How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Cockroaches are the most common infestation seen at both commercial and residential premises. Cockroaches are tough to kill, but surviving with them is even the worst thought ever!! It is the common question for many: how to get rid of cockroaches? We are here to help you with the best techniques and DIY to exterminate them from the property. They are known as the most common pests of residential properties, especially kitchens. Human resources are the main thing of their survival, like getting attracted to the leftover, soap, glues, and many more things. Roaches love to reside in dark and humid places like sewer systems, drain pipes, basements, etc. It is always better to prevent it before it’s too late.

How to Get rid of cockroaches

Different Kinds of Cockroaches

Cockroaches have been on earth from the past million years, and today there are approximately 4,000 living species of cockroaches all over the world. Some of the most common ones are American cockroaches, German cockroaches, and Brown-Banded cockroaches. How to get rid of cockroaches becomes easy if you are aware about the types of cockroaches.

1. American Cockroaches

American Cockroach with white background

Looks: American roaches are reddish-brown with eight shades on their head and is 4 cm in length. They are oval in shape and have 6 legs.

About: They are usually spotted in basements and sewers, particularly around pipes, steam tunnels and drains. Actually, these water bugs are found worldwide coming from the U.S through ships in the early 1600s. American cockroaches can bite but in rare cases, they do so. Their bite is not an issue as it hardy cause an infection.

2. German Cockroaches

German Cockroach with white surface

Looks: They are light brown in appearance with two dark stripes on their back. They are oval and have six legs and antennae. 

About: German Cockroaches are mostly found in warm and humid places. They usually live close to a food and moisture source specifically in the kitchen and toilet. You can spot their presence on your premises as they leave droppings at your drawers or cabinets. They are mostly found all over the United States.

3. Brown-Banded Cockroaches

Brown Banded cockroach with white surface

Looks: Brown Banded cockroaches are brown with distinct banding across their wings. They are 11-14.5 mm in length.

About: Brown-banded Cockroaches prefer drier, warmer, and higher locations than any other urban roaches. They are found on upper cabinets or in rooms rather than kitchen & bathrooms. Roaches usually enter the house along with infested grocery, electronics, etc. They can contaminate the food and cooking utensils of the property.


4. Flying Cockroaches

Flying cockroach with white surface

Looks: They are 1.5 inches long and have wings and are reddish-brown or dark brown in color.

About: Flying Cockroaches are mostly attracted to moisture and warmth. You can spot them in sink pipes and leaky bathroom pipes. They generally hide during the day time and come out when no one is looking at them to feed on decaying organic matter. You can notice their shed skins all around.

5. Oriental Cockroaches 

Oriental cockroach with white surface

Looks: They are very dark and have shiny skin. They are 1 inch long in size as well as have 6 legs.

About: Oriental Cockroaches enter the house through door spaces or through sewer pipes as it is their best place to reside. They are also found in firewood and leaf piles outdoors. They prefer dark and moist places like they reside near gutters. These roaches usually come out at night.

What Attract Cockroaches The Most? 

It is imperative to know about the cockroach infestation if you are suffering from them, and you must be clear why your home is getting infested by cockroaches. Roaches are attracted to many things like:

  • Attraction #1: Food

Food is the best source of attraction for roaches. Like us, cockroaches also need food to survive. To eliminate the presence of cockroaches, you need to cut off the food supply. You should clean out the mess before going to sleep. You must cover the food present in the cabinet. Try to dispose of the garbage every single day which their main source of attraction.

  • Attraction #2: Shelter

Cockroach always finds a way of shelter. They need some dark place to live so, they enter the house in search of a good shelter. They choose books pile, newspaper piles, cardboard boxes, etc, and enter the home through small cracks and gaps in doors. You should try to cover all the entry points using caulk to eliminate their entrance in the house.

  • Attraction #3: Water

Water attracts cockroaches as they like to reside in moist and humid places. They get attracted wherever they find the food source. You must remove the standing water in and around your house. Keep a regular check of sink pipes and if there is any leakage try to repair it as soon as possible as the roaches enter through sink pipes in the kitchen.

DIY Cockroach Prevention Tips

Before calling a professional, here are some natural remedies to prevent cockroach infestation inside the premises. 

1. Baking Soda & Sugar

The mixture of baking soda and sugar will be the best repellent as the sugar will attract the roaches, and baking soda will react in the cockroaches’ stomach, which causes it’s death as baking soda acts as a toxic agent.  

2. Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are a better alternative to keep the roaches away from your home if you don’t want to kill them. Cockroaches can’t bear the smell of bay leaves, so they move from there. You can crush the leaves and sprinkle all over the place where roaches reside.

3. Fabric Softener Spray

Fabric Softener will kill the roaches as it will cause suffocation to them. You just need to put the fabric softener in a spray bottle, adding a three-quarter cup of water to it. Then spray on the cockroaches, and it will work.

4. Lemon Juice

Nowadays, lemon is the most common thing used in every house, but no one is aware that it is a good cockroach repellent. You just need to squeeze the lemon in a bucket and spread all over the floor with a towel. Roaches can’t stand in this smell.

DIY to control cockroaches at your place

Follow These Steps for How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Here are the few steps that you can follow to get rid of cockroaches:

1. Thorough cleaning of your home

The first step is that you need to clean your home thoroughly as roaches already infest it. To sanitize your home is the priority, which will lower down the cockroach infestation at your place. Keeping your home clean is the You need to make sure that you have cleaned the following things:

  1. Clear out your garbage daily.
  2. Cover your food before sleeping.
  3. Don’t leave the sink full of dirty dishes.
  4. Mop your floors daily.
  5. Dispose of all the leftovers immediately. 

2. Refuse cockroaches for the food supply

Like us, cockroaches also need food to survive. To resist their entrance at your home, you need to ban the food supply of cockroaches. Likewise, if there is any leftover or residue, then you need to wipe out right away. Put all your garbage sealed in a plastic bag to cut off the primary source of the cockroach infestation. Keep a regular check on your kitchen cabinets. These things are necessary to cut the food supply of cockroaches and the best way to control the cockroaches.

3. Fix up the water leakages

Cockroaches can survive for months without food but can’t survive for days without water. So, try to fix up all the water leakages as the water from the pipes attracts cockroaches the most. It is the reason why roaches enter the house from the sink pipes or drainage pipes. You have to repair all the leakages as soon as possible to get rid of cockroaches. Never leave still water in and around your house. These are the few points that you need to keep in mind.

4. Elimination of the hiding spots is essential

Cockroaches not only need food to survive, but they also need a place where they can flourish or grow themselves. Their all-time place to lodge inside the dark places like cardboard boxes, newspaper sacks, and your waste things. An action must be taken on an urgent basis so that you can eliminate the presence of cockroaches at your home. After that, you can go with the cleaning of your place.

5. Leave a cockroach bait instead of spraying

At last, you can leave a cockroach bait to trap the roaches. It is always better to use bait instead of using a spray as baits are easy to apply by the homeowners. At commercial places, sprays are used as there is a large area of infestation. Unfortunately, it is recommended not to use this in smaller spaces as the pesticides will contaminate the other places that you don’t want to spoil. 

6. Cracks or small holes need to seal up to control the cockroaches

It becomes necessary to seal up all the little holes and cracks because cockroaches can crawl through them very quickly. You need to do that on a priority basis if your nearby surroundings are not clean or unhygienic. To seal the holes or cracks, you can use chalk as it is cheap and best. Moreover, easy to apply and the most effective technique to keep the bugs out of the premises. It will hinder the entry of cockroaches at your place.

Pro Tip: Call For A Professional Help, If Need

How to get rid of cockroaches with us is simple. It is not guaranteed that all these tips will work for you or not; sometimes, these steps or tips may not work if roaches infest your property. After trying all of these, you can call for professional help because heavy infestation can not be removed on your own. Instead, it will create a mess for you. If you are looking forward to getting rid of cockroaches soon, it is better to hire a skilled and trained exterminator.

Contact the specialists of Ace Cockroach Control as they are best in this and provide effective results quickly. 

Professional Pest Control Service to get rid of cockroaches

Conclusion

If you are having a cockroach infestation inside your premises as if you think you can exterminate them on your own, then you can follow these steps to remove them. The tips mentioned above will surely help you give you results, but if you are urging to call for professional help, then without any second thought in your mind, you can ask the experts of Ace Pest Control Brisbane for the treatment.

Alice Sinia Quality Assurance Manager – Regulatory/Lab Services

Reviewed by: John Smith, Ph.D., MSc

John Smith is a renowned expert in the pest control industry, with over 20 years of experience in the field. He is a licensed pest control professional, and has worked for both commercial and residential clients throughout his career.Throughout his career, John has developed innovative and effective pest control strategies, and has helped countless clients rid their homes and businesses of unwanted pests. He takes pride in his work and is dedicated to providing the highest level of service to his clients as well as providing technical assistance to branch offices and clients throughout Australia.In addition to his professional work, John is an active member of several pest control industry organizations, and regularly contributes to industry publications. He also prepares scientific reports for Ace Pest Control on any changes or updates to government regulations affecting the Pest Control industry.

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