6 Natural Way How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

1. To get rid by using Sugar and Baking soda:

This is an easy and effective way to get rid of cockroaches. Take the mixture of Sugar and Baking soda and some parts
of an item which are equal. Now sprinkle the mixture near the area which is infested by cockroaches in your house. When
the cockroaches feeding on this mixture will die soon as the Baking soda present in the mixture reacts with stomach acid
cause it to gas up.
2. To get rid by using Leaves:
This is very common, cheap and available way to get rid of cockroaches. You should know that leaves have a smell and
also used in cooking in India. There is a powerful smell of leaves which is hated by cockroaches. Pick up Leave
powder and through it all there, where nests of cockroaches are possible. The unpleasant smell of leaves will force to
remove them from your apartment or kitchen. There will no need to kill them.
3. To get rid by using Ammonia solution:
There is a pungent smell of Ammonia which is good to run cockroaches from your house. Have a bucket of water and mix
two cups of the liquid Ammonia. Wash your kitchen and bathroom. The smell of Ammonia will force to run cockroaches
away from your house. Repeat this remedy twice in a week to keep your house free of cockroaches.
4. To get rid by using Boric Acid:
It is a good way to kill cockroaches via Boric Acid. So please visit the market and buy Boric Acid. Remember Boric Acid
should be powered. Now make the mixture of Boric Acid with white flour also mix some part of sugar. Make small balls of
mixture and place near all those places where cockroaches come across. As they will eat the balls because sugar and white
flour attract them and Boric acid will kill them soon.
5. To get rid by Using Trap:
This is easy, effective method how to get rid of cockroaches via trap. The traps are available in the markets
containing adhesive material as a bait. If the cockroaches enter in the trap to taste the bait, They get entrapped by the
adhesive. Place the trap properly in the common areas where cockroaches are present. Put the trap twice in a week to get
rid of cockroaches.
Mostly women hate them because in the kitchen cockroaches destroy many things. So I have a way for them to get rid of
cockroaches. Read carefully.
6. To get rid of Cockroaches in Kitchen:
Everyone do not like that If cockroaches are to be there in the kitchen. It is possible to get rid with no using any toxic
materials. So it is necessary to keep you kitchen clean. Avoid to leave food in open. It is necessary to know that
Cockroaches love flour and bread, so do not keep flour and bread in bags, seal it in a plastic container. If there are already
Cockroaches are present in your kitchen, so there are several ways to get rid, keep a look on them. If you find open places
in the walls od kitchen. Put a ball made by old clothes or plastic. Cockroaches are flat in size and can enter in any open
place so take care of it. Cockroaches love Cocoa powder so mix the equal parts of it with flour and with some sugar and
put it the mixture in all those places where they are seen. When they taste mixture they will die soon.

Read more: http://www.websteach.com/6-easy-ways-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches/#ixzz4jmHNiqxm

Here are 10 handy home remedies to deal with cockroaches.

1. Soap Water

Add detergent or soap in water. Sprinkle this soap water on the cockroach. This remedy will kill it within a
few minutes.

2. Borax

Combine Maida or wheat flour, sugar, and boric acid. Prepare small balls of this mixture. Put these balls in
the cockroach infested areas. It is the best home remedy to get rid of cockroaches.
3. Cedar

Cedar is a natural bug-

deterrent. Place cedar blocks, chips or balls in cockroach intruded areas of your home. Its an effective
remedy for dealing with cockroaches.

4. Neem Oil

Mix equal quantity of water and neem oil. Pour this mixture in a spray bottle. Sprinkle it on the
cockroaches. You can also fill a bowl with this mixture, and place it in your kitchen cabinet, behind the
refrigerator or other cockroach prone areas of your home.
5. Baking Soda

Mix equal amount of baking soda and water. Stir the mixture properly, and fill the solution in small
containers. Put them in those places, where cockroaches are seen.

6. Naphthalene Balls

Naphthalene balls are good

cockroach controllers. Place these balls near windows, under the fridge, kitchen sink or wardrobe. The
odour of these balls will keep the cockroaches at bay.
7. Ammonia

Mix 2 cups of ammonia in a bucket of water. Flow it through the sink. It will prevent cockroaches to enter
your home.

8. Bay Leaves

Put some bay leaves in water. Use this water to wipe out the floor. Else, simply place the bay leaves in the
corners, sink, and wardrobe, to check cockroach invasions.
9. Mint Oil

Spray mint oil on these pesky bugs. It will suffocate and kill the cockroaches.

10. Hot Sauce Spray

Mix 2 tbsp pepper sauce with gallon of water. Pour in a spray bottle. Sprinkle it in the areas invaded by
cockroaches.
To make a roach killing paste, combine 3-teaspoons of boric acid with 3-
teaspoons of sugar and 3-teaspoons of water. Mix the ingredients into a
paste. They apply your homemade roach killer in areas where you've
spotted roaches. Boric Acid (roach killer) safe to use in my cupboard?
June 23, 2006 6:49 AM Subscribe

I'm Using Boric Acid for a cockroach problem - is it safe to put it in my cupboard next to plates
and cups?

I don't have a huge roach problem but enough to make it a nuisance and me and my wife are
pretty disgusted by them. I usually see about 1 or 2 a week in the kitchen only.

I've read this thread:

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/15936 and I'm using three different roach "killers". I layed down
boric acid, Combat roach Gel and have put out Raid Roach traps. I don't know how long this
stuff is supposed to take to work but it's been almost a month and we're still seeing them.

I purposely avoided my cupboards because I didn't want toxins near my plates and cups.
Today however I saw a roach in my cupboard.

Is it really bad to put down boric acid in my cupboard? Obviously I'd wash any plates or cups
before using.
posted by bingwah to Health & Fitness (18 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite

Try this recipe for getting Boric Acid around your dishes and hard-to-powder spots (like under
your couch):

1 cup flour
1 small onion, chopped
6 oz Boric Acid
1/4 shortening (or a little less vegetable oil)

Blend until crumbly, and then add enough water to moisten. Make marble-sized balls. Put
them everywhere.

I think this works better than plain BA because the roaches are much more likely to nibble
away at it. Every time my friends and I have used this method, it's wiped out any roaches for
months.
posted by lucyleaf at 6:56 AM on June 23, 2006 [2 favorites]
My mother uses Borax and sugar in a squeeze bottle (like a picnic ketchup bottle) to put lines
down for them. If it really worries you, you could remove the dishes to a storage bin or
something for a week or two.

I live in Texas where roaches are a fact of life. Right now, they are coming in looking for water,
so we dry out the sink and bathtub and use the Borax/sugar mixture outside around the
foundation, especially near water faucets and windows.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:12 AM on June 23, 2006

lucyleaf, your recipe says '1/4 shortenng'.... I'd love to try it, but I'd rather be clearer on my
measurements first. :)
posted by Malor at 7:18 AM on June 23, 2006

Whoops! That should be 1/4 cup shortening.

posted by lucyleaf at 7:21 AM on June 23, 2006

Thanks for the advice. I also found this Boric Acid recipe from Heloise, which also calls for
making balls of boric acid: http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/r-roach.html

Maybe the "boric acid balls" technique is the way to go. I'll give it a try.
posted by bingwah at 7:23 AM on June 23, 2006

I believe boric acid itself isn't toxic, just extremely acidic. It's used in eye ointments (in low
concentrations) and as a treatment for yeast infections.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:51 AM on June 23, 2006

Whoops, wikipedia says it's actually a mild acid but you shouldn't inhale or eat it. But still, it's
not toxic in the way that other bug sprays might be, it seems.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:53 AM on June 23, 2006
How easily is Boric Acid cleaned? Is it safe to put in a blender then use the blender again for
food purposes?
posted by kc0dxh at 8:00 AM on June 23, 2006

I would think if you clean the blender thoroughly it should be ok. Maybe even wipe it with
rubbing alcohol.
posted by bingwah at 8:09 AM on June 23, 2006

I have a great deal of experience with boric acid. It's relatively benign, but, as another poster
said, you don't exactly want to inhale, ingest, or snort it. The boric acid I used was exclusively
a powder. It's not going to kill you if you eat a little bit. Just don't be silly with it.
posted by BioCSnerd at 8:28 AM on June 23, 2006

My mother uses Borax and sugar in a squeeze bottle (like a picnic ketchup bottle) to put lines
down for them.
Add water, and that's basically what Terro is. According to the Terro FAQ, it's harmless to
people and pets.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:49 AM on June 23, 2006

Are the shortening/boric acid balls pet-safe?

posted by kimota at 9:24 AM on June 23, 2006

Oops. should've previewed. Thanks, MrMoonPie!

posted by kimota at 9:25 AM on June 23, 2006

Boric acid as a powder is fairly effective against cockroaches, but it takes anywhere from a
month to 6 weeks in most cases to eliminate a nest. Generally, the powder sticks to the legs of
adults, that pick it up foraging for food, and carry it back to the nest, where they ingest it when
cleaning themselves. Adults who die in the nest will then be eaten by juveniles, thus passing
the poison from the adult carcasses on to later generations. You may see a higher proportion
of smaller (younger) insects after a week or two, indicating that this mechanism is working,
and boric acid has been effectively transported to the nest. But you will not see the end of an
infestation until the last hatchable eggs have grown into juveniles that are big enough to
forage, and that have also been posioned and die. For German cockroaches which breed
rapidly, and mature in 90 days, this process can cycle through in as little as 3 to 4 weeks, but
for other slower growing species, such as common brown cockroaches that live up to 18
months, you may be in for a couple of months of decreasing levels of infestation. Keep your
roach powder dry, and eliminate access to water and food.

Some of the better roach powders also contain silica aerogel powder, which works as a
desiccant, and removes the waxy coating of the insect's carapace when the insect tries to
clean itself. Death is hastened by dehydration of the insect's body. Some roach powders also
contain diatomaceous earth powder, which consists of sharp, needle like silica crystals, that
are thought to pierce the insect's exoskeleton, further contributing to dehydration, but which
may also be ingested by other neophyte roaches scavenging adult bodies.
posted by paulsc at 10:28 AM on June 23, 2006

Tons of great info. It gets discouraging when you keep seeing them even though we're pretty
clean and careful with food.

Not sure what type of roaches they are. I'm guessing German but I've not had a chance to get
a good up close look at one. Next time I kill one I'll try and figure it out. They're not that big,
less than an inch.

I've been seeing these miniscule bugs but I'm not sure if they're baby roaches or not. They are
about the size of an ant (small brown ant, not the larger black ones) and have antennae like a
roach. But do roaches that small forage for food? Maybe the Boric Acid is working.
posted by bingwah at 10:54 AM on June 23, 2006

Can I piggyback on this question to ask if boric acid will work on the bane of my existence,
the house centipede?
posted by ereshkigal45 at 12:06 PM on June 23, 2006

ereshkigal45: Having house centipedes is a good thing. They eat all kinds of small insects (like
cockroaches). However, given that a house centipede is an arthropod and has an exoskeleton,
boric acid may work to kill them (as I understand it the boric acid works to break down the
waxy layer on the outside of the exoskeleton causing the arthropod to dry out). This site
suggests using boric acid as a control.

All that being said, I would urge you to reconsider adopting a new bane of your existence.
posted by gavia at 12:42 PM on June 23, 2006

I knew someone would tell me that they are beneficial, but try as I might I really can't get over
the serious case of the wiggins they give me. And surely I don't need as many as I seem to
have. I kill at least one a day in summer.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 12:53 PM on June 23, 2006