Organic Answers Column – August 9, 2023 – Cockroaches
Howard’s Roach Control Program
Cockroaches come in many sizes and have many names. Roach, water bug, palmetto bug, all of them are brown, oval and flat-bodied with antennae that are long and slender. They are very fast and active at night and will occasionally fly. You know what they look like. The smaller roaches are German cockroaches; the larger ones are usually American cockroaches or palmetto bugs and there are over 3,000 known species.
Most cockroaches live outside and help to decay organic matter, and while they are believed to spread disease, contrary to popular opinion, they rarely if ever spread human disease. They do ruin food stuffs if they get in the house or food storage elsewhere. The natural control of roaches includes gecko lizards, scorpions, and beneficial nematodes. Freezing temperatures will kill some species. When they get into the house they hide in cracks, under floors, and other dark places during the day. They have an unpleasant odor.
Roach control is a five-step process:
1. Exclusion. Most roaches like it outside until they get hungry, can’t find anything tasty there, and walk in through a house’s holes or cracks to feast on the water and food crumbs left from dinner. To keep them out of your house, use caulking, steel wool, and copper mesh to fill the cracks in masonry. Spaces between trim and brick, and holes of all kinds, including spaces around pipes must also be examined. Wire screens works in air vents and stop you’ll need to up any other entryways.
2. Eliminate cracks. Cracks and crevices inside the house cane be addressed with a caulk gun. Every time you fill in a crack with caulk, you reduce the number of roaches that your home can support. Roaches will not mate unless they are nestled in the security of a very small space, generally smaller than 1/8-inch-wide crack, which is generally too wide for roach comfort.
3. Removal the cardboard boxes. The honey-combed of corrugated cardboard offers miles of tunnels that are perfect hiding and mating spaces and the glue on cardboard boxes is delicious to them. Also glue and paper of craft paper sacks is attractive food for these critters.
4. Home Cleanliness. By eliminating food and water sources such as dripping faucets, leaks, pet water and food, and daily wrangling of the dirty kitchens makes your home much less attractive to roaches. Try to not leave food-covered dishes in the sink overnight or it’s an invitation to a roach party.
Homemade bait: one part sugar and one part Arm and Hammer detergent
5. Baits. Boric Acid and Diatomaceous Earth are part of the two-pronged approach to follow once the roaches are in the house. Boric acid dusted lightly where the bugs are seen is very effective, but use light dustings. If you can see the material after an application, so can the roaches. Effective homemade baits can be made by mixing one part sugar and one part Arm and Hammer detergent. A pinch of boric acid added to this mix makes it even more effective. Though this mixture has extremely low toxicity, it still should be put in bait stations or lids and located in areas where pets and children can’t get to them. Need a stronger bait? Mix two parts flour, one part boric acid, and one part sugar and moisten it enough to form little balls or cakes. Add more moisture from time to time to keep them more appetizing. Always keep all pesticides, even these organic home remedies, out of reach of the pets and the kiddos.
6. Spray. Organic sprays for roaches are available and those containing citrus products are effective. Products with orange oil are probably the easiest to find.
Cockroach control starts with thorough cleaning and the elimination of their access to water and food indoors. Dust problem areas with boric acid and/or natural diatomaceous earth and put bait stations with the 50% sugar and 50% Arm and Hammer laundry detergent mix. The metal lids that come on glass jars work, as do other small containers. Outdoors use beneficial nematodes. They should be applied to the grounds around the house, and outdoors you can also spray with plant oil products.
