The cockroach (or cockroach) is a disgusting insect that we generally hate to discover at home, around the corner of a corridor. Often linked to unsanitary conditions, this cockroach can also be found in a cleaner interior after having moved in with a neighbor, after moving away from home or after having laid eggs in the packaging of our purchases, then searching in your accommodation of food, heat and humidity. And knowing that a female can lay up to eight pouches (or oothecae) of 15 to 25 eggs each depending on the species, we quickly understand the importance of acting very quickly to combat the infestation. For great ailments, great remedies: here are natural tips to combine to scare away and permanently eliminate the cockroaches that have taken up residence in your home.
1) Do some major cleaning to repel cockroaches
In the event of a cockroach infestation, you cannot afford no missteps in maintaining your home ! It is necessary to carry out a thorough cleaning to reduce their access to food and living conditions conducive to their survival, particularly in rooms that they appreciate such as the bathroom or the kitchen. For a successful complete cleaning, consider:
–Clean all your appliances and furniture (interior and exterior to eliminate eggs as well as food stains and crumbs which can attract them). Don’t forget to pull them out to clean the strategic nooks and crannies behind and below.
-Don’t let never the slightest crumb of food lying around. Provide airtight packaging for your food and drinks.
-Clean the dishes immediately instead of letting them pile up and clean the hobs as well as the oven after each use.
-Keep floors clean (including vacuuming after each meal) and empty trash cans regularly. You must opt for a closed trash can.
-Use a dehumidifier or moisture absorber in the kitchen and bathrooms.
– Plug holes or cracks that could serve as hiding places for these pests, especially around pipes and repair leaking pipes.
-Recycle the cardboard packaging from your shopping immediately when you return home.
2) White vinegar to clean and repel cockroaches
Use it to scare away cockroaches that try to venture into your home. It is indeed a excellent preventive. Used both for basic cleaning of the entire house and as a repellent spray on windows, under the sink or behind the fridge, white vinegar is very effective!
3) Diatomaceous earth against cockroaches
Diatomaceous earth is a insecticide naturel which can be used against many parasites and pests, starting with cockroaches. Simply sprinkle it in areas where people pass through, along baseboards, under the oven or bathtub, in cracks, between floorboards or even behind furniture and the fridge. Don’t forget to put some in warm, humid corners that cockroaches like. When they pass over it, the cockroaches will soak up this powder and eventually dry out.
4) The drowning technique
Prepare a trap into which these unwanted little creatures will dive. To do this, for example, you can cut a bottle in half and turn the top over to make a funnel. Then, fill the container with water or sweet wine to bait them. These critters will jump into the liquid and will no longer be able to come out once they have fallen in. Then place your traps in strategic locations in infested rooms. Another idea of the same type: you can fill a container, for example a tin can, with vaseline and food or peelings to attract cockroaches. Once in the vaseline, they will no longer be able to get out.
5) Flour trapped to poison these cockroaches
Not far from their nests or places of passage, place cups which mix flour, sugar and baking soda to attract them and poison them. Mixing equal parts flour and plaster can also work well in preventing them from being able to feed. So they will end up starve.
6) Repellents to put in strategic areas
To protect your kitchen cupboards, bathroom storage or even your wardrobes, slip in cotton pads soaked in lavender essential oil or eucalyptus essential oil. You can also spray a cloth with beer or use cups filled with cucumber slices in key areas to keep them away by the smell.
7) Boric acid to kill cockroaches
Make balls with a mixture of boric acid and sweetened condensed milk to place in several strategically chosen locations. Be careful, however, if you have pets or children, as this product could poison them if they have access to it.
8) Don’t Make These Two Common Mistakes
Cockroaches adapt very quickly to the solutions used to eliminate or keep them away, and in particular to insecticides, whether chemical or natural. To increase your chances of success in the long term, do not hesitate to combine several approaches (cleaning, prevention, repelling, and trap/treatment)! If you opt for chemical cockroach traps or commercial sticky plates, nothing stops you from using vinegar for effective cleaning and essential oils in the cupboards to let them know that they are not welcome there.
Finally, note that you should not NEVER squash these crawling insects. When crushing it, the cockroach can in fact disperse eggs in your habitat which could subsequently hatch. In addition, this crawling insect can secrete pheromones which will attract other conspecifics at the time of the attack. Instead of the classic blow of a shoe, prefer to use the vacuum cleaner to suck up the beast, if possible after having vacuumed up diatomaceous earth to kill it. Then close the bag securely and throw it in the landfill or burn it in the fireplace.