Folk remedies for cockroaches

It's no secret that the appearance of cockroaches in an apartment is a real disaster. Their presence in the home causes numerous troubles for household members. When Prussians are discovered, it is necessary to take immediate measures to destroy them. Today, you can get rid of such “guests” in various ways. One of the most common and effective remedies is boric acid powder. It may be the main component in poisonous insect baits.

Boric acid is a weak acid and is a white crystalline powder. This product is odorless and has good disinfectant and antiseptic properties. It is also often used to combat fungal infections.

But for a long time, people began to use boric acid to rid their homes of cockroaches. It is one of the most popular means among people to combat these harmful insects.

The effect of boric acid on cockroaches

The poisonous substance in boric acid is boron. The powder affects the body of parasites in two ways: upon contact with the product and as an intestinal poison.

Contact exposure is possible provided that dry powder is used to get rid of cockroaches. Its crystals have the shape of scales with rather sharp edges. In contact with the paws and body of the Prussian, they injure and damage the integument of the insect. Trying to cleanse itself, a cockroach may swallow some of the powder.

If boric acid is used as a component for preparing baits, it has a destructive effect on the pest’s body. It disrupts the functioning of the digestive system and leads to dehydration of the body, since it has absorbent properties.

At the same time, boric acid negatively affects the functioning of the peripheral nervous system, causing seizures and paralyzing the parasite. The insect dies a few hours after interaction with the poison occurs. Only 2-3 grams of powder is enough to kill one individual.

How to remove cockroaches from an apartment

Choose how to remove cockroaches from your apartment based on your situation. Folk and repellent remedies with a cumulative effect are good when the number of pests is low, for prevention and as a supplement to special means of baiting cockroaches. Chemicals and professional help are heavy artillery that can be used in any conditions. How can you remove pests?

Vinegar

9% table or apple cider vinegar repels cockroaches and is used to wipe surfaces on which pests move. 50 grams of vinegar are diluted in 500 milliliters of water in a spray bottle. The mixture must be applied evenly to the surfaces, paying special attention to the corners, crevices and seams of furniture, then wipe with a cloth. The procedure must be repeated every 3 days. Vinegar can be used to treat surfaces with which food comes into contact - tables, cutting boards, countertops.

Carefully!

Various sources on the Internet often recommend kerosene, turpentine, acetone, denatured alcohol and similar liquids as folk remedies for fighting cockroaches. They are indeed capable of repelling cockroaches, but, given the availability of a large number of more modern and safe products with a similar level of effectiveness, their use is impractical. They have a pungent, intense odor and are extremely flammable. It is dangerous to use them at home.

Borax

Borax or sodium tetraborate is widely used to control insects interested in sweet food. Borax and food bait are mixed in a ratio of 1/1 until smooth. The following can be used as an additive to borax:

Sugar
Jam
Jam
Eggs
Soft boiled potatoes

To give the mixture the desired consistency, you can add water to dilute and flour or starch to thicken. Bait in the form of small portions or sweep drops should be placed on cardboard, plastic or foil substrates in places where you often see cockroaches. By consuming a poisoned treat, cockroaches will die. If the method turns out to be effective in your case, you will begin to notice the first results in about 2 weeks - the number of pests will noticeably decrease.

Boric acid

Boric acid can kill cockroaches if it enters their gastrointestinal tract. You can use both liquid and powder form. In a 2/1 ratio you need to mix food bait and acid. As an attractant you can use:

Egg + vanilla sugar
Potatoes + sugar
Flour + vanilla powder + water

Baits with boric acid are used in the same way as baits with borax - placed on substrates in places attractive to cockroaches.

Carefully!

Boric acid and borax can have a poisonous effect not only on insects. Place baits only in areas where they cannot be reached by pets or small children.

Essential oils

Essential oils can only repel cockroaches. They need to be used by shaking 10-15 drops of oil with 500 milliliters of warm water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to those places and surfaces from which you want to repel pests. Oils suitable for this purpose:

Peppermint
Eucalyptus
Lavender
Citronella
tea tree
Cedar
rosemary

Products based on essential oils are well suited for use in the kitchen, for example, for wiping countertops, where the use of chemicals is generally prohibited. Even inexpensive synthetic analogues of natural oils are suitable for preparing cockroach repellent sprays.

Carefully!

Essential oils can cause allergies in people and animals and cause headaches. Use them only in well-ventilated areas. Before spraying an oil spray on a surface, check to see if it will leave a residue in an inconspicuous area.

Cockroach traps

Raid Max
BoyScout Help
Clean house
Combat Super Bait
Block
Box bait Delicia
Mr. Mouse
Stop Cockroach Oktyabrina Aprelevna
NoGuest!
Argus

Traps for cockroaches can be divided into 2 categories: “houses” with poisoned bait inside and adhesive backings.

House traps with poison can be placed on horizontal and vertical surfaces. Crawling inside, the pest eats the poisoned treat and comes into tactile contact with the poison, which then kills it within a few days. By carrying the poison into the nest on itself, the cockroach “infects” everyone it touches.
Glue traps are placed on horizontal surfaces. The attractant contained in the glue attracts parasites, and they literally stick tightly to the substrate. Such traps must be regularly replaced with new, clean ones as they become full.

Sticky traps are sold ready-made, or you can purchase insect glue separately and apply it to any homemade substrate. House traps are sold ready-to-use.

Aerosols for baiting cockroaches

Dichlorvos Neo
Clean house
Combat SuperSpray
Dr.Klaus against ants and cockroaches
Reftamide
Blockbuster
Universal monitor lizard
Super Cobra
Kra-station wagon
Raid from cockroaches

Aerosols are one of the most convenient and effective means for self-extermination of cockroaches in residential premises. As a rule, it is necessary to treat the places where pests accumulate and most frequently appear with an insecticide. Precise instructions for using the product are always given on its packaging. For the effectiveness and safety of the procedure, compliance with all instructions is mandatory.

Aerosol products are able to penetrate hard-to-reach places and quickly affect pests, but treatments will still need to be repeated several times.

Carefully!

Aerosol products are extremely volatile. Use them only after wearing rubber household gloves, closed clothing, a respirator or a medical mask. Hold your breath while spraying. Drops of insecticide should not get into the respiratory tract, nose, mouth or skin. Carry out the treatment only in an empty room where there are no other people or animals.

Concentrates for treatment against cockroaches

Attractid
K-Otrin Vg250
Confidant
Medilis-Ziper
Delta zone
Blockbuster
Cifox
Solfisan
Get
Ram

Using concentrates is the most difficult and risky option available. You need to prepare the current solution yourself, in the proportions exactly specified in the instructions. The resulting composition is applied to the surface through a sprayer, which must be purchased in advance before treatment. You cannot use the same sprayer as for moistening indoor flowers. Only a separate sprayer designed specifically for pest control should be used.

Carefully!

Accidental errors in the preparation and use of concentrates can harm health, damage things and objects in the house, and also reduce the effectiveness of the entire procedure. If you absolutely want to use this processing option, be as thorough as possible in your preparation.

SES help

High-quality expert SES treatment is almost the only way that, in combination with preventive measures, helps eliminate cockroaches forever.

Disinsection of cockroaches is carried out using professional equipment and pest control agents.
SES specialists will give you all the necessary information regarding preparing the premises for treatment, safety precautions and subsequent prevention of re-emergence of pests.
The apartment is processed in 1 day.
The first results become noticeable just a few hours after the service is provided.

At SES “Des Group”, when treating an entire apartment, you receive a guarantee for a period of 1 to 3 years, depending on the chosen method of disinfestation.

Why do you need yolk as part of the bait?

A person does not smell the smell that comes from boric acid. It is for this reason that textbooks indicate that it has neither smell nor taste. But cockroaches have a more subtle sense of smell than humans. They are able to capture aroma that humans cannot smell.

Egg yolk can remove the smell of boric acid, which increases the likelihood of cockroaches eating the bait. But the yolk itself is a desirable food for the Prussians.

Recipes for baits with yolk

Baits for cockroaches using boric acid and egg yolk are prepared in various ways. Here are a few of the most popular recipes.

With sunflower oil

You will need the following ingredients:

40 grams of powder (4 standard packages);
1 boiled yolk;
Unrefined sunflower oil. If it is not available, it can be replaced with refined one.

All you need from a boiled egg is the yolk. It should be ground with a fork and mixed with boric acid. Pour a small amount of oil into the resulting mixture so that it can be sculpted. Now the bait mixture is ready! From it you need to make balls about 5 millimeters in diameter.

This amount of ingredients is designed to treat one room in an apartment or house. If you need to carry out a complete treatment of the home, then the portion is increased proportionally, based on the number of rooms in the house.

With granulated sugar

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients:

40 grams of boric acid (4 packs);
2 tbsp. spoons of granulated sugar;
1 yolk.

All components should be mixed and formed into balls. If the mixture is too thick, you can dilute it with water. If the mass, on the contrary, is too liquid, then a little flour should be added to it.

With potatoes

To prepare another widespread bait for cockroaches, you will need:

40 grams of boric acid (4 standard packages);
1 hard-boiled egg;
1 medium potato;
A small amount of kefir.

Mash the yolk and boiled potatoes with a fork, then mix the mixture with boric acid and kefir. All components should be mixed well. You will get a mass from which you need to make balls.

Physico-chemical properties of boric acid

Use of boric acid for crop production and insect pest control
The chemical formula of boric acid is H3BO3 (or B(OH)3).

Boric acid is colorless crystals. Dissolves in many organic solvents, water. Solubility in water is low (at 20°C only 4.8%). Boric acid is a weak acid, displaced from salts even by carbonic acid and hydrogen sulfide.

In nature it is the mineral sassolin; boric acid is also found in thermal waters.

Preparatory stage before processing the premises

Treating a room against cockroaches must necessarily be preceded by a preparatory stage.

First of all, all rooms should be cleaned to deprive insects of food. It is necessary that the bait be the only source of food .
After each meal, be sure to remove the remaining food so that there is no food left on the table. You can store food in containers or in the refrigerator. You should not leave crumbs on the table, otherwise they will attract parasites.
The trash bin must be kept clean. Take it out and wash it every night.
For cockroaches, water is more important than food, so it is important not to give them the opportunity to drink. Keep plumbing and water pipes in good condition. Wipe the sink, washbasin or bathtub until it is completely dry each time you use it.

Pros and cons of using boric acid for cockroaches

Boric acid is tasteless and odorless and is practically insoluble in water. It has a number of advantages, among which are the following:

this is an absolutely safe product because it does not harm people or pets;
boric acid powder can be purchased at any pharmacy;
the product is low cost;
long period of action;
high degree of efficiency;
ability to influence various parasites;
ease of use.

However, boric acid also has some disadvantages. We list the main ones:

the toxic effect of boric acid does not apply to insect eggs;
To destroy the Prussians you will need to prepare bait. Boric acid can be used on its own and is just as effective, but it is unlikely to attract cockroaches;
It will take a long period of time to destroy the entire insect population.

Application of boric acid

Boric acid (lat. acidum Boricum) was originally used in medicine since the 1860s as an antiseptic that does not irritate wounds and is tasteless, odorless and colorless. In modern medicine, the antimicrobial effectiveness of boric acid is considered low.

Subsequently, the scope of application of boric acid expanded significantly. Today, boric acid is used as an insecticide, plant fertilizer, antiseptic, disinfectant, fire retardant, and is also registered as a food additive E284. Boric acid is used in the production of ceramics, fiber optics, fiberglass, glass; as part of electrolytes; in nuclear reactors as neutron absorbers; in jewelry - as the basis of fluxes for soldering gold-containing alloys and many others. etc.

The topic of the site “PROTECTION AGAINST PESTS” is devoted to drugs and pest control products, accordingly we will consider only its insecticidal properties.

Is boric acid safe for children and animals?

At the sight of dying parasites, many people involuntarily ask a fair question whether boric acid can harm people and their pets. Certainly not.

If there are any birds living in the apartment, then there is also no reason to worry - the powder is safe for them. Even if there are small children living in the apartment who are eager to taste everything, there is no need to be afraid. Contacting the skin, boric acid can cause a slight tingling sensation. This is not scary, boric acid powder will not harm their health. In the old days, boric acid was used as an antiseptic until allergic reactions to it were identified.

Preventive measures to avoid the reappearance of parasites

Even if all the cockroaches in your home are destroyed, you cannot sit quietly with your hands folded. No one guarantees that there are no these unpleasant insects in neighboring apartments. And if they are still there, then over time the cockroaches will gradually begin to move into your apartment in search of a favorable habitat.

That is why, in order to prevent re-infection, it is recommended to take the following preventive measures:

From time to time, you should use boric acid to treat surfaces near sewer risers, ventilation ducts, and electrical outlets that are located on common walls with neighbors;
From time to time it is necessary to prepare a new portion of boro-egg bait and place it where cockroaches like to hide. First of all, these are surfaces behind furniture, under the washbasin, under the bathtub and in other hiding places hidden from view. Baits attract uninvited “guests”, which leads to the inevitable death of cockroaches;
It is necessary to maintain cleanliness and order in the apartment, because cockroaches do not settle in places where they cannot find food.

Folk trap for cockroaches

Many people know how to fight cockroaches in an apartment using homemade traps. They were invented long before the invention of the now popular “Chinese houses”. Making them is absolutely not difficult.

Option 1. A 0.5 liter jar needs to be greased inside under the neck along the entire perimeter with vegetable oil. You need to drip beer or honey at the bottom. It is necessary to install such a trap at night in a place where cockroaches can definitely smell the bait. In the morning, it is enough to flush a lot of insects down the toilet.

Option 2. Place the tape on the cardboard strip, sticky side up. You should add a drop of honey in the middle. Despite the fact that the surface of the tape is not as sticky as that of industrial traps, many cockroaches will still remain on it.

Useful tips

To increase the effectiveness of boric acid in the fight against domestic insects, we recommend using the following useful tips:

A cockroach that has been poisoned by drinking water can cleanse its body and remain alive. Therefore, it is necessary to completely limit access to the premises of water. You can outwit the Prussians and dissolve boric acid in water. Then containers with this liquid should be placed in places where pests like to hide and move.
Cockroaches are attracted to anything bright. You can take this fact into account and make the bait look more eye-catching by adding food coloring to it. The insect will certainly pay attention to it and will not be able to pass by.

Release form and price

You can buy boric acid at the pharmacy in the form of an ointment, powder, or solution. It is also found on the shelves of hardware and gardening stores as a soil fertilizer. A liquid solution of sodium tetraborate or Borax is sold in many pharmacies as an antiseptic drug for external use. Borax with glycerin is used for pharmacological purposes. Both types of products are available in a 30 ml glass bottle and cost about 20 rubles. Borax powder for industrial purposes costs from 150 to 200 rubles per transparent bag weighing 25 grams. Borax is also used for soldering and can be purchased at radio stores.

Such an affordable price and availability makes this product a leader among folk methods of fighting cockroaches.