Cockroaches are a problem in many homes around the world. While many people assume that roaches only appear in homes that are not cleaned properly, that is not the case. In fact, many roaches enter homes in order to escape extreme outside temperatures. However, once in the home roaches can be annoying as well as inconvenient. If you need to kill roaches and reclaim your home, here are a few of your options.
One of the easiest ways to deal with a roach problem is to place it in the hands of a professional. Contracting with a pest control service to regularly treat your home will kill roaches that have invaded the home and also help to minimize the number of roaches that are able to enter the home in between treatments. Many extermination services of this type provide a monthly visit and treatment as part of the contracted service.
One important bonus to using a pest control service to kill roaches is you do not have to be concerned about the chemical treatments endangering young children or pets. The treatments will use elements that effectively deal with a cockroach problem, but pose no threat to dogs or cats, and leave nothing behind for little ones to accidentally ingest. A quality extermination service will cost more, but the end result is well worth the expense.
If hiring a service is out of the question, you can use a time-honored method to kill roaches in the home. Purchase boric acid from a local chemist or pharmacy. Boric acid is usually sold in powder form and can easily be distributed in tiny cracks and crevasses around the home.
Another approach involves mixing the boric acid with a small amount of flour and water, forming tiny balls that can easily be placed in cabinets, under the sink, and other areas where roaches tend to lurk. The boric acid has a negative impact on the nervous system of the roach and will eventually cause death. As with professional extermination services, boric acid does not harm children or pets, making the compound safe to use in any home setting.
A third alternative used to kill roaches is the use of over the counter insecticides. These include spray compounds that contain various types of poison. Like the boric acid, the chemicals in the spray treatments disrupt the nervous system and lead to a failure of the internal workings of the cockroach.
Along with the sprays, there are also roach traps available today. These are usually in the shape of a small box, often the size of a matchbox. Two ends of the box are left open. Inside is a blend of chemicals that attract the roaches, working as bait to lure them into the device. Once inside, the sticky surface of the interior traps the roaches and makes it impossible for them to escape. When using a trap of this type, it is important to replace it fairly often. However, they do offer a way to kill roaches that does not involve handling chemical sprays and are often quite effective if the infestation is relatively small.
Different people find success with different methods when it comes to killing roaches. For this reason, you may want to attempt to kill roaches using simple ingredients you can deploy around the home. If those don’t seem to control the problem, call an exterminator and make arrangements to have your home treated regularly.
