Quite often, apartment residents are faced with the phenomenon of cockroaches in their apartments. Dealing with cockroaches is not so easy, since over the millennia they have managed to adapt to any living conditions. The diet of these insects consists of human food, as well as food scraps that remain either on the table in the apartment, or in the trash can, etc. In addition, cockroaches can eat objects that cannot be called edible.
These insects are tenacious and can go hungry for quite a long time. Therefore, a very logical question arises: are cockroaches afraid of anything at all? Of course, it is difficult to scare them, but they also have weaknesses, which are discussed in this article.
Factor one: bright light
Most of the residents are familiar with this picture: when a person enters the kitchen at night and turns on the light, he sees a huge number of cockroaches scattering in all directions to quickly hide. This is evidence that cockroaches are active at night, but during the day they sit in their shelters. Of course, they are not so much afraid of bright lighting as of the looming danger in the form of a person who is ready to destroy them at any moment. Therefore, whoever failed to hide in time gets what he deserves.
Cockroaches are creatures that can get used to light. If you leave the light on all the time, then after a couple of days these insects will get used to such conditions and will go out hunting in full light. Therefore, to say that cockroaches are afraid of bright light would be somewhat incorrect, although in certain conditions bright light frightens them and they try to hide as quickly as possible.
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.
Factor two: cold
These insects are considered cold-blooded creatures, so they cannot heat their bodies on their own. Therefore, cockroaches are completely dependent on the ambient temperature. If the temperature drops to +5 degrees, then the insects hibernate, and temperatures of -5 degrees and below lead to their death.
Taking this factor into account, you can easily fight cockroaches by freezing your apartment. Unfortunately, such an opportunity does not always arise. If you leave windows and doors open for a couple of days in frosty conditions of -10 degrees, then not only cockroaches will freeze. In addition, the heating system may be damaged. Moreover, the same can be said about the private sector. To combat cockroaches in this way, you need to have alternative housing.
Factor three: high temperature
Cockroaches can also be controlled using high temperatures. Regular heat cannot kill a cockroach, but a stream of hot steam immediately leads to its death. Even boiling water can cause irreparable damage to the population of these insects. It is enough to pour boiling water over the areas where pests and cockroaches accumulate and this will significantly reduce them. Unfortunately, this method is unacceptable in an apartment, as it can flood your neighbors. As an option, you can use a household steam generator, with which you can treat any crevices where these insects hide.
What are pests afraid of?
What are these parasites running from? Unbearable conditions for these insects can be created by:
- Low temperatures, in particular frost below -5.
- Presence of animals in the house.
- Strong odors. This category can rightly include all pungent odors such as the “aroma” of enamel, putty, paint, as well as the odors of some plants.
- Insecticides. Many ready-made preparations and folk remedies of this type not only kill insects that have already managed to get into the apartment, but also repel those that are just trying to get into the home.
- Lack of water in the house. If you restrict access to it for pests, they will leave your home very quickly.
- The presence of various animals in the house, including cats and dogs.
All these factors negatively affect the insect population. That is why it is worth understanding in more detail what these pests do not like.
Factor four: lack of water and food
In the absence of moisture, cockroaches begin to feel thirsty, which then leads to their death. Moreover, a lack of water is much more critical than a lack of food. They can go without food for a long time. Therefore, when choosing places for their existence, cockroaches first of all pay attention to accessibility to water. They can find water anywhere: leaking pipelines, the presence of condensation, a damp bath without ventilation, the presence of fruits and vegetables that the owners often leave on the dining table, etc. Cockroaches pay attention to all this.
When starting the fight against cockroaches, it is first necessary to provide them with unacceptable living conditions: cut off access to water and food. To do this, you need:
- Wipe all surfaces where even drops of water remain.
- Repair all faucets from which water drips, and also ensure that condensation does not accumulate due to the good functioning of the ventilation system.
- Water the plants only in the morning so that the moisture is quickly absorbed into the soil.
- After eating, you should not leave leftover food on the table.
- At night, all food should be hidden in places where cockroaches cannot reach.
- The trash can should be kept closed and emptied of debris promptly.
How to get rid of cockroaches at home FOREVER
Factor five: smells
In addition to high and low temperatures, cockroaches are afraid of persistent, pronounced aromas. Moreover, this is typical for most insects.
Eucalyptus oil
Eucalyptus does not grow in our country, so only essential oils of this tree can be found in pharmacies. Cockroaches don't like this smell and will try to find a more comfortable place to live.
If used, be aware that essential oils can be harmful to pets, especially cats. If the oil gets into the gastrointestinal tract of a pet, quite severe poisoning is possible.
Anise oil and anise herb
Anise is a plant that has long been used by humans as an analgesic, antipyretic, expectorant and disinfectant. As for cockroaches, they cannot stand this smell and try to leave the room immediately.
You can buy anise grass, make small bouquets from it and place it in places where these insects appear. Anise essential oil is also sold in pharmacies.
Mint leaves
Mint is often used to enhance the flavor of tea. While this aroma is pleasant for humans, it is the opposite for cockroaches. It is good to use mint as a preventive measure, growing it on the windowsill. Thus, you can not only expel insects from the apartment or prevent them from entering, but also fill the apartment with this pleasant aroma. Sometimes it is enough to grow mint in flower beds, next to windows, to rid first-floor apartments of these annoying insects.
Cedar
Cedar, as for humans, has a very pleasant aroma, but for cockroaches it is very unpleasant. To scare away the Prussians, just fill a vase with cedar cones and place it on a table or windowsill. A vase with cedar cones will not only decorate the apartment, but will also scare away uninvited guests, as it will fill the entire living space with a bright, lasting smell.
Tansy
This is a plant that helps a person fight various types of insects and cockroaches are no exception. The plant is found in gardens, near houses, along roads, etc. Small bouquets are made from tansy inflorescences and laid out in places favored by insects. At the same time, you need to remember that this is a poisonous plant, so you need to do everything to ensure that neither children nor pets come into contact with the plant.
Honeysuckle
This plant can also be found both in the garden and in the wild. The smell of this plant has a calming effect on the human nervous system, but cockroaches cannot tolerate this aroma. Honeysuckle helps a person cope with stressful situations by calming the nervous system.
Red elderberry
Red elderberry, like black elderberry, repels not only insects, but also rodents such as mice. Elderberry is a shrub that produces large clusters of red or black berries. Many people love red elderberry for its elegant appearance, and jam is made from black elderberry berries. The inflorescences are used as an anti-influenza remedy.
Tea tree
Tea tree has many beneficial qualities for humans, but essential oils are considered dangerous for insects and pets. This tree is the most dangerous for cats. To drive insects out of your apartment, just drop a few drops of tea tree essential oils into water and wipe the floors and other surfaces.
Essential oils are used by spraying, first dissolving them in water. They are also used using an aroma lamp. It is not recommended to use undiluted concentrated solutions of essential oils. This can be harmful not only to insects, but also to humans.
On a note! If, under the influence of the smell, the cockroaches left the apartment, but at the same time managed to lay eggs, then after a while young cockroaches will appear in the apartment, which can adapt to new smells.
Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be possible to get rid of these insects once and for all using such methods. Traditional odor-based control methods do not destroy pests on a physical level, but only repel them. Over time, cockroaches can get used to any of the smells and will no longer feel afraid. Therefore, it is better to change smells regularly so that cockroaches cannot adapt.
If in a neighboring apartment they fight cockroaches with the same odors, then the insects quickly get used to it. The neighbor's cockroaches, if they appear in the apartment, already feel comfortable with such a smell. Therefore, the fight against cockroaches requires an integrated approach.
Plants that repel cockroaches
To get rid of cockroaches , plants that have a strong, rich aroma are suitable.
These include:
- bay tree leaves
, which are a natural insecticide. Destroyer recipe: 200 gr. pour boiling water over the leaves and leave for 3-4 days. Wipe all surfaces with the resulting mixture. Laurel repels insects and does not harm pets; - peppermint
. Fresh, dried or infused mint should be spread or sprinkled around cockroach habitats; - chamomile
. Dry inflorescences must be distributed into textile bags and placed where baleen pests were noticed; - wormwood
_ Fresh grass needs to be spread around the apartment. When the plant dries, it can be sorted into bags, like chamomile, and reused; - tansy
. The plant should be harvested when the first flowers appear. Treat the room with an infusion of herbs; - elderberry
_ Its branches and leaves are poisonous to insects, so parts of the plant should be spread out in areas occupied by cockroaches.
Interesting
! Cucumber is not harmful to insects, but its smell, combined with aluminum, repels cockroaches. Therefore, fresh cucumber is cut into slices, placed in aluminum dishes and placed on the shelves of kitchen cabinets.
In addition, Prussians are afraid of the smell of garlic, wild rosemary and honeysuckle.
. Ledum should be used fresh or dry, laying out bunches of marsh grass around the house. Or fumigate a room with a plant by setting a dry twig on fire. By the way, you can fumigate an apartment with a dry laurel branch.
Factor six: chemicals
For a long time, many scientists have been busy trying to create drugs that can effectively fight cockroaches. Today, many drugs are known that can quickly cope with the invasion of such insects. The most popular insecticidal agents are sprays, gels, aerosols, pencils, crayons and simply poisonous powders or liquids. Some of them are designed for use at the household level, and some of them are designed for use by special services. As a rule, these drugs are the most effective.
Crayons
The crayons contain components that have a nerve-paralytic effect on cockroaches. Due to their simplicity and ease of use, they are very popular among customers. This is an ideal remedy if there are not many cockroaches in the house yet. Crayons have a number of advantages compared to other means of struggle, since lines can be drawn on both horizontal and vertical surfaces.
Aerosols
Insecticides presented in this form are also very popular, as they are easy to use and act on insects quite quickly. Unfortunately, using aerosols has its downsides. Aerosols affect insects during the spraying process and for a short time after. In addition, microparticles spread in the air quite quickly, which can harm the health of both people and animals. Therefore, their use is associated with a certain scheme, which does not allow the presence of people in the room during use, and also requires the availability of personal protective equipment, especially for the respiratory system.
Nowadays, aerosols have appeared not based on insecticides, but on the basis of pyrethroids. They are not so poisonous and practically safe for humans.
Gels
Gels, although they are made on the basis of insecticides, are more practical, since they contain a fatty base, which contributes to a longer action of the substance, as well as food flavorings to attract insects.
Gel-based preparations are not highly toxic to humans, since they have a contact effect and insects die due to the fact that the poison enters the digestive tract or chitinous cover.
Special traps for cockroaches are used based on gels.
Factor seven: boric acid
Boric acid is a fairly safe and effective remedy against cockroaches. When it enters the body of an insect, it causes paralysis and death. Cockroaches just won’t eat boric acid, so they prepare a special bait based on flour, egg yolk and boric acid. Balls with a diameter of up to 1-1.5 cm are rolled from this mixture and placed in places where these insects like to hide.
The use of boric acid has both pros and cons.
The advantages of such bait include:
- The substance is absolutely safe for both humans and pets.
- The substance does not have an unpleasant odor.
- The substance destroys rather than repels parasites.
Flaws:
- Although insects die, they do not die as quickly as we would like.
- If a cockroach can drink water somewhere, then it is not in danger of poisoning.
Fresh cucumber
The news that cockroaches cannot bear the smell of cucumbers comes as a surprise to many! But not an ordinary smell, but the one that results from its interaction with aluminum.
To do this, you need to cut the cucumber and create conditions for its oxidation, making it possible to combine with aluminum (for example, put it on the lid of a tin can).
Oxidation will be accompanied by the appearance of an odor that is not perceptible to humans. For a cockroach, this smell will be unbearable.
Factor eight: ammonia
Cockroaches fear the smell of ammonia like fire. As far as we know, ammonia is an ammonia solution and can be purchased at any pharmacy. To carry out preventive work against insects, you need to take one teaspoon of ammonia and dilute it in 1 bucket of water. This solution is used for wet cleaning in the apartment. This is a fairly effective method, but it cannot be used often.
Ammonia has a very pungent odor that is difficult for even humans to withstand. Even after wet cleaning, the smell of ammonia can be felt for a long time. While cleaning, it is better to use a respirator and keep the windows open. It is acceptable to carry out such cleaning once a week.
Herbs that can repel insects
Sagebrush
Bunches of wormwood retain an odor undesirable for cockroaches even after they dry. In addition to laying out wormwood branches, you can prepare an infusion to wipe the shelves, wall surfaces, stove, sink and sink with it.
When working with wormwood, you will have to be especially careful: the plant has the ability to burn the skin of your hands upon contact. You need to be careful when infusing wormwood: if you add more than 1 tbsp to 1 liter of water. herbs, the solution can become dangerous to humans.
Mint
The specific minty smell, which creates a feeling of freshness, does not please cockroaches. Mint is used both fresh and after drying.
If you don’t stock up on mint, you can buy pharmacy packaging. Bags of mint intended for brewing emit the same unpleasant smell for cockroaches as the decomposed branches of the plant.
Elder
Elderberry of any kind, both white and red, can help equally well in the fight against insects.
Honeysuckle
Extremely beneficial in its effects on the human body, honeysuckle also has the ability to repel cockroaches.
Laurel
A common kitchen spice is a real danger from which cockroaches flee. Bay leaves can be placed in different places in the kitchen, or you can prepare a tincture that is useful for adding to water when cleaning.
Preparing a laurel infusion takes time: at least 72 hours must pass from the moment the leaf is brewed (200 g and 1 liter of boiling water).
Factor nine: ultrasound
Ultrasonic repellers have a negative effect on both cockroaches and rodents. A person does not perceive ultrasound, but insects and rodents feel a sense of fear from its action and try to quickly leave the zone of its action.
If such a device is installed in an apartment, the insects will try to leave the apartment as quickly as possible. Modern products are compact in size and run on batteries. They can be installed in any room.
Chemicals for cockroaches
A radical solution is the use of special preparations for cockroaches
. The advantage of using chemicals is their effectiveness. The downside is the impact on pets.
An alternative to conventional means. The new product affects not only cockroaches, but also ants, ticks, spiders and other insects.
Thanks to a powerful jet reaching 3 meters, the product can treat hard-to-reach places. It is enough to treat baseboards, cracks in walls and furniture, the back of cabinets and then ventilate the room.
The peculiarity of the new product is the absence of odor.
Factor ten: rats
Cockroaches are afraid of rats and do not share such a neighborhood. If rats settle next to them, then the cockroaches will immediately begin to look for another, more comfortable place for themselves. They can't even stand their smell. Experts believe that this is due to food. Cockroaches believe that when rodents appear, they simply won’t have enough food.
Of course, bringing wild rodents into your apartment to get rid of cockroaches is not a good idea. Although you can get a decorative rat and let it out of the cage from time to time so that it has time to leave its scent. The result will not take long to arrive.
Which remedy is considered the most effective?
So, we figured out what cockroaches are really afraid of in an apartment. Which of the presented remedies is best to use to prevent these pests from breeding in your home? In fact, all the methods presented for controlling parasites, except for boric acid, are good for those cases when there are no insects in your house yet, or their colony is quite small. Then any of the presented remedies will be quite effective.
Useful video:
If nothing works out, in such cases it is much better to immediately contact the SES and sanitize the housing. This will give you the opportunity to get rid of unpleasant “neighbors” once and for all.
