Boric acid for cockroaches - a reliable and affordable folk remedy

Properties of acidum Boricum

Boric acid is odorless, in dry form it is presented as a white powder, used in pharmacology, agro-industry, cosmetology and household purposes. In pharmacies you can find boric alcohol - an acid solution with a pronounced odor, but this liquid is powerless against cockroaches - only dry crystals are effective.

Despite the fact that the product is used as an antifungal and antiseptic, its insecticidal properties are known, thanks to which it is a very popular and affordable option for getting rid of domestic Prussians.

Boric acid has a destructive effect on cockroaches, namely:

suppresses reproductive function, preventing the formation of germ cells in females and males;
promotes dehydration and long-term intoxication;
destroys the digestive system when ingested with food particles;
depresses the nervous system, leading to paralysis and suffocation.

Attention! Boric acid has a cumulative effect and is harmful to insects with constant contact!

Acting as a slow poison, the product can destroy the population in the house in 10-14 days, provided that insects are in constant contact with the substance. There is currently controversy over whether boric acid helps get rid of cockroaches. But as it turned out in practice, the substance, when used correctly, shows decent results and is more effective against the background of cockroaches’ resistance to certain types of chemical insecticides. Simply put, in some cases, parasites adapt to chemical poisons, developing immunity to them. Accordingly, poisons do not bring the expected result, and there is a possibility that boric acid will act many times more effectively.

How to be?

Fortunately, nature has made a chemical that few pests can develop immunity to. Boric acid is a natural product that is obtained from borax. It is very effective at killing small insects such as cockroaches. To eliminate insects infesting your home, use a three-pronged process.

The first thing is to clear the space. Make sure no food particles are left behind or dirty dishes.
Secondly, cockroaches cannot live without water. No standing water anywhere. Make sure all pipes are leak-free and insulated.
Third, use boric acid powder.

Rules of application

Although this substance was widely used for antiseptic purposes in everyday life and medicine, the use of boric acid as an antiseptic has been discontinued in our country since 1987 due to low antimicrobial activity and toxicity. One-time short contact with the powder is safe, but systematic uncontrolled use, especially inside, can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, when using boric acid for insecticidal purposes, you need to adhere to the following basic rules:

protect the respiratory system with a mask or tight bandage;
use gloves when in contact with the substance;
treat places inaccessible to children and animals, away from open products and utensils.

Dust treatment (contact method)

This involves applying a thin layer of powder to the main habitats of cockroaches and their paths. Usually these are hard-to-reach shaded areas, cracks in the floor, between furniture, baseboards, communications, etc.

Moving along the treated surface, insects transfer acid particles to places of accumulation, poisoning the entire colony. In this case, the product destroys the chitinous shell of the cockroach, promotes general dehydration and accelerates the death of the insect.

This method of controlling cockroaches is often used as an additional method for a number of reasons:

requires knowledge of the exact location of the main pest habitats;
treated areas can be accessible to children and pets;
cockroaches will ignore abundantly scattered masses of powder, so you need to distribute the crystals evenly in a thin layer.

How to remove cockroaches from an apartment - preparing the premises

In order for boric acid to work against cockroaches with maximum force, you need to properly prepare the rooms.

Do a general cleaning of the apartment, paying special attention to the kitchen. There should not be a crumb of food left for the cockroaches. In this case, insects will feast only on poisonous bait.
Limit the Prussians' access to water. After poisoning, they will be thirsty. If cockroaches don't find water, they will disappear much faster.
Pay attention to the trash can. Wash it regularly and do not leave it in the kitchen overnight.
After eating, hide all food in the refrigerator and seal it tightly. Wipe the table immediately and get rid of the slightest crumbs of bread.

Application

When the room is ready, the fight against cockroaches with boric acid begins. To make it work faster, be sure to put the balls:

Along the baseboard.
Next to the sink.
With small gaps behind the furniture.
Next to the stove.
Near the refrigerator.
Under the kitchen table.

If you want to use the balls in the bathroom or in rooms, then place them in dark, hard-to-reach places. Cockroaches will not eat the bait if it is placed in front of everyone. Now you know how to remove cockroaches with boric acid.

Liquid bait (intestinal method)

Edible baits, for example, liquid baits with the addition of a toxic substance, are more effective in combating the cockroach population. These insects are known to love water and can often be found in the bathroom or near the kitchen sink. The principle of operation of this method is to force you to drink water with boric acid, eliminating the possibility of finding other sources of liquid.

Experimental studies show that it does not take long to wait for results: most individuals die in the first days. The use of intestinal and contact methods is especially effective. Insects become dehydrated and use liquid bait to quench their thirst.

How to make and use liquid bait:

dissolve boric acid in a small amount of water;
pour into small containers (you can use saucers, lids, etc.);
place it in secluded places.

Tip: To prevent cockroaches from ignoring the bait, eliminate alternative drinking sources. The sink, drain pipes, and dishes must be dry, and water containers must be closed.

Common Mistakes

Many people poison cockroaches incorrectly, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the substance or completely eliminating it. Now we will talk about the most common mistakes that people make when baiting insects with boric acid.

Available fluid sources

As mentioned above, a cockroach can cleanse the body with water, so you need to carefully isolate them. Many people forget to wipe down dripping water from a sink or bathtub or fix a leaking faucet, creating an opening for pests.

Incorrect placement of poison

Cockroaches are not stupid at all - they will not climb onto a pile of powder poured in the corner of the room. For the poison to be effective, it must be distributed evenly throughout the room, paying special attention to the paths of movement of insects.

Incorrect drug concentration

If the acid concentration is too low, it will cause virtually no harm to the insect, but if it is too high, it will simply scare it away from the bait. Carefully follow the dosage indicated in the recipes.

Boric acid balls for cockroaches

The optimal form of combating domestic cockroaches using Boricum acidum is solid edible bait. There are many recipes for preparing poisoned cakes, balls or pastes, but, as it turned out in practice, balls are the most convenient form. Below are some recipes using improvised ingredients.

With egg

In this case, you only need the yolk - the mass molds well and arouses food interest among the Prussians.

Ingredients:

boric acid sachet – 1 pc.;
yolk – 1 pc.;
unrefined vegetable oil – 5 ml;
vanillin - a pinch.

How to cook:

Mash the boiled yolk until smooth.
Add the product and vanillin, add oil.
Mix until smooth and form into small balls.
Place in places where insects gather.

Advice ! You can use raw yolk, but increase the amount of bulk ingredients to thicken the mass.

With sugar

The result is an elastic sweet dough - a deadly dessert for mustachioed neighbors.

What you will need:

acid – 60 g;
powdered sugar – 60 g;
potato starch – 60 g;
vanillin or vanilla sugar – 5 g;
water – 10 ml.

How to cook:

Place dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Add a little water until a thick, homogeneous mass is obtained.
Roll into balls and place them in hard-to-reach places.
With yolk and potatoes

A similar bait is obtained by adding boiled potatoes.

What you will need:

boiled potatoes – 1 pc.;
egg yolk – 1 pc.;
boric acid – 1 sachet.

How to cook:

Mash the potatoes and yolk into a mass.
Add the contents of the bag, mix and make balls.

With flour

Instead of potatoes and starch, you can use regular wheat flour.

What you will need:

raw yolk – 1 pc.;
sugar – 50 g;
boric acid – 50 g;
flour – 2 tbsp. l.;
water – 10 ml.

How to cook:

Mix dry ingredients.
Add yolk and water, mix.
Roll into balls or make flat cakes.
With bread (+ with cookies)

Since Prussians are not averse to eating sweet and starchy foods, you can prepare poisoned baits with the addition of baked goods, bread or cookies.

What you will need:

bread crumb or cookies – 50 g;
milk – 10 ml;
acid powder – 1 pack.

How to cook:

Cookies or bread are soaked in a small amount of milk until thick.
The poisonous agent is added and mixed.
The bait is laid out in portions in the required places.

Pros and cons of the product

The popularity of such a remedy for cockroaches as boric acid is due to many factors, the determining ones of which are the availability of the poison and proven effectiveness. As a result of laboratory studies, sensitivity to boric acid of all types of synanthropic cockroaches, as well as its accumulative effect, was revealed. But a visible result from use is achieved only if the toxic substance enters through the digestive system. To do this, the acid must be attractive as food for these insects.

Other benefits of using acidum Boricum:

does not cause addiction and resistance in insects, unlike chemical insecticides;
processing and food baits are relatively harmless to people and animals, in comparison with chemical treatment with insecticides, there is no need to leave the room or ventilate it after treatment;
the product has no odor, taste, and does not produce toxic fumes;
does not require special disposal conditions, like poisons and toxic waste;
high toxicity for cockroaches with a high mortality rate and sterilization of surviving individuals.

However, there are also disadvantages:

cumulative poison. It takes time for a visible result and a reduction in the colony - the cockroaches do not die immediately. Lethal outcome, as well as sterilization, occurs after 10-14 days of regular consumption of baits with boric acid. This is taking into account that the balls or liquid are effective and attractive to cockroaches;
time costs. A large population requires a lot of poisoned raw materials and, accordingly, time to lay bait;
the product will help in the fight only against adults and nymphs. Eggs, for obvious reasons, cannot be destroyed, so after a certain period of time repeated processing is necessary.

Prevention measures

It is important to understand that one-time placement of edible baits does not guarantee complete destruction of insects in a short time. Systematic processing and compliance with conditions that prevent the reappearance of Prussians is needed. Here are some tips:

Observe proportions when making baits and use the most attractive products for cockroaches. The main goal is the food attractiveness of the bait for insects;
get rid of other possible sources of food for insects (crumbs and leftover food on the table and surfaces, open trash containers, cat food, unwashed dishes in the public domain);
cockroaches are attracted to water and moisture, make sure that you exclude all sources of water in the apartment;
block “escape routes” - ventilation holes, cracks in the floor, drains (if you cannot completely close the holes, install a fine mesh);
periodically treat the entire living area for preventive purposes. Even if there are no insects, this minimizes the likelihood of them migrating from neighbors.

It is easier to fight cockroaches in a private house than in an apartment - the area is isolated, and it will be difficult for annoying insects to safely change their place of residence. Another thing is apartment buildings. Often, after treatment, cockroaches simply abandon their nests and migrate to their neighbors. That is why it is necessary to close all communication passages, even if you do not have problems with cockroaches.

Useful tips

Before you start poisoning insects, you should take care of the cleanliness of your home. It is important to carry out general cleaning, wash the floors and walls in all long-forgotten places. You should also regularly collect leftover food and moisture.

It’s important not just to know how to poison cockroaches with boric acid, but how to make sure they don’t come back. It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the room, not allow moisture to accumulate, regularly change baits, and update the paths with boron powder.