Out of your home
Out of Your Home
Out of Your Home
Store food in sealed containers
Keep kitchen surfaces clean and dry
Repair leaks and sources of excess moisture
Seal cracks and crevices with caulk or weatherstripping
Vacuum hiding places to remove food and debris
Report suspected infestations to property owners or managers
Place baits and traps along edges of walls and behind appliances where cockroaches have been observed or are suspected
Options include:
Non-toxic sticky traps
Boric acid baits
Enclosed hydramethylnon baits (to protect people and pets)
Check sticky traps and baits once or twice a week
Remove empty bait stations so they do not become cockroach hiding spots
Check for new entry points and use proper sealants or weatherstripping to close them
Cockroaches are usually brown or black, oval-shaped, and have long antennae. Their egg cases are usually dark brown and may look like small beans. Cockroach droppings look like black or brown spots. They are mainly active at night and generally stay hidden during the day in cracks and crevices near their source of food. They like warm, damp, dark, and tight spaces.
Finding cockroaches and their nests, is the first step to getting rid of them.
Go into a dark room and flip on the light. Watch to see where cockroaches run.
Use a flashlight to check within cracks and crevices behind cabinets or under appliances. A small mirror can be helpful for seeing into small, tight spaces. You’ll know you’ve found a nest when you see dead cockroaches, shed skins, egg cases, and droppings.
Place nontoxic sticky traps under the sink, behind appliances, and near crevices that might lead to nests to find out where cockroaches are active. Sticky traps containing a nontoxic “pheromone” that attracts cockroaches will catch more of them. Concentrate your baiting and trapping efforts where you find more roaches in your traps
Cockroaches are unwelcome visitors to our homes. They can carry germs to kitchen counters and human food from sewers, garbage cans, and bathrooms. Indoor cockroaches and their droppings can also trigger asthma and allergies.
If you only have a few cockroaches, you may be able to take care of the problem with sticky traps and cleaning.
Use a strong vacuum with a crevice attachment to pull cockroaches, their shed skins, and their egg cases from their hiding places. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter if possible. After vacuuming, take the vacuum cleaner outdoors, remove the bag, seal it in a plastic garbage bag, and put it in the trash. Wipe down the vacuum cleaner with a damp cloth.
Clean up cockroach droppings with soap and water so they don’t attract more roaches and other pests.
Use a bulb duster to apply diatomaceous earth (DE) or boric acid powder in cracks and crevicess, under large appliances, and wherever you have found cockroach nests. Only use DE sold for pest control, not for pool filters. When applying DE or boric acid powder, protect your lungs and eyes by wearing a dust mask, gloves, and safety goggles. Apply a very light coating—cockroaches will avoid piles of dust. It doesn’t take much DE to kill them.
Access cockroach hiding places behind walls by removing cover plates on electrical outlets and switches, and applying DE in the open spaces. Always turn off the power before applying products near electrical outlets and switches.
If you continue to see signs of cockroaches after one or two weeks, use enclosed (prefilled) cockroach bait stations or gel baits. See Tips for Using Cockroach Baits.
Keep cockroaches out by blocking access to your home and to food, water, and shelter:
Store food in the refrigerator or in containers that seal tightly.
Clean counters and eating areas daily and vacuum or sweep floors weekly. Avoid leaving dirty dishes out overnight. Take out recycling and any garbage that contains food scraps every night.
Place pet food and water bowls in larger bowls of soapy water.
Keep kitchen surfaces dry, especially overnight, and fix leaky plumbing.
Reduce clutter, which provides shelter for cockroaches.
Put out sticky traps so that you’ll know quickly if cockroaches return. This is especially important in apartment buildings, condominiums, or other homes that share walls, where cockroaches can easily move from one home to another.
Seal entry points, like cracks around cabinets, baseboards, pipes, and sinks with caulk. Use mildew-resistant caulk in damp areas.
Weatherstrip around doors and windows and repair holes in screens.
Report infestations to property owners or managers in multi-unit residential buildings. It is their responsibility to provide a pest-free community.
Keep cockroaches out by blocking access to your home and to food, water, and shelter:
Store food in the refrigerator or in containers that seal tightly.
Clean counters and eating areas daily and vacuum or sweep floors weekly. Avoid leaving dirty dishes out overnight. Take out recycling and any garbage that contains food scraps every night.
Place pet food and water bowls in larger bowls of soapy water.
Keep kitchen surfaces dry, especially overnight, and fix leaky plumbing.
Reduce clutter, which provides shelter for cockroaches.
Put out sticky traps so that you’ll know quickly if cockroaches return. This is especially important in apartment buildings, condominiums, or other homes that share walls, where cockroaches can easily move from one home to another.
Seal entry points, like cracks around cabinets, baseboards, pipes, and sinks with caulk. Use mildew-resistant caulk in damp areas.
Weatherstrip around doors and windows and repair holes in screens.
Report infestations to property owners or managers in multi-unit residential buildings. It is their responsibility to provide a pest-free community
If using bait outdoors, make sure to use an enclosed bait station so pesticide does not wash off with rain or moisture.
Use baits with boric acid or hydramethylnon. Enclosed baits protect people and pets.
To make sure that cockroaches feed on baits, clean up crumbs and put all food in tightly covered containers or in the fridge.
Place baits along the edges of walls, and under or behind appliances and cabinets—not in the middle of the room, and never where children or pets can reach them.
Check bait stations once or twice a week. Remove or replace empty bait stations — they make great cockroach hiding spots.
Always check the label to determine a specific bait’s lifespan and directions for use.