How To Get Rid Of CockRoaches FOREVER – YES SERIOUSLY!!

There are two main steps that you can use to get rid of cockroaches forever. First, you need to make sure that you successfully eliminate the infestation.

Secondly, you have to implement management techniques that will help to ensure that there are no re-infestations in the future. Below is a two step-guide on how to get rid of cockroaches forever.

How to Get Rid of an Existing Roach Infestation

The first step to get rid of an existing roach infestation is to identify the roach. In this instance, it’s how big they are? What species do they belong to? Understand that correctly identifying the type of roach is key to effective elimination.

Getting rid of different species of roaches require different techniques. Besides that, it’s quite different to get rid of smaller-sized adult roaches compared to larger-sized adult roaches.

The smaller types include the brown-banded and German roach with the latter being the most invasive. The Oriental roach and American roach are some of the biggest. So, how can you identify a roach?

You can estimate the length, check the body color, and observe movement characteristics, etc.

i. Identify the Type

German roach

It’s around 13-16 mm
Has two dark-brown stripes behind its head

American Roach

Can measure up to 53 mm long
Has yellowish and reddish-brown bands on its body
Can fly for shorter distances

Oriental Roach

Measures between 25 to 33 mm
Can’t fly and has a black or dark brown color
Loves to feed on decaying organic matter

ii. Habitat and Entry

Next, you should consider where the cockroaches stay and their entry points. Understand that roaches don’t love to forage outside so, there must be an entry point that they used to access your house.

Additionally, you need to consider where the roaches live.

Besides door spaces, open windows, and cracks on the wall, roaches might get inside via hitchhikes. This can be via luggage, grocery, and boxes among others.

Note that German roaches love to live and breed inside the house. So, if you don’t successfully eliminate them, then you might be in for a long ride.

Why is Habitat and Entry Identification Important?

Apart from helping you to design an effective elimination strategy, it’s important to know such aspects because roaches are health hazards. They carry bacteria that can cause infections in human beings.

If the bacteria found its way to your food, you might end up with diarrhea or food poisoning.

Note: roach feces, saliva, and body parts in the air can also trigger allergic reactions and enhance the severity of asthmatic attacks.

iii. Get Rid of the Roaches

There are several ways that you can use to get rid of a roach. This may involve the use of home-based ingredients that are environmentally-friendly.

This includes the likes of lemon juice, baking powder and sugar, and coffee grounds among others. You can also use insecticides and other gadgets that can help to eliminate the roaches.

How to Prevent Future Roach Infestation

These are the management techniques that you need to employ in order to deter the roaches from entering your property.

They include routine cleaning/repair activities, the use of certain devices, and some plants.

Keep Your House Clean

This is the first and most important strategy to consider. Dirt is the main thing that attracts roaches.

It could be garbage, pet food constantly left on the floor, food crumbs on the floor or kitchen counters, and leftover food in open containers among others.

Besides that, these pests also love moisture so they can find their way to those damp places.

Cleaning and Decluttering

Keep your home clean by:
Mop wet or damp floor regularly
Dry up kitchen counters
Effectively remove grease from the stovetop
Wash dishes and carefully place them away after meals
Take out garbage frequently. You should consider using garbage bags with seals
Immediately clean food crumbs and spills

Note: always use a mild detergent and warm water if you can when cleaning things such as utensils. There are also detergents that are effective in deterring bugs and you can use them to clean up the other surfaces.

While cleaning, don’t forget to clear out the clutter. This is another effective strategy that helps to ensure that all unused items that roaches might use as nests are eliminated. Keep your home clutter-free to ensure that there are very few places where the roaches can nest or hideout during the day.

Fixing Spaces

Those loose pipes, cracked windows, and door spaces are some of the places that roaches can use as entryways. Make sure that all the pipes in your house are in a good state.

Check the basement, attic, kitchen, and bathroom to verify that everything is working.

Always make sure that the bathroom is dry to eliminate a damp breeding ground for the roaches.

These insects love places that are poorly ventilated with moisture buildup. So, once you eliminate such areas, your house will be less prone to infestation.

Removing Food Sources

Did you know that cockroaches can survive a couple of months without food? So, while you might think that you have managed to control them, the fact that you don’t see them scurrying around doesn’t mean that they are all gone.

They can survive in harsh conditions and that’s why maintaining a clean house is the first important step after you have eliminated an infestation.

What’s important, however, is that if there are no food sources, then these insects will likely leave. You can make food inaccessible by carefully closing the food storage containers with tight lids.

Ensure that the sides of the container are hard and avoid placing food products in plastic bags. Make it a habit to store food on high shelves and if something has expired, then it should be the first one to hit the trash bag.

If you have a family, dinner should be strictly taken in the dining area. Food and snacks should never be consumed in areas such as bedrooms because it’s easy for the crumbs to remain neglected in such spaces for days.

Besides that, it’s not easy to see a food morsel in a carpet, so, the sitting area should be out of bounds as well.

Automatic Robot Vacuum

Technology has changed the way we handle pests in our homes. When roaches infest your home, it’s like an apocalypse.

But you can actually use a robot to automatically clean the floor on schedule. Remember that roaches and dirt go hand-in-hand.

This is a new trend that has made it easier to clean, especially in the foodservice and hospitality industry. Instead of using human employees, brands are now using robots for vacuum cleaning.

This is because they are smarter and work faster. The high level of efficiency usually yields timely and effective results.

The best thing about having a robot in your home is that the cockroaches will be sucked into the cleaner and they will eventually die. The effectiveness of these robots lies in efficiency.

They can collect the insects within a few seconds and then ensure that they are dead. We understand that it’s not easy to kill cockroaches but with such an automatic device, everything is made easier.

Note: when using a vacuum cleaner, ensure that you effectively dispose off the dead roaches. You should also go ahead and clean the devices to minimize the chances of new insects hatching from the eggs. When buying a vacuum cleaner, consider one that an automatically run at night when cockroaches are usually the most active.

Electronic Gadgets that emit high pitched sounds

Even though the traditional techniques of eliminating roaches are the most common, the popularity of the lesser-known techniques is increasing.

Electronic repellants are among them and they normally work by emitting extremely high levels of frequency i.e. ultrasonic sound waves.

According to experts, electronic devices provide lasting solutions. These gadgets work by producing high-pitched noises that confuse the roaches. In some instances, the confusion might be extreme and the insects may end up dying.

Such a system needs to first plug into a wall outlet to generate sound. Even though the sound level is too loud and humans can hear it, it won’t cause a huge disruption in your household. A lot of people prefer it because it provides ease of use.

Note: make sure that you place the device near high traffic areas or close to the nests to ensure that the sound waves are effectively transmitted. To limit barriers that may block the transmission of the sound waves, remove household items like furniture and floor lamps from the way.

Use Certain House plants

Roaches hate strong and concentrated smells. This includes the likes of odors such as eucalyptus and peppermint. The citrusy odor affects their respiratory system and, therefore, repels them.

Generally, there is a wide range of container plants that can help to repel roaches and they include:

i. Bay Leaves

You can plant them in small pots and they place them in some critical areas where there is high roach traffic. This could be near appliances, the nests, or in the kitchen.

Note that bay herbs have the eucalyptol cent that’s an effective natural repellent for roaches.

ii. Cucumber

Until now, it’s not clear while cockroaches don’t like cucumbers. But you can put these plants in your home to deter these insects. For a high level of effectiveness, you can first peel and then shred the cucumber. Thereafter, place the shredded product where the cockroaches are.

iii. Pyrethrum

This plant variety has been used to make many insecticides. So, it’s not strange that the whole plant itself can be used to deter pests. It contains pyrethrin, a good pest repellent. Even though its effects are lethal to cockroaches, pyrethrum plants won’t hurt your babies or pets.

iv. Garlic

It’s one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients. Besides that, garlic also has lots of medicinal benefits. The all-round plant can be used to not only scare rodents and snakes but also roaches. If you can’t get the plant, mince the garlic cloves and then place the product where the roaches live.

v. Catnip

This is a plant variety that feline pets love. However, they are also great at repelling bugs and roaches. You can place containers with several catnip plants in specific places to keep your house bug free and minimize the chances of re-infestation.

vi. Lemongrass

Compared to other citrusy plants, this one has the highest level of citronella concentration. That’s why lemongrass is one of the most sought-after plant repellents out here. Citronella is normally used as an ingredient to make insecticides. So, its effectiveness in ensuring that roaches are permanently eliminated is high.

Note: human beings love the smell of lemongrass. While you can keep it as a roach repellent, the plant also helps to freshen up the surrounding air.

vii. Osage orange

This is another powerhouse when it comes to top-rated herbs that can help to deter bugs. The efficiency of Osage orange is quite different from the other herbal repellents. It will first attract the roaches close to it.

This usually happens when the fruit releases a rotten smell. However, it has a citrusy flesh that will kill of any roach.

Note: these herbal alternatives are effective solutions that help to save money as well. The fact that most of them are harmless to humans and pets makes them more appealing. Herbs in pots have a permanent effect when it comes to deterring roaches. This is because they can stay in the house for months or even years if you nurture them correctly. This way, it becomes hard for roach infestation.

Use Insect Regulators

Once you have completely eliminated the insects, put some regulators in place to prevent future infestations. Understand that sometimes there may be a few eggs remaining behind and if you are not careful, they may hatch and reintroduce a new infestation.

Any professional exterminator will tell you this for free that you must have an insect growth regulator just to monitor new roach infestations. Generally, insect growth regulator uses a synthetic pheromone that helps to disrupt the lifecycle of the roach. So, the egg can’t transition to larvae.

Why we love this technique as a permanent roach remover is that it acts as birth control. You understand that if birth control is administered correctly and effectively, no reproduction will occur.

The same mechanism applies here. This means that the emerging new populations of roaches will be effectively kept under control to prevent the chances of reoccurrence. Technically, there will be no new reproduction.

Insect growth regulators are numerous and they are available in various types of formulations. They include point-source stations, concentrated liquids, and aerosols.

You can use the regulator by mixing it with water to create an insecticide solution. Spray it to specific areas where you suspect the eggs capsules are stored.

Consider Some Pets

There are certain animals that can feast on these insects. Keeping them as pets that you can permanently prevent roach infestation. They include frogs, lizards, turtles, certain species of birds, and rats.

Use Glue Boards

It can take you up to 6 months to completely eliminate cockroaches from your home. That’s why some of these elimination techniques seem to be reinforcements to ensure that the pests don’t reappear.

You need to understand that a serious roach infestation won’t go away overnight. That’s why monitoring treatment is important. You can place the glue boards in areas such as:

Beneath appliances
Inside the kitchen cabinets and on top of counters
Bathrooms
Behind the toilet
On window sills among other places

Take Note:

Cockroaches are communicative insects and that’s why you need to implement highly effective mechanisms. Otherwise, you might end up hosting these pests in your house for months. If you want to use a bait, it should eventually kill a huge percentage of the population.

For instance, the domino effect means that a highly poisonous bait can result in a greater elimination rate. Avoid devices with a high level of resistance as these insects will steer clear. Use one or two alternatives and rotate them in different parts of the house for a higher elimination rate.

Is DIY the Best Roach Control?

From the above overview, it’s clear that DIY techniques are good. From cleaning to repellents to using certain types of plants, all these methods have proved to be effective in permanently eradicating roaches. They give you an upper hand because:

Help’s to save money

A technique such as cleaning seems to be basic. We all need to live in a clean environment but if you have had a roach infestation, then you need to simply be extra clean.

Seeking the service of a professional is quite expensive based on the current economic conditions. So, if you want to save money, these methods actually work!

You have options

Yes, you can conveniently choose the type of product or method you want to use. Understand that when you contact an exterminator, they will come and analyze the infestation then recommend the solution they think is the most effective.

However, with these techniques, you have options and can even test which one is the most effective!

You know where the insects are

This is your household or property so you definitely know where the pests are or are likely to hide in. Sometimes because of privacy issues, you may fail to tag in a professional to some places.

If you want to learn more about various insects, then checkout our site categories, we have a bunch of articles there that are totally worth reading:

P.S.

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All the best

Steve