The best ways to get cockroaches out is what really works.

Today, there are many tools that allow you to bring cockroaches. These include Dichlorvos and ammonia, vinegar and feverfew, poisonous crayons and traps. The survivability of cockroaches is a proverb, so not all means of control are sufficiently effective. Compare different methods and evaluate the effectiveness of the most popular store and folk remedies.

The reasons for the appearance of cockroaches in the apartment

It is known that most often cockroaches settle in houses where unsanitary conditions reign. In nature, these insects play the role of utilizers, eating up various residues. Therefore, at home, where food remains on the table, garbage is rarely taken out, and water leaking from leaky pipes will become the "promised land" for these pests.

It should be understood that dirt and accessible water are a suitable environment for the life of cockroaches, but do not cause their spontaneous generation. So, the housing contained in perfect order can also be subjected to the raid of the red horde.

The most common areas of cockroach migration:

• Relocation from neighbors. Opening doors, slots in the ceilings, ventilation ducts are roads connecting all the rooms in the house. Therefore, the appearance of cockroaches in at least one apartment can cause infection of all premises, if not countered.
• Migration from basements, garbage chutes and other common areas. Even in prosperous houses, they can lag behind in sanitation and serve as a place for primary settlement by pests. Products left by compassionate residents for cats and dogs are also unsafe. Alas, most often they are used not by four-legged friends of a person, but by rats and cockroaches.
• "Appendix" to the package. Repeatedly described cases where cockroaches settled around the world, traveling with mail, large purchases (furniture, appliances, etc.). Especially unfavorable in this respect are the countries of the “third world”, where unsanitary conditions often reign in warehouses.

In areas of compact residence, pest control will only be effective if coordinated action is taken. If cockroaches are driven out of only one apartment, they are able to move to their neighbors, restore their numbers and return in a few months.

The emergence of powerful drugs and the efforts of the sanitary and epidemiological stations led to a reduction in the cockroach population in many cities in the late 2000s. However, nowadays, experts note an increase in the occurrence of these pests in homes, shops and other premises. This means that knowledge of effective ways to destroy cockroaches in an apartment forever is necessary for modern people.

Chemicals

The main advantage of specialized products of the chemical industry is their proven effectiveness in practice. Often, one application is enough to get rid of cockroaches in the apartment for many years. However, it is worth remembering that chemicals can be unsafe for residents of the house.The danger is especially high for pets, babies, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

Aerosols

Since Soviet times, spray cans are considered an excellent way to fight cockroaches, especially with severe infection. Today, aerosols are free from many of the shortcomings that have been observed in the compositions of past generations (for example, "Dichlorvos"). Modern products are odorless, do not stain surfaces, are safe when used correctly.

When handling aerosols, follow the instructions!

Most often, the order of application of aerosols is as follows:

1. Remove children and pets from the treated room.
2. Spray the composition, following the instructions (usually it indicates the time of spraying or lists the places to be processed).
3. Wait a certain time.
4. Ventilate the room thoroughly and carry out wet cleaning.

Do not forget to wash your hands thoroughly after using any chemicals to control cockroaches!

Another plus of aerosols is an acceptable cost (about 200 rubles per cylinder).

Popular brands:

• Raptor
• "Regent",
• Dichlorvos
• Combat

Gels

The main plus of this category is the possibility of use in rooms where people constantly live. The risk that the composition will poison children or pets is minimal, because the gel has an unpleasant taste. There are also disadvantages. A means of this type is almost impossible to exterminate all cockroaches at once: it does not destroy eggs and does not end up in hard-to-reach places. It will take 2-3 treatments to achieve the result.

The gel is applied in small strokes (at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other) in the kitchen, in the bathroom and in other places where insects stay.

Popular brands of cockroach gels in our country:

• Dohlox
• Raptor
• "Clean house",
• Global

Crayons

This tool has gained popularity due to its ease of application and affordable price. Its disadvantages are the same as those of gels: it is difficult to treat the entire room, and the effect is achieved only after 3-4 treatments. In addition, strips of chalk do not adorn furniture, floors and walls.

The most famous brands are Mashenka and Tornado.

Powders

Powdered products, like small ones, are familiar to the Russian user. They are cheap, safe for children and pets, easy to use.

Among the shortcomings, experts call the need for frequent application and low efficiency with severe infection of the apartment.

Popular brands of cockroach powders:

• Super Fas
• Fenaxin
• "Clean house".

Ultrasonic Repellers

Those who do not want to take risks when using chemical preparations should pay attention to devices that can get rid of cockroaches using ultrasound. These high-frequency waves are not audible to the human ear, but they act annoyingly on insects. Cockroaches do not die from the effects of ultrasound, but leave places where they are exposed to such effects. Ultrasound is safe for young children, the elderly, the disabled.

Many pets are sensitive to high-frequency sound vibrations. Therefore, do not buy a repeller if you have a dog or cat.

Ultrasonic sources also have certain disadvantages. First of all, the cost of such a device is around 1000 rubles. In addition, there is no evidence that this device will cope with a strong infection. It is effective, rather, as a prophylactic.

Call a Sanitation Specialist

Invitation from the SES pest control is the last step in the fight against insects. Specialists of the sanitary service use highly toxic preparations for cockroaches, which provide reliable destruction of pests. Residents at the time of processing are asked to leave the apartment. After returning (as a rule, they are allowed to return in a few hours, sometimes the next day) the apartment will be cleaned of pests.

The high efficiency of professional chemistry is explained by the following factors:

• Greater toxicity than products intended for use at home.
• The ability of poisons to penetrate eggs, causing the death of embryos.
• Pronounced residual effect. Even if the cockroach survived the treatment, it will die from the effects of the poison remaining on the surfaces in the apartment.

After professional treatment, it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning and carefully ventilate the room.

The average cost of calling a professional pest control is about 3,000 rubles.

Folk remedies

If pesticides, released for domestic or professional use, seem to you too dangerous, a solution to the problem with cockroaches will be found among folk remedies. Their arsenal is quite diverse, and in terms of effectiveness, they are often not inferior to poisons. True, in most cases one does not have to hope that the problem will be solved quickly, but these options are safe for all inhabitants of the house.

Freezing the room

Cockroaches and their larvae are cold-blooded creatures, therefore, lowering the temperature in the room is very poorly tolerated. Freezing is carried out in the winter season. As a rule, the method gives good results in private houses with an autonomous heating system.

To achieve the effect in residential and utility rooms, all windows are wide open. Things are put on a balcony or street, the temperature of the coolant in the heating circuit is reduced to the minimum acceptable value. In order for cockroaches, egg laying and larvae to die, it is necessary to lower the temperature in the room to -10 ° C and keep it at this level for at least half an hour.

If heated areas remain in the apartment or house, there will be no effect. Cockroaches will gather in a warm place, sit out "frost", and later restore their numbers.

Heat treatment of the room

Imperfect regulation of body temperature makes fatal for cockroaches not only low, but also elevated temperatures. Steam generators are used to combat these pests. If the invasion of cockroaches in the apartment occurred recently, and the nest was discovered, it is steamed, destroying the eggs and larvae. Things that pests came into contact with should be put out on a hot day for 6-10 hours.

The greatest effect is given by a special insecticide - “hot fog”. After spraying, this non-toxic substance penetrates all nooks and crannies, raising the temperature to 70 ° C. To achieve the effect, it is necessary to close the room tightly for 2 hours, and the suspension will completely settle out no earlier than after 10 hours.

We scare off cockroaches with floral aromas of geranium and chamomile

Pungent odors scare redheads with high efficiency. Of the widespread indoor and garden plants, geranium and chamomile have such an aroma. It is enough to arrange several pots of geraniums in the kitchen so that the insects ran out of the apartment. A powder is prepared from the dried chamomile flowers, which can be scattered in places where cockroaches are present.

The advantage of the method is its environmental safety. The main disadvantage is low efficiency with severe infection.

The use of kerosene

The smell of kerosene also effectively repels cockroaches. It is enough to smear this liquid with the help of a paint brush on skirting boards, wallpapers, floors in places of accumulation of insects to achieve the effect. Of course, for several days the apartment will have a heavy smell, but the problem with cockroaches will be solved.

Instead of kerosene, you can take turpentine, methylated spirits and other odorous technical fluids.

Remember that kerosene is a flammable substance. Do not use an open flame in the rooms while the treatment is in progress so that a fire does not occur.

Vinegar application

Another effective helper against cockroaches is vinegar essence. Its use in pure form or in the form of solutions is allowed (to increase efficiency, pepper is added to the solution). Vinegar does not kill cockroaches, but it has a deterrent effect.When applying acid, be careful not to get on the skin or eyes.

Essential oils and ammonia

Odorous substances such as ammonia (ammonia) or essential oils also scare off cockroaches. They are used in two ways:

• Wet cleaning is carried out by adding odorous components to the water for cleaning floors and surfaces.
• Odorous liquids are dripped in places frequented by cockroaches.

It should be emphasized that these methods are ineffective if used as the main means of combating cockroaches. Their niche is supporting potent remedies and preventing re-infection.

Pyrethrum Powder

Pyrethrum is a plant from the family Asteraceae, a relative of chrysanthemums. Its dried and ground inflorescences (the so-called "Dalmatian powder") have a good insecticidal effect. The powder is scattered near the bin, water and sewer pipes and other places of accumulation of insects. It is quite effective on its own, and when used in combination with other insecticides gives excellent results.

Cockroach repellent herbs

The arsenal of plants to fight cockroaches, developed by our ancestors, is incredibly diverse. This includes herbs, leaves of trees and shrubs:

• Ledum,
• sagebrush,
• Bay leaf,
• pyrethrum,
• chamomile,
• geranium.

Bundles of dried plants, spread out in places of accumulation of insects, usually produce a noticeable effect. But with a strong infection, their effectiveness may not be enough.

Cockroach traps: how to prevent uninvited guests from entering the apartment

If there are no cockroach nests in the apartment, and insects sometimes come from neighbors, traps will be an effective remedy against them. They are placed near crevices, ventilation grills, and other places through which pests enter houses.

There are several types of traps:

• Industrial designs may contain poisonous baits, glue-covered patches or prevent insects from getting out thanks to a well-thought-out design. The products under the brands Dohloks, Raptor, and Combat are most recognized.
• Homemade traps - containers with bait (for example, a small amount of beer or honey) and a slippery neck (petroleum jelly or vegetable oil will help).
• Adhesive tapes laid out in “cockroach-hazardous” directions.

The effectiveness of traps (it doesn’t matter whether it is a folk or industrial product) is quite high, but only in the early stages of the invasion. If time is lost and a developed colony is already living in the apartment, traps will not help to completely exterminate insects. The exception is factory traps with poisonous baits that make the cockroach a peddler of the toxin. But the cost of such samples is quite high.

Cockroach Prevention

It is much simpler to prevent cockroaches from entering the house than to then deal with these tenacious pests.

The principles of prevention are as follows:

• Careful sealing of all cracks through which insects can enter the house.
• Fighting water leaks: repair dripping taps and leaking pipes.
• Exception of the feed base: timely washing dishes, garbage removal, cleaning products from the table, wet and dry cleaning.

If you follow these simple rules carefully, you can be sure that the invasion of the Prussians or black cockroaches does not threaten your apartment.