How to get rid of cockroaches in an apartment 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.

Why do cockroaches appear in the apartment?

The following factors contribute to the appearance of insects in the home:

Unsanitary conditions. Scattered food and waste attract hordes of cockroaches into the apartment. With the help of secreted pheromones, individuals transmit to each other a signal about the presence of food and water.
Dampness. If there is a leaky faucet or pipe in your home, the risk of black basement cockroaches is high.
Feeling of danger. If cockroaches are being poisoned in one of the apartments, trying to escape, they will run over to the neighbors.

The pest can also be brought with things from an educational institution, hospital, store, or trip. If this is a pregnant female, you can soon expect a whole colony of cockroaches to appear in your home.

The pest and its larvae can accidentally get into the package, and from there into the house.

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:

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.
Find the places where they are most concentrated. This could be a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
Outline a strategy. Choosing a method to combat parasites, purchasing the necessary drug.
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.
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.
Closing the windows. Before you start treating the room for cockroaches, you should close all the windows and doors in the apartment.
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.

Lifestyle

Under natural conditions, the enemy-competitor of the black parasite is the well-known red cockroach - the Prussian. These two species cannot live in peace in the same territory, since they eat the same food. A war of species occurs inexplicably: sometimes a red-haired Prussian lives in an apartment, having defeated a black pest, and sometimes it’s the other way around. Often they simply replace each other. Perhaps this change in species is explained by the different nature of the action of insecticides on them.

Reproduction

Over the entire life cycle, the female black cockroach lays two or three capsules of 16 eggs each. After 40 days, young individuals emerge from them.

At a comfortable room temperature, parasites are able to reproduce year-round. The insect's life cycle is 3-8 months, and sometimes extends to a couple of years.

Harm

As you know, cockroaches spoil food and things. However, in addition to this, all of them, and especially black ones, are distributors of typhoid fever, diphtheria, dysentery and worms. They carry pathogenic bacteria and helminth eggs on their paws and belly and easily leave them on dishes, food, and the table. This usually happens during their nightly “walks” around the apartment. Therefore, sloppy people can easily catch all these ailments.

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.

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.

Lifestyle of a black cockroach

Black house cockroaches prefer to come out of their hiding places at night in order to freely obtain food for themselves. During the day, you can notice signs of their presence - excrement in the form of small black grains, usually cockroaches leave them next to food waste. Among all household pests, these large cockroaches are considered the most dangerous. Living in garbage dumps and basements, they carry pathogens of many diseases.

Reproduction, life cycle, lifespan

The lifespan of a black pest may vary depending on living conditions. Its life cycle is quite long, because from the moment of birth until the death of an insect it can take about 5 years. Immediately after mating, an ootheca, a capsule with eggs, is formed in the female’s body. The female carries it with her for about 3–4 days, and then discards it in a secluded warm place. Each capsule contains up to 60 eggs, but in poor conditions the larvae can remain in it for several years.

Hatched larvae can survive without food and water for up to 2 months. In a comfortable environment, the larva grows, goes through several stages of molting, gradually reaching sexual maturity. Interestingly, for these domestic parasites, the entire process of growth and transformation from larva to adult takes about 4 years. This is why black parasites are much less common in apartments and houses than red ones. They simply do not have time to grow before people destroy them. Red Prussians reproduce much faster, which is why they are more common.

What does an insect eat, how does it get food, what do the larvae eat?

Thanks to the unique structure of the digestive system, cockroaches eat literally everything. Their body can easily digest even cardboard and wood, although they prefer to eat ordinary foods and food waste - bread crumbs, vegetable peelings, etc. Long-term absence of food does not frighten the parasites - they begin to absorb their own larvae, the remains of dead insects. In extreme cases, they can feed on particles of epidermis on shoes, paper, etc.

In the absence of food and water, cockroaches can bite a sleeping person. They chew the cuticles on the fingernails and toenails, and bite the face, eyelids and lips. Worst of all, their saliva contains the toxic substance tropomyosin, which causes a severe allergic reaction, the signs of which are swelling and itching. Small larvae eat the same things as adults, but they rarely bite people.

Do domestic black cockroaches have natural enemies?

Black and red cockroaches have many natural enemies that quickly destroy pests. In nature, lizards, hedgehogs, frogs, snakes, crickets, and birds feed on them. Spiders and shrews are also not averse to eating cockroaches, but they do not specifically hunt them. In addition, there are some types of bacilli that kill adults and larvae of the pest within 2–3 days.

The most terrible enemy of cockroaches is eulophids, small bugs that search for hidden oothecae and lay their eggs there. The larvae hatching from these eggs instantly destroy all the offspring of cockroaches.

The emerald wasp is terrible for cockroaches, feeding its larvae with adult parasites. In an apartment or house, black pests can be destroyed by mice and rats, as well as red Prussians.

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.

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:

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.
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.
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.

How to fight

Naturally, you cannot live in an apartment in peace with cockroaches. Therefore, to defeat parasites, a number of methods are used, for example, temperature control. It is known that longhorned beetles cannot tolerate low temperatures. And an indicator of -10° is completely lethal for them. It is clear that freezing is applicable in an apartment, at best, only in the warm season. And this method is often used by owners of private houses and summer residents.

Since ancient times, our ancestors fought against insects using folk methods: laying out bay leaves, elderberry blossom, boric acid with egg yolk. The use of these methods is based on cockroaches’ dislike of strong, pungent odors. However, practice confirms the low effectiveness of these control methods.

Cockroaches are one of the most ancient animals in the world. They even outlived dinosaurs, and the evolution of these creatures is happening literally before our eyes. Some means of combating these animals have been successfully used in the past, but today they do not pose any danger to the longhorned beetles. Of course, you can kill pests with a slipper. However, to destroy the entire population of parasites, your whole life is not enough. After all, insect eggs have already been laid throughout the apartment. A little time will pass - and young individuals will fill your entire home.

The use of insecticides, in particular aerosols, against parasites is more effective. These poisons are easily sprayed throughout the room, as a result of which you will simply need to remove dead animals from the home. However, there are also disadvantages to using sprays, in particular, they are harmful not only to cockroaches, but also to humans. Before disinsection of the house, it is necessary to tightly close all entrances and exits and leave the premises.

Other means of war against pests: traps, labyrinths, dusts and crayons that destroy enemies with toxic fumes.

The most effective method of pest control is gels. The substance is squeezed out of special plastic syringes onto paper or a special stand. The smell and taste of the gel attracts cockroaches and eats it. And then they die in large numbers. The most popular means of such action are “Dohloks”, “FAS”, “Komabat”, “Storm”, “Global”, “Raptor”, “Clean House”, “Clean House”. Such products are safe for humans.

So, black cockroaches usually pose a greater danger to humans than black cockroaches.

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.

Methods of disposal

The actions that need to be taken to remove both any crawling living creatures and sewer black longhorned beetles are almost no different. If you see one of them, you need to immediately act according to a certain system:

The main routes of entry into housing are water and sewer pipes. It is necessary to check whether there is a leak in any place. Particular attention should be paid to risers.
Go to your neighbors and find out if they disinfected their homes. If yes, then ask how they got rid of the crawling pests everywhere. Many chemicals that are reused do not cause their death and therefore other means must be used.
Find out where the population areas are in the apartment. At the very beginning, you need to carefully inspect the kitchen, bathroom and toilet room.
Select a disinfection method and treat the room.
Close all access to water.

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There are no traditional methods for getting rid of black cockroaches in an apartment. Do not do this with herbs, orange peels or bay leaves. Strong smells will simply make them move to another place.

The only effective folk method is freezing the room . But you can only use it in winter, when you can turn off the heating and leave the house.

Boric acid

An effective remedy in the fight against large cockroaches is boric acid powder. It is inexpensive and can be purchased at all pharmacies. Boric acid has no odor and has no harmful effects on the human body, but for pests it is a strong poison . There are two ways to use this drug.

Uninvited guests love water, so you need to sprinkle powder on all places where they have access to it. Trying to find their way to water, black cockroaches stumble upon the powder with their antennae and paws. The effect of acid is lethal for them. Plus, huge cockroaches will bring powder particles to places where their relatives gather, which will lead to the death of the latter.

Black long-horned beetles live on Earth much longer than humans.
During their evolution, they became cunning and cautious. Adults have learned to avoid places with powder and do not become infected. To outwit them you need to make a tasty bait .
You need to prepare a thick mixture of raw eggs and boric acid, with a consistency similar to porridge, and roll small balls from it. The finished bait should be placed in likely areas of pest population. The delicious smell will make them explore the balls. This will lead to their death. But there is a big disadvantage of this method of getting rid of parasites - before they are completely destroyed, you will need to lay out “delicious dinners” around the house for several weeks. How to get rid of spiders in an apartment and private house

Store poisons

To quickly get rid of large black cockroaches in an apartment, you need to turn to ready-made chemicals. There are many such substances on the market today.

Crayons

Cockroaches are afraid of the action of special poisonous crayons. They are easy to use - just draw lines. Insects will not be able to crawl over such an obstacle without consequences. But the method is not very effective , because the procedure must be done often, and insects will still enter the house through all sorts of cracks.

Gel

Poisonous gels have received good reviews from consumers regarding the fight against unwanted guests. In stores you can buy poison from many well-proven products: “Liquidator”, “Killer”, “Globol” and a number of other effective means. Their factory packaging is a large syringe filled with a poisonous compound, which you can immediately start using. It is necessary to apply small drops of the product around the perimeter of the apartment onto the baseboard every 10-12 cm. After 3-7 days, the problem will be solved .

Traps

Traps are devices in the form of round or square boxes, with holes for entry and exit. Poison is placed in the center of the device. Through the holes, insects get inside the trap, come into contact with the poisonous composition and spread deadly particles on their paws and villi, thereby infecting their fellow tribesmen . The boxes should be attached in the most likely places for the population of sewer inhabitants.

When studying methods of getting rid of black cockroaches in an apartment, you should pay attention to another type of trap. They are made in the form of small cardboard houses, coated on the inside with a special sticky substance. Bait is placed inside such devices. Insects, following the smell from the bait, crawl into the box and stick to its walls . Such devices are very effective and absolutely safe for people.

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Aerosols

Spraying aerosols with toxic substances in places where pests accumulate is a fairly effective method of combating pests. But it has a significant drawback - all such drugs are very harmful to people .
The poison should be sprayed indoors, wearing a protective mask and gloves. After treatment, you need to leave your home for several hours. Upon return, the room must be well ventilated. It is also necessary to carry out preventive measures:

It is necessary to remove garbage every day after preparing food, and do not leave food and crumbs on tables and cabinets.
Conduct general cleaning of the premises monthly and prevent the appearance of rubbish in it.
Close all possible ways for insects to enter the house - seal the cracks, install protective nets on the ventilation system.

Insects must be dealt with as soon as they are discovered. If none of the above methods help, you should call a special service. Specialists from such organizations quickly and efficiently cope with the tasks assigned to them.