. R. et al. (2013) Diatomaceous Earth General Fact Sheet. National Pesticide Information Center. Retrieved from http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
2. Ogg, Barb et al. (2006) Cockroach Control Manual. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
3. Hosseini, Seyyed Akbar et al. (2014) The insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth against adults and nymphs of Blattella germanica. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025297/

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When you find yourself staring in the face of a water bug problem, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. These pests can wreak havoc on your peace of mind.

It’s time to take back your home! We’re going to help you learn how to get rid of waterbugs in a few simple steps, before and after they make themselves comfortable in your space.

What Are Water Bugs?

Let’s clear something up: when we’re talking about water bugs (also known as Palmetto Bugs), we’re really talking about one of these 3 species of cockroaches:

1. Oriental roaches
2. American roaches
3. Smoky brown roaches

Why the nickname? Well, there are domestic cockroaches—those are the indoor species and they’re the troublemakers.

And then there are water bugs—the outdoor roaches. Generally, water bugs stay outside but, sometimes, they do invade homes. That’s the situation you want to avoid.

(While we can’t just ignore Belostomatidae, the Giant Water Bug that lives in fresh water, it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of.)

Getting Rid of Waterbugs for Good

How do you get rid of water bugs? By rigorous application of the supplies and steps below. Once you’ve found a water bug in your space, it’s game on. Why? Because you might not be facing a dangerous cockroach infestation yet, but water bugs can multiply and spread just as quickly.

The good news is that the same things that kill and prevent cockroaches will work on water bugs, too. Let’s get started.

How to Kill Water Bugs

Does Anything Get Rid of Waterbugs Instantly?

We’re going to cover a few things that kill these pests, but with a delayed effect. But what if you want to kill them instantly? Even squishing them doesn’t always work because of their hard, flexible exoskeletons!

Killing them on contact comes down to using chemical pesticides. To use these products, you typically dilute the pesticide with water (according to the instructions) and spray it into cracks and crevices where you think water bugs are hiding.

The problem comes with your ability to access all those hiding places. Waterbugs are sneaky and you may never find where they’re actually hanging out.

Bug-killer sprays sold in supermarkets? They also work on waterbugs. However, killing one at a time won’t solve your water bug problem in the long run.

Suggested Products If You Have a Water Bug Problem

To Find Their Hiding Spots and Kill Them Quickly When You Have Just a Few

To Kill Them Inside Your Home When You Have a Serious Problem

To Kill Them Outdoors Before They Have a Chance to Get Inside

Getting Rid of Water Bugs Naturally

There are a number of natural ways to get rid of waterbugs. And if you’re going to do it yourself, you might want to consider these approaches first.

Diatomaceous Earth: Fast but Not Instant

One of the best-known water bug treatments is food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE). It’s all-natural, safe to use around children and pets (but do take precautions not to inhale), and best of all, effective (although we do recommend CimeXa for even better results).

Most hardware stores sell DE and it’s easy to mix and apply. Some products even come with a duster to make things as simple as possible.

When using DE dust, you want the water bugs to eat it or, at least, walk through it. To attract the bugs to it, you can mix the DE with powdered sugar and spray a thin layer in specific parts of the house.

You can even use it outside, sprinkling it in the grass or mulch to form your very own anti-water-bug moat!

DE doesn’t quite kill instantly but it works more quickly than baits, which are designed to have delayed effects.

Will Baking Soda Kill Them?

Baking soda is a potential killer. It sucks up the water in the environment and can fatally dehydrate water bugs as they walk through it. However, baking soda isn’t nearly as effective as gel baits or chemical pesticides that are designed to kill them.

Boric Acid: An All-Natural Pest Killer

Boric acid is a great natural pest control product that works for water bugs, too! It’s poisonous to the bugs but, in small amounts, it’s not dangerous for pets or children.

Like DE, boric acid isn’t bait so you’ll have to mix it with something to attract the bugs. Again, sugar works really well.

All it takes is a little of the mixture, sprinkled thinly in areas where you think the water bugs are walking. Don’t use too much, though, or the bugs might not want to walk through it.

Home Remedies for Water Bugs

There are plenty of home remedies for waterbugs that may be worth exploring too, including homemade traps, and even essential oils.

Gel Baits: Your Secret Weapon Against Water Bugs

Baits are your secret weapons against water bugs because they’re insecticides hidden in a formula that water bugs just can’t wait to sink their teeth into.

You apply baits by spreading the gel near cracks and holes where water bugs might be hiding. For less of a mess, you can use bait stations, which hold the bait inside a compartment that you can discard after it’s worn off (or been eaten).

What makes bait so much better than simple sprays or traps is that it spreads the pesticide throughout the colony, from bug to bug.

A water bug doesn’t die immediately after it’s eaten the bait; usually, it dies later, after it’s returned to the nest. Then, as the other water bugs feed on the dead insect, they eat the pesticide, too! Even if only one or two water bugs eat the bait, it can kill a dozen or more as its effects spread.

So What’s the Single Best Approach?

The single best way to get rid of waterbugs is the one that eliminates the whole colony as quickly as possible. The winner, unsurprisingly, is the product that’s specially designed to deal with water bug infestations: gel baits.

How To Prevent Water Bugs

Baits, sprays, and traps have their place, but how to keep water bugs away? Luckily, water bug prevention only takes a few simple changes.

How to Keep Water Bugs Out

Water bugs hate dry environments. Their ideal home is damp, dark and hidden, with lots of—you guessed it—water in the vicinity. Don’t give it to them! Chances are they’ll look for somewhere else to stay.

Just follow a few simple tips, targeting those areas, and you’ll start to see results in no time.

1. Prevent standing water under gutters and pipes. Fix leaks, eliminate damp areas, and repair any areas where water collects before water bugs find it.
2. Improve ventilation in storage rooms. Humidity and dampness are just what water bugs are looking for in a place to lay their eggs.
3. Clean the dishes and change the garbage frequently. You’re making it too easy for water bugs to eat if you leave dirty dishes out overnight.
4. Seal up entry points. Pay attention to ways waterbugs may be entering your home. Inspect exterior walls and your home’s foundation, looking for holes, cracks, and crevices that could be allowing waterbugs in. Inspect windows and doors for gaps that water bugs could crawl through.

Conclusion

Despite their less-threatening name, at the end of the day, water bugs are still cockroaches. The longer they’re in your house, the higher the risk that they’ll grow into a serious infestation—and when that happens, your best is to call in a pest control company as quickly as you can.

Now that you know how to get rid of waterbugs…

Let’s do this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Pesticide Environmental Stewardship. NC State University Center for Integrated Pest Management. Retrieved from https://pesticidestewardship.org/homeowner/using-pesticides-safely-and-correctly/

Found a cockroach in your home or business and now your mind is racing? Is your stomach sinking, wondering if there are more?

Don’t panic—you’re in the right place! We’ll help you recognize a roach infestation (if there is one), show you what might be causing it, and help you solve your cockroach problems either way.

The Signs of Cockroach Infestation

Few things are more horrifying than finding your cupboards full of cockroach droppings, or a cockroach inside your food.

The unfortunate fact is that finding even one cockroach should have you concerned about an infestation.

Imagine an iceberg, the tip of which is the one roach you’ve seen. The others, the ones you haven’t stumbled onto, are being much more careful. They don’t always reveal themselves directly, but they do leave certain signs.

So what are the signs of cockroach infestation?

1. Seeing a Cockroach! (Dead or Alive.)

Seeing a cockroach is never a good thing, but does it mean you have a roach-infested house? Not necessarily. But the presence of roaches—even a single one—is among the surest signs of roach infestation.

Roaches are wily creatures that are good at hiding, and make it a way of life. Also, cockroaches are nocturnal, doing most of their business when you and your family are asleep.

So just because you haven’t seen a lot of them, it doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of them around.

If it was a dead roach you saw, it doesn’t mean your nightmare is over, either. The real problem could be the living cockroaches that are silently multiplying behind your walls and fixtures.

2. Finding Roach Droppings

Roach droppings might be hiding right under your nose at first (at least until it starts to stink—that’s up next) because it tends to look like certain other things—spilled coffee grounds, ground black pepper, or just everyday smears and smudges.

You’ll find cockroach droppings in clusters where roaches frequently travel, on both horizontal and vertical surfaces, especially those that are hidden.

Here’s the thing: seeing roach feces—as in, there’s enough that you noticed it—is a strong indicator that you’re dealing with an infestation.

3. Cockroach Odors

Roaches produce scents using chemicals in their bodies, called cuticular hydrocarbons, to communicate with each other.

They leave behind these strong, musty odors as they crawl on surfaces and food. Food touched by a roach will smell spoiled or just not-quite-right. That off smell is a warning you should heed!

Dead roaches also release fatty acids that can also stink up a room as more and more roaches… expire.

Will you smell a single cockroach? It’s not likely. But you will smell a roach infested house (and probably never forget it).

4. Finding Egg Cases and Shed Skins

Less common, but a strong sign of cockroach infestation is finding roach egg cases and shed skins from molting.

Called oothecae, the egg cases are purse-shaped and look like tiny beans or grains of rice. When it comes to cockroaches, bad things come in small packages. Because finding egg cases means just one thing—that the roaches in your space are multiplying.

Discovering shed skins is a bad sign too, because roaches gobble up each other’s molted skins, and you’re only finding a fraction of the skins they originally left behind.

What does it mean to be infested?

A roach infestation doesn’t necessarily mean your hygiene is bad. Cockroaches are frustratingly resourceful and need very little to survive. A few crumbs or a leaky faucet in an otherwise clean house is often enough.

However, it does mean that you and your family are at risk for picking up bacteria that cockroaches leave behind. Roaches can also trigger allergic reactions, especially if you have asthma.

How many roaches make up an infestation?

Basically, an infestation begins with anything more than one cockroach. A couple is all it takes to multiply into dozens of roaches in just a few months.

When is one roach really one roach?

If all you’ve seen is one cockroach, there’s a chance that one is all you’re dealing with. And if the roach is big—say, 1 1/2 inches or bigger—it could be an outdoor species that’s less likely to thrive indoors.

The problem is that even if it is all alone, it could be a pregnant female, or the first of a colony that’s living right outside your home. When that happens, even if it is alone, more are likely to follow.

How bad of an infestation is it?

Cockroach infestations can keep growing and growing as long as there’s food and water for them. If you’re seeing cockroaches regularly (especially during the daytime), it could mean that they’re being forced into the open by too many others in their hiding place.

Hint: Using traps or sticky baits can help you track roach’s movement and get a better idea of how many you’re dealing with.

How Do You Get Cockroaches in Your House?

Unfortunately, cockroach infestations happen easily, and usually out of sight. Some types of roaches—like American and Oriental cockroaches—hang out around homes, feeding on mulch and leaf litter. Then they look for ways inside as they search for more food. They can enter your home through anything from a tiny hole in the wall or window screen to a laundry vent or water pipe.

If you live in a city apartment, a cockroach infestation could be completely out of your control. Apartment buildings are like heaven to roaches because they can run from unit to unit through the walls or pipes.

It’s easier than you probably think to bring a brown-banded or German roach problem home in grocery bags or your child’s school backpack. They might also hide in the firewood you carry into your house and scurry away at the first sign of a flame.

How did my space get infested with roaches in the first place?

The first step in stopping an infestation is figuring out how roaches are getting in, and why they’re staying. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Do I tend to leave leftovers, desserts, dirty pots and pans or pet food out overnight?
2. Are there any cracks or crevices in the walls that could let cockroaches in?
3. Is my garden or landscaping overgrown or full of fallen leaves and branches?
4. Have I sealed all my open pantry items in plastic, glass or metal containers, bug-proofing them?

Cockroaches can sneak in through the smallest of holes. Sometimes, they take advantage of the gaps where pipes or wiring passes through a wall. Other times, flying cockroaches land on the roof and manage to squeeze beneath shingles.

If they come inside and find easy access to food, that’s when an infestation begins.

It’s up to you to remove their food sources so they can’t make themselves comfortable. Let’s break down how to prevent a roach infestation from growing—

How to Get Rid of a Cockroach Infestation

If you think you have a cockroach infested house, it’s time to act. Don’t be afraid! These bugs won’t bite you. Start now to prevent them from spoiling your food, spreading bacteria and spreading themselves in an even worse infestation.

Next Steps:

1. Identify how roaches are getting in and what’s attracting them.
2. Find out where they’re hiding.
3. Decide whether you want to use a natural pest control method such as boric acid, or other methods like sprays and roach baits.
4. Create a plan for keeping them away, with simple supplies like steel wool and caulk.

Conclusion

Realizing that you may have an infestation can be stressful, and even a little scary. But you’re not alone. Thousands of households and businesses face the same situation every year. In fact, in some cities, more than 40% of households have cockroach problems.

With our tips and your determination, you can eliminate your roach infestation and stop them from ever coming back.

Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources

1. Why do I have cockroaches in my home? (2016) National Pesticide Information Center. Retrieved from http://npic.orst.edu/faq/roach.html
2. Bonnefoy, Xavier et al. (2008) Public Health Significance of Urban Pests. World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/98426/E91435.pdf