Cockroaches are extremely unpleasant neighbors that are very difficult to get rid of. They live around humans for hundreds of years. Unlike bed bugs, they don’t feed on blood, so they don’t bite. However, they are carriers of pathogenic microflora, provoke allergic reactions and inspire disgust with their appearance. We will figure out how to get rid of cockroaches in the apartment quickly and effectively.

All about cockroach control

Why do they appear
Means of struggle
— Folk methods
— Chemical preparations
– Professional pest control
A Complete Guide to Pest Control
— deprive of food
— deprive of water
— Carry out cleaning
— take cover
— Warn neighbors
— Carry out processing

Where do cockroaches come from and where do they settle

In nature, there are more than five thousand varieties of these insects. Only two of them live in houses, differing in size and color: larger black kitchen cockroaches and small red Prussians. Both varieties are equally unadapted to life outside the human dwelling, where they find food and water for themselves. Humidity, heat, darkness, and available food are what attract insects.

Open trash cans, long-standing dirty dishes, pet food bowls, crumb-strewn floors become a source of food for uninvited neighbors.. Leaking plumbing will become a source of water for them.

Parasites are shy. They hide in secluded dark places and come out in search of food only when it is quiet around. Most often at night and late in the evening. Therefore, they notice the cockroach invasion not immediately, but when the colony has already grown and there are already a lot of insects.

They settle in secluded places near the source of food. Most often, these are kitchen cabinets, household electrical appliances, air vents, the space behind baseboards or torn off wallpaper. The population is growing very fast. After a few weeks, it becomes crowded and the search for a new home begins.

Cockroaches explore neighboring rooms or apartments and, if they find new food sources, part of the colony moves there. They easily move from apartment to apartment through ventilation shafts, utilities, crevices, house facades or garbage chutes. But this is not the only way of infection. People often carry pests from house to house without even knowing it. They can be brought from a trip, if you do not check things before leaving, received along with a parcel or store delivery, transported when moving. Therefore, it is important that the cockroach be uncomfortable in the human dwelling. If it is clean, there is no access to food, and repellents are regularly used, parasites are unlikely to settle here.

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Means for the destruction of pests

As soon as the first mustachioed «neighbor» was seen, one should immediately think about how to deal with cockroaches. The population is growing very fast and it is impossible to delay. First of all, you need to choose a drug. There are a lot of them, we selected the most effective ones.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies for cockroaches are considered safe for people and pets. It’s best to use them first. They help well if the number of the colony is still small.

Ammonia

The pungent smell of ammonia is unbearable for insects. The chemical is diluted in water in the proportion of a teaspoon per liter. For temporarily non-residential premises, the amount of ammonia can be increased. The resulting solution wipes the surface in all infected areas. If possible, you can wash the floors with them.

You will need to repeat the treatment several times until the parasites are gone. Possible frequency: every two to four days. Ammonia has a very sharp and unpleasant smell, so you can work with it only in a mask and protective gloves.

Boric acid

When insects enter the gastrointestinal tract, the acid corrodes its walls. Therefore, despite constant use, resistance in pests is not developed. Boric acid from cockroaches can be used in solution. In this case, they wipe surfaces on which pests can walk. But the best effect is the use of baits. To prepare them, take two or three teaspoons of powder, mix with raw yolk. You can add a pinch of vanilla, powdered sugar. This will make the poison more attractive. The resulting mass is divided into small pieces and rolled into balls. Lay them out in places where parasites were seen. Lures should not be accessible to children or pets.

homemade trap

Traps will help get rid of the unpleasant neighborhood. They are used as an additional means in the fight against insects. You can buy a finished product in a store or make it yourself. The easiest way to make a trap is from a glass jar or container of a similar shape. The neck is abundantly coated with fat, a piece of fragrant food is placed inside: cookies, fruit, honey. When the pest, attracted by the smell of food, crawls inside, it will not be able to get out along the greased walls. Traps made of cardboard, glued inside with double-sided tape, work similarly. In this case, the insect sticks to the adhesive tape. Traps should be emptied regularly and the bait changed.

Smells-repellers

As a preventive measure, odor repellents are used. Choose those that really do not like insect pests. The easiest way is to wash all surfaces with an aqueous solution of acetic acid or bleach, or add a few drops of essential oil of eucalyptus, geranium, lemon balm to the water for wrinkling. You can make repellers in the form of sachets and spread them around the house. Parasites do not like the smell of garlic, tansy, lemon balm, geranium. They do not tolerate the smell of gasoline, varnish, kerosene and solvent. Liquids should be poured into small containers and placed in infected areas. But these fragrances are not liked by people either, so they are rarely used.

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Chemicals

Insecticides give the maximum effect in pest control. They are made on the basis of one or more toxic substances. A combination of active elements is preferable, since resistance to one poison quickly develops against a colony. Insecticide preparations are produced in different forms. The easiest way to use sprays or aerosols. These are drugs «Raptor», «Combat», «Doctor Klaus», «Raid» and the like. Aerosol treat infected areas and clusters of insects.

Insecticidal pastes and gels work differently. These are Dohlox, Raptor, Eslanadez and others. They are pointwise applied to the paths of parasites, which bring them to the nests on their paws. As a result, the entire colony becomes infected and dies. The result is delayed in time, but effective. Stores sell not only gel tubes, but also traps with a pasty preparation inside.

The cheapest remedy chalk made from insecticidal powder. For example, «Mashenka», «Titanic», «Absolute», etc. They carry out wide stripes on infected areas. Crossing such a strip, the parasite receives a portion of the insecticide, which leads to its death.

Crayons are relatively safe, but they should not be used on objects that come into contact with dishes or food. It is undesirable to use them in homes where there are animals or small children.

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Professional pest control

It is not always possible to independently remove insect pests. Then you should seek professional help. They use techniques and tools that are not available to ordinary users. Disinsection is carried out by cold or hot mist, which guarantees a good result. At the time of processing, people and animals must leave the apartment.

Unfortunately, even professional processing can be powerless if there are tenants in an apartment building who do not want to deal with cockroach breeding. Under such conditions, it is impossible to organize a complete isolation of your home, and parasites will reappear sooner or later. In this case, you need to contact the Criminal Code or the sanitary services, which will help to force the owners of the infected premises to engage in pest control.

Step-by-step instructions on how to get cockroaches out of the apartment forever

To get rid of the mustachioed «tenants», it is not enough just to apply the chosen remedy, even if you act strictly according to the instructions. It is necessary to deprive the parasites of their food base and create unbearable conditions for them. Then the individuals who survived in the process of processing, and there are always such, will forever leave the inhospitable dwelling. We offer step-by-step instructions on how to get rid of pests.

In a short video they told what steps to take

1. Deprive access to food

All unsealed foods are potential food for insect pests. They easily penetrate into cardboard boxes, open cans and similar places. Therefore, flour, cereals, sugar, etc. pour into tightly closed metal or glass containers. The trash can, if it is without a lid, is replaced with a tight-fitting one. In addition, before going to bed, be sure to wash the dishes, remove from free access or hermetically close vases with sweets and bowls of animal food.

2. Deny access to water

All plumbing and plumbing problems must be eliminated. There should be no leaks and constantly dripping faucets. After washing dishes or hygiene procedures, it is important to wipe the sink, bath, shower cabin dry. Their plums, if possible, should be closed at night. Wet toothbrushes, sponges or rags before going to bed should preferably be put into plastic bags every time.

3. Clean up

The apartment almost always has hard-to-reach places where not only dust accumulates, but also crumbs, grease residues, etc. They need to be cleaned, otherwise they will become a source of food for insects. In the process of general cleaning, it is important to rinse kitchen cabinets, household appliances, and all surfaces. It is advisable to move large objects from their usual place, clean and rinse the walls and floor. For washing, it is good to use a solution with a repellent odor.

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4. Take cover

A thoroughly cleaned apartment must be protected from possible re-invasion of parasites. To do this, it is necessary to close up all the cracks and crevices through which they can penetrate inside. These are cracked inlets of communication pipes, large gaps between the walls and the floor. They are sealed with sealant, putty or reinforced tape. In addition, it is necessary to deprive pests of shelters. To do this, the departed skirting boards are tightly fixed, wallpaper is glued, cavities in household appliances are glued with adhesive tape, where cockroaches like to hide.

5. Warn neighbors

Before processing, you must inform the neighbors about your intentions. If not all parasitic insects die, the remnants will go in search of new housing. Most likely in neighboring apartments. It is better if the neighbors also carry out insecticidal treatment — joint actions will give the most effective result.

6. Carry out pest control

Self-treatment is carried out exactly according to the instructions for the selected drug, in compliance with all safety requirements. The best result is a combination of several methods. For example, treating an apartment with an aerosol insecticide, followed by the installation of baits with a poisonous gel.

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