20 essential oils that help against cockroaches

Where do cockroaches come from in an apartment?

Cockroaches are a common problem, which is not always a sign that the owner of the home where they appeared is a slob. There are a huge number of options for insects to enter your home. First of all, they look for rooms protected from the cold, where they can hide and find food and water . Insects can enter residential apartments and houses in the following ways:

• through the ventilation system from neighbors or from the garbage chute - this happens if the population of cockroaches has grown significantly and they are in search of new territories to live. This is also possible if neighbors carry out disinfestation measures;
• through cracks in the building, keyholes, open windows and doors - when it starts to get cold outside, cockroaches quickly begin to look for shelter, as they can hardly tolerate temperatures below 15°C;
• from stores in grocery bags - cockroaches are very fast and tenacious; the female of this parasite can hide behind product packaging or hide under fruits and vegetables. By placing purchased goods in a bag, you may not notice a small brown cockroach, which can subsequently lay eggs and independently increase the population.

Signs of cockroaches

It is almost impossible to detect cockroaches in your own apartment when their numbers are small. They hide very well, hiding under wallpaper, behind cabinets, under baseboards and in other places that are difficult for humans to reach. During the day, these insects sleep, and at night they go out to fish in search of food and water. If you see a cockroach walking on the table or floor, then this is clear evidence that there are many of these parasites. In this case, it will be more difficult to fight them than to destroy a small colony of insects. You can suspect the presence of pests based on the following signs:

• Small whitish or yellowish cockroach eggs are found in the corners of the floor. Their dimensions do not exceed one millimeter in length;
• an unpleasant musty odor appears in the room, reminiscent of mold;
• small black dots remain on clothes, dishes, wallpaper, furniture - these are cockroach excrement;
• Small brownish and black scales are found on the floor and furniture - these are the scales of cockroaches, which they shed during the molting period.

If you tear the corner of the wallpaper where there are the most black dots, you can find a whole colony of insects

What are cockroaches afraid of?

Despite the fact that cockroaches are one of the most adaptable insect species that can live even with elevated levels of radiation, there are some conditions that force pests to leave the home. It is impossible to get rid of cockroaches without a number of professional measures, including comprehensive treatment of the home in several stages. At the same time, one of the ways to combat parasites is to change environmental conditions - this will not destroy the colony, but will most likely force the insects to look for a new place to live.

Microclimate

Cockroaches are heat-loving insects, for which ideal climatic conditions are with a relative air humidity of 30–50% and a temperature of 20°C to 30°C. Therefore, they choose dry apartments that are well heated. Cockroaches do not like frost and extreme heat, as well as critical readings on hygrometers. For this reason, the activity of these pests occurs in winter; in summer they often live outside, hiding in cracks, holes and basements. Finding shelter in an apartment, insects populate kitchens, since there is always something to eat there, and the kitchen microclimate is ideal for their residence and reproduction.

Cold is the most terrible enemy of cockroaches; at subzero temperatures, their metabolic processes slow down, and after a few minutes the insect dies

There is a way to drive away insects by critically changing the temperature: lowering it below -2°C or raising it above +40°C. However, this is only possible for non-residential premises or uninhabited areas where there is no central heating or where it is possible to temporarily turn it off and drain the water from the pipes. Such differences in indicators will negatively affect both the repairs made and all the furniture in the residential building, so you should not resort to this.

The ootheca (the capsule in which cockroach eggs are stored) is able to protect future offspring from temperature changes and can withstand air temperature drops to -2°C, so the freezing procedure must be carried out twice with an interval of 2–4 weeks.

Physical impact

Light and sound affect the life activity of cockroaches. These insects prefer silence and complete darkness - such conditions allow them to move as quietly and safely as possible, find food and water, and reproduce new offspring. Using special tools, you can drive pests out of your home.

Ultrasound

The cockroach navigates in space with the help of antennae, at the tips of which the hearing organs are located. Almost all insects are sensitive to high-frequency sound vibrations, which is why ultrasonic type repellers have been produced. Waves of this frequency affect the nervous system of cockroaches, forcing them to leave the room, but for the most part such devices are ineffective. Powerful ultrasonic traps can have a negative effect on the human psyche, causing sleep disturbances and headaches. They are also dangerous for domestic animals; for example, ultrasound can cause cardiac arrest in guinea pigs.

Ultrasonic traps most often have power adjustment and are powered by mains or batteries.

We bought an ultrasound machine more than 1.6 years ago.
It works without interruption, without stopping, i.e. we don’t turn it off at all. We lived on the 13th floor and didn’t pay much attention to any effects, since there weren’t any insects in the apartment. But a year ago we moved to another city, to an ordinary standard nine-story building with a functioning garbage chute. I think everyone understands what it is. Cockroach bugs. That’s when I thought, it’s good that we have PEST REJECT. Now I think I’ll turn on this “magic little thing” and all the insects will scatter. Well, that’s not the case... It’s been working since we moved, but the cockroaches just kept coming to visit. And then there were midges, flies and moths. So we will have to stock up on old, proven means to expel them. Mesha
https://otzovik.com/review_2048553.html

Light

If you go into a room where there are cockroaches at night and turn on the light suddenly, you will notice how these insects scatter in the corners. This happens not because they are afraid of light, but because their natural self-preservation mechanism is triggered. Drastically changing conditions are perceived by the pest as a danger. Therefore, the method of killing cockroaches using ultraviolet lamps and other dynamic light traps is not effective.

If you place a Prussian dog in a laboratory under direct ultraviolet rays, it will live significantly shorter. But in real conditions, UV radiation is more dangerous for humans than for cockroaches.

If you leave a light or ultraviolet lamp on in the kitchen overnight, cockroaches will perceive this as natural conditions and will begin to crawl out of their holes in search of food. You can purchase a special light trap against cockroaches; they are not in wide demand, but there are still some on the market.

Smells

Microscopic hairs at the tips of the antennae allow the insect to navigate in space, touch objects and smell them. Considering that cockroaches often live in garbage dumps and garbage chutes, where they find food for themselves, we can conclude that they are not very selective of the aromas around them. In fact, there are certain odors that cockroaches cannot tolerate. Substances with such aromas can be used to prevent the appearance of cockroaches in apartment buildings if most of the apartments in the building are infested with parasites. It is not recommended to use this approach as an independent method of disinfestation, since it is not highly effective .

Some plants contain essential oils, which have a distinct odor and are not tolerated by cockroaches. There are a large number of technologies for using plant products to control insects.

Mint

Mint can be used fresh or dried; it has good aromatic qualities that have a beneficial effect on humans and repel Prussians. The shoots of the plant must be laid out in the corners of the rooms, and also placed in all kitchen cabinets and drawers, which may be a potential habitat for cockroaches. Fresh leaves work best, and the essential oil of this plant can be used to enhance the aromatic properties of dry mint. Having spread the dry grass in the corners and along the baseboards, use an aroma lamp into which water with a few drops of oil is poured, after which the liquid is heated over a candle flame and evaporates, spreading a bright mint aroma.

Tansy

Tansy is a poisonous plant that is a natural repellent. It can be used to control insects in several ways:

• Place freshly cut shoots in the corners of the rooms, at the junction of the flooring with the walls and kitchen units. The plant emits a specific odor that cockroaches cannot tolerate, as a result of which the pests will avoid plant barriers;
  

  Tansy is a poisonous plant that animals and children should not be allowed near, so it should be used to expel cockroaches from the house in exceptional cases.

• boil 5 liters of water and pour boiling water over a full glass (250 ml) of dry crushed tansy inflorescences. Leave the product covered until it cools completely, then strain and pour the infusion into a container with a spray bottle. Spray the liquid on the floor, baseboards, along the walls. This method has a drawback: in addition to being poisonous, the infusion leaves marks on surfaces that can be difficult to remove.

Sagebrush

Wormwood has an extremely unpleasant odor for cockroaches; smelling its aroma, they quickly leave the home. The grass is used fresh or dry, laid out in large bunches on the floor and in places where cockroaches are likely to live. Wormwood shoots are spread on the carpet in the kitchen and bathroom, and also placed on window sills, kitchen work surfaces and under the sink. After some time, the pests will begin to crawl out of their holes, trying to leave the apartment.

Laurel

Dried bay leaves are widely used as a means of preventing the appearance of cockroaches in the kitchen. To ensure that the Prussians bypass your home, you should place dry leaves in the kitchen cabinets where bulk foods, pasta and cereals are located. You can also place laurel leaves under the sink to prevent insects from becoming interested in the trash can. Cockroaches cannot tolerate the smell of this spice, so by placing it in areas of potential infestation, you can prevent the appearance of unpleasant insects.

Photo gallery: plants that repel cockroaches with their smell

The peculiarity of using mint against cockroaches is that its smell is pleasant to humans and has a relaxing effect, while cockroaches simply cannot stand it

Tansy is a poisonous plant that has an unpleasant odor for cockroaches and has a poisonous effect on them.

Smelling the smell of wormwood, cockroaches begin to crawl out of the cracks, as a result of which they can be destroyed mechanically

Bay leaf is a common spice and an effective means of repelling cockroaches due to its specific smell, which insects cannot tolerate.

Substances with a pungent odor

Cockroaches do not live in rooms where there is a strong smell, such as vinegar, gasoline or alabaster. These substances can be dangerous to humans, so these compositions for treating residential premises are used with great caution . Among the products with the most unpleasant odor for cockroaches are:

1. Vinegar. This is a strong acid that harms the cockroach with a pungent odor and corrodes its chitinous cover. You can prepare an effective solution for treating floors and cracks: Mix 100 milliliters of 9% vinegar with 200 milliliters of water.
2. Add 15–20 drops of cedar or eucalyptus essential oil.
3. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, shake, and then spray.

   
   Vinegar is a sharp, caustic substance that can harm cockroaches through contact and has a strong odor that repels insects.

Our (ordinary redheads) have gone away from... vinegar.
My little (cat) liked to nestle into the baseboards, so I poured vinegar heartily in all the corners. This clave was barely trained, but after two days there were no cockroaches. (And cats are really great at catching them, they just crunch disgustingly) Brigantine
https://forum.moya-semya.ru/index.php?app=forums&module=forums&controller=topic&id=22327&page=4

Ammonia helped us.
True, I pour ammonia from a bottle near the water pipes, in the cracks behind the baseboard, wherever possible. 1 bottle - 100 ml in the kitchen. I do this once a week. There are no more cockroaches of our own; only isolated specimens from the neighbors come running. And our plumber gave advice, although he spoke about 70% (technical), we decided to try it at the pharmacy. Then I wiped all the shelves with diluted ammonia. Sometimes I add it to the water for the floor. I really don't want them to return. The plumber was forgiven for all his mistakes! Lydia
https://www.woman.ru/home/medley9/thread/3985659/

conclusions

If you notice a cockroach in your apartment or office, do not despair! You can get rid of insects, including using odors. However, the maximum effect can only be achieved by maintaining cleanliness, timely removal of debris, and regular wet cleaning using ammonia.

But if you need to sanitize a neglected room in which massive colonies of cockroaches live, you need to act comprehensively. Smells alone cannot achieve complete destruction of insects: odors do not affect insect eggs. In this case, you need to use special chemicals, and to consolidate the effect when cleaning, regularly add aromatic agents to the water.

Herbal preparations with a strong odor will help in the future as a prophylactic agent. This will make your home a cockroach-free area.

Natural enemies of cockroaches

Cockroaches have many enemies, ranging from predatory insects to large primates. The most exotic hunter of these pests is the emerald wasp. She hunts cockroaches and, having found an insect, injects poison into it with a sting, which has a neurotoxic effect. After being bitten, the cockroach loses control of itself and loses the ability to move. The wasp takes the prey to its burrow, where it is eaten by the larvae. In addition to wasps, a large number of animals feed on cockroaches:

• arachnids;
• monkey;
• hedgehogs;
• shrews;
• birds;
• rodents;
• other insects.

At the beginning of the last century in Russia, to combat cockroaches in winter, people caught small birds and put them in cages. They were released to fly around the home, during which the birds hunted, pulling cockroaches out of cracks in the floor and walls.

The emerald wasp preys on cockroaches, the size of which can greatly exceed the size of the wasp itself.

Reviews

Anna Petrova, Leningrad region: “For me, the clear choice is Dohloks.

These insects can enter the house through any openings.

There was an infestation of cockroaches. After processing - a couple of corpses, the rest left. Several years passed, but they did not return."

Elena Kropeleva, Perm: “My mother-in-law used black elderberry. I tied the wreaths and placed them in the corners. I used everything for them: flowers, leaves, twigs. The cockroaches disappeared within a few days."

The fight against cockroaches must be comprehensive. To prevent them from returning, it is important to eliminate the reasons leading to their appearance. Treatment usually needs to be carried out several times in order to destroy not only adult individuals, but also subsequent generations. If you take the necessary measures, cockroaches can leave your home forever.

Destruction of cockroaches with boric acid

Boric acid is lethal to cockroaches, so it is used in the form of food traps as one of the most effective folk tools for controlling household pests.

Cockroaches eat traps that contain boric acid, since it has no taste or smell for insects, after which the pests die

To make homemade poison, you can use the following instructions:

1. Boil a hard-boiled chicken egg.
2. Remove the yolk, knead it and mix with 2-3 bags of boric acid to obtain a homogeneous mass.
3. We form a large number of small balls and place them near the sink, stove, and in the corners of the kitchen.

After eating the poison, the cockroaches die. But boric acid is dangerous for pets and children, so this recipe can only be used if there are no people in the house who could be at risk from this product.

In August 2014, I even had dead cockroaches floating in my coffee, it was an invasion. No matter what I did, they didn’t disappear.
Only my grandmother's old recipe helped. We buy 2 bags of boric acid and separate the yolk from the white in a raw egg. Mix two packets in raw yolk. We spread this mixture onto pieces of paper (about thirty pieces). And then we place these baits in places where the cockroaches are located and near the water: flower pots, a tap, a trash can. It works slowly but thoroughly. The complete disappearance of cockroaches is observed after two weeks. A month later, even the fat individuals who came to visit do not stay and still do not reproduce. Mechanism of action: boric acid is a terrible allergen for cockroaches. one infected person infects his comrades. She makes him feel very bad. Someone dies, most people just do their legs. I did it, and you can too. the main thing is to withstand two weeks. Glory to cleanliness, death to cockroaches! Ilyich
https://forum.zabor.zp.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=63002

What smells attract cockroaches?

Food scents can be used if cockroach traps are placed in the room. It is not always easy to find the most optimal place to attract insects en masse. This is where the smell that lures cockroaches can help.

Insects, of course, react to particles of any food, but there are products that are most effective for these purposes.

What to put in a trap to attract cockroaches? To do this, you can use a piece of onion, banana peel (which has just been separated from the fruit), an overripe pear, an apple, or another fruit that emits a sweetish aroma.

You can put some bread in the trap; its smell also attracts cockroaches. Using these products and duct tape, it's easy to make a homemade trap. You just need to lay out the tape cut into pieces with the adhesive surface facing up, and put a little bait in the middle of the tape.

Store-bought cockroach repellents

Modern insecticides are low cost, have a low degree of toxicity and do not require special skills and knowledge to use. By following the instructions supplied by the manufacturer, every person can use the product without harm to health, implementing effective measures to prevent or eliminate cockroaches in their own apartment. Regardless of the form of release and the principle of action of the drug, all insecticides can be divided into the following groups regarding composition:

• Organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) are strong, broad-spectrum poisons that have a nerve-paralytic effect. They are rarely used for treating residential premises, as they take a long time to erode and pose a significant danger to all warm-blooded creatures. This group includes the following substances: chlorpyrifos;
• malathion;
• fenthion;

According to the form of release, insecticides can be divided into:

• gels are poisons that are highly toxic to cockroaches; most often they have a pleasant smell and taste for insects. They act by contact and intestinal route, prominent representatives of the group are: “Kapkan Sturm” (gel paste), “Fas” gels, Global;
• aerosols are potent poisons that, due to their shape, can penetrate small cracks and under baseboards, destroying parasites that hide there. Among the most popular aerosols against cockroaches are Combat and Raptor;
• powders are loose mixtures that have a lethal effect on insects by contact. The disadvantage of this form is that the powder can enter the respiratory tract, presenting a danger to humans and pets. To combat parasitic insects, you can purchase Pyrethrum or Frontline M powder;
• Liquid poisons are the most powerful preparations used by professional exterminators when treating premises. These products can be divided into two groups: liquid concentrates - powerful pesticides that can completely destroy cockroaches indoors, have a pronounced unpleasant odor, are highly toxic to humans, and require special protective equipment during processing. The most effective concentrates are considered to be: “Tsifoks”, “Avalon”, “Executioner”;
• microencapsulated - the latest drugs in the form of microscopic capsules that contain poisons. These products are considered safe for people and animals and last for several weeks. The product can be purchased under the following names: GET Total, “Delta Zone”, “Xulat Micro”;

Photo gallery: industrial preparations for cockroaches

The disappearance of insects begins within a few hours after contact with Global gel

Combat spray has an effect only on adult individuals, but the product is practically powerless against larvae and laid eggs.

"Frontline M" causes contact-intestinal disorder in cockroaches, leading to instant death

"Tsifoks" is an effective, fast-acting universal drug

The Raptor aquafumigator is very simple and safe to use

Glue trap - sticky death

Sticky traps or house traps are compact cardboard boxes with holes in the sides. Inside the “house” there is a bait that attracts with its strong aroma. The bottom of the trap is covered with a special adhesive tape coated with starch glue. Sensing a pleasant smell, cockroaches head straight into the trap, where they stick tightly. It is almost impossible to get out of such a house.

Using sticky traps is not difficult at all. It is enough to separate the layer of paper that covers the bottom, give the structure the shape of a house and place it in places where cockroaches actively live - under the sink, near ventilation ducts, behind furniture, under the refrigerator, etc.

Another important advantage of this method of fighting insects is its absolute safety for people and pets. House traps can be safely used where there are small children and people prone to allergic reactions. You can buy them in hardware stores, supermarkets, and at the market. The cost is quite affordable - from 70 to 100 rubles.

Important! Traps have certain capacity indicators. Be sure to change them as they become full of cockroaches, otherwise they will simply stop working!

Unfortunately, sticky houses are unable to control large colonies of insects and have absolutely no effect on eggs or larvae. The most popular brands of sticky houses are:

• “Foresight” – remains active for up to 3 months, costs from 55 to 65 rubles;
• “Mashenka” is one of the most budget-friendly means - it costs about 25 rubles;
• “Obstacle” – for 2 sq. m. you will need 1 such house, it costs from 50 to 60 rubles;
• "Argus" - available in packages of 1 to 5 pieces, the cost of a package is about 30 rubles.

Each of these products can be used where food is stored.

Review:

Svetlana: “There have been cockroaches in our house for years, but they have become especially fond of our apartment. The fact is that there is often food left in the cat’s bowl, which they enjoy with great pleasure. I didn’t really want to use any poisons - they were afraid that the cat might get poisoned. We decided to use sticky traps. We bought several pieces and placed them throughout the apartment. They very quickly filled with parasites, so I had to buy another batch, since the traps are quite inexpensive. As a result, the number of cockroaches became smaller every day, and then they disappeared completely.”

Preventing the appearance of cockroaches in the apartment

Preventing the appearance of cockroaches in an apartment is much easier than dealing with an already widespread colony of insects. To keep pests away from your apartment, you can use the following recommendations:

• if the apartment is located in an old-style apartment building, where there is a common ventilation system and a garbage disposal, it is necessary to seal the ventilation holes in the room with a fine mesh. If possible, sealing should be achieved at the entrance and exit points of sewer and heating pipes to the apartment;
• all food, including bulk products, must be kept closed in airtight containers;
• All food debris, including crumbs, should be promptly removed from work surfaces, tables and floors. You need to wash dishes immediately after eating or cooking, without leaving “mountains” in the sink;
• if there are animals in the house, it is necessary to constantly clean the places where they eat, wash food and water bowls;
• To collect waste, you should use buckets with a tight-fitting lid that will not allow insects access to the waste;
• Most of all, cockroaches need moisture, so it is necessary to wipe dishes, countertops and the sink, which will discourage insects from living in your apartment.

Temperature effect

Cold against cockroaches

One of the oldest methods of removing insects from a living space is freezing it out. Cockroaches are afraid of the cold because they are cold-blooded creatures.

die or hibernate. In order for the cold to have a detrimental effect on all insects living in the house, it is necessary to leave the room without heating for two to three days.

When this method began, most people lived in private houses. In winter, they moved to neighbors for several days, and simply did not heat their house. The frost destroyed all cockroaches, bed bugs and other pests. After which the owners returned to their home.

Modern residents of apartment buildings with central heating cannot use this method of fighting cockroaches. But if in cold weather you open all the windows in the apartment for at least a day, the cold will scare away arthropods and temporarily rid the room of them.

Ultrasound causes an unpleasant sensation to many living creatures, including cockroaches. Long-term exposure to an ultrasonic repeller can cause a Prussian to flee from the apartment. But others will come instead. It is difficult to say how effective the constant use of ultrasound is. There is a possibility that arthropods will get used to this repeller and stop paying attention to it.