When dealing with pests, there will be a point wherein you’ll feel at a loss about what to do. Roaches, in particular, are pretty resilient insects. Once you kill one, ten more will appear. Also, even if you behead these horrible creatures, you’ll still see them crawling or flailing their legs as they go belly up. It’s really a challenge to get rid of roaches. Just imagine, these creatures have existed for millions of years, even way before humans have. Roaches are among the oldest pests around, and many even say that these critters will outlive humans. So, how can you fight with the level of evolution that roaches possess?

Using Pesticides against Roaches

Boric Acid

Borax or boric acid is one of the most common and effective pesticides that is used to eradicate cockroaches. How does this work? Boric acid, which you’ll find in powder form, acts as an abrasive that scratches the surface or exoskeleton of these creatures. Once the outer layer is damaged, roaches can easily die due to dehydration.

Boric acid must be applied properly. Generally, you’ll need to create a boric acid barrier. Once roaches step on the powder, they won’t be able to help but ingest the harmful substance as they groom themselves. They can also carry the powder to their colony and spread it to others. You can also make borax-based baits that you need to put near places where you often see these nasty animals.

Diatomaceous Earth

You can also use DE to get rid of cockroaches. This is pretty safe and eco-friendly. The stuff is sprinkled near where roaches are and then it sticks on the exoskeleton. DE works in more or less the same manner as boric acid.

Pesticide Sprays

You may be tempted to swat those bothersome critters, but stop before you do. It’s messy and you might only spread harmful microorganisms. Instead of squashing roaches with whatever you can get your hands on, use pesticide sprays instead. Chemical sprays not only kill roaches, but these also leave residues that ward off others. If you are hesitant about using pesticides, try a more environmentally friendly and safer approach with a spray made from water mixed with a few tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. This will suffocate them.

Roach Bomb

Experts say that roaches can even survive a nuclear explosion. But you can still use a roach bomb, such as a carbamate bomb, to inflict a lot of damage on the population of cockroaches living in your apartment or house. Before you go ahead and blast one of these things off, get help from a pest control expert first. There are safety measures that you have to follow since pesticide bombs are pretty toxic. Professionals do not actually recommend this method because it is very dangerous, especially if an untrained individual does the work himself. Many issues need to be carefully dealt with. For instance, the affected house must be properly cordoned off and sealed. Once the bomb is detonated, the house becomes uninhabitable for at least 48 hours. Afterwards, every exposed surface must be cleaned thoroughly to get rid of residual poison.

Citations:

• sirtrentalot. “texas sized cockroach”. May 26, 2008. Online image. Flickr. December 27, 2012.

Claire Clarke  writes about a variety of topics, such as roach, rodent and ant control. She also blogs for Insight Pest Solutions, which specializes in Boston cockroach control among others.

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