Cockroaches are the most ancient insects. When they settle in apartments and houses, they bring many problems to people. Therefore, many chemical and folk remedies have been invented to combat them. The most effective of the latter is boric acid. It is a strong poison for cockroaches, but is absolutely safe for humans.
The effect of boric acid on cockroaches
Uncontrolled use of the substance can cause burns and severe irritation of the mucous membrane.
The crystalline powder has an antiseptic effect. The product can be an additive to alcohol solutions that enhance the antimicrobial effect. Have you encountered cockroaches in your home?
Not really
The entry of powder into the pest’s body provokes the following processes :
- water is partially bound in the tissues and the body becomes dehydrated;
- Spermogenesis occurs in males and they become sterile;
- flora, fungi and bacteria are completely destroyed, and the sense of smell is impaired.
Precautionary measures
Working with any chemicals poses a potential danger to human life and health. Precautionary measures will help to avoid negative consequences from the use of boric acid and insecticidal preparations:
- Before using any homemade chemical and industrial insecticide, you must carefully study the instructions.
- Before starting work, you should wear rubber gloves and personal respiratory protection.
- It is better to prepare the working solution outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
- Pets should not be allowed to eat insecticides and homemade baits.
If necessary, after 7-14 days, you can organize repeated treatment of the apartment from cockroaches. If a store-bought insecticide is used to kill Prussians, it is left for a certain time specified in the instructions. After this period, general cleaning should be organized and the floor, walls and other surfaces should be wiped down.
Boric acid has long been used in the fight against cockroaches and other parasitic insects and pests. Despite this, it still demonstrates high efficiency. But if the number of cockroaches has reached frightening numbers, it is better to seek help from the professional pest control service Dez Group. Experienced specialists will treat an entire apartment, country house or office space using hot or cold fog in a few hours. The work uses an effective certified drug that provides a long-lasting effect. If you want to call an exterminator, ask questions and calculate the cost, contact the Dez Group manager by phone or leave a request on the website.
Controlling cockroaches using boric acid
Boric acid is a reliable remedy.
Pest control is necessary for all owners of apartments in multi-apartment buildings to avoid re-invasion. Cockroaches prefer warmth and moisture.
And if you use boric acid, then it will not come back again . But the drug has a cumulative effect; you will have to use several options for poisonous baits. And if the drug enters through the respiratory tract, the effect is a little slower.
Advantages and disadvantages of methods
The use of boric acid as a poisonous agent is a simple folk method. But it has pros and cons.
Pros:
- has no smell;
- is not addictive;
- acts effectively;
- kills and sterilizes;
- just used;
- It's inexpensive.
Minuses:
- requires preparation;
- does not affect eggs;
- not used in its pure form.
When using, you need to remember several safety rules. Mix with gloves, cover mucous membranes with a bandage and keep away from pets.
Preventive actions
To prevent cockroaches from re-breeding their offspring, it is necessary to regularly perform some preventive actions. They are very simple and do not require much time.
The destruction of pests should end with the following measures:
- Blocking access to the premises. During these steps, cover all ventilation holes in the wall with a fine mesh. If possible, it is recommended to dilute powdered acid and treat the inner surface of the mesh being installed. In addition, it is necessary to leave drain holes in bathtubs and sinks closed.
- Regular cleaning of the premises. Simply mopping the floors will not be enough, so it is necessary to collect and dispose of all garbage, as well as wash dishes immediately after use.
- Monitor indoor humidity levels. Cockroaches settle only in places where they have constant access to water. Very often they appear in damp rooms, so it is recommended to create all the conditions in them that will reduce the likelihood of insect infestation.
- Periodically treat the living space with insecticides. These substances will help prevent the proliferation of cockroaches and reduce their population.
Features of application
Boric acid.
Boric acid itself has no odor or taste and is not a good bait for cockroaches. Therefore, it is used only in a mixture with dry or liquid aromatic substances.
The use of balls is quite effective, only under certain conditions. They are placed within easy reach of cockroaches, but other food is removed. It is also necessary to make them small - pests tend to collect crumbs of garbage, they do not react to large pieces.
Poison recipes
The poison is most effective when it enters the digestive system of a cockroach. Because of this, you should come up with a bait that will “feed” the insect with poison. There are a large number of recipes. All of them are very simple and do not require large financial expenditures for the purchase of ingredients.
With raw egg yolk
This recipe for cockroach repellent with yolk and boric acid is considered the simplest and most accessible. To prepare the bait, it will be enough to buy 1 chicken egg and 50 grams of the substance.
You can kill cockroaches using this solution:
- Break a large egg into a small container.
- Then the protein, which will not be needed during the preparation of the bait, is separated from the yolk and put aside.
- Add the required amount of crystalline powder to the bowl.
- Both ingredients are thoroughly mixed until smooth.
- Take a small sheet of paper and place a portion of bait on it.
- Place it in places where cockroaches gather.
With added potatoes
There is another effective recipe for cockroaches using boric acid and egg. The only difference from the previous one is the addition of root vegetables. For bait, you need to take products in the following proportions: 1 egg, 1 small or 2 medium potatoes, 1 tablespoon of crystalline powder.
Procedure:
- Boil a chicken egg and potatoes.
- Prepared foods are cleaned.
- After this, their edible parts are kneaded to a puree.
- Approximately equal amounts of ingredients are transferred to a separate container, where they are mixed with acid (boric).
- Small balls are formed from the resulting mass.
- Place them in all the nooks and crannies of the room.
With aromatic vegetable oil
Using a simple recipe will help you quickly remove red insects. Cockroach balls containing boric acid are scented with vegetable oil, which further attracts pests.
Instructions for preparing bait:
- Boil a hard-boiled egg in a small saucepan.
- It is then cooled and shelled.
- Remove the yolk from the egg and mash it thoroughly using a fork or any other similar object.
- 40 grams of tasteless powder and a few drops of flavored sunflower oil are added to the resulting mass.
- Balls with a diameter of 5 mm are made from the finished mixture and placed in places where insects are found.
Using granulated sugar
This recipe helps kill most of the cockroaches living in the apartment. It uses granulated sugar, which becomes an additional bait for unpleasant insects.
You can kill cockroaches using the following means:
- Break a runny egg into a bowl and remove the yolk.
- 40 grams of boric acid are added to it.
- After mixing the ingredients, add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- The mixture is brought to homogeneity.
- Several balls are molded and placed in places where cockroaches gather.
Liquid bait
Its use is available only in cases where all requirements have been taken into account and preliminary preparation has been carried out. This bait is placed overnight and disposed of in the morning. The main task of people in this process is to deprive insects of alternative sources of water.
Order of conduct:
- In the evening, the cold and hot water supply is turned off.
- Then thoroughly wipe all surfaces on which moisture may accumulate (faucets, sink, bathtub, pipes).
- Wet dishes, washcloths, pet bowls, and carafes of drinking water are removed from the room.
- At the next stage, take a shallow container and pour clean water into it.
- Acid (boric) is added to it. The powder should be taken in proportions of 50 grams for every 100 ml of liquid.
- Dissolve a tablespoon of honey or granulated sugar in the mixture.
- The container is placed in the place where cockroaches could previously find water.
The insects have no choice and drink the poisoned liquid. Death occurs some time after water enters their digestive system.
How is the processing carried out?
In order for the insect to eat the poisoned ball, all the food must be removed. Before laying out the bait, you need to clear the room of debris and dust. Balls or solution are placed in the favorite places of cockroaches, which are usually:
- back of furniture;
- cracks and crevices, peeling wallpaper;
- all the space around the refrigerator and cabinets where food is stored;
- legs of kitchen tables and chairs;
- area near the trash can.
It should be borne in mind that even if the colony is completely destroyed, there is a high risk of re-infection. Therefore, boric acid should be placed in dark, hard-to-reach places for some time as a preventive measure.
Prevention of re-infection
The best prevention is keeping the room clean. Mustachioed visitors will never disturb you with their presence if you put food in the refrigerator on time, do not leave dirty dishes “overnight” in the sink, and regularly take out the trash. Do not allow faucets to leak, periodically inspect the walls and flooring for cracks and holes where there may be pest eggs, carry out wet cleaning of surfaces, this way you will protect yourself and your loved ones as much as possible from uninvited guests.
Where to buy poison?
Boric acid is a product that will not be difficult to find in any pharmacy in your city. In addition, it is very easy to purchase on the Internet, where you can essentially buy anything you want.
If you have a large apartment or house, you will need about five sachets for maximum effect. The cost of one is about 40-50 rubles. Consequently, even for a large room you will spend no more than 250 rubles, which is much cheaper than special products that are dangerous for humans.
To purchase it, you do not need any prescription from a doctor, and therefore anyone can buy it in any quantity that you require.
Source
Causes of pests in the apartment
Sanitary and epidemiological station specialists, professional insect fighters and simply sellers of insecticides unanimously claim that the reason for the appearance of cockroaches is unsanitary conditions, improper storage of food and untimely removal of garbage and food debris.
At least three more conditions must be added to unsanitary conditions:
- The presence of free water, which is extremely important for maintaining the metabolism of the insect body;
- Problems with sewer lines. Putrid fumes, traces of sewage leaks, places with the characteristic smell of missing food attract cockroaches like a magnet, even if the room is treated with the product;
- Devices with built-in open electric and gas heaters. A cockroach needs warmth, just like water and food.
Heaters most often become nesting sites for insects, even if the apartment is cleaned fairly regularly and food is carefully stored. Cockroaches have a good chemical memory, finding their traces even several weeks after a general cleaning of the room.
Therefore, we have to look for chemicals that can affect the metabolism and chemistry of cockroaches. The best products are those based on siloxanes, but they are too expensive compared to boric acid.
