5 Surefire Ways To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Your Apartment

1. Baits

Baits are a safe, effective way to eliminate cockroaches in your apartment. They are substances you leave around that are harmful to the creatures.

They can work over an extended period killing cockroaches either through direct exposure or indirect exposure (i.e., when they come into contact with dead bodies or other cockroaches that have come into contact with the bait).

Baits come in different forms. You can purchase them in small containers as bait stations or as dispensable gels from convenience stores.

Popular brand names at the time of writing for cockroach bait are Blue Diamond, Max Fort, and Avert.

You could also make your cockroach bait using simple household ingredients. A simple mixture of baking powder and sugar could work if you could go for the more complicated mix.

The ingredients for the more complicated mixture are:

• ¼ teaspoon of cocoa, boric acid, white flour, and oatmeal.
• Two teaspoons of citrus pulp.
• ¾ teaspoons of brown sugar.
• ½ teaspoon of cornmeal.

Mixing the above measurements will give you very effective cockroach bait.

Please note that bait mixtures with boric acid should not be exposed to pets or children.

Organic baits like catnip and Osage oranges (ugli fruit) also prove very effective against cockroaches.

When setting the bait around your apartment, pay special attention to areas with a lot of moisture or where there might be leftover food particles. Consider placing them in common areas where roaches love to hide.

These spots, along with cool and dark areas, are noted cockroach hideout spots, where you should set up more of the bait.

For small cracks or spaces, it is recommended that you use gel bait.

You don’t have to pay much attention once you set up the bait, although you should change them out every three to six months. These baits are designed to attract roaches.

2. Pesticide Dust

Pesticide dust is a very effective way of getting rid of cockroaches in your apartment.

Pesticide dust comes in three forms: silica, diatomaceous earth, and boric acid.

Silica and diatomaceous earth work by eroding the exoskeletons of cockroaches when they are exposed to substances.

Diatomaceous earth is a safer option for people with children and pets as it is organic. It also works against ticks, fleas, and bed bugs.

Boric acid is the most effective form of the three. It is a lethal poison to cockroaches when ingested.

When cockroaches crawl over the powder, the tiny particles adhere to the bodies of the creatures, which are then consumed as the cockroach preens its legs and antenna.

Pesticide dust works best when applied as a thin film barely visible to the unaided human eye. This is because cockroaches avoid areas where there are heavy concentrations of the powder. You will be able to apply the dust properly with hand dusters.

The dust should be applied in places where cockroaches are known to hide in your apartment, like behind cabinets, underneath the fridge or other appliances, and inside cracks. You should replace the dust every three to four months.

Although pesticide dust is relatively safe, take care to apply them in places not easily reachable by pets and children.

3. Traps

Setting traps is a valuable and ingenious way of getting rid of cockroaches while also helping you figure out the most populated places by cockroaches. All these, provided you don’t mind dealing with live cockroaches.

A common feature of most cockroach traps is bait or attractant, which acts as a lure. Underneath the attractant is usually an adhesive slot sticky substance that will prevent the cockroach from moving once caught.

Sticky traps are very good at catching roaches in your apartment.

Although cockroach traps are a great way to catch cockroaches, they don’t work well in the long term.

Due to the limitations on their sizes and even the designs, the traps can only catch a few cockroaches at a time. However, they can still play an important role in catching these pests.

Cockroach traps are usually most useful when finding out where the cockroaches are or how they get into the apartment.

By laying down the sticky traps in the suspected area, the number of cockroaches caught in a particular location will confirm your suspicions.

Not only does it verify the site, but the number of cockroaches caught can also alert you to the relative population of the insects in the apartment.

Traps can be easily purchased online, in a department, hardware, or drug store.

You could also make your trap by lining the inner walls of a jar with petroleum jelly and putting some bait (for example, moist bread or a raw potato) inside the jar.

Any cockroaches caught in the trap can be killed by filling the jar with soapy water.

4. Cleaning

Cockroaches thrive everywhere and not just in obviously dirty places, although conditions will suit them more.

Like all living creatures, cockroaches need food and water to survive. An apartment where food crumbs are left lying around will attract cockroaches.

Cockroaches need a lot of moisture, so even if your house doesn’t have food crumbs, you might still find cockroaches under your sink or in your refrigerator because these places have a lot of moisture.

Here are a few measures you can take so your apartment becomes less conducive for cockroach life:

Keep Things Dry

It would be best if you tried to ensure more places in your apartment are dry before you go to bed.

Try drying your sink as best as possible or mopping up moisture underneath your refrigerator. Wipe your countertops and tables off of even the slightest bit of liquid.

Avoid Clutter

Ensure your kitchen and dining areas are as neat as possible when you’re done with daily meals.

Storing your leftovers properly and sweeping up any stray crumbs makes your apartment less likely to be visited by cockroaches.

It would be best if you tried to dispose of your garbage as frequently and thoroughly as possible. Your compost and recycling should be kept in tightly sealed containers.

Replace Items

Not many people know that cockroaches love items like bar soap and house plants. If possible, replace your bar soap with liquid soap in the bathroom sink and the kitchen.

For your house plants, try smearing oil outside the pots. This makes the surface too slippery for the cockroaches to climb.

5. Fixing Cracks

A cockroach can travel in and out of cracks through windows, doors, and windows. These cracks and holes can be as small as ⅕ inch.

If possible, do a little fixing around your apartment. Investigate areas where cracks are leading outside that cockroaches might use to gain access into your home.

Fix any damage to your doors and windows. It would be best if you considered fixing weather stripping over any discovered cracks or holes in your doors.

For your windows, fix any discovered damages with spackle or caulk. Fix all cockroach entry points.

Please note that it is advised that you notify your landlord if you want to carry out these operations in your apartment.