How to get rid of black cockroaches at home

Where do black cockroaches come from in an apartment?

To effectively combat cockroaches, you need to know where these creatures come from in your living space. Black cockroaches in an apartment can occur as follows:

• from the basement, especially if it is flooded;
• with postal items;
• with household appliances or clothes purchased secondhand;
• through the sewage system in the toilet and bathroom;
• from the entrance through the open door;
• from a garbage chute;
• together with products purchased in a store;
• with vegetables purchased at retail outlets;
• from neighbors through cracks in the wall;
• when buying new furniture in a store;
• in the bag you carried your lunch in to work.

Important! If large cockroaches appear in your apartment in small numbers, do not flatter yourself. Very little time will pass and they will pull their many relatives there too.

Description of the insect

Black cockroaches have been disturbing human peace since the times of Ancient Rus'. They are unpleasant to people just by their appearance. The insects are covered with a dark brown or black shell, their body length reaches 5 cm.

Thanks to their flat bodies, cockroaches are able to climb into places inaccessible to humans. Developed sense organs help them move in the dark and find their way to the apartment without any problems.

The breeding season of cockroaches lasts a whole year, and they live in favorable conditions - a warm room. A female insect lays up to 50 eggs over a full life cycle. The larvae of black cockroaches are light in color; after molting several times, they become black.

How to get rid of misfortune?

If you find black cockroaches in your home, you must start fighting them immediately. These arthropods reproduce rapidly in good conditions; each female is capable of laying more than 60 eggs in her life. In the photo you can see what adult cockroaches and their larvae look like.

Domestic cockroaches should be removed according to a certain algorithm:

1. Find the source. It is important to understand where the cockroaches came from in your private household. They can come from the sewer, from the attic or from neighbors.
2. Find the places where they are most concentrated. This could be a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
3. Outline a strategy. Choosing a method to combat parasites, purchasing the necessary drug.
4. Application of poison. To get rid of the pest forever, you may need to use the product several times. First, they treat the places where cockroaches accumulate, and then all other places in the apartment.
5. Close the access to water. The huge black cockroach constantly needs water. Therefore, it is necessary to remove all sources of water and dry surfaces.
6. Closing the windows. Before you start treating the room for cockroaches, you should close all the windows and doors in the apartment.
7. Airing and cleaning the apartment. After the baiting of arthropods is completed, the room should be well ventilated and wet cleaned.

In practice, several effective methods of exterminating cockroaches are used. More often than usual, they practice treating premises with insecticides produced on the basis of chemicals. And the most modern option to combat this scourge is to use electronic devices designed to repel or exterminate insects.

There is also a folk option for fighting cockroaches, based on the use of various recipes, and other ways to control the population of these pests, which we will discuss below.

Aerosols

Insecticides are often available in aerosol and spray form. This type is very convenient because it allows you to treat any surface with the chemical: walls, cracks, places behind the baseboard. When spraying the product, naturally, all household members need to leave the room, and the person doing the bullying must protect his body and respiratory tract from poison. After the procedure, the apartment is left for a while, and upon return, wet cleaning and ventilation are carried out. Among the popular products in aerosol form, the following brands are in demand:

• Tetricst;
• Raptor;
• Battalion commander

Some insecticide manufacturers guarantee that black cockroaches will not return to your home after using their products for a certain year.

Mechanical and thermal methods

Mechanical effects on cockroaches are not very effective. It involves the cold-blooded killing of every insect found with one of the available objects. This is how you can fight if the number of arthropods is not large.

The method of freezing the entire house to remove cockroaches has been practiced since ancient times. To do this, choose one of the frosty winter days. In the morning, they turn off the heating in the house and open all the windows and doors wide. Sewer black cockroaches will die in the cold.

Chemical methods

Good results in the fight against arthropods are achieved through the use of chemicals. However, it is worth mentioning right away that cockroaches quickly get used to the drug, and from the second and subsequent treatments it does not give the expected result. Therefore, when choosing a chemical option for insect control, you need to alternate insecticides.

Chemicals for disinfection are available in the following forms:

• spray;
• gel;
• liquid poison;
• powder.

Liquid poisons

Chemicals in liquid form, when used in accordance with the instructions, are safe for humans and animals. They give a good effect when the degree of infection is very high. The only disadvantage of this option is the high cost of the drug.

Sprays

Insecticides can be produced in the form of a spray or aerosol. This form is very convenient due to the high penetrating ability of the substance. Thanks to this, it is possible to poison insects hiding in cracks or behind the baseboard.

The treatment must be carried out wearing protective equipment, and before spraying, all people and animals must be removed from the apartment. Windows and doors must be tightly closed at the time of treatment. After 3-4 hours of exposure, ventilation and wet cleaning should be done.

Important! Aerosols are not recommended for use in homes where people suffering from allergic diseases live.

The most famous insecticides produced in the form of sprays and aerosols are:

• Raptor;
• Tetrix;
• Battalion commander

Review of the most effective cockroach repellents

Gels and adhesives

Common forms of release of contact insecticides are gels and adhesives for cockroaches. They are applied on the floor near the walls in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen. In addition, it is recommended to place the drug behind sewer pipes, under the sink, and on the drain holes.

This adhesive substance has a pleasant smell for cockroaches. They go at it themselves, and then die as a result of poisoning. For ease of use, the gels are sold in a syringe, which makes it very easy to apply it to the surface. Gels can be intestinal and contact. Their validity period is 2 months.

Currently, the following brands have gained popularity:

• Dokhlos;
• Raptor;
• Fas;
• Storm;
• Combat;
• Global;
• Raid.

Attention! The drug in this form is not capable of killing insect eggs. Nymphs, young and adult individuals die from it.

Cockroach gels: review of 12 effective gels

Chalk and powders (dusts)

Another form of insecticide release is powder. Now there is a large selection of such certified products. This powder is scattered in a small layer in the habitats of cockroaches, but at a respectful distance from food storage areas. According to the instructions, it is recommended to dilute some powders with water before use, and then spray the rooms.

The most famous brands of powder products are:

1. Gett. Before use, this powder is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 5. Then the solution is poured into the sprayer and processing begins. After an exposure of 4 hours, begin to ventilate the home for the same time. The insecticide is odorless and has a long period of action.
2. Ecokiller. This powder has an original mechanism of action on insects. Its active ingredient is diatomite, which has abrasive properties. In addition, this substance actively absorbs moisture from the outside. Contacting this substance, the cockroach damages the integumentary membrane of its body and dies from dehydration.
3. Frontline M. This insecticide is produced in Belarus and has nerve-paralytic properties. The active components of the product are fipronil and methoprene. The first has a contact effect on cockroaches, and the second is a component of intestinal action. The insect gets poisoned and quickly dies.
4. Clean house. This cockroach dust contains two components. They have a nerve-paralytic effect on insects. If you strictly follow the instructions, the result becomes visible after a couple of days.

Mashenka chalk, which is an excellent repellent, is also suitable for fighting cockroaches. Chalk is not capable of killing insects, but it has an effect on them that causes paralysis.

Traps

Traps are another means of removing cockroaches from an apartment. When there are a lot of children and pets in the house, a trap becomes perhaps the main tool in the fight against cockroaches.

These devices are different. There are traps that kill the victim with an electric current. Once you plug it in, you don’t need to do anything else, except for collecting dead arthropods from the tray.

The next type of trap is the bait trap. It consists of a plastic container, inside of which a product is placed that attracts cockroaches with a pleasant smell. The insect cannot resist such temptation and penetrates inside.

10 Most Effective Cockroach Traps

What awaits him inside? There may be:

• an insecticide, contact with which kills the insect;
• sticky substrate that envelops the insect;
• There is nothing inside except the bait, and the design features of the container do not allow the insect to get back out.

This is interesting! Craftsmen make such traps on their own. Wrap a glass jar with paper and grease the inner walls with oil. A piece of fruit is placed inside as bait. Cockroaches crawl into the jar based on the smell, but the slippery glass prevents them from getting out.

Among the commercial traps, “Combat Superbyte” has been popular for 40 years. The principle of its operation is simple: the cockroach enters the trap by smell and eats the poisoned bait. Infected with an insecticide, it returns to its relatives, comes into contact with them, as a result of which they also become infected. After a short time, all cockroaches die.

What do black cockroaches prefer for lunch?

Generally speaking, the cockroach is an omnivore, and it would probably be easier to list what they don’t eat than what they do eat. Of course, if you often leave dirty dishes until the evening when you leave for work, then you make an excellent feeder for black cockroaches. They will not only eat themselves, but will also invite neighboring cockroaches from another apartment.

But don’t think that if you become clean, cockroaches will immediately leave your house. These insects don’t just give up; firstly, they can live without food for more than a month, and secondly, they can eat paper and even polyethylene. Cockroaches have such bacteria in their stomachs that they can digest anything. Therefore, in order to defeat them, you will have to be patient and be prepared for the fact that they may even damage some of your property.

Calling specialists

To exterminate basement or sewer black cockroaches, calling a pest control service is considered a reliable option. This service has special equipment and proven insecticides. They have at their disposal cold and hot fog generators, gas guns, with which they process the entire multi-storey building, including attics and basements, in a matter of hours. This work is carried out with a guarantee for several years.

Traps

The method is expensive, but effective. There are three groups of traps:

1. The bait is located in the device itself. When a cockroach gets inside, the trap slams shut. The pests will not escape. They are designed in different ways: Velcro or simple scent baits.
2. Electronic. Not a bad, expensive toy. The pest gets inside the trap and dies from an electrical discharge using built-in electrodes. Manufacturers that have proven themselves in the market: Greathouse Electronics, GH-180, Shenzhen.
3. Chemical basis. It looks like gels, but inside a trap. Safer to use. Once inside, the cockroach feasts on the poison and then dies inside the closed trap.

Folk remedies and recipes

Folk remedies for fighting cockroaches are perhaps the oldest method. Its advantage lies in the safety of use. To do this, prepare bait and place it in places where arthropods can accumulate. The bait is prepared using the following home remedies:

• borax;
• boric acid;
• vinegar;
• ammonia;
• other strong-smelling substances.

Some of the most popular home recipes include:

1. Recipe with boric acid. Take the same mass of boric acid and sugar and mix them. Add flour, egg and water to the mixture. Next, you should knead the dough and make balls with a diameter of 1-2 cm from it. Place the balls in the habitats of cockroaches.
2. Recipe with borax. Mix a tablespoon of this substance with chopped boiled eggs and mashed potatoes. Make balls and place them where traces of cockroaches are found.
3. Recipe with vinegar. Dilute 2 tbsp in 300 ml of water. l. vinegar, adding 5 drops of eucalyptus oil. Spray the resulting solution in the room with a spray bottle.

10 best folk remedies for cockroaches

We have already noted earlier that cockroaches cannot tolerate strong odors and retreat from rooms that smell bad. This property of arthropods is used by homeowners to expel parasites. The following are used to repel insects:

• essential oils;
• ammonia;
• Bay leaf;
• pharmaceutical camomile;
• elderberry branch;
• geranium in a pot;
• kerosene.

Important! Kerosene is rarely used because its smell is unpleasant. They wipe the front door, baseboards and thresholds with it. Its smell is so strong that it is rare for cockroaches to re-enter an apartment.

Reproduction process

After mating, the female places her eggs in a special cocoon, the length of which can reach about 10 mm. In this case, up to 16 eggs can develop in a cocoon at once. The capsule is distinguished by the fact that it has a fairly strong structure, so future offspring have reliable protection.

As the eggs grow and develop, the cocoon also increases in size. At a certain stage of development, the female discards this capsule in a secluded place. About a month or a month and a half later, small transparent larvae appear in the white light, similar in appearance to cockroaches. As the larvae grow and develop, they begin to acquire a dark, rich hue. Before the juveniles develop into adults, they go through 10 molting stages. During her life, the female manages to lay a maximum of 3 cocoons.

Prevention of occurrence

There is no better prevention against cockroaches than perfect cleanliness in the apartment. Here are the conditions required to prevent cockroaches from colonizing your home:

• wash dishes immediately after eating;
• store bread and rolls in sealed plastic bags;
• collect crumbs of bread and other products that have fallen on the floor from the table;
• take out the trash promptly;
• Clean kitchen cabinets regularly;
• do not clutter the apartment with unnecessary items;
• ventilate the apartment every day;
• Perform daily wet cleaning of the apartment and weekly general cleaning;
• plant a geranium in a pot and place it in the room, it will act as a repellent.

Attention! Water should not drip from the tap if it is closed. Deny cockroaches any access to water, especially at night when they are most active. Insects will not live in an apartment where there is no way to quench their thirst.

Having discovered black cockroaches in your home, you first need to find out where they came from. Next, depending on the number of arthropods, it is necessary to develop a strategy for combating cockroaches and immediately begin exterminating them.