10 things that cockroaches fear most in an apartment

Today, many people are faced with such an unpleasant phenomenon as the appearance of cockroaches in their homes.

It is quite difficult to remove these parasites, since they easily adapt to any living conditions.

Prussians feed not only on food and leftover food from the master's table, but also on objects that, it would seem, are not suitable for consumption.

These tenacious insects are not afraid of nuclear war, they were able to survive even dinosaurs, and can calmly endure long hunger strikes.

A person asks a fair question: is there anything that cockroaches fear?

It is very difficult to scare cockroaches, but they also have their weaknesses. We will talk about them in our article.

Bright light

Anyone who is familiar with the problem of cockroaches in the house first-hand could have observed the following picture: going into the kitchen at night and turning on the light there, you can see hordes of Prussians scattering in all directions in search of shelter.

In fact, they are frightened not so much by the light itself as by the approaching danger.

Barbels treat humans as their sworn enemy and, of course, do not feel love for them.

Cockroaches lead an active night life; before turning on the lights, sensitive insects feel the vibration of the floor from the steps of an approaching person and take off running as fast as they can.

As an experiment, you can turn on the light and leave it on for several days. As a result, you can notice that insects get used to the light, stop being afraid of it and come out of their hiding places.

Do cockroaches bite?

Cockroaches are, in principle, capable of biting a person. But in reality they almost never bite. The bite is an exceptional rarity. It is associated with extremely high contamination of the premises and lack of food. If a person wakes up in the morning and finds some bites on himself, then first of all you need to check whether bedbugs, fleas, or mosquitoes have bitten you.

The chances of you being bitten by a cockroach are negligible. By their nature, cockroaches are quite peaceful insects. They eat almost any organic food. They play the role of recyclers. They can chew anything: paper, food. But their jaws are completely unsuited for puncturing the skin like bedbugs or mosquitoes. Or for its dissection, as, for example, in blood-sucking flies. Or for biting like some ants. In addition, cockroaches do not have any stinging devices, like those found in wasps and bees.

Simply put, cockroaches don't have the equipment to bite people. Even if you pick up a cockroach, it will not bite you. They do not have the reflex to bite for defense.

And, nevertheless, there is reason to believe that domestic cockroaches can still bite. They can bite the upper layers of the epidermis on the heels and feed on debris under human nails. It has more to do with hunger alone. If these insects have absolutely nothing to eat, then there may be a danger of being bitten.

But you are unlikely to know such eyewitnesses among your friends. And most likely the culprits of the bites will be other insects.

Cold

Cockroaches belong to cold-blooded insects; they lack the ability to independently heat their own body. This means that the Prussians are completely dependent on the temperature around them.

A drop in air temperature to +5 C˚ causes insects to hibernate, and a temperature of -5 C˚ and below leads to their death.

Considering cockroaches’ intolerance to low temperatures, people have been resorting to freezing their homes for a long time.

But not everyone has the opportunity to use this method. It is unlikely that anyone today would dare to leave the windows and doors open in the apartment for several days in severe frost.

And people living in the private sector cannot always risk using a similar method of exterminating cockroaches.

Description of the insect

Biologists noted that today there are about 3,500 species , many of them live in people's homes and are capable of carrying about 40 types of infectious bacteria that cause serious diseases. It is very easy to recognize a cockroach by its appearance. It is an oval and flat body that allows these creatures to sneak into narrow crevices. Their legs are quite powerful, which is why they run faster than bedbugs.

Heat

Exposure to high temperatures also has a detrimental effect on baleen pests. Since even extreme heat will not lead to the death of an insect, the use of high temperatures must be approached radically.

A jet of hot steam directed at a cockroach guarantees death in the shortest possible time. You can use boiling water and pour it into all the cracks in the apartment.

Be careful, because there is a risk that water will leak to neighbors living on the floor below you. The optimal solution would be to use a steamer, steam generator or iron that has a steam function.

Professional services

Disinfection professionals use specialized products and equipment. Today, insecticides are actively used in the form of strong gels, suspensions, such as Sinuzan, Tetrix and other aggressive substances, which are filled into special equipment - a gun or a cold/hot fog generator. It is a cloud of fog with microscopic drops down to microns that can fill for a long time all the corners, crevices, cracks where insects could hide from the poison and drive them away forever. The price of the service for processing, for example, a 1-room apartment is from 1000 rubles or more.

You can view all offers from pest control companies, find out the composition of services, ratings, and compare costs on our website.

Lack of water and food

Lack of water and a feeling of thirst can lead a cockroach to inevitable death in a matter of days. The problem is that parasites can find water in a variety of places.

A dripping faucet, an undried bathtub, fruits, vegetables - nothing will go unnoticed by them.

When fighting barbels, try to limit their access to food and water sources as much as possible. To do this, follow these steps:

1. thoroughly wipe all surfaces that come into contact with water when using plumbing equipment;
2. There should be no dripping or leaking taps or other plumbing fixtures in the apartment. All leaks must be repaired immediately;
3. It is better to postpone watering flowers to the morning hours so that the water is absorbed into the soil by the evening;
4. After preparing and eating food, cleaning should be done so that food remains and crumbs do not remain on the table and floor;
5. at night, all products must be put in the refrigerator or packed in tightly closed containers;
6. Do not leave garbage out overnight and be sure to wash the trash can every evening.

Smells

In addition to temperature changes, cockroaches are afraid of many odors, among which there are a number of the most popular ones.

Eucalyptus oil

Since eucalyptus is not a very popular plant in our country, pharmacies today sell essential oils made from eucalyptus leaves.

Prussians do not like the smell emanating from eucalyptus oil.

Be careful as essential oils are toxic to pets, especially cats. If the drug enters the digestive tract of an animal, it can cause severe poisoning.

Anise oil and dried anise herb

Anise is a folk remedy that is actively used by humans as an analgesic, antipyretic, expectorant and disinfectant.

But cockroaches do not like the smell emanating from anise, and begin to leave the room as soon as they smell an unpleasant aroma.

Dried anise herb is available for sale today, which can be spread over all surfaces where insects most often run. You can also buy anise-based essential oil in pharmacies.

Mint leaves

Many housewives use mint, adding its leaves when brewing tea. And this smell is very unpleasant for cockroaches.

If, after removing the cockroaches, they begin to return again, then try growing mint directly on the windowsills. Its aroma will spread throughout the kitchen and the cockroaches will no longer want to come here again.

Cedar

Cedar oil gives off a pleasant aroma that people like, but is unpleasant to Prussians. Fill the vase with cedar cones and place it on a table or windowsill.

It will simultaneously be both a decorative element and a scent to repel insects and pests.

Tansy

This is a plant with small yellow flowers. It can be found in gardens, near houses and along roads. You can collect the plants yourself and distribute them around the kitchen.

Care should be taken to ensure that children and pets do not touch them. Indeed, in addition to its medicinal properties, tansy is a poisonous plant.

Honeysuckle

It can grow both in the garden and in the wild. The smell of honeysuckle not only frightens longhorned beetles, but also has a beneficial effect on the human nervous system. It can be used as a sedative in stressful situations.

Red elderberry

The smell of this plant frightens not only Prussians, but also small rodents such as mice. It is a shrubby plant that produces red berries. Many people love red elderberry for its attractiveness.

Tea tree

Tea tree oil is quite popular and has numerous beneficial properties for people, but is very dangerous for pets.

Cats are most susceptible to its effects. To fight the Prussians, just drop a little oil into a bucket of water. Use the resulting solution to wipe the floor surface.

Essential oils are sprayed after dissolving them in water. They are also added to the aroma lamp. Do not use undiluted essential oils. Otherwise, the smell may be too intense for humans.

Even if the Prussians left the apartment, but laid eggs in it, their young offspring will soon appear in your home.

It is unlikely that you will be able to completely rid your apartment of mustachioed “invaders” using unpleasant odors alone.

Yes, cockroaches do not tolerate them well, but this does not lead to their death. Over time, the parasites become accustomed to the smell used to fight them, and they no longer fear it.

This means that such a measure can only be temporary while you search for a more effective drug or method of killing mustachioed insects.

Please note that in neighboring apartments people can also use the same smell as you to remove the Prussians. Therefore, the parasites crawling to you from your neighbors have already adapted to it and feel completely safe.

Effective DIY traps

The simplest of traps is a jar . Take a 1-liter jar and wrap the outside with cloth or paper (so that it is convenient for insects to climb on this surface). We put bait at the bottom of the jar; use any food as bait, for example, a piece of bread. Pour kefir, or pour the smell of yeast into the bottom of the beer, which will attract cockroaches. Coat the inside of the wall with sunflower oil so that cockroaches cannot escape. Every morning, pour hot water into the toilet.

Glue - take a piece of cardboard 30 x 30 cm, pour glue around the perimeter. Glue for catching mice with strong hold and slow drying is suitable (“ALT”, “Clean House”, “RaTrap”). Place bait inside and harvest in the morning.

Box - take any box (pencils, paints, etc.), put sticky double-sided tape on the bottom.
Place a fragrant bait inside, change the trap as it fills. Place double-sided tape along the baseboards in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet and check in the morning. If the traps are full every time, think about more radical methods. Fun fact: Cockroaches release gases every 15 minutes. After death, they continue to release gases for another 18 hours. In total, the gases produced by all the world's insects account for 20% of all methane produced on earth. Cockroach gases occupy the most significant place in this 20%.

Chemicals

Scientists working in the chemical industry have spent a lot of time determining which odors instill fear in cockroaches.

The data obtained during the research was used to create drugs to destroy these pests.

It is chemical agents that have proven to be the most effective solution to this problem. The most popular insecticidal products today are gels, sprays, aerosols, poison traps, pencils and crayons.

Chalk

Chalk has a nervous and paralytic effect on cockroaches and today it is a very common means of exterminating them. It is not a very effective drug, but it does not allow the Prussians to spread, provided that their population is not very large.

Aerosols

Insecticides made in aerosol form act quickly and are very convenient to use. But there are also some negative aspects here.

The drug affects insects directly during its spraying and for a short time after treatment is completed.

Aerosol vapors with toxic substances contained in them can harm human health; they penetrate through the ventilation system into other apartments of a multi-story residential building.

But today aerosols based on pyrethroids have begun to appear. Therefore, these drugs do not pose a danger to humans, but their effectiveness is much higher.

Gel against cockroaches

Gels, in addition to the insecticidal substance, contain a fatty base, which prevents the preparation from drying out quickly, a number of food flavorings and additional substances.

Gel insecticides do not have a pronounced toxic effect on people, because they have an intestinal-contact effect on insects when the poison penetrates the digestive tract of the Prussian or its chitinous integument.

The most convenient and safest insecticides to use are those in the form of traps with a toxic substance inside.

How to poison cockroaches in an apartment yourself - top 9 proven means.

If you live in Moscow or another large city, you can invite specially trained guys to exterminate insects. They will most likely help you cope with the problem. The room will be treated. The premises will be disinfested and disinfected. They will find where the influx of pests is coming from. They will do everything correctly. But for this you will have to pay a considerable amount of your own money.

Why not try to solve the problem yourself. Moreover, there are plenty of drugs on the market to kill cockroaches.

1. Cucaracha.

Sold in the form of gel, granules, spray, bait, powder. The line also includes ECO, a boric acid-based option. The choice is large. The product has proven itself on the positive side. Cockroaches die within a week. Some drugs are professional. The price, depending on the type of product, ranges from 35 to 300 rubles.

1. Agran.

Here prices start from 300 rubles. Professional insectoacaricidal drug. Destroys both larvae and adults. You must follow the instructions and precautions. Poses a danger to people.

1. Hector.

Gektor is a popular remedy for controlling cockroaches. Contains silicon dioxide and boric acid. With proper treatment, it will quickly deal with household pests. Safe product for both people and pets. The price fluctuates around 500 – 700 rubles per bottle of powder.

1. Dohlox.

Various types of syringes, gels, traps and powders, boron balls are on sale. The self-explanatory name promises an instant effect. Manufacturers promise an effect in 5-7 days with prolonged protection for one year. Safe for pets.

1. Get Total.

Destroys eggs, larvae and adult insects. The domestic manufacturer does not promise an immediate effect, but at the same time guarantees protection for six months. Can be used both in a city apartment and in a private house. Has a neutral smell. Safe for children and pets. It's easy to treat the room yourself. The average price of the drug per 100 grams is 1000 rubles.

1. Clean house.

Available in various forms (glue traps, syringes, gels, powders, spray and others). For quick use, traps are of interest. A kind of option for the lazy. We placed the cockroaches in all the “favorite” places and are waiting for the results. And he doesn’t keep himself waiting. The insects really are disappearing. True, after a couple of months they appear again, as if by magic, if the result is not consolidated with a fresh batch of traps. The cost is about 200 rubles.

1. Battalion commander

Combat is a universal means for exterminating insects such as fleas, ants, ticks, cockroaches, bedbugs, spiders. The line includes drugs that can work even outdoors. And this is very valuable if you have open verandas, balconies, or canopies adjacent to the house. The average price is 500 rubles (depending on the type and size of the package).

1. Ecokiller.

It is a natural insecticide.

How to properly treat the kitchen with ecokiller against cockroaches?

To do this, apply the powder into the gap behind the stove and between the work table. Also treat the desktop itself. The drug consists of 100% natural substances. Therefore, you do not have to worry about the safety of your family. Apply the powder near trash containers, inside kitchen cabinets, and other areas where cockroaches are most likely to live. Treat areas behind the refrigerator and baseboards. The convenient spray nozzle allows you to treat hard-to-reach areas without much effort.

If you are looking for how to get rid of cockroaches without chemicals, then this safe remedy was created for this.

1. Leopard.

Insectoacaricidal spray for dogs Bars will also help cope with hated insects. As in previous cases, you need to thoroughly process all possible places where they appear. And wait for some time. The result does not promise to be immediate. But gradually the population becomes smaller and smaller. And it gradually fades away. This remedy is especially relevant if you have pets living in your apartment. A very good product, but lately there have been a lot of fakes on the market. Hence the mass of negative reviews on the Internet about the effect of this drug.

I hope you have figured out what cockroaches are most afraid of in an apartment and how to get rid of them, once and for all, without having much experience in this matter. If you have any questions, write them in the comments. Share the article with your friends. You have your secrets - share them with your readers.

Boric acid

Another remedy that mustachioed invaders fear is ordinary boric acid. Penetrating into the body of an insect, it disrupts the functioning of its nervous system, causes paralysis and the parasite inevitably dies.

You can force a cockroach to eat poison by making a bait by mixing boric acid with flour and egg yolk.

You need to mix all the ingredients, form small balls from the resulting mixture and place them in all rooms of the home. Attention should be paid to those surfaces where you see the largest concentration of insects.

The use of boric acid to kill cockroaches has both advantages and some disadvantages.

Among the positive aspects are:

• absolute safety for the life and health of humans, as well as their pets;
• no unpleasant odor;
• the death of parasites, and not just their escape.

The disadvantages of using boric acid include:

1. this method cannot be called the fastest, because every insect must come into contact with a poisonous agent;
2. If a poisoned Prussian can get to the water and drink it, then he is not in danger of death. Therefore, when using boric acid, it is necessary to prevent cockroaches from accessing water sources.

Ammonia

Cockroaches have an extremely negative attitude towards the smell of ammonia in the apartment. Ammonia is nothing more than an ammonia solution, which can be easily purchased at any pharmacy.

To repel insects, one teaspoon of ammonia solution is added to a bucket of water intended for wet cleaning of the room. This is an effective measure, but it is better to resort to it only as a backup option.

Not every housewife can withstand the pungent smell of ammonia, but she will have to treat the entire apartment with the solution, and after cleaning is complete, the smell lingers for a long time.

Therefore, a respirator should be used during cleaning and windows should be kept open. This type of treatment should be done weekly.

Fear of rats

Cockroaches have an extremely negative attitude towards the presence of rats nearby; they cannot even tolerate the smell of these rodents.

The Prussians do not like such competition, since they may not have enough food. They will be forced to leave the apartment and search for another place suitable for their residence.

Of course, wild rats released into an apartment is not the best solution. Buy a decorative rat from a pet store and release it into the kitchen area for a couple or three days. The result will certainly please you!

Conclusion

All the phobias of cockroaches that we discussed above are nonsense compared to the lack of water and food. They can adapt to any living conditions and to different smells, but without food and water they will never be able to survive.

If these picky insects can eat anything as food, then the presence of water is an indispensable condition for their existence.

Dehydration leads to the inevitable death of the Prussians, and this will only take one week. Therefore, the best option would be to limit the access of insects to all sources of water in the home and to always have plumbing equipment in working order.

Reasons why the remedy does not help

After purchasing the treasured product and performing simple manipulations with it, you want to get instant results. But it happens that neither the day after treatment, nor a week later, the cockroaches disappear anywhere. Most likely, one of six reasons occurs.

1. The expiration date has expired or the storage conditions have been violated. Before purchasing the product, carefully study the packaging and also evaluate the microclimate (temperature and humidity) in the store.
2. Too little time has passed. You may need to wait a little longer. Some remedies take effect within a few hours, while others take a few days.
3. Cockroaches are migrating from somewhere. If the source of insects is a neighboring apartment, entrance or basement, take care to block the loopholes into your home.
4. The gel is fake. Cases of counterfeiting of well-known brands have become more frequent. To protect yourself from counterfeiting, buy insecticide in large stores, and not in stalls or at the market.
5. The insects are accustomed to the poison. If you have previously used an insecticide, there is a chance that its repeated effect will be less pronounced.
6. The pests managed to lay eggs. The gel has no effect on insect eggs, so it cannot prevent the appearance of young individuals.

The packaging of insecticidal gels indicates the name and concentration of the toxic substance. Choose a remedy based on the size of the problem. The more cockroaches there are in the home, the higher the percentage of active substance should be.

Today there are more than 4,000 species of cockroaches. Despite the fact that people have been fighting insects for many centuries, they continue to reproduce, adapting to the most toxic chemicals. Scientists believe that these pests will survive even a nuclear explosion. It is possible to control the cockroach population largely thanks to insecticides in various forms.