You can spray a mixture of oregano oil and water on countertops and any nooks and crannies. Oregano has a strong, pungent odor that cockroaches can't stand. Since it's a safe oil to use around the kitchen, you can spray a mixture of oregano oil and water on countertops and any nooks and crannies they like to hide.
The best way to keep cockroaches away permanently is to make the home less inviting. Make sure to keep the home clean, clean up food messes, take out trash at the end of the day, seal any cracks or gaps around windows, doors and the foundation, and fix any issue that might lead to high moisture content within the home.
So what smell do roaches hate? Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too.
Mint is a fragrance that is consistently effective in repelling roaches. Grow fresh mint plants in your home or yard or mix peppermint, winter mint, or spearmint essential oils in a spray bottle with water and spraying around baseboards, windows, and doors.
Boric acid Some people find this to be the best option to kill roaches. Boric acid can work too, the only downside is that sometimes roaches will go away as soon as they smell boric acid.
Sprinkle boric acid in areas the roaches frequent; when they walk through it, it sticks to them. They later ingest the boric acid, which then kills them. When using boric acid, be sure to limit your exposure; don't place it anywhere that children or pets might find it, as it's toxic when ingested.
Citrus. You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
Bleach's Effect on Roaches
Taking a deep drink of household bleach would kill anything, roaches included. But the same strong odor that keeps people from taking a swig of bleach repels roaches as well.
It's a fact that cockroaches are afraid of humans and other mammals or animals that are bigger than them. They see us as predators and that fear triggers their instinct to scatter away. However, they dislike strong and distinctive scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender and vinegar.
Clean and Sanitize
You might have a clean home, but this first step is about more than just sweeping: you'll need to empty out cabinets, move furniture and vacuum everywhere. You should also throw out any opened, damaged or unsealed food that could have been contaminated by roaches.
Home remedies like diatomaceous earth, baking soda, boric acid, citrus, essential oils, and borax can be effective ways to get rid of roaches. If you want to take a more aggressive approach to eliminate roaches, glue traps, bait stations, and liquid roach deterrent concentrates are all excellent options.
(You can also use other kinds of mint essential oil as they'll also contain menthone.) Then, spray generously on walls, counters and other surfaces where you've seen cockroach activity. This should be enough to deter roaches, at least for a time.
Pine Sol, like many household cleaners, such as bleach, is capable of killing a cockroach on contact. In the pest control world, we call these contact insecticides.
Roaches don't like the scent of mothballs, making them an effective pest repellent. Mothballs can only keep cockroaches away for a year or two since the pests adjust quickly and easily to new environments. For this reason, mothballs are only partially effective at protecting your home from wandering roaches.
Boric acid: Used correctly, boric acid is one of the most effective roach killers.
Sugar. Sugar is by far the most attractive substance to a cockroach. They love sugar and can smell it from anywhere. This means you'll want to keep your sugar containers, fruits, and other sweeteners sealed in air-tight containers that are up off the floor.
All About Vinegar
Unfortunately, it doesn't actually kill these problem insects. It's more of a cleaning tool than anything else, and it won't actually help eliminate your roach problem. It can, however, help deter roaches and get rid of germs in the kitchen when used as a cleaning agent.
Even if your home is clean of excess food or moisture problems, cockroaches are crafty enough to find food on their own and thrive in even the most hostile conditions. And once you've got them in your Roseville home, cockroaches aren't so eager to leave. Cockroaches won't go away on their own.
Cockroach predators include mammals, avians, amphibians and other reptiles. For example, hedgehogs will eat roaches. Joining the roach à la mode dinner party are geckos, skinks and other species of lizards, frogs, turtles, some types of birds and even rats and mice.
Cockroaches are most likely to be active about four hours after dark and enter a period of immobility just afterwards. This immobility period is similar to what humans would call “sleeping.”
Roaches are attracted to similar things as any other pest: shelter, food, and water. Anything that makes these things more available and easy to access is going to contribute to a roach infestation.
Your best bet is to combine baking soda with another granulated attractant, like sugar. Mix equal parts baking soda and sugar in a small dish and apply it to kitchen cabinets, baseboards, crevices, water sources, and other places roaches like to hide.
Diatomaceous earth is a great choice when it comes to killing cockroach eggs. We recommend trying this method when you are sure there is already an ongoing infestation in your house. It's made of marine phytoplankton, which is toxic to roaches and can dehydrate the ootheca. Make sure to buy the food-grade version.