How to get rid of cockroaches: an overview of effective ways

The appearance of red pests in the kitchen is unlikely to please the owner. These parasites quickly adapt to the most unfavorable living conditions. In addition, they carry on their paws infections harmful to humans, which are especially dangerous for weak children's immunity. In our article, we will get acquainted with the reasons for the appearance of cockroaches and how to get rid of them with the help of improvised means and chemicals.

Reasons for the appearance of intruders in the house

The most common reasons for the appearance of red pests in a city apartment or private house are:

1. Unsanitary conditions. Insects creep into the kitchen or other room in the hope of finding food. Households themselves are to blame for this, in addition to food leftovers on the table or on the floor, many users eat sandwiches or popcorn while watching TV or reading books. During a meal, a huge number of crumbs are formed, which can lie on the floor for a long time. The way out of the situation will be to maintain order in the house. Cereals and other food products must be stored in special sealed containers.
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2. The presence of pets in the house. Cats or small dogs often leave food on the plate. Crumbs also fall on the floor and become a treat for cockroaches. The landlord must constantly clean up after the pets, sweep the crumbs and wipe the floor. Even a trash can left behind can cause cockroaches in your home.
3. Water. Scientific studies have shown that red predators can survive for more than a month without food, but water is essential for their normal life. The accumulation of moisture in the room often occurs through the breakdown of sanitary equipment, leaks of faucets or plumbing. Insects often draw water from where the toilet is connected to the sewer system. A special mesh will help prevent the pest from accessing this point.
4. Small cockroaches in the kitchen appear through cracks in the flooring or wall decoration. Examine your home thoroughly to prevent insects. Seal all revealed cracks with cement-sand mortar or putty. "Prusaks" can also climb into the room from the ventilation shaft. The opening of this utility line is covered with a special fine mesh.

Cockroaches can appear in the apartment from unclean neighbors. These insects multiply quickly, it is quite difficult to fight them. In this regard, the owner must constantly check the apartment for intruders and take measures to exterminate the cockroaches forever.

How to get rid of cockroaches at home

Eliminating the causes of the appearance of insects does not help to get rid of cockroaches in the apartment forever. To destroy parasites, it is enough to contact a special company that deals with the destruction of pests and disinfection of premises. Chemicals can be used for the same purpose, but they can be harmful to human health. The best solution for getting rid of cockroaches in an apartment would be to use time-tested folk remedies. If such methods do not work, you will have to use more effective methods.

Traditional methods of getting rid of cockroaches

At the preparatory stage of work, it is necessary to put things in order in the apartment, pour cereals from bags into sealed containers, wipe dust from cabinets and shelves, remove garbage in hard-to-reach places. During general cleaning, move the cabinets and refrigerator aside to clean behind them. And one more important point - limit insects' access to water, wipe off moisture from all surfaces of sanitary appliances. Next, let's get acquainted with the list of tools that will help kill cockroaches at home.

Boric acid

This drug is absolutely safe for human health. The substance can be scattered near puddles of water on the flooring or near sanitary appliances, and bait can also be prepared. In the latter case, 40 milliliters of the drug is mixed with boiled potatoes and egg yolk. These foods neutralize acid odors and make the food attractive to insects. All components are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed and laid out in places where red barbel appears.

Another option for using boric acid is mixing the solution with flour and sugar (these components are taken in equal proportions). Mix the ingredients thoroughly until a thick dough is obtained, roll the substance into balls and lay out around the perimeter of the room. Boric acid can be added to the water and placed on the floor, but in this case all additional sources of moisture must be eliminated.

Ammonia

To quickly get rid of cockroaches in an apartment or a private house, ammonia will help. This drug is added to water during wet cleaning of the room. A teaspoon of ammonia is spent on a bucket of liquid.

The procedure is repeated for several days in a row. The smell of ammonia is unpleasant for insects, but it does not destroy them. With constant washing of the floors with a solution of ammonia, the mustachioed pests will soon leave the kitchen, but will move to other adjacent rooms. It is necessary to identify the cause of the appearance of insects and take measures to eliminate it.

Spicy herbs and flowers

One of the best ways to get rid of cockroaches at home is to use herbs such as indoor curly geranium. To prevent the appearance of red barbel and other pests in the kitchen or in any other room, it is enough to put several flowerpots with curly geraniums or pharmacy chamomile on the windowsills. These flowers emit a special specific scent that repels many pests.

A good effect can be achieved when using essential oils from such plants:

• eucalyptus;
• mint;
• geranium;
• cedar;
• lemon;
• melissa;
• lemongrass.

A few drops of these substances are dissolved in a glass of water and used to wipe the surfaces of furniture. To achieve the maximum effect, essential oils are recommended to be combined with deterrent baits.

Freezing

Freezing helps to completely destroy insects, but it is recommended to use this method of struggle in a private house or in an apartment with individual heating during the cold season. We drain the water and turn off the heating system, open all the windows. The air temperature in the premises should drop to -8 degrees. 4 hours of exposure will be enough to completely destroy the pests and their larvae.

Turpentine or kerosene

Wiping corners and baseboards, as well as surfaces of sanitary appliances with turpentine or kerosene will help to defeat cockroaches in an apartment. Cockroaches do not tolerate the smell of these substances and quickly leave the room. When using these solutions, it is necessary to use protective equipment, rubber gloves. To achieve a good result, 2-3 surface treatments are sufficient. In addition to these substances, vinegar of 9% concentration can be used for surface treatment.

Chemical remedies for cockroaches at home

If folk remedies are powerless, you can poison cockroaches at home with the help of chemicals. Let's get acquainted with them in more detail.

Sprays and aerosols

Examples of such products are Raptor, Dichlorvos, and Clean House. The main advantage of the substances under consideration is the simplicity and ease of use. The aerosol is quickly sprayed and applied in a thin layer on any surface. Insects die a couple of hours after spraying the active substance.

The main disadvantage of such formulations is the limited period of validity. Sprays and aerosols cannot cope with a large number of Prussians, and especially if they run across from the next apartment. To obtain the maximum effect, the room must be processed several times in a row. When using chemicals to kill cockroaches, the manufacturer's recommendations must be followed. They are described in the instructions.

Gels

Not every real estate owner knows what helps with cockroaches in an apartment. It is possible to destroy insects with the help of special chemical substances of gels, such as Raptor, Global or Absolute. Chlorpyrifos is considered the main component of such formulations. When a pest enters the body, the insecticide begins to destroy it. A few hours after the initial exposure, the Prussian begins to paralysis. Returning to the nest, the pest infects its relatives as well.

Liquid solutions and granules

Examples of liquid insecticides for controlling cockroaches are Delta Zone, Get, and Cucaracha. These formulations have a fast exposure time, but before using them, you must read the instructions. Liquid preparations can be roughly divided into several groups:

• Concentrated solutions are absolutely safe for human health, they do not emit an unpleasant odor, and have a long exposure period. Concentrated preparations are recommended for use in the kitchen, bathroom and other living quarters.
• Microcapsules with a high concentration of active substance are produced in the form of granules. Such drugs are distinguished by their high cost and long exposure period (up to 6 months). Such substances are absolutely safe for humans.

All of these drugs are recommended to be used according to the attached instructions.

Pencils and crayons

Examples of such chemicals are Tornado, Brownie and Mashenka. Using pencils is quite simple, with their help, dotted lines are applied on the pore and walls of the room, as well as in places of potential accumulation of pests. Particular attention must be paid to the area near the doors. Marks are also applied on ventilation ducts, on the surface of heating devices, in the area where the bin is placed, as well as under sanitary appliances, on baseboards.

Dusts and powders

You can poison cockroaches at home with the help of special chemical agents, dusts and powders, for example, the preparation "Clean House" or "Absolute". The main advantages of such substances are:

• low cost;
•  ease of use;
• no annoying smell;
•  good efficiency;
•  safety for the environment;
•  versatility of use.

Despite the huge number of benefits, powders do not provide the ability to destroy insect eggs. Soon a new generation of pests will appear and the treatment will have to be repeated. In addition, chemical compositions of powder form are not recommended for use in damp rooms, for example, in a bathroom.

Many owners of city apartments are trying to understand what to do in case of an invasion of cockroaches. These insects have good natural immunity, therefore, for their complete destruction, an integrated approach using several chemicals is required.

How to get rid of cockroaches at home using traps

Traps will help you quickly and effectively kill cockroaches in the kitchen or any other room. The main advantages of this method are:

• high level of security;
•  ease of use of traps;
• lack of harmful secretions;
• the ability to make a device yourself or buy it in a store at an affordable price.

The main disadvantages of the devices are considered to be the limited coverage area, the impossibility of destroying insect eggs. The devices cannot cope with a large number of Prussians.

You can make a trap yourself from a 1 liter glass jar. The inner walls of the container are lubricated with vegetable oil or petroleum jelly, rotten berries or fruits are placed on the bottom. Smelling a pleasant smell, insects will crawl into the jar, but they will not be able to get out through the slippery surface.

Let's get acquainted with several options for purchased baits that will help kill cockroaches at home:

1. Kombat is a substance of contact effect with a poisonous bait inside the structure. Insects enter the house, take poisoned food and bring the remains of the bait on their paws to their relatives. The death of cockroaches occurs 2-3 weeks after installing the bait. The cost of packing the battalion commander (6 pieces included) is 300 rubles.
2. The Raptor has the same principle of operation as the Kombat trap. This device is made in the form of a small round box, has holes for entry and movement of insects. Inside the box is a bait that causes paralysis in the barbel. The cost of the Raptor is 180 rubles.

Traps are set up in areas of potential cockroaches, near trash cans or crevices in flooring or baseboards.

Ultrasonic scarers

Such a device, during operation, emits ultrasonic waves that act on the nervous system of the barbel and kill insects. When unfavorable conditions are created, the Prussians lose their orientation, rush from side to side and soon leave the premises. The human ear does not distinguish ultrasound, nevertheless, such low-frequency waves effectively fight not only cockroaches, but also rodents. The cost of an ultrasonic trap starts at 200 rubles.

Calling professional exterminators

It is necessary to call professional pest controllers in case of a massive invasion of barbel, when insects are in several apartments at once. Experts know how to deal with barbel, they will help to destroy them once and for all.

Trained people use special insect neutralization equipment. Professional exterminators have many years of experience, they know all the locations of the barbel. Such processing of the apartment will help to achieve maximum efficiency and destroy all insects.

Preventive measures

Various preventive measures help to prevent the appearance of cockroaches in a city apartment or a country house. The basis for such actions is the creation of uncomfortable living conditions for insects:

• carrying out constant wet cleaning throughout the apartment;
• installation of flowerpots with herbs such as tansy, mint and lemon on the windowsills;
• installation of ultrasonic scarers in the room;
• elimination of leaks from sanitary appliances;
• regular ventilation of the premises.

In addition to these actions, it is necessary to constantly wash dishes, clean up after pets, take out a bucket of garbage. Always keep it clean and cockroaches will not appear in your home.