Scary evidence shows cockroaches can survive massive doses of radiation, making them one of the most resilient and tough creatures.
While impressive, their resilience becomes a real pain when they come into your home and eat your food.
So what kills cockroaches instantly? Keep reading for a few tips for ridding your house of these gross bugs.
Why Do I Have Cockroaches?
Having cockroaches does not mean you have a disgusting home. They have basic needs, like humans, and can survive by living in your house. Below are a few reasons cockroaches have entered your home:
Food: Cockroaches do not have a refined palate. They will eat anything they can access, including discarded food, crumb, pet food, and even soap. Cockroaches often roam around kitchens, cabinets, and sometimes bathrooms looking for anything to eat.
Moisture: Cockroaches are also attracted to water and wet places. They need water, so are often drawn toward moist areas like drains, tubs, showers, and sinks.
Shelter: Despite being one of the toughest insects, cockroaches seek shelter and warmth, just like humans. Roaches look for warm environments between 70º and 80ºF. Unfortunately, this is the temperature humans prefer too, making human homes an appealing place for roaches to hang out.
What Kills Cockroaches Instantly
Ready to get rid of the roaches? Yes. But what kills cockroaches instantly? These insects are some of the most resilient creatures, so killing them isn’t easy. Below are ways to kill cockroaches instantly:
- Baking Soda: You probably already have this roach-killing ingredient in your pantry. Mixing sugar with baking soda will lure the roaches to eat, and the baking soda will cause their stomachs to swell and eventually explode.
- Bleach: Bleach kills everything! Spraying cockroaches with bleach or an ammonia mixture will poison them, but be cautious with this powerful chemical.
- Borax: Borax is a classic roach killer. It’s a powdery substance which is a kind of salt. It dehydrates the cockroaches’ exoskeletons and kills them.
- Boric Acid: Another powder solution is boric acid, dehydrating the exoskeleton until they die.
- Diatomaceous Earth: This solution is a type of powder with fossilized algae. When roaches come in contact with it, the powder absorbs all oil and fat from the exoskeleton, resulting in death (similar to borax).
- Gel Bait: A gel bait is a substance you can apply in small dots around your home. It will lure the roaches to eat but contains insecticides to kill them.
- Pyrethroid-Based Sprays: These sprays are neurotoxic, preventing the neurons from functioning. The roaches become paralyzed and eventually starve to death.
- Roach Fogger: Roach fogger or roach spray is usually an aerosol spray filled with active ingredients that kill roaches immediately. It’s easy to spray in small nooks and crannies and won’t leave any residue.
- Soapy Water: Surprisingly, dousing a cockroach in soapy water will suffocate and kill it. Filling a spray bottle with dish soap and water, shaking it, and spraying a roach from above will kill it quickly.
- Traps: Most cockroach traps will kill cockroaches quickly. Glue traps or poisonous roach traps will capture them and kill them fast, so by the time you throw away the trap the roach is dead.
Bid Your Cockroach Problem Goodbye
Fighting the battle against cockroaches alone is a challenge. While the roach-killing agents above can be helpful when you see one, they won’t necessarily solve the larger problem.
The best way to handle a roach infestation is to call a professional pest control service, like our team at Phenom Pest!
