Blog

Cockroach Spray

Cockroach spray comes in a spray bottle that releases a fine mist onto a desired area. As mentioned, the type of cockroach you’re dealing with will determine where you spray. If, for example, it’s the German cockroach, which likes kitchens and bathrooms with dark and damp areas in crevices and cracks, that’s where you’ll want to spray.

This species also likes areas like clocks and heat-producing electronics, such as toasters, but that doesn’t mean you should spray inside your toaster. Rather, spray near it in the corners where the wall meets the countertop. Like any type of chemical, cockroach spray can be effective if used the correct way. That said, products found in retail stores often aren’t effective at stopping a cockroach invasion long term, although you may see some short-term results.

Gels

With gels, keep in mind that cockroaches won’t be attracted to it from far away. It’s best to place the cockroach trap where it will be in the common pathways that these pests traverse. For example, along the edges of walls where they meet floors, or where wooden furniture connects (think of a built-in microwave stand—gel would go in the four corners inside).

You don’t need a lot of gel, just a pea-sized amount where you place it. That’s because you want the insects to walk over it. They’re not likely to do this if there’s a big glob of gel in their way. They may very well walk around, making your treatment ineffective.

Also keep in mind with gels, they’re not likely to kill the roach immediately. Usually it takes one-to-three days for it to work, which is a good thing. By that time, there’s a chance they’ve carried it back to the nest and infected others with it. But within a few weeks, you should see a marked difference in the number of cockroaches if you’ve done it right.

You might need to use quite a lot of gel. Don’t worry if you find yourself putting a dozen or more spots of gel around your kitchen, bathroom and wherever else you’ve seen signs of roaches. Again, it’s important to note that this method often won’t stop an infestation on its own. This is why calling in professional pest controllers is often necessary when you have a cockroach problem.

Plastic Baits

These are pre-prepared roach bait traps that you place flush into corners, usually where the wall meets the floor or the countertop. Much like the gel, they stay in one place, and you wait for the cockroach to walk across them. It’s usually filled with an appetising but deadly food source that they carry back to their nests.

Because roaches often feed on or breathe in the faecal matter of others, there’s a good chance other insects will be poisoned too. Again, it’s important to know what species you’re dealing with. If it’s the American cockroach, think about putting your baits in crawl spaces, near toilets, and rubbish bins.

They like dark, moist areas, as well as to be around sewerage systems and feed off trash. However, they do tend to travel far from their aggregation sites, so finding those is the key to getting rid of them completely. In each case, it’s probably best to call in professional pest control—people who know where to look for these nests and how to spot the signs of them.

Dusts

Some people find success with dusts or powders that are placed on the floor, usually containing boric acid or diatomaceous earth. The roaches walk through this powder, which then sticks to their feet and whatever other parts they come into contact with. The pests then lick these themselves to get the particles off and ingest the poison.

If you’re applying this dust, try using an applicator made for such a purpose, as the pests are unlikely to walk through a thick sprinkling—they’ll simply skirt it, making it ineffective. So, in this case, less is more, and the coating should be barely visible to the naked eye.