Although the manufacturer claims it kills roaches along with repelling them, it probably wont do a lot of damage to the little buggers since the spray features naturally-derived, plant-based essential oils like cedar, peppermint, rosemary and lemongrass. Brown-banded cockroaches are light brown and are named for the two brownish bands running across their wings and abdomen. From one study, researchers concluded that using yarrow, eucalyptus, oregano, rosemary, and mint oils was extremely successful in treating surfaces in a roach control program. The smell of lemons, specifically, deters roaches. This bait station doesnt come with any kind of adhesive pad, so it can be placed on a flat surface only, making it much more limiting than our picks. It works! wrote one happy Amazon reviewer. In a 2012 scientific study, lemongrass essential oil at higher concentrations effectively killed German cockroaches. You can see them in crevices using a flashlight and a mirror. He now works with Terro and Woodstream (Terros parent company) on new pest-control solutions. This means its time to tidy up. Whether its finding great products or discovering helpful advice, well help you get it right (the first time). The Raid Roach Gel is ideal for killing roaches at the source where they hide and breed. Frequent vacuuming and keeping the kitchen free of food debris also help. Cockroaches thrive around food and moisture sources. Do Ultrasonic Pest Repellers Actually Work? - Forbes Home They both achieve the same ends, but work in different ways. Bug expert Ed Spicer of Pest Strategies recommends taking a two-, three- or even four-pronged approach because roaches can be tough to get rid of. If you find one of these products and are okay with the caveats noted, any would be fine to tryespecially if you are rotating through multiple bait types and one listed below sounds more suitable for your needs. 4 Best Roach Killers, According to Pest Control Pros, Department of Entomology at Rutgers University, Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & outdoor Lab. Which means that the cockroaches refuse to eat the bait because they detect something in the bait that they find unpalatable. Understanding this means being ready to switch things up if youre not having success. Put food in sealed containers, vacuum up all the crumbs on the kitchen floor, and keep the counters clean. If you have a serious roach infestation, you need to call in pest control to eliminate as many of them as possible. As noted earlier, our experts dont recommend sprays and foggers, since theyre both ineffective and potentially hazardous. Manage Settings These have the same great features as the Terro stations: a see-through top (for monitoring) and the adhesive strips (allowing for versatile placement). The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute work closely with entomologists and pest control professionals to come up with best practices for controlling all kinds of pests, including ants, mice, silverfish and more. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. If the Terro baits are not available, or if you tried them without much success, we also like the Advion 68663 Cockroach Bait Arena. Powder dusters are available, but thats a separate purchase and an added expense. The roach threatens human health by producing asthma-triggering allergens, carrying disease-causing antibiotic-resistant bugs, worms, and other organisms, and contributing to unhealthy indoor environments. The Hot Shot MaxAttrax Roach Killing Powder is like many other powders in that it has boric acid as the active ingredient. Glowing customer reviews praised this product for how easy it was to use and how reasonably priced it was. 6 Tips: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches From Your Home Remedies Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. All cockroaches breed prolifically. Bait stations may work. The products included in this article are available at various home improvement stores, local home centers, and online retailers like Amazon. (Combats specific Safety Data Sheet (PDF) lists mild possible reactions from skin or eye exposure.) This specific blend included oregano and rosemary oil as well. Cockroaches favorite hiding spots are dark, warm, narrow spaces near food and water. They like to live in damp areas and usually gain entry by following drains, sewers, and water pipes into a building. And with 150 applications per bottle, its affordable for tackling a big infestation. In a 2013 laboratory study, researchers looked at the repellence and toxicity of clove and sesame oils to the American cockroach. For the biggest messes, these vacs can handle anything. Frequent vacuuming helps prevent allergies caused by roaches by removing their egg cases, excrement, and sheddings. Most roach killers contain harmful chemicals. The major downside to gels is theyre harder to apply than baits and the exposed substance is a potential hazard if ingested by humans or pets. Unsatisfied customers criticized this product for not working on Florida roaches. And even when they do work, the effects are short-lived. Bay leaves are a natural roach repellent - they simply hate the smell . Roach killers come in a variety of designs, with the most popular being gels, foggers, sprays, and traps. Start with the bait stations for one or two weeks, and if youre not seeing any reduction in roach activity, Clark suggested its time to switch to a gel or powder. One thing we appreciated in testing is that a powder wont get all goopy if you accidentally put your hand in it or rub up against it. The Terro stations are also one of the few that come with adhesive strips, so they can be mounted on a vertical surface. This powder bait comes in a pump dispenser with a 2-inch-long applicator, and each pump dispenses less than 1/16th of a teaspoon of bait powder. American, Oriental, and brown-banded cockroaches enter through gaps around windows, doors, vents, and utility openings. They also said that it had a dry formula that was difficult to squeeze out. But the Terro is far more versatile than other bait stations, which can be placed only on flat surfaces, such as floors, counters, or inside cabinets. The MaxForce FC Roach Bait Stations may be excellent and effective baits, but they are geared toward professionals, so theyre available only in larger amounts and are thus a much more expensive purchase. If youve cleaned up and are still seeing roaches, we think the easiest, most secure way to tackle the problem is with the Terro T500 Multi-Surface Roach Baits. Investing in some high-quality basics can get kids excited about camping outand help you avoid a mid-trip detour to the nearest big-box store. The Terro bait stations have a number of features most roach baits lack, which make them the most convenient and easy-to-use option weve found. IGR Device Some models can last longer than a few weeks. We did not look at sprays and bombs because, as Dr. Changlu Wang with the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University puts it: Insect bombs are completely ineffective. The same day we got it delivered, I sprayed the entire perimeter of the house outside, plus inside the house corners and closets, plus the garage. It does not mean that the repellent can only be used for one cockroach, as studies have shown that a particular substance usually repels more than one type. If thats the case, calling a professional pest control expert to assess the situation is recommended. He continued, But you wont caulk the whole crack to try to keep them out or keep them in the crack. The pest professionals we consulted also say to stay away from essential oil-based sprays, which are often marketed as all natural. Most of them only work when applied directly to the roach and offer little to no residual effect, making them much less effective for long-term control. It is best to apply repellents in or near their favorite spots, such as under household appliances, walls and floors intersect, and cracks and crevices. Roaches are killed when they come into contact with the pesticide droplets. We made an initial assessment of each one based on company reputation, user feedback, cost, availability, and a general sense of the features. They depend heavily on water and cant survive without it for more than two weeks. Just place individual stations in the desired place, says Dr. Wang. The downsides of Combats gel are common to most gels: Unlike with a bait station, gel remains exposed after application, so it can be goopy if you brush up against it. Though we didn't test roach killers in our Lab, we based our brand selection, in part, on at-home tests performed by Good Housekeeping staffers. This method is not as targeted as a powder or a gelwhich can be applied directly into the crack or crevice where the roaches reside. Not as neat as a bait station but less goopy than a gel, this powder works well in floor crevices. Thorough sanitation is the best way to keep cockroaches out. Because the poison doesnt kill instantly, there is time for the roach to spread it to other roaches. Similarly, a 2015 study conducted by the University of Arizona concluded that, although the number of patents for ultrasonic pest repellents had increased over the years, commercially available ultrasonic pest devices were not an effective means of treating pest problems. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. When using any type of pest control product, always follow directions on use and repeat applications. We independently review everything we recommend. Sprays either repel cockroaches or kill them on contact. We like that the top of the Terro bait station is see-through. Switch things up if youre not having success. Its a long-term process.. Many gels are equally effective, and one is usually available and less expensive: Combat Max Roach Killing Gel. The 5 Best Roach Killers (2023 Review) - This Old House Also, a true controlled study of poison toxicity is best left to the academics, since they are much more versed in those types of procedures. Finally, lets not forget straight-up cannibalism, in which living roaches will eat the deceased, toxin-infused body of another roach. These 100 useful things were the most-purchased Wirecutter picks in April 2022. Like ants, cockroaches are in your home for a reason, and its up to you to get rid of those reasons. None of them come with adhesive strips either. If you need to eliminate cockroaches or other pests in your home, the This Old House Reviews Team is here to help. The best way to take advantage of this natural tendency is to use a bait, which is food laced with a slow-acting poison. These baits share the best characteristics of the Terro stations. The recipe is simple: Two tablespoons of lavender flower and four to six cups of water, simmered for four to six hours. And having it out in the open might not be best for folks with pets or small kids. To use repellents effectively, you need to understand cockroaches. They can also enter through open doors or windows. Defend your home with Wondercide Indoor Pest Control. We may earn a commission from your purchases. Other research has shown that Japanese mint and Scotch spearmint oils were the most repellents of some 80 essential oils tested against German cockroaches. We also spoke with Stewart Clark, Terros director of research. And they stay put on vertical surfaces, so you can place them close to where roaches live. Both showed variable degrees of repellence depending on the oil concentration, the length of exposure, and the roachs life stage. You have a variety of choices when it comes to cockroach repellents. Mint oil extract was almost 100% repellent to American and German cockroaches for fourteen days. Harris Roach Gel uses indoxacarb as the active ingredient, so it should be similar to our recommended Combat gel and is a fine alternative, if its easier to get. This is a blanket treatment that is set off in an unoccupied room on the theory that the space fills with insecticide and kills off the roaches. The amount of time a roach killer is effective for is called its efficacy length. The study concluded that both sesame and clove oils could be used as repellents and insecticides. Many reviews also highlighted that this product had good longevity. Baits are much easier to install, but theyre not as effective as raw gels, and they tend to be the most expensive option. Sometimes throwing money at a problem is the way to go. Our repellent recommendations are EPA approved, backed by experts, and tested by us. Other essential oils can also be effective in a similar way, as you can see below. Traps: Sticky traps, glue board traps and eco traps can all be placed around the home to lure and capture cockroaches. If roaches are still present after a couple of weeks, put down a second application. Insecticides are usually necessary to eliminate infestations, particularly German cockroaches, which are highly prolific. They also eat glue or paste and starch, damaging wallpaper, books, stamps, and envelopes. The pungent herb catnip is a natural method for cockroach control that is extremely effective and repelling cockroaches while being safe to use around pets and kids. Therefore, its important to not only keep a clean home, but to also remove sources of excess moisture in your home. Mint oil was the second most repellent, and eucalyptus oil was the least repellant out of the three oils studied. Bait stations and gel baits lure cockroaches in with poisoned food and get them to take the bait back to their nests. Cockroaches carry diseases, spread bacteria that can contaminate food and act as an allergen source to trigger asthma attacks. . Coffee Grounds To repel cockroaches, mix a solution of two parts water, one part white vinegar, and 10 drops of peppermint essential oil into a spray bottle and spray the mixture around the affected areas of your home. Another study in 2016 found that rosemary oilis one of the roaches most toxic essential oils. Advion is a brand geared toward pest professionals, so these baits are not as easy to find in brick-and-mortar stores. Where it states in particular, there has been a scientific study using the repellent on the type of cockroach named. She agreed that the amount she had to buy was larger than she needed, but shes given the extra tubes to neighbors to use. Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. Additionally, roaches often regurgitateand that too can be eaten by other roaches. Our recommendations would be to treat each insect separately, giving you more ability to place the bait stations in the best locations. Dish soap can be used in lieu of fabric softener, but we found it to be less effective. Add a few drops of lemon oil to the water you use to mop your floors. Powders: This treatment is affordable and easy to apply. This works.. They can be repelled using oregano oil, which can kill them on contact or catnip, peppermint any of the other oils listed in the table above. If you dont keep your home clean, no amount of cockroach repellent will keep them out entirely. Its the most direct treatment since gels are laced with a tasty food source that attracts roaches. Extensive research has shown that ultrasonic devices neither kill nor repel cockroaches. Pest-control professionals are knowledgeable and generally efficient, but their services can easily cost hundreds of dollars.