How to get rid of american cockroach

The American Cockroach, also known as a Palmetto or Water bug, is reddish-brown in color, about 1.5 inches in length, and has wings but will seldom actually fly. Getting rid of this pest requires patience, persistence, and a combination of both chemical and non-chemical methods.

Diet. Like other species of cockroach, the American cockroach will eat virtually anything. Its diet typically consists of whatever is available. However, foods that these cockroaches are attracted to include sweets, bread, fruit, cheese, pint, starch in book bindings, glue and hair.

Boric acid is one of the best home remedies for roaches if you are keen on taking the DIY approach. Mix equal amounts of boric acid, flour, and sugar to make a dough. Set balls of dough around the home where cockroaches can feed on it. The flour and sugar will attract the roaches while the boric acid will kill them.

Roach Repellents

Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to eliminate them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.

Roaches need moisture to survive and this search for water will bring them into even the cleanest of homes. Leaky pipes and faucets are one of the most common attractants for cockroaches and is one of the main reasons you often see them in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.

First of all, cockroaches like to go around during the night, which coincidentally is when people sleep. So by virtue of just lying there motionless, we become likely victims. Cockroaches also like small, warm, humid places. The problem is that once the roach crawls inside the ear, it’s likely to get stuck.

For kitchen deterrents, cockroaches dislike the smell of cinnamon, bay leaves, garlic, peppermint, and coffee grounds. If you want a strong-smelling disinfectant, choose vinegar or bleach. The best scent-based deterrents are essential oils, such as eucalyptus or tea tree oil.

One popular DIY method is to mix boric acid with equal parts powdered sugar as a lure. Apply as a fine layer under appliances, behind cabinets and along crevices. Roaches ingest the mixture and die within a few hours.

In that scenario, you can buy what are called desiccant dusts—like diatomaceous earth, a non-toxic substance you can find on Amazon—and that will dehydrate the eggs, thereby killing them.

Bayer Maxforce German Cockroach Killer

If you want the most effective cockroach killer, bar none, than Bayer Maxforce FC Magnum Cockroach German Roach Pest Control Gel Bait is the one for you. It works in two ways.

A typical homemade cockroach repellent uses one teaspoon of liquid dish soap and one cup of water. However, this is only effective if it can be sprayed directly on the roaches. Adding baking soda or Borax to the mix will effectively kill the roaches where they live.

Salt doesn’t kill cockroaches. However, epsom salt (a.k.a. magnesium sulfate) is toxic to roaches. Use it just like baking soda.

#2: Baking soda

A concoction of baking soda and sugar is an effective cockroach killer and controls the multiplication of these pests. Sugar acts as a bait to attract cockroaches and the baking soda will kill them. You just need to identify their hideouts and sprinkle this mixture in those corners.

White vinegar is often recommended as a natural way to get rid of roaches. Unfortunately, it doesn’t actually kill these problem insects. It can, however, help deter roaches and get rid of germs in the kitchen when used as a cleaning agent.

Just add a little dish soap and warm water into a spray bottle. Shake it well and spray the roaches with them. Keep in mind that spraying roaches with soapy water will eliminate them on the spot, but will not affect the real problem (the rest of the roaches). Now for the potent stuff that even exterminators like to use.

Set out a shallow dish or bowl containing equal parts sugar and baking soda. Roaches are attracted to the sugar, but the mixture is deadly to them. Sprinkle baking soda on greasy spots and let sit for about an hour.