Do-It-Yourself Cockroach Control
Once upon a time, cockroach control was a brute force attack. For many years, the standard treatment for cockroaches was to spray powerful residual insecticides on baseboards, in cabinets and closets, and on other surfaces that cockroaches might be expected to contact.
Sometimes this treatment was reinforced by an aerial assault. Contact insecticides like pyrethrum or resmethrin were dispensed into the air (a practice commonly known as "fogging") in the hope that it would stir up the roaches and provoke them to run across the freshly-applied insecticide -- something they normally wouldn't do, since the insecticides themselves were repellent to roaches.
This method had many disadvantages. It was inconvenient, it required extensive preparations (emptying kitchen cabinets and so forth), it used large amounts of pesticides, and it stunk up treated areas for several days. And to add insult to injury, it really didn't work all that well.
As time went on, cockroach treatment became more precise and scientific. Newer insecticides were developed that were less repellent to roaches, and application methods evolved from the old "surround and drown" method, to precise application of insecticides into cracks and crevices where the roaches actually hid. But the basic idea was still the same: Contact as many roaches as you could during the infestation, and leave enough residual insecticide around that the ones you missed will eventually contact it and die.
Nowadays, most cockroach infestations are treated using gel baits, which are applied in tiny dabs as close as possible to where roaches live and travel. Rather than being repellent, baits are formulated to be and palatable to roaches, who eat the baits and die within a few days. If done properly, the success rate is very high, there is little or no odor, and only tiny amounts of pesticides are used.
Step-By-Step Cockroach Control Instructions
Actually, before we talk about do-it-yourself cockroach control, let's mention a few cases in which you should not attempt to do it yourself.
- If the roaches are at your workplace. In most states, any pesticide applications made in the course of a person's employment or business are considered commercial applications, and require applicator licensing, insurance, and so forth.
- If the infestation is severe.
- If you (or someone else living in the home) have asthma or other respiratory conditions. Cockroaches and their by-products are powerful allergens and can trigger asthma attacks.
- If you live in a multi-unit dwelling. Apartment houses and condos should be treated together for the most effective control.
- If you just can't be bothered doing it yourself, or if roaches just gross you out. These, too, are legitimate reasons to call a professional exterminator.
Assuming that none of the above apply, let's look at the three steps to effective cockroach treatment. (This page deals with treatment for German or Brown-Banded cockroaches.)
Step 1: Sanitation
The first step in addressing any cockroach problem is sanitation. This means doing a thorough clean up to remove sources of food, water, and harborage. Be especially careful about things like paper bags, cardboard boxes, and other refuse that can provide roaches with a protected place to live.
Step 2: Rapid Population Reduction
The next step is to use non-chemical methods to quickly reduce the population. One of the easiest and best ways to do this is with sticky traps (commonly called glueboards
Use a little tape or a thumbtack to attach the glueboards to surfaces in cabinets, under the sink, or in other infested areas. Use rubber gloves when handling glueboards that have roaches on them. Roaches carry all sorts of diseases. You don't have to use any particular type of glueboard. Use the cheapest ones you can find.
Another way to quickly reduce cockroach populations is with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filter. But you should NOT use an ordinary household or shop vacuum cleaner for cockroach removal. Cockroaches and their by-products contain allergens and pathogens (disease-causing organisms) that can be spread through the air by non-HEPA vacuum cleaners.
Step 3: Chemical Treatment
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After sanitation and population reduction, chemical treatment should be used to kill off the remaining roaches.
The two easiest cockroach control products available to do-it-yourselfers are cockroach gel bait
Bait gels generally come in tubes with a built-in plunger, and one tube contains enough bait to treat an average apartment several times.
Precision, not quantity, is the key to applying cockroach gel baits effectively. Use tiny dabs placed in cracks and crevices where you have seen roaches, shed skins, droppings, or oothecae. Make sure to get hard-to-reach places such as the underside of the kitchen sink where it is attached to the counter.
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Use only tiny dabs of bait as specified by the label. Using more bait than needed is sloppy, illegal, and will very likely reduce its effectiveness.
Special care must be used when applying bait gels in places where food is stored, prepared, or served; in dresser drawers, night-tables, or other places where clothing is stored; or in desk drawers where the user's hand may come in contact with sloppily applied bait. In these situations, consider using bait stations instead. Speaking of which...
Cockroach bait stations
When a bait station needs replacement, the new one should be placed exactly where the old one was. Cockroaches leave pheromone trails to existing sources of food, so placing the new bait station where the old one was will help roaches find it more quickly.
There are many variables affecting the effectiveness of cockroach treatment. After all, these critters have been defying our efforts to eradicate them for a long time. So if after following the steps above, you don't see a reduction in roach activity within two weeks, then your infestation may require the services of a professional exterminator.