How to get rid of roaches?

Clean To Prevent, Use Roach Baits To Help Control

Although it’s tricky to completely get rid of roaches, a combination of cleaning, home repairs, on-the-spot treatment, and products can certainly help. First, clean your home to eliminate any exposed foods that may attract roaches. Then, apply spray treatments to attack the roaches you see as well as the areas where they hide (such as cracks and crevices). Next, control the problem with roach baits to kill the roaches you don’t see. Finally, use a barrier product to create a line of defense around your home to keep roaches out.

Start With a Clean Slate

The Ultimate Roach Approach

Because roaches love to eat the same things we do, prevent them from becoming dinner guests with a thorough cleaning. Wipe up food or drink spills (especially if they’re sugary, starchy, or greasy). Clean behind the oven, fridge, and other appliances, and store food in sealed, airtight containers. Be sure to toss out old boxes and newspapers, where roaches like to hide. Also, remember to remove pet food after Fido finishes eating.

5 Tips for Baiting and Waiting

For best results, use all of the roach baits in a package at one time. Be sure to read the label before use.
Never spray the bait or the area around the bait with an aerosol or liquid insecticide, because then roaches won’t eat the bait. Also, never place the baits where an aerosol product has been sprayed.
Replace roach baits every three months or sooner if depleted.
Roach baits do not kill on contact, nor do roaches die inside the bait. Actually, the roaches eat the bait product and then some return to the nest to kill the ones in hiding. So don’t fret if you see a roach right after placing the baits!
Roach baits are designed to compete with other food sources. That said, the more you can do to clean up food and drink residue, the better.

Did You Know?

Roaches are notoriously tough to control, because they reproduce so quickly. One German roach (the smaller kind) can lay 40 eggs at a time!

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Remove the Roach Welcome Mat

Don’t make it easy for roaches to enter your home. Seal exterior openings to keep large roaches from invading. Most roaches are found in dark, moist areas like basements, cupboards, under kitchen sinks, bathrooms, and in openings where pipes enter walls. Keeping the basement dry and plumbing in good repair can help as well.

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Expert Tip

Don’t Spray Over Baits (Or Bait Over Spray)

Do not place roach baits on surfaces which have been sprayed with an aerosol or liquid insecticide. This may prevent roaches from returning to the nest and transferring the bait to others. Conversely, never spray over baits, because this may make the baits inedible to roaches.

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Creatures of Darkness

light bulb

Roaches have evolved to survive when fewer of their natural predators can see them, so they’re more likely to come out in the dark when humans are less likely to squash them. Interestingly enough, just turning on a light will not spook a roach. It’s actually the vibrations, noise, and air currents that scare them back into hiding, not the light itself.

Where do roaches come from?

German roaches (the smaller kind) live indoors and can come in from neighboring homes, apartments, condos, garbage areas, or basements. They can also be brought in with foods or other packaging such as cardboard cartons or paper bags. American roaches (the larger kind) usually wander in from the outdoors, especially in the southern area of the United States. They can be found outdoors around the foundation, near patios, under mulch, or in the sewer systems.Learn more about German roaches here and American roaches here.