How To: Get Rid of Cockroaches

Joshua Chadwick By Joshua Chadwick March 11th

Nothing can get the skin crawling quite like spotting a creepy-crawler in your home, and few can get you more irritable than a cockroach.

These pests tend to make themselves at home in your own living space rent free, mooching off your warm house and searching for your food.

Unfortunately, once you see one, you’re more than likely infested with the roaches. Therefore, it’s time to act quick and grab the pest control as we showcase how to get rid of cockroaches.

Assessing the Infestation

While you’d like to stay as far away as possible from these cockroaches, the first step to getting rid of them is to locate where they’re staying.

In Australia, we deal with three species of cockroaches commonly found in homes: The German cockroach, the American cockroach, and of course our very own Australian cockroach.

All three of these nocturnal roaches tend to prefer warm, moist areas in the damp darkness of the home, which narrows the search efforts down a little.

Cockroaches will therefore target areas in the home with warm, moist areas, therefore bathrooms and kitchens can become prime targets, especially near plumbing fixtures. Underneath appliances, drawers and even within the cracks in cupboards aren’t safe from this infestation either.

While disgusting, you can also spot roach droppings around the nest’s hiding place, which can be sniffed out as you’ll definitely pick up a scent on these bits of droppings, as they’re drenched in a strong, foul odour.

Dealing with Cockroaches

Now that you’ve found where the cockroaches stay, it’s time to evict them out of the home. There are many ways to tackle the problem, so it’s more of a pick your poison type of deal.

Many suggest a thorough clean of your home as it’s a given that these pests follow dirt and filth in hopes for a good meal. Therefore, regular cleaning should keep cockroaches out of the home and give them the idea they won’t find what they’re looking for here.

To outright eliminate the infestation, there are many store-bought traps that do the trick. These traps utilise a scent amongst other baits to lure the cockroaches to the trap. Once they take the bait, these traps typically ensnare the roaches in a sticky substance to which you can dispose of thereafter.

Cockroach Baits can also be a great way to take out the nests entirely, as insecticide and pesticides are disguised as a food source within these chemical baits commonly found at stores. By digesting and returning the chemicals to their nest, it spreads from pest to pest, where they can be easily disposed of from there on.

If you’re looking for a more DIY effort, boric acid is considered one of the best ways to tackle cockroaches in the home. Akin to the store-bought baits above, boric acid does the job as a pseudo food source to cockroaches when it is mixed with items like flour and sugar to make dough.

The filth-filled critters will be attracted to the dough mixture, eventually bringing it to the nest and taking care of many roaches in the process. However, these methods can prove incredibly deadly for any beloved furry friends in the house, as it is a poison and your pets may ingest it unknowingly, much like the roaches.

If you feel the infestation has reached a point of no return from your methods, you will most likely need a professional pest control exterminator, as cockroaches are persistent and won’t leave anytime soon without treatment.

Cockroach Control

As mentioned earlier, cockroaches are persistent, but a thorough clean and maintenance of your home will tell these pests your house is not the one for them.

Consider doing away with common items like cardboard boxes and newspapers, as these little buggers love sneaking their way into these items and breeding like crazy.

Sealing up any cracks or crevices will not only keep cockroaches out, but all other unwanted pests from outside. The use of caulk on small cracks and crevices will do wonders, as well as using foam for larger gaps around pipes.

Be sure to also check your pipes, as these cockroaches love the moisture they can produce as mentioned earlier. Therefore, a regular inspection and check over every now and again can prevent cockroaches and other undesirables from entering your home.

There are also many items for use on the outside of the home, which can stop the roaches before they even reach the house. Mortein provides an outdoor surface spray that does away with the critters before they get inside, almost like an invisible barrier they cannot pass through, which can be found here.

For more How To’s, check out our blogs centred around the idea of helping you with day-to-day situations here. If you need help getting your utilities connected sorted, please call MyConnect on 1300 854 478 or use the Get Connected form here!

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Joshua Chadwick
Joshua Chadwick
SENIOR EDITOR