These are primarily outdoor cockroaches, living beneath loose bark in woodpiles, fallen logs, and dead trees. They cannot survive indoors, but can be an annoyance during the spring and summer when large numbers wander in from outside. They are also brought into homes during winter in firewood. Large numbers of woods cockroaches are sometimes found nesting in rain gutters and crawl spaces.
Cockroaches are best controlled using a combination of techniques. Since roaches flourish where food, moisture, and shelter are readily available, cleanliness is an important step in preventing and correcting problems. Spills and food waste should be cleaned up, and unwashed dishes, utensils, and pet food should not be allowed to sit overnight. Loose food should be stored in tight-fitting containers.
Garbage should not be allowed to accumulate, and stacks of paper bags, cartons, and newspapers should be discarded or stored in sealed plastic bags. Outdoor species such as wood cockroaches can be discouraged from entering buildings by installing tight-fitting screens on windows and sweeps beneath doors. Cracks and openings around doors and windows should be caulked. It is also prudent to seal openings where plumbing pipes or wires pass through walls or floors with caulk, foam, or copper mesh.
This is especially useful in apartments to reduce migration of cockroaches between adjoining units. Although good housekeeping is helpful, insecticides are usually necessary to eliminate infestations, especially of German cockroaches, which are highly prolific. Cockroaches spend little time out in the open; places that are hard to see and reach is where they tend to be.
Dark, secluded areas near food, warmth, and moisture are preferred so a bright flashlight helps when performing inspections. Emphasis should be on finding and treating preferred harborage locations, rather than randomly spraying baseboards, countertops and other exposed surfaces. If key harborage areas are missed problems are likely to continue. Many types of insecticides are available for controlling cockroaches. Most are sold as liquid or aerosol sprays, while some are formulated as edible baits or dusts.
Always read and follow product instructions. This will help you to achieve optimal results while using the product safely. Many insecticides require the removal of food and utensils from treated areas.
Removing such items often makes areas more accessible for treatment and prevents possible contamination by the insecticide. Sprays — When using sprays, target the areas where cockroaches prefer to hide. As mentioned previously, this will vary depending upon the species. Be sure to spray any aggregations or areas with fecal spotting.
Avoid spraying walls, floors, baseboards and countertops since cockroaches spend very little time in these areas. Any roaches that do happen to traverse these areas are unlikely to remain on treated surfaces long enough to absorb a lethal dose. Dusts — A few insecticides used for cockroach control are applied as dusts or powders. Most familiar to householders are boric acid and diatomaceous earth.
For controlling cockroaches, boric acid tends to be more effective. Roaches succumb to boric acid after crawling over treated surfaces. Boric acid retains its potency almost indefinitely as long as the dust deposit remains dry. Insecticide forms of boric acid are sold in bulk cans or a plastic squeeze bottle with a narrow applicator tip.
For best results, the dust should be applied as a fine deposit barely visible to the naked eye. Cockroaches tend to avoid heavy accumulations of the powder, much as we would avoid walking through a snowdrift.
Another potential hiding place for German cockroaches is the void hollow space under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This area can be treated by puffing powder through preexisting cracks at the top of the kick panel. Accessing areas behind dishwashers, stoves, etc. Never apply boric acid onto countertops or other exposed surfaces, especially those used to prepare food. Traces of powder should be wiped off with a damp cloth. Boric acid should not be injected into electronic equipment as the dust could damage the components.
Baits — Most householders will achieve better results against cockroaches with insecticides formulated as baits. Used correctly, it is possible to achieve results comparable to professional extermination. Cockroach baits contain a slow-acting insecticide combined with a food attractant.
Pests find and ingest the bait and crawl away to die. Non-exposed roaches may succumb as well after indirectly ingesting trace amounts of toxicant expelled in the sputum and feces of exposed individuals. Several excellent cockroach baits are sold in stores and online. Some come in ready-to-use plastic stations usually 12 to a box , while others come in a large plastic syringe. Popular consumer brands include Combat, Raid, Ortho, and Hotshot.
Professional versions of the products sold online include Maxforce, Advion, Advance, Avert and Alpine. Effective ingredients in such products include fipronil, indoxycarb, dinotefuron, abamectin, and hydramethylnon. The key to success with baits is proper placement.
When using the plastic-style bait stations, it is important to place them flush against corners and edges of cabinets, countertops, etc. Installing stations away from edges and corners will be far less effective. Use a broom handle to slide stations back into hard-to-reach areas, such as the wall-floor juncture behind stoves and refrigerators. Recommended cockroach bait placements:. The key to success with cockroach baiting is to apply numerous, small bait placements — small dots of gel in many locations, rather than applying big blobs or lines of gel, or bait stations in fewer locations.
Sprays tend to be repellent to cockroaches and so will prevent cockroaches being attracted to the bait, therefore reducing their effectiveness. A good strategy is to place bait in and around the cupboards and to spray around the perimeter of the room. The safety profile of a modern cockroach gel, such as PestXpert 2 in 1 Cockroach Bait, with the small amount of product placed and the tiny amount of insecticide in the bait, means that the risk to pets and children is minimal.
However, with safety the number one consideration, the best option is to not use in areas accessible to children — discrete placement of gel dots in the locations suggested will keep the gel out of sight and minimise the chance of contact from prying paws and little fingers. PestXpert 2 in 1 Cockroach Bait is a professional cockroach gel. Not only is the matrix highly attractive, the unique formulation contains two different insecticides; one for killing the cockroaches and one for breaking the breeding cycle.
High performance cockroach baits will start to work within 24 hours, with control of the population within 7 days. Monitor cockroach gel placements — if they have been eaten out, you should place some further gel dots as you may have a bigger problem then you thought!
Cockroach baits, including cockroach gels, tend to remain attractive for up to 3 months, after which they should be replaced, especially if you intend to use cockroach baits as part of an ongoing cockroach prevention program. Preventing large cockroaches coming in from outside can be achieved with a good external treatment and good screens.
Preventing small cockroaches setting up home inside can be achieved with a range of good housekeeping actions:. However, if you are particularly prone to cockroach infestations — maybe there are sewers nearby or you live in an apartment block where cockroaches can easily travel from one unit to another — using cockroach baits as a preventative treatment is a good idea to control any occasional invader before they have a chance to set up home, breed and create a big problem.
Placing bait in the potential cockroach hiding places and replacing the bait every 3 months will do a great job in keeping your home cockroach free. Check out PestXpert 2 in 1 Cockroach bait as the new option for homeowners to get professional level cockroach control.
How to use cockroach bait. May 13, German cockroach infestations are best dealt with by using cockroach baits Successful control of a cockroach problem requires three critical steps Find the source of the infestation Apply the correct cockroach treatment Prevent the cockroach problem from returning When it comes to choosing the correct cockroach treatment , the use of cockroach baits should be an integral part of any program.
Why use a cockroach bait? Do baits work on large and small cockroaches? Cockroach gels are the best type of cockroach bait… There are two types of cockroach bait on the market; pre-dosed plastic bait stations and cockroach gels, such as PestXpert 2 in 1 Cockroach Bait , which are the more professional option.
The smell of the catnip is supposed to repel roaches. It may also attract cats interested in helping you with your roach dilemma. DIY method: The smell of citrus is supposed to be so detestable to a roach that using a citrus-based cleaner is enough to keep them out of your home. Even with a clean home, roaches can still enter to search for food and water if your points of entry are not sealed and the weather outside drives them in. DIY method: Place cucumber peels in an open tin can.
The smell of cucumbers mixed with tin is supposed to be strong enough to not only repel a cockroach, but kill them in their tracks. There is also no scientific evidence to back the claim that the smell of tin is toxic to roaches. DIY method: Placing fabric softener sheets in key areas will attract roaches and entrap them once they become entangled on the fabric. Roaches also have excellent climbing skills and some can fly. Purposely attracting roaches and then depending on a potentially faulty trap could worsen an infestation.
A good way way to handle cockroaches is through prevention methods. Keeping a clean house, caulking small gaps that can serve as entryways into your home and ensuring there is no access to water can help prevent a roach infestation.
But once you have roaches, dealing with them can be more difficult than it seems.
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