How to get rid of cockroaches
If you find cockroaches in your home or business, don’t worry. There are some steps you can take to get rid of them. Cockroaches thrive in warm and moist places like kitchens and bathrooms. It’s essential that you make some changes to prevent these pests from surviving in your space.
Remove food sources
While cockroaches have been known to survive for a month without food, it’s vital you reduce their food supply. That means taking steps such as:
- Cleaning up any spills quickly
- Do not leave food in pet bowls
- Seal up food in containers rather than in bags
- Clean the corners of your space, including behind the oven and other appliances
- Dispose of your garbage regularly
- Soak dishes rather than leave them overnight in the sink
- Vacuum regularly to remove food sources and any cockroach eggs hiding around your space
- Dehumidify your space and prevent moisture from building up
Set traps
You can buy cockroach traps to help you cull their numbers down. Alternatively, you can build your own trap for roaches. Here’s how:
- Use petroleum jelly and put it inside a small jar
- Put masking tape on the outside of the jar to provide grip
- Place a small food particle inside, like a bread crumb
- Once a cockroach climbs inside to get the food, it will be caught
It’s important to remember that killing cockroaches can be difficult. You’ll want to dump it in soapy water or freeze the jar for a couple of days.
Seal up entry points
Cockroaches can get into your home through small holes or openings like other pests. It’s vital to seal these entry points to prevent them from getting into your space. You can use caulking and mesh screens to keep cockroaches out.
Buy bait
You can get roach bait at local shops, which includes a chemical that can kill cockroaches. The roaches are attracted to the bait because it appears to be food. However, once they eat it and return to their nests, it will kill the roach. It’s effective because other cockroaches will eat the remains of the dead bug. This spreads the poison to the other insects and wipes them out. However, it’s important to be careful when using these baits. Children and pets can also be harmed if they come into contact with the poison. It’s best to hide cockroach baits in kitchen and bathroom cabinets or near your garbage can.
Liquid spray
If you’re looking to get rid of roaches overnight, you can try liquid spray. This chemical can be sprayed into entry points like cracks and crevices. If you know where cockroach nests are in your space, you can apply it there too. If you’re desperate to kill cockroaches fast, you can even use the spray on counters and your floor.
Baking soda bait
For a more natural approach to killing cockroaches quickly, use baking soda. Mix it with something sweet that will attract roaches, like sugar. Once they start eating it, they’ll die, and other roaches will eat them, ingesting the baking soda to their own demise.
Call a professional
Nothing can get rid of cockroaches as fast as calling an exterminator. While DIY techniques might help you reduce the number of roaches you have in your home or business, it is no guarantee. If you really want to kill cockroaches quickly, you need to call a professional.