Advice From an Exterminator for Roaches: Use These 10 Techniques

Cockroaches can carry bacteria that can cause salmonella, staphylococcus, and streptococcus if it gets on your food. They can also carry diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever. Many people are allergic to cockroaches, even though they live in about 63% of American homes. In urban areas like Las Vegas, that number rises to over 78%. The best plan is to call an exterminator for roaches, but if you must wait before they can get to your home, then you may want to try these 10 ideas to get rid of cockroaches.

1. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth

If you are looking for natural pest control in Las Vegas, consider using diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle this compound made of single-cell organisms that have been fossilized over millions of years. When the roaches come in contact with it, they carry it back to their nests. The sticky substance that the roaches cannot get off their bodies causes them to dehydrate and die. While you will sometimes spot it near the swimming pool supplies, you want food-grade diatomaceous earth because the one meant for pools can sometimes cause respiratory issues when used inside.

2. Employ Essential Oils

You can kill roaches using essential oils. It is easy to make an essential oil combination at home. Then, put it in a spray bottle and spray it wherever you see the roaches. The great news is that it will not harm you, your family or your pests. Combine 1 tablespoon orange essential oil, 1 teaspoon cedarwood essential oil and ¼ cup castile soap in a 32-ounce spray bottle. Fill the bottle up with distilled water and shake well. Then, spray wherever you see roaches.

3. Put Out Bay Leaves

You can easily find bay leaves at your favorite grocery store. Cockroaches do not like their smell, and they will choose to leave the area where they smell them. Therefore, tuck a few in a drawer or in a cupboard in your kitchen to keep cockroaches away as that is typically where an infestation starts.

4. Sprinkle Garlic and Cinnamon

Roaches do not like the smell of garlic and cinnamon. While neither seems to work well by themselves, roaches are repulsed by the smell when they are combined. If you usually do not have roaches, this can be a great solution as all you have to do is sprinkle it where you think they may be hiding. Then, wait for them to leave. If your whole house is infected, this might not be the best solution because, by the time you sprinkle it everywhere, you could end up with a smelly, expensive mess.

5. Grow Mint Plants

It turns out that roaches do not like the smell of mint. Therefore, growing a mint plant can be a great way to eliminate cockroaches while having fresh mint to use in your cooking. The best way to grow mint is to find someone who already has a plant and take a clipping. Put it in a glass of water until you see roots growing. Then, transplant it to a pot with good potting soil. Keep rotating your plant to keep it from growing towards the light. If you cannot find a mint plant to get clippings from, growing catnip will also work, but be sure to keep it away from your cat because if the cat ingests it, then it works as a stimulate.

6. Use Neem Oil

An exterminator for roaches may also suggest you use Neem oil in at least two different ways to get rid of roaches. If you get the oil form, then mix it with a little bit of vinegar and spray it in areas where you think roaches may be hiding. Roaches do not like the smell of vinegar, and the Neem oil will kill them, so it is a powerful duo. If you get the powder form, sprinkle a little around at night and in the morning.

7. Spray Fabric Softener

If you only occasionally see a cockroach, keep a bottle of spray bottle softener close by. Then, spray it directly on the cockroach. The compounds in the fabric softener will cause the cockroach to dry out and die. If you have a little more significant problem, then try putting out some dryer sheets. They work similarly, and cockroaches do not like their smell.

8. Create Sugar and Baking Soda Traps

Put a small bowl of sugar where roaches can find it easily. Even a soda cap lid filled with sugar will work. Then, take a bottle of water and mix some baking soda in it. Put it out before going to bed. The roaches will smell the sugar and come for a sweet treat. Then, they will get thirsty and drink the water with the baking soda in it. This combination causes their insides to explode and the roaches to die.

9. Catch Them on Duct Tape

You have probably heard that duct tape fixes everything. While we are not sure about that, it can stop a small cockroach infestation. Tear off a sizeable piece of duct tape. Then, place it sticky side up where you have seen cockroaches crawling. Put a small amount of peanut butter topped with sugar on top of the duct tape. The roaches will come to feast and get stuck to the duct tape, which you can throw away the following day.

10. Create a Coffee Grounds Trap

If you are a coffee drinker with wet coffee grounds, you can turn them into a roach-killing trap. Simply put the grounds in a plastic cup. Then, put the cup in a larger jar. Fill the jar with water until the cup is almost submerged. Then, leave the jar setting out. The cockroaches love the smell of coffee but cannot get out of the death trap you have created.

Why You Need to Call an Exterminator for Roaches

Roaches multiply at an alarming rate. Each female cockroach lays about 14 egg capsules in her lifetime. Each egg capsule contains about 16 cockroaches. Therefore, a single cockroach can produce about 128 cockroaches in its lifetime. Do not let them get ahead of you, so call pest control now.

While these ideas may work for smaller infestations, call an exterminator for serious problems. Pest control in Las Vegas is the only way that you will get ahead of these pesky insects.