Borax is a readily-available laundry product that's excellent for killing roaches. For best results, combine equal parts borax and white table sugar. Dust the mixture any place you've seen roach activity. When the roaches consume the borax, it will dehydrate them and kill them rapidly.
Boric acid is a popular method for killing cockroach infestations. Getting rid of roaches overnight will always include some kind of insecticide or trap; boric acid is one of the most effective weapons against cockroaches.
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 kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
The disadvantage of this is that you will have to catch these nasty insects one by one. Bleach is a fairly strong chemical and it can drown the cockroach in a matter of seconds.
Distilled vinegar does not kill or repel roaches, making it completely ineffective. Distilled vinegar will help keep your kitchen clean, giving cockroaches less to snack on. However, roaches can live for months at a time without any food at all, and they will eat almost anything to survive.
Bleach has a strong smell that roaches find offensive. As a disinfectant, it can be used to remove bacteria left behind from an infestation. If roaches come into contact with bleach, the chemical reaction may kill them with time.
The most common places for a roach nest in the house are in kitchens or bathrooms, particularly behind refrigerators, in cracks and crevices, and under furniture. Roaches prefer a warm, humid environment, so these places should be considered first, especially if they are close to a food source and water supply.
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.
Add some food like a small piece of meat or some sweet stuff like chocolate on the roach bait in the bowl. Keep the bowl near one of the hiding places of roaches. To cover all the hiding places, you'll need multiple bowls with sticky roach trap and food. The smell of the food will draw the roaches out.
The myth that killing a cockroach will spread its eggs isn't true, but killing a cockroach with force can attract more. But that can be used to your advantage if it brings bugs out of hiding to be eliminated.
Boric acid: Used correctly, boric acid is one of the most effective roach killers.
Cockroach Spray: Ortho Home Defense
A can that sprays at multiple angle, the Ortho Home Defense Max Aerosol kills cockroaches at the point of contact and fares well at preventing pests in the future. The spray is good for indoor use and provides no extra fumes. It's effective on all types of insects, not just roaches.
Mix 1/4 cup of tea tree oil and 1/4 cup of vinegar with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture in and around infested locations in your home.
Seeing roach feces or droppings.
Seeing an unusual number of droppings in a specific area will also help you track where the roach shelters are. Best to cut off any water or food source near this location so prevent further infestation.
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.
In the wild, these include: Amphibians like toads and frogs. Small mammals such as mice and shrews. Beetles, spiders, and other insects or arachnids.
Peppermint. If you've ever been around peppermint, you know it has a strong scent. This plant is great at repelling bugs. Cockroaches as well as aphids, moths, fleas, and beetles avoid this plant.
Pine-Sol and Fabuloso are strong, all-purpose household cleaners. Similar to bleach, these products kill roaches on contact. Some homeowners suggest spraying Pine-Sol around the outside of your house to keep cockroaches away.
Does Cinnamon repel cockroaches? No, cinnamon doesn't repel cockroaches. But there're are other essential oils or spices that can work against cockroaches. You can use bay leaves, garlic, and catnip to reduce some amount of cockroach activity in your home.
#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.
Roaches breath through their holes, called spiracles, in their hard shells. Squirting rubbing alcohol onto the roach will fill up the spiracles and suffocate them quickly.