Any hidden tips, mixtures to keep cockroaches out

[sheryl]

We live in the southeast.  Prone to cockroaches and palmetto bugs (are these cockroaches?).  Cockroaches are brown/pink, smaller and palmetto bugs are black (big!).  Yuck.

3 years ago or so we hired a company that marketed "natural" substances as a means to control these pests.  I won't say name of company here in case someone or spouse works for that company.  You can pm me if curious.  Anyway, I liked the idea it was natural.  It really didn't work!

Where are they coming from other than the obvious door crack, open door from people/pets coming and going?  Will NOT spray on interior of home.  Looking for something to be applied outside BUT I'd like to know the source.   

Where are they getting in?  Would like to deal with that and outside application to maintain that.

Ideas?

[City Mouse]

I’m from Houston. I never had a problem with actual cockroaches, but yes, the palmetto bug come in from any openings the can get through - doors being opened, vents in the attic, really any where. I would assume that cockroaches can get in through the weep holes near the foundation. We used to get ants that way all the time. From my experience the “natural” treatments may help to reduce the amount, but the only truly successful way to get rid of them is chemicals inside the house.  We didn’t bother spraying indoors and just killed the bugs individually as we saw them, or let the cat kill them. It is just the price you pay to live on the gulf coast.

On the other hand, for years and years my mom paid a pest control company to come out monthly and spray the inside of her house. The palmetto bugs still got inside, but they would die quickly.

I now remember having issues with the German cockroaches in an apartment about 30 yrs ago. We set off bug bombs to kill them. After cleaning up the mess, we kept the kitchen super clean, but there is only so much you can do in an apartment with shared walls.

Edited February 22, 2022 by City Mouse

[sweet2ndchance]

We've tried everything it seems like. Diatomaceous earth has worked the best. We bought a duster bulb to apply it. It doesn't work instantly to kill them but over several days we see less and less until we see none where we have dusted. Now it's just a matter of finding all of their hidey holes.

If you use food grade diatomaceous earth, it is completely safe for ingestion by humans or animals. Breathing in large amounts of the dust isn't good though so wear a mask while applying it.

And yes, palmetto bugs are a species of roach. And yes they are scary huge lol. I never saw one until we lived in South Carolina.

[forty-two]

Not natural, but my parents have success with putting a bunch of roach traps (the black enclosed ones) under the furniture in every room.  Whenever they start seeing them again, they replace the traps.  (I think they replace every 6-12mo.)  Tip: Date the traps, so that if you are lazy and just shove more under without digging out the old ones, you can tell which are the good ones whenever you get around to it.

We just spray, inside and out, twice a year, once in late spring and once in late summer.  We do it because of the venomous insects (I wouldn't pay to spray just for roaches), but it keeps the roaches down, too.  If I see one around, I throw a new roach trap or two under the furniture, but mostly I don't see them.

[DreamerGirl]

19 minutes ago, City Mouse said:

On the other hand, for years and years my mom paid a pest control company to come out monthly and spray the inside of her house. The palmetto bugs still got inside, but they would die quickl

This. 

Our house was originally built on virgin ranch land, more than a decade ago. When we moved in, we found everything from a mouse in the garage to scorpions. 

Pest control even though not so regular as before has eliminated all bugs

[ShepCarlin]

Voodoo 🙂. I don't know how to keep them completely out.

We used a pest control company for a year and we still had roaches sneaking in. I have a terrible phobia of them. I've had decent luck with a gel you can pipe out and put under sinks (the pest company told me they travel through the house on water pipes). https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Killing-Indoor-Outdoor-Syringe/dp/B000QRAXSG I squirt it out on little wax paper squares so it doesn't stain the inside of the sink cabinet.

I also spray around all our windows and doors outside. I use Raid spray: https://www.target.com/p/raid-perimeter-protection-trigger-spray-pesticide-30-fl-oz/-/A-81962114?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tmnv&DFA=71700000090693480&CPNG=PLA_DVM%2Ba064R000012LLBjQAO-SCJ_Pest+Control_Search_2022-602461&adgroup=PLA_Pest+Control&LID=700000001393753pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9010790&gclid=CjwKCAiAsNKQBhAPEiwAB-I5zXDay1dKYeJeAmrfi5whG_-hpjKLwAuRe2ooZ8PRwSK5CBIHR05kjBoC2UYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I see you don't want to spray inside. I can't spray inside either due to the reptiles my son has and our two dogs. I find the roaches are worse when it's been raining a lot.

Good luck! 

[Katy]

Palmetto bugs are roaches, but they don’t really infest houses, they fly in when it rains. They live in wood, trees, and palm trees.  Clear the wood away from your house, and consider cutting palms or at least having them cleaned up so the dead fronds are cut off the tree. 

Having your house sprayed once a month will help keep them down. Diatomaceous earth (food grade, cheap on Amazon) in a duster (that sprays dust) works better. You’ll also want to wipe down every kitchen and bathroom surface (and dump coffee makers) so there’s no moisture anywhere. Then dust every surface every night. 

It will make your hands dry, and you don’t want to inhale it, so consider using a mask. Wipe it up every morning and reapply every night.  It took less than a week for me to stop finding dead ones but we were in Oklahoma not Florida. In my childhood home there they came in every time it rained. I also replaced all our wood mulch with gravel.

[Laura Corin]

Drawing cockroach chalk around entry points worked when we lived in Taiwan. We had monster copper-coloured flying cockroaches.

[Tanaqui]

You need to make sure your exterior walls are clear, no leaves or plants or piled up trash for them to hide in. You want to go around the inside and the outside of your house carefully caulking, then go through the inside and make sure that all your pipes are fitted properly and insulated, no drips or condensation. You of course need to take out the trash religiously into a sealed can, far away from the house, every day.

I would recommend that you apply a combination of Gentrol and a gel-form bait inside your house, at hot spots. (Literally any place warm or damp, like under the cable box or behind the fridge.) Gentrol does not kill bugs, but it keeps them from reproducing. Although I recommend a spray, you can get it in the form of non-spray stick-ons. Gel baits are both more effective and also safer than sprays - though bugs can adapt both to the bait and the poison, so it's important to cycle through them rather than relying on just one brand. It IS important to keep gel baits out of the way of curious pets.

It is best not to use Gentrol on the exterior of your home, because of course you don't want to hurt the bugs outside.

If you are committed to only using natural products then you should use DE applied with a duster - if you put it on too thickly the bugs will see it and avoid it. Mix it half-and-half with one of flour, powdered sugar, or cocoa powder. You MUST wear a mask when applying it, and keep anybody with vulnerable lungs out of the room as you do so.

If you want to use DE and gel baits you must *first* put down the DE, then, after the dust settles, do the gel. Doing it the other way around is disaster.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Catnip works as a deterrent. 

I put dried catnip in the cupboard under our sink, which is where our cockroaches come in. I also spray catnip spray on the inside of those cupboard doors.

It isn't perfect, but it definitely helps. And importantly to us, we know it isn't a danger to our cats.

[prairiewindmomma]

Dittoing the others about making sure exterior walls are clear and that inside you're keeping food in all plastic containers (no cardboard) and dealing with the trash. We didn't spray and didn't have cockroaches after our first month there (though our neighbors all did the entire time we were there). I kept the house really clean.  Our main challenge was that green anole lizards kept running in. 

After cleaning the house really thoroughly and unpacking and ditching all of the cardboard boxes, I used Borax gel that first month to get rid of the cockroaches. 

[sheryl]

2 hours ago, City Mouse said:

I’m from Houston. I never had a problem with actual cockroaches, but yes, the palmetto bug come in from any openings the can get through - doors being opened, vents in the attic, really any where. I would assume that cockroaches can get in through the weep holes near the foundation. We used to get ants that way all the time. From my experience the “natural” treatments may help to reduce the amount, but the only truly successful way to get rid of them is chemicals inside the house.  We didn’t bother spraying indoors and just killed the bugs individually as we saw them, or let the cat kill them. It is just the price you pay to live on the gulf coast.

On the other hand, for years and years my mom paid a pest control company to come out monthly and spray the inside of her house. The palmetto bugs still got inside, but they would die quickly.

I now remember having issues with the German cockroaches in an apartment about 30 yrs ago. We set off bug bombs to kill them. After cleaning up the mess, we kept the kitchen super clean, but there is only so much you can do in an apartment with shared walls.

OK, thanks.  Vents - dryer? What is a weep hole?  Just do not want to use chemical inside.  

1 hour ago, sweet2ndchance said:

We've tried everything it seems like. Diatomaceous earth has worked the best. We bought a duster bulb to apply it. It doesn't work instantly to kill them but over several days we see less and less until we see none where we have dusted. Now it's just a matter of finding all of their hidey holes.

If you use food grade diatomaceous earth, it is completely safe for ingestion by humans or animals. Breathing in large amounts of the dust isn't good though so wear a mask while applying it.

And yes, palmetto bugs are a species of roach. And yes they are scary huge lol. I never saw one until we lived in South Carolina.

I will check that out, thanks.  I don't know if it's inside or out but I only want to treat outside.  The duster bulb link didn't work.  I can look up. But, again, I'm only interested in outside treatment.

1 hour ago, forty-two said:

Not natural, but my parents have success with putting a bunch of roach traps (the black enclosed ones) under the furniture in every room.  Whenever they start seeing them again, they replace the traps.  (I think they replace every 6-12mo.)  Tip: Date the traps, so that if you are lazy and just shove more under without digging out the old ones, you can tell which are the good ones whenever you get around to it.

We just spray, inside and out, twice a year, once in late spring and once in late summer.  We do it because of the venomous insects (I wouldn't pay to spray just for roaches), but it keeps the roaches down, too.  If I see one around, I throw a new roach trap or two under the furniture, but mostly I don't see them.

Right, spraying for all insects makes more sense.  Will need to look at local recs for that.  Only interested in outside treatment plan.

[sheryl]

1 hour ago, DreamerGirl said:

This. 

Our house was originally built on virgin ranch land, more than a decade ago. When we moved in, we found everything from a mouse in the garage to scorpions. 

Pest control even though not so regular as before has eliminated all bugs

What type of pest control?  

1 hour ago, ShepCarlin said:

Voodoo 🙂. I don't know how to keep them completely out.

We used a pest control company for a year and we still had roaches sneaking in. I have a terrible phobia of them. I've had decent luck with a gel you can pipe out and put under sinks (the pest company told me they travel through the house on water pipes). https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Killing-Indoor-Outdoor-Syringe/dp/B000QRAXSG I squirt it out on little wax paper squares so it doesn't stain the inside of the sink cabinet.

I also spray around all our windows and doors outside. I use Raid spray: https://www.target.com/p/raid-perimeter-protection-trigger-spray-pesticide-30-fl-oz/-/A-81962114?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tmnv&DFA=71700000090693480&CPNG=PLA_DVM%2Ba064R000012LLBjQAO-SCJ_Pest+Control_Search_2022-602461&adgroup=PLA_Pest+Control&LID=700000001393753pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9010790&gclid=CjwKCAiAsNKQBhAPEiwAB-I5zXDay1dKYeJeAmrfi5whG_-hpjKLwAuRe2ooZ8PRwSK5CBIHR05kjBoC2UYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I see you don't want to spray inside. I can't spray inside either due to the reptiles my son has and our two dogs. I find the roaches are worse when it's been raining a lot.

Good luck! 

Thanks.  Yes, looking for outside only.  

1 hour ago, Katy said:

Palmetto bugs are roaches, but they don’t really infest houses, they fly in when it rains. They live in wood, trees, and palm trees.  Clear the wood away from your house, and consider cutting palms or at least having them cleaned up so the dead fronds are cut off the tree. 

Having your house sprayed once a month will help keep them down. Diatomaceous earth (food grade, cheap on Amazon) in a duster (that sprays dust) works better. You’ll also want to wipe down every kitchen and bathroom surface (and dump coffee makers) so there’s no moisture anywhere. Then dust every surface every night. 

It will make your hands dry, and you don’t want to inhale it, so consider using a mask. Wipe it up every morning and reapply every night.  It took less than a week for me to stop finding dead ones but we were in Oklahoma not Florida. In my childhood home there they came in every time it rained. I also replaced all our wood mulch with gravel.

Yes, we're doing some of that yard clean up now and hiring a big part of it.  So, the de is for interior use?   I only want outdoor.   Sigh!   Re: wood mulch - wow! Interesting and hadn't thought of that.  We have a source for free mulch and seriously considering it when we put our house on the market.  Yikes!

[sheryl]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Drawing cockroach chalk around entry points worked when we lived in Taiwan. We had monster copper-coloured flying cockroaches.

OK, Laura, do you have a link to send?  

[sheryl]

1 hour ago, Tanaqui said:

You need to make sure your exterior walls are clear, no leaves or plants or piled up trash for them to hide in. You want to go around the inside and the outside of your house carefully caulking, then go through the inside and make sure that all your pipes are fitted properly and insulated, no drips or condensation. You of course need to take out the trash religiously into a sealed can, far away from the house, every day.   Right!  We've done this but apparently there is still an issue b/c I still see them.  We'll need to rework those areas of caulking.  We're working on cleaning up backyard and are about to hire a portion of it out.  Pipes - this is a culprit I bet.  What about a wood-burning fireplace?  Trash is contained and not a problem.

I would recommend that you apply a combination of Gentrol and a gel-form bait inside your house, at hot spots. (Literally any place warm or damp, like under the cable box or behind the fridge.) Gentrol does not kill bugs, but it keeps them from reproducing. Although I recommend a spray, you can get it in the form of non-spray stick-ons. Gel baits are both more effective and also safer than sprays - though bugs can adapt both to the bait and the poison, so it's important to cycle through them rather than relying on just one brand. It IS important to keep gel baits out of the way of curious pets.  Nothing inside.  Outside only.

It is best not to use Gentrol on the exterior of your home, because of course you don't want to hurt the bugs outside.

If you are committed to only using natural products then you should use DE applied with a duster - if you put it on too thickly the bugs will see it and avoid it. Mix it half-and-half with one of flour, powdered sugar, or cocoa powder. You MUST wear a mask when applying it, and keep anybody with vulnerable lungs out of the room as you do so.

If you want to use DE and gel baits you must *first* put down the DE, then, after the dust settles, do the gel. Doing it the other way around is disaster.

 

1 hour ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Catnip works as a deterrent. 

I put dried catnip in the cupboard under our sink, which is where our cockroaches come in. I also spray catnip spray on the inside of those cupboard doors.

It isn't perfect, but it definitely helps. And importantly to us, we know it isn't a danger to our cats.

Well, that's interesting.  So, they start to consume catnip and die off?  See, I want to treat outside only to prevent them from getting in rather than allowing them entry and "working" to kill them off.   LOL!

51 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Dittoing the others about making sure exterior walls are clear and that inside you're keeping food in all plastic containers (no cardboard) and dealing with the trash. We didn't spray and didn't have cockroaches after our first month there (though our neighbors all did the entire time we were there). I kept the house really clean.  Our main challenge was that green anole lizards kept running in. 

After cleaning the house really thoroughly and unpacking and ditching all of the cardboard boxes, I used Borax gel that first month to get rid of the cockroaches. 

I'm unclear - did you have a cockroach problem?  You didn't spray and didn't have cockroaches.   ???   Explain.

[Laura Corin]

17 minutes ago, sheryl said:

OK, Laura, do you have a link to send?  

This maybe?

http://www.baygon.com.ph/en-ph/products/baygon-chalk-roach-and-ant-killer

[sheryl]

7 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

This maybe?

http://www.baygon.com.ph/en-ph/products/baygon-chalk-roach-and-ant-killer

Thanks, Laura!  It looks very simple to use.  However, after reading a bit about DE as suggested above, I may try that.  It can be used inside or outside but the food grade is not toxic to humans and pets.  The You Tube tutorial on this subject suggested mixing 3 oz of Rosemary "or" garlic essential oil and 1 t. dishwashing soap to 1 G water and spraying into areas.   That would be non-toxic as well and maybe worth considering.  For exterior use of DE or this homemade concoction, I'll have to study up to learn how long it lasts and if it needs to be reapplied after it rains which I'm assuming it might.  

[DreamerGirl]

1 hour ago, sheryl said:

What type of pest control?  

2 hours ago, ShepCarlin said:

Non toxic, outside and inside pest control. 

Inside is once is 3 months. Outside, they come and do a border around the property once a month. A thick border of stuff around the front and back doors, patio and porch. Outside the garage a border.

No bugs. None. They also look at termite control. Both DH and I grew up in brick houses, so do not know anything about wood. 

We do not like pests at all. 

We almost do not have mosquitoes with regular spraying and we live with a green belt behind us.

 

 

[mathnerd]

Make Roach balls and leave them on a piece of aluminum foil in your kitchen and bathrooms where you might expect them to enter your house: 1:1 mixture of AP flour and Borax with a generous tablespoon of diatomaceous earth, bound together by a sticky substance like peanut butter/condensed milk/chocolate sauce! Make small balls and leave them in strategic places and the cockroaches will eat them and carry some to their nest and all the cockroaches will die soon. Change the balls every 2 weeks until there are no more cockroaches. Internet has many recipes including using raw onions which I have not tried.

Make very sure that your kids or pets will never access them or eat them.

another option is the boric acid cockroach trap which you can get from Home Depot or Amazon.

Edited February 22, 2022 by mathnerd

[sheryl]

57 minutes ago, DreamerGirl said:

Non toxic, outside and inside pest control. 

Inside is once is 3 months. Outside, they come and do a border around the property once a month. A thick border of stuff around the front and back doors, patio and porch. Outside the garage a border.

No bugs. None. They also look at termite control. Both DH and I grew up in brick houses, so do not know anything about wood. 

We do not like pests at all. 

We almost do not have mosquitoes with regular spraying and we live with a green belt behind us.

 

 

OK, this is a company.  It seems like you are pleased with them.  I hope to find a similar company here.   

[fairfarmhand]

No suggestions because my parents had a monthly "bug man" spray the inside of our junky trailer when I lived in Florida.....

But, I told my kids about Palmetto bugs and how we learned to live with them in FL. It was just part of living there. Clicking in the dark...ugh. The kids were disgusted and horrified.

[sheryl]

29 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

Make Roach balls and leave them on a piece of aluminum foil in your kitchen and bathrooms where you might expect them to enter your house: 1:1 mixture of AP flour and Borax with a generous tablespoon of diatomaceous earth, bound together by a sticky substance like peanut butter/condensed milk/chocolate sauce! Make small balls and leave them in strategic places and the cockroaches will eat them and carry some to their nest and all the cockroaches will die soon. Change the balls every 2 weeks until there are no more cockroaches. Internet has many recipes including using raw onions which I have not tried.

Make very sure that your kids or pets will never access them or eat them.

another option is the boric acid cockroach trap which you can get from Home Depot or Amazon.

Thanks for that.  I need to get this figured out as spring is around the corner.  Really I see 2 levels here: 1) killing existing pests 2) preventative maintenance so they don't return.

[sheryl]

1 minute ago, fairfarmhand said:

No suggestions because my parents had a monthly "bug man" spray the inside of our junky trailer when I lived in Florida.....

But, I told my kids about Palmetto bugs and how we learned to live with them in FL. It was just part of living there. Clicking in the dark...ugh. The kids were disgusted and horrified.

OH MY WORD, I KNOW!  

[Jaybee]

1 hour ago, mathnerd said:

Make Roach balls and leave them on a piece of aluminum foil in your kitchen and bathrooms where you might expect them to enter your house: 1:1 mixture of AP flour and Borax with a generous tablespoon of diatomaceous earth, bound together by a sticky substance like peanut butter/condensed milk/chocolate sauce! Make small balls and leave them in strategic places and the cockroaches will eat them and carry some to their nest and all the cockroaches will die soon. Change the balls every 2 weeks until there are no more cockroaches. Internet has many recipes including using raw onions which I have not tried.

Make very sure that your kids or pets will never access them or eat them.

another option is the boric acid cockroach trap which you can get from Home Depot or Amazon.

We used this when we were overseas and would put little pieces behind the stove, etc. However, we forgot about it and when we had guinea pigs, they got into it and it killed them. So yes, it is poisonous.

ETA: It was very effective for the roaches though.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Jaybee

[prairiewindmomma]

3 hours ago, sheryl said:

 

I'm unclear - did you have a cockroach problem?  You didn't spray and didn't have cockroaches.   ???   Explain.

We bought a house that had a cockroach problem—huge ones, and ones that flew. We cleared the brush around the house, scrubbed everything inside so there were no pheromone trails and used borax for a month. After that, no more cockroaches. We didn’t spray because we had a toddler who was still putting everything in her mouth.

[sheryl]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We bought a house that had a cockroach problem—huge ones, and ones that flew. We cleared the brush around the house, scrubbed everything inside so there were no pheromone trails and used borax for a month. After that, no more cockroaches. We didn’t spray because we had a toddler who was still putting everything in her mouth.

What state are you in?  I'm trying to wrap my head around this.  🙂  Bugs reproduce.  I wish it was that easy.  Our trash is contained and food is not left out.   I bet the age of our "leaky" house is a big/bug culprit.  So, you clear brush away - others in this thread mentioned that but I'm not sure now I know of what you speak.  Do you have landscaping - bushes in front, elsewhere?  We've cleaned the interior mostly but I'm thinking our utility room may be an issue.  You don't have any more cockroaches?  None have migrated your way?  That would be great!  

I'm researching now how to "more properly" seal the metal frame around our older wood burning insert that is insert in brick (not a stand alone).  Seal frame around mesh screen to fireplace cap outside.  In each case, we'll have to ask someone qualified that can address materials to use in both of these situations that will withstand heat.  I'm re-evaluating what others have posted about excess leaves/trees or such, caulking where needed, sealing gaps around pipes, etc.  

[prairiewindmomma]

I was in south Texas….tropical enough to have the same types of bugs as Florida. 
 

We had fallen leaves from the bushes—everything kind of stays green due to the climate but there is still leaf shed, iykwim. We trimmed everything at least 18” away from the foundation and got everything raked up and laid more rock mulch. 
 

Our house didn’t have a lot of stuff on the floors—no clutter. Anything food that didn’t come in a metal can or a glass jar got repackaged so there wasn’t ever open cardboard containers like cracker boxes or cereal boxes. We have always stayed up on caulking and dealing with wood rot. We ran dehumidifiers.
 

But, yes, within that first month we got a handle on the bugs. The green anole lizards kept running in, but the bug situation resolved. 
 

Cockroaches loves warm, wet, and dark environments. I’d double check that you don’t have leaking sinks or some other issue if you are having problems inside.