The ubiquitous cockroaches are very annoying neighbors. As soon as you have carried out a general cleaning, cleaned all the corners and walked through the cracks with a special gel designed to rid your home of uninvited guests forever, curious mustaches are already peeking out from behind the baseboard. We want to tell you about how to make cockroach traps with your own hands. There are a huge number of options for this today; you can choose them to suit every taste.
Pros of home traps
Why is it more convenient to make a trap yourself? As numerous reviews say, this will minimize costs. In addition, home-made cockroach traps can be completely safe for children and pets, which cannot be said for sure about products purchased in specialized stores.
Such traps can be used regularly, which will not be burdensome for the family budget. Reviews from people who constantly use similar methods to keep their home clean emphasize the high effectiveness of home remedies. In general, anyone can make traps for cockroaches with their own hands, so let's start making them.
Prevention of cockroaches
To prevent the appearance of cockroaches in the apartment, it is enough to keep all rooms clean and follow simple recommendations:
- Always store all food in the refrigerator, containers or plastic bags.
- Do not allow dirty dishes to remain in the sink overnight, or crumbs and cups of unfinished drinks to remain on the tables.
- Wipe bathroom fixtures, sinks and dishes dry.
- Throw out trash promptly.
- Repair your water supply system promptly if leaks occur.
- If possible, ensure that there are no gaps in the walls and floors.
Of course, perfect cleanliness does not guarantee that cockroaches will not appear, because they can come to you from neighbors or from the basement. However, maintaining cleanliness significantly reduces the risk that pests will linger for a long time.
The effectiveness of cockroach traps depends on the degree of infestation of the premises and the timeliness of their use.
If there are few cockroaches, purchased or homemade traps will do an excellent job of exterminating the population and will not require any special material or physical costs. Did you like the article? Was she helpful?
Reusable option
An industrial trap is most often disposable. After the insects have eaten the bait, it can be thrown away. Almost all do-it-yourself cockroach traps do not have this drawback. So, in order to get rid of an entire colony of insects, it is enough to spend very little time. To do this, you will need to think about a suitable “house” option. In addition, it is very important to choose the right bait. The simplest option is a cockroach trap, made with your own hands from a jar.
Collecting materials
You will need an ordinary glass jar. True, a liter container may be too small and will give insects a chance to quickly get out, so it is better to choose a two- or three-liter container.
By the way, this cockroach trap, created with your own hands, must be wrapped in paper so that the insect can freely climb onto it. And don’t forget to grease its edges with sunflower oil. This is an important point so that insects that get into the jar cannot leave it as easily.
You must put bait inside. The ideal option would be bread, meat or fish. The pieces should be small so that the unpleasant smell does not bother the owners of the house. Those who have repeated this experiment at home many times are advised to pour a small amount of kefir on the bait so that it spoils a little.
Choosing a place
Now you need to choose a place where the trap will be located. The ideal option is a niche under the sink, where a bucket of garbage often stands and attracts insects with its smells. Kitchen cabinets work well, as does free space under the bathroom. In general, any dark nook.
A cockroach trap you create yourself is also good because you can make several of them and place them in different rooms, experiment with different baits, and also control visits to the “houses.”
Advantages and disadvantages of homemade products
In specialized hardware stores you can find a large selection of good products and tools for dealing with unexpected guests.
However, homemade cockroach traps have many advantages over purchased models :
- minimum expenses;
- ease of manufacture;
- Complete safety for children and pets.
Among the disadvantages of homemade products, they note their low effectiveness in combating huge colonies of cockroaches. In such situations, they need to be replaced or cleaned frequently. Also, homemade traps are unable to fight insect eggs , which causes a number of additional difficulties for the owners. However, these weaknesses are justified by the availability and ease of manufacture of the structure. All that remains is to find the best option and start making a trap with your own hands.
Homemade traps are not capable of eliminating cockroach eggs, only adult ones
Such structures can be installed everywhere without feeling any impact on the family’s financial situation. Many people speak well of such developments, claiming that they demonstrate excellent efficiency and are superior to a lot of factory inventions. In general, making a cockroach trap is not difficult at all.
The main thing is to be patient and be willing to sacrifice a certain amount of time for work.
Most industrial traps are suitable for one-time use. As soon as the insect swallows the proposed bait, the product becomes unusable. As for home-made structures, this drawback is unusual for them, so the destruction of a pest colony will be more productive and faster.
To successfully design a trap, you need to consider the basic options and configurations, and then decide on a suitable “house” model. also prepare a good bait that will attract insects from a long distance.
Product from a jar
One of the simplest and most uncomplicated inventions is a trap made from a jar. To make this design, you need to find an ordinary glass jar with a volume of 2-3 liters. Liter containers are too small, so with some effort, insects can easily get out of them.
This version of the trap must first be wrapped in paper, which will allow cockroaches to freely climb to the source of aromatic food. The edges of the jar are treated with sunflower oil, which will prevent insects from breaking free.
You need to choose the right bait, cockroaches, in general, are omnivorous insects
You can use any food as bait for this homemade trap. However, special attention should be paid to the following options :
- bread;
- fish;
- meat.
The bait is divided into small pieces in advance to avoid an unpleasant odor in the house. Many people mistakenly put large pieces of rotten food into a jar, and then seriously regret it.
To enhance the attractiveness of the bait, you can fill it with sour kefir. In this case, the cockroaches will not remain indifferent and will soon crawl inside the trap.
Sour kefir greatly enhances the effectiveness of the bait due to its smell
Having completed the creation of a “house” for harmful insects, it is important to move on to choosing a place where the structure will be placed. The best option is a niche under the sink, where a trash can is often placed and food waste is dumped. Cockroaches are also attracted to kitchen cabinets and empty niches under the bathroom. In short, every nook and cranny in your home is a potential habitat for pests.
When trying to understand how to make a trap for cockroaches with your own hands, it is important to have a good understanding of the principle of its operation, its varieties and features.
Experienced owners recommend creating several inventions at once, placing them at different points. You can also conduct various experiments with baits and monitor the reaction of insects to the new “house”.
Glue analogue
If you don't have a free glass jar on hand, then you can choose another option. A DIY glue trap for cockroaches is made from a simple cardboard box. If there is no suitable one, you can glue it yourself from thick paper.
As confirmed by reviews of those who have used this trap, it is not necessary to waste time looking for a box; you can easily get by with just a sheet of cardboard, the effect will be no worse. True, this is only if you do not have pets or small children at home.
Let's look at how to make a cockroach trap with your own hands. In addition to the box, you need double-sided tape or non-drying RaTrap glue. Cover the entire bottom of the box (or the surface of the sheet) with tape, and place a treat in the center. Leave the trap overnight. This option is easiest to place along the baseboard, and the next morning to collect any insects that come across.
Rules and recommendations
When creating a high-quality trap for cockroaches, you should pay attention to certain rules and recommendations. They are aimed at simplifying the production process, as well as depriving the master of frequent mistakes.
It is necessary to adhere to the rules for using cockroach traps for maximum effectiveness.
So, when making a structure, the following points are taken into account :
- It is no secret that cockroaches are nocturnal animals, so they almost never manifest themselves during daylight hours.
- To successfully catch pests, you should change the bait every four hours. Otherwise, it will no longer attract insects.
- Every 3-4 days, the walls of the jar should be lubricated with vegetable oil. Otherwise, the container will dry out, and the caught prey will get out without much difficulty.
Glue analogue
If you don’t have a free base for a trap at hand, you can consider any other options. Among them is an adhesive analogue, which is created from a simple cardboard box. If you don’t have a ready-made box at home, you can make it yourself from thick paper.
Making a homemade sticky trap is not difficult.
Experienced craftsmen advise not to look for a box, but to replace it with a regular sheet of cardboard. If you follow the basic rules and recommendations, the efficiency of the design will be at the highest level. However, this option is only suitable if there are no pets or small children in the room.
To create a glue trap, you need to purchase double-sided tape or glue that does not dry out. The lower part of the tank (or the surface of a sheet of cardboard) is covered with tape, and the bait is placed in the center. Then the trap needs to be placed in a promising place overnight and wait for the “guests”. This configuration is well suited for placement along the baseboard, because... This is where cockroaches crawl most often.
Poisonous baits
Unfortunately, many people do not know how to catch a cockroach using improvised means and simple devices. Therefore, the appearance of new neighbors in the apartment becomes a real disaster for them. But if you take the necessary measures in time and place a special trap in different corners of the room, the result of pest control will exceed all expectations.
As mentioned earlier, any sour food can be used to attract cockroaches. However, craftsmen approach this matter more carefully, trying to make bait for cockroaches with their own hands. In this case, toxic substances are used that instantly kill the pest as soon as it eats the offered food.
Boric acid perfectly destroys cockroaches when it enters their body
When preparing bait, you can use boric acid or any other substance with a toxic composition. The mixture is additionally mixed with egg yolk or bread crumb, and then placed in a trap. This bait option is best suited for bottle containers made of plastic or glass.
After placing the composition on the bottom of the structure, it must be installed vertically at the baseboard. To ensure maximum fixation of the trap, double-sided tape or glue should be used.
Poison bait
So far we have talked about traps that involve the mechanical destruction of insects. However, another option can be used. In this case, the cockroach crawls inside, eats the bait and goes to die. After all, for squeamish people it can be a real challenge to see a jar with insects swarming in it, but in this case this problem is completely eliminated.
First of all, we prepare the bait. This could be boric acid or any other toxic substance. It is mixed with egg yolk or bread crumb. The result is a bait that should only be accessible to insects. For this, a cockroach trap made with your own hands from a bottle is best suited. The bottle is suitable for both plastic and glass. Bait is poured onto the bottom, and then the trap is positioned vertically along the baseboard. This is where the travel routes of cockroaches most often lie. To better secure the trap, you can use double-sided tape.
How to make a cockroach trap with your own hands
Homemade devices are almost as good as purchased ones. They are not difficult to make, and you can use available materials as materials. Please note that any trap must be installed in the evening, since cockroaches are predominantly nocturnal.
From a plastic bottle
A plastic bottle trap can be made in just a few minutes. Cut the bottle so that the part with the neck is 2 times smaller than the base. Pour water into the bottom and place bait. Turn the top part over and insert it into the bottom, after lubricating the walls with a fat-containing substance. It is worth considering that the capacity of the plastic container is quite small and the narrow neck does not allow the aroma of the delicacy to pass through well.
From a pencil box
A pencil box makes a good trap because of its flat shape and hole on the outside. The device is practically no different in appearance and functionality from purchased glue houses.
Cover the inside of the box with double-sided tape or fixing glue, and then place the bait in the center. Cockroaches will crawl in for a treat, but will not be able to crawl back out.
Adhesive
You can build a trap similar to the previous one from a piece of cardboard. Simply cover the surface with double-sided tape and place the bait in the center. In the morning you will find the first victims.
From cans
The width of the neck of the jar will allow you to lubricate not only the neck, but also the inner walls. This gives even greater confidence that the pest will not be able to crawl back.
To make it you will need:
- jar or other container;
- fat-containing substance;
- fabric or paper;
- aromatic bait product.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Place a strong-smelling bait product at the bottom of the jar.
- Lubricate the neck and walls inside generously with sunflower oil or Vaseline.
- Wrap the container with a rag or paper to reduce the insect's sliding on a smooth surface.
- Place a ready-made trap in an area where cockroaches are likely to gather (under the sink, behind the refrigerator, or near the trash can).
It is not necessary to wrap the container with a rag or paper. Just make a kind of path from the floor to the neck out of a piece of cardboard.
Be careful, in the morning many living individuals may accumulate in the jar.
Which bait to choose
If a cockroach smells the aroma of decaying food, as well as sweets or fermenting alcoholic drinks, it will definitely crawl towards the alluring smell. This property is used precisely to lure the pest into a trap. For baits they usually use:
- sugar;
- honey;
- sweet fruits;
- egg yolk;
- beer;
- wine;
- kefir.
You can experiment with the described baits and choose the best one in your opinion.
Homemade boric acid trap
Unlike previous products intended only for catching cockroaches, a trap with boric acid has a destructive effect. It is not harmful to humans, but is lethal to insects. The essence of the bait is based on the Prussian eating poison mixed with a fragrant product.
The most famous boric acid bait is balls with boiled yolk. To make it you will need:
- boric acid (liquid or powder);
- egg.
Mix the yolk with 30 g of boric acid powder and roll into small balls. Place baits in suspected pest habitats, excluding areas where children or pets can reach. Instead of yolk, you can use other foods that cockroaches love, such as sugar and vanilla or potatoes. Also, such bait can be placed in a glue trap, and they will complement each other’s effectiveness.
Ideal baits
Cockroaches are omnivorous creatures. They will even eat paper if there is nothing else, but, of course, they will prefer what is tastier. They are especially attracted by the smells of spoiling food. This is how insects find crumbs that have fallen behind the stove or in other hard-to-reach places. We have already described how to play on this - just leave any leftover food out of the refrigerator and pour kefir on it so that it becomes an ideal bait.
However, we must not forget that cockroaches have a terrible sweet tooth. They will come in hordes if they are promised a sweet feast. It's not complicated, just leave a juicy pear in the trap or add a little sugar. Thus, the second option is sweets.
There is another way to attract whiskered insects. Almost all representatives of this class are attracted by the smell of beer or wine, that is, fermenting alcoholic beverages. You can play very well on this by building another, very effective, judging by the reviews, trap - “Titanic”.
general information
Experienced owners are confident that a variety of means can be used to combat cockroaches. However, after the appearance of ancient creatures in the house - carriers of pathogenic bacteria, many begin to panic. Clearing a room of pests is not easy. They are able to move quickly and set up shelters in hard-to-reach places that are practically impossible to reach with conventional drugs and poisons.
Warped furniture, cracks in the floor, holes in the baseboards, garbage drawers and other similar corners are a favorite place for insects. It is very difficult to carry out complex treatment of these niches at home. The only way out of the situation is to create an effective trap , which will provide maximum cost savings and guarantee cleanliness and safety in the house.
Cockroaches can even chew their way through furniture, causing damage.
And if you can get rid of a small colony of pests using conventional traps, then to combat a huge population you will have to introduce insecticides. If the situation is so serious that even strong pesticides do not give good results, all that remains is to seek help from the city’s sanitary service and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the consequences from uninvited guests will not be the most pleasant.
To eliminate small colonies of cockroaches, a simple trap will be enough. With its help, it will be possible to remove all adults, but the eggs will remain intact.
A timely trap is the key to quickly combating the pest. It remains to understand the intricacies of manufacturing the device, its advantages and features. The ideal solution is a combination of mechanical devices for catching Prussians with chemicals and insecticides.
This video explains how to get rid of cockroaches:
A win-win
If you are not attracted to the option of cleaning and destroying insects stuck to the adhesive tape or shaking them out of the jar, but still want to see the result of your trap, then this is an option especially for you.
You will need a jar or bottle with a wide neck. Wrap the outside with paper and pour beer inside. Cockroaches, attracted by the smell, will descend into the jar and drown, intoxicated by its vapors. Of course, the drink will fizzle out and stop working, but one serving, as those who have tried this option say, is usually enough for 3-4 days.
