What’s the best roach killer? Well, lucky for you there are many ways to kill roaches so we attempt to cover some of the most effective roach killers and the theory behind how to prevent them from infesting your home in the first place.
Introduction | Best Roach Killer
Cockroaches are a common nuisance among households. These undesirable insects can invade your home and once they’re in, they can be difficult to eradicate. While not all roaches are bad, they can still cause problems for households. They often carry bacteria that can spread as they crawl over the surfaces in your home that you may not even be aware of. They’re also a concern for people with allergies, especially those who suffer from asthma.
Cockroaches can make their way into your home through a number of ways and cause infestations very quickly. Homeowners can prevent an infestation from occurring by taking necessary steps to keep them at bay. If you have spotted a roach or suspect an infestation, knowing the exact type you’re dealing with can be a big help in eliminating them from your home with the best roach killer and following preventative methods.
There is a vast number of species of cockroaches, so finding the best roach killer for the specific type in your house is imperative. When it comes to your common household pests there are three particular types that are known to invite themselves in. These are the American cockroach, the German cockroach and the Oriental roach.
Video | How to Kill Roaches
The American Cockroach
This species is characterized by reddish brown wings with circular markings on the thorax. They are typically an inch and a half in length but can grow to be as large as 2 inches in length. This particular type of roach is highly known for the female’s capacity to be really productive so an infestation can happen rapidly.
Learn more about the American Cockroach on Wikipedia.
Different Species of Cockroaches
The German Cockroach
This species is characterized as light brown in color and have two stripes on the location behind the head known as the pronotum. They have very long antennae that are used to sense their environment for food as well as communicating to other nearby roaches. They are very fast and are well known for making their dwellings within the walls and crevices of a home. These species are attracted to warm, damp areas such as in between walls and crevices so infestations can be harder to identify since they stay well hidden.
This type of roach tends to be more aggressive as for as infesting homes because they leave fecal matter that contains pheromones to attract other roaches. A female roach can produce anywhere from 180-320 offspring in her lifespan, which is only 6 months on average. The best roach killer for this species is typically one that is digested so that it can also be passed in the fecal matter to kill off future roaches.
Learn more about the German Cockroach on Wikipedia.
The Oriental Cockroach
These cockroaches are characterized as dark brown or reddish brown in color. They typically grow to 1-2 inches long. They have very small wings in proportion to their body unlike the American or German cockroach, making them easier to distinguish. In female oriental cockroaches, the wings are nearly invisible. These types of roaches are commonly found in basements and damp areas near a water source such as water collection systems.
Learn more about the Oriental Cockroach on Wikipedia.
How Do You Know if You Have an Infestation?
The first sight of a roach is usually an obvious indication that you may have a problem because where there is one, there are usually more not far behind. Even if you haven’t actually spotted a cockroach, there are other telltale signs that there may be other inhabitants making themselves comfy in your home.
Roach droppings – roach droppings vary by species and can appear as little specks similar to black pepper, brown stains or even oval pellets. Due to their high metabolism by nature, they frequently leave deposits where they are present. Check near food and water sources for obvious signs of roach feces to identify high-traffic areas for cockroaches.
Roach egg cases – when a female roach lays eggs, they are contained in an egg case known as oothecae. These casings appear as oblong brown capsules that are typically ‘glued’ to hard to reach spaces like in between cracks in walls, pantries, and cupboards. The female roach typically drops the oothecae when the eggs are ready to hatch so if you spot them, there’s a good possibility that the offspring are already resided within your dwelling.
Roach odor – when there is a large roach infestation present, they produce a very pungent odor that is hard to mistake. One German roach can produce this oily, musty odor on its own but the odor becomes much more obvious in large numbers of roaches.
Cockroach Prevention
Most species of cockroaches are attracted to two things that can lead them into your home: water and food. They also tend to prefer warm spaces. The best way to avoid an infestation is to take measures to prevent roaches by keeping your home clean, storing food in closed air-tight containers, and minimizing water sources.
Reduce Moisture and Dampness – Check for leaks around kitchen faucets and bathrooms and make necessary repairs to eliminate standing water and reduce moisture. Inspect your home for areas where moisture may be trapped and implement proper ventilation measures to reduce dampness. Keep wet towels out of cabinets to avoid attracting roaches.
Keep it Clean – Food that is left uncovered as well as crumbs can attract various kinds of pests in your home. Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink and keep counters, tables and floors clean. Places such as beneath the stove and refrigerator are also susceptible to attracting roaches so don’t forget to clean these spaces as well. Also practice regular garbage disposal by keeping the lid closed on your trash cans, and clean and empty them regularly.
Most cockroaches prefer to rest on wood rather than metal structures and are attracted to materials such as paper and cardboard due to their more absorbent properties. Roaches often emit chemicals to communicate to other roaches of a good place to invade, which explains this preference to these types of materials. A good way to prevent roaches from infesting your home is by keeping clutter to a minimal. If you use cardboard boxes for storage, consider switching to plastic totes and be sure to keep them closed tight.
To keep pests from entering your home seal any gaps around doors and windows and check for cracks and crevices where they may enter. Install screens on windows and vents and inspect them regularly for needed repairs.
German roaches can be more difficult to prevent because unlike other common types of roaches, they find other means of entering homes. They can be brought into your home by hiding in boxes, furniture and firewood among other things. Keep stored firewood at least a foot away from the walls of your home. Be sure to inspect firewood and other items for pests that could be hiding before bringing them indoors, especially if they were left outside.
How to get rid of roaches without an exterminator
While prevention is key to keeping these pests at bay, cockroaches can still find ways to come indoors and make themselves comfy in even the cleanest of homes. This is especially true for people who live in apartments or condos with less than sanitary neighbors. Thankfully there are many effective ways to kill roaches in your home and avoid future infestations.
Certain areas and conditions are more prone to cockroach infestations; for instance, if you have a lot of trees around your house this can be a nesting ground for roaches and other pests.
- Fill empty holes in trees with cement or other type of sealant to keep roaches out and minimize the opportunity for nesting.
- Keep the exterior of your home clear of thick vegetation. Remove weeds and dead vegetation that are near your home as well as keeping mulch from touching the exterior. Trim trees and shrubs to keep them from building up and touching the home.
Hiring a professional exterminator can be your best line of defense to treat your home and prevent infestations from occurring year-round. If you prefer to tackle the problem yourself, you can arm yourself with the best roach killer similar to what the professionals use while saving a great deal of money.
Popular roach killer options include gel bait, roach motels, glue strips, repellent, and electronic repellents to name a few. Sometimes a combination of multiple methods is necessary to kill and prevent roaches.
Designed to be effective on these insects (including roaches) : Ants (including Argentine, Carpenter, Foraging Fire Ants, Lawn, Pavement, Pharaoh, Pyramid, and Red/Western Harvester), Beetles (including Asian Lady, Carpet, Japanese (adults)), Centipedes, Cockroaches (including American, Asian, and German), Earwigs, Fleas, Millipedes, Scorpions, Silverfish, Spiders (including black widow, brown recluse, hobo and wolf), Ticks, plus more listed home invading insects.
Visit the Ortho site to learn more about the Ortho Home Defense spray system.
A Tip on Using an Insecticide
Roach sprays or aerosols are a common method that homeowners turn to at the sight of a roach, but this is not the best roach killer option. Sprays only serve to kill the visible pests on-contact. They have little to no impact on roaches in a nest that can continue to thrive in the walls and crevices of your home.
Find the Colony
If you see a roach in your home chances are it isn’t the only one present. These insects are very social and typically invite their whole family when finding a new place. Applying glue strips around high traffic areas can be an effective method for catching more roaches and locating possible infestations. This will help in making treatment more effective by knowing which areas need to be heavily treated.
Set Up Bait Stations
Bait stations are very popular and effective in killing roaches. They work by attracting roaches to the poison where they feed on it, return to their hideout where they perish and poison the other roaches as they feed on the decay. There are a number of different roach baits you can use such as roach motels and gel bait.
Invite Your Roaches to Stay at the Roach Motel | Best Roach Killer
Roach motel stations are the best roach killer options for homes where infestations may be widespread such as large houses with multiple bathrooms, large basements and large kitchens. These can be scattered throughout your home in multiple rooms to attract and kill as many roaches as possible. Set up bait stations in areas that are attractive to roaches such as warm spots, damp areas, and throughout the kitchen and living room where there may be food or crumbs. Here are some ideal places to apply roach bait:
- Behind the TV stands and areas where many electronic devices are plugged in
- Above and below appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, and toasters.
- Behind toilets and near drains.
- Under baseboards and cabinets.
- Underneath or near hampers harboring wet towels/clothes.
Roach motels may contain bait or glue to trap them so be sure to read the label so you know which one you are purchasing. Be sure to check your bait at least once a month for content and replace as needed. Here are some recommended best sellers:
Combat MAX — Small Roach Killing Bait | Best Roach Killer
For small roaches : Combat MAX — Small Roach Killing Bait
✓ For killing large roaches, you’ll want: Combat for Large Roaches (with 8 bait stations) and the main ingredient is Hydramethylnon.
Features (small roach traps):
- Kills the nest, not just the cockroaches.
- Contains Fipronil, one of the fastest ingredients for killing roaches.
- Insect nerve poison kills roaches by contact or ingestion.
- Starts killing roaches in hours, so you can see immediate results.
- High secondary nest kill. Kills roaches in a domino effect, eliminating the source of the infestation.
✓ View or download the Safety Data for Combat 12 Month roach killer baits.
Video | How to Use Combat Roach Baits
This bait station consists of a child-resistant housing to avoid accidental poisoning in children and pets. This bait station works to attract small roaches that enter to eat the bait then take it back to their nest where they die within hours and kill the other roaches in the nest. It comes with 18 bait stations that are effective for up to 12 months.
Engineered to kill tough German roaches (and other small roaches) within hours while preventing them from returning for up to 12 months.
Combat Large Roach Killing Bait | Best Roach Killer
Formulated with bait food that specifically attracts American roaches and other large roaches.
This bait station works to kill large roaches as well as water bugs and palmetto bugs. The bait contained in the child-resistant housing works to kill roaches and insects within an hour and will continue to work for up to 3 months. It comes with 8 bait stations.
Main ingredient : Fipronil
NOTE: It is a violation of federal law to use this product (or any other roach killing product by other brands) in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
Hot Shot Ultra Liquid Roach Bait | Best Roach Killer
Main ingredient : Dinotefuran [N-methyl-N’-nitro-N”-((tetrahydro-3-furanyl)methyl)guanidine]
Features:
- Kills roaches and the eggs they carry
- Kills in hours
- Kills roaches where they breed
- Kills both large and small roaches
- Contains 6 bait stations
- Quick kill formula
- Advanced liquid bait technology
- Dual Bait: Contains both food and water
These stations contain a dual bait combination of food and an advanced liquid formula to attract and kill roaches where they breed. The bait starts working to kill roaches within hours and remains effective for up to 3 months. It comes with 6 mess-free no-spill bait stations.
— Roach Gel Bait
Gel bait typically comes in a tube that can be easily applied in many areas where you commonly find roaches. It is the best roach killer for areas that are difficult to reach such as cracks and crevices in walls to get to the roaches that are hiding. This method of roach killer is also less conspicuous than bait stations like roach motels.
Advion Syngenta Cockroach Gel Bait | Best Roach Killer
Targets a wide range of cockroach species, including: German (also gel bait-averse), American, Australian, Brown, Smokybrown, Oriental, Brown-banded and Asian.
Features:
- High-consumption bait
- Non-repellent
- Indoor/outdoor use
Commercial, residential and industrial sites - Provides speed and spectrum in a single product, offering superior control while simplifying inventory management.
- The entry holes to the bait arena are specially designed so that Advion cockroach bait arena can effectively target both large and small cockroaches
- Controls all prevailing cockroach species
- Targets include gel bait-averse cockroaches
- High-performing bait matrix
- Thorough cockroach infestation control
✓ View or download the Results Data for the effectiveness of Advion Cockroach Gel Bait.
This gel bait is effective in targeting and killing all species of cockroaches! It is made of a potent composition that roaches can’t resist, yet safe for use around pets when used as directed. The gel is effective for up to two years. Included is 4 tubes of gel that will yield 3 to 5 spots of bait per 10 linear feet in areas with heavy infestations and 1-3 spots of bait per 10 linear feet in areas where infestation is moderate.
Be sure to keep roach and insect bait stations where they’re not easily accessible by children and pets to avoid accidental poisoning. Refer to the packaging’s directions for use if product accidentally comes in contact with the eyes and contact poison control if ingested.
— Roach Repellents
While roach baits can be effective, they may not be ideal among households with small children and pets due to the risk of poisoning. Repellants that can be plugged in provide ultrasonic protection to safeguard your home against pests without being harmful to the members of your family.
Cravegreens Pest Control Ultrasonic Repellent
Features:
- Easy to use: Plug it in to any outlet in your home and you’ll repel parasites within an action radius of 200 m².
- How it works: Cravegreens Pest Repellent uses Ultrasonic Technology, inaudible to the human ear.
- Double Technology: Cravegreens is safe for children and pets, and won’t interfere with household appliances.
- Environmentally friendly: For home use that works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with no hazardous chemicals. Not toxic or poisonous.
- Lifetime guarantee : Money back guarantee. If you don’t see results within 3 weeks you can get our money back. On average, expect results between 2-3 weeks depending on the degree of infestation.
- For: Mosquitoes, Rats, Insects and Rodents (Mice, Rats etc..)
This electronic plug-in repellent uses electromagnetic and ultrasonic technology that produces inaudible sounds to the human ear but repels rodents and pests including mosquitoes, rats, mice and roaches! It poses no harm to children or pets, unless you happen to have a rodent as a pet. It plugs into any standard wall power outlet and even has a nightlight. One unit provides protection for one floor continuously with a lifetime guarantee.
PestZilla Advanced Pest Repellent Device
✓ Note: Ultrasonic sound can’t pass through hard surfaces like furniture, cabinets, walls, or ceilings; nor can it go around corners. It is recommended to get one unit for each room where you have a rodent and/or insect issues you want to eradicate.
Features:
- Removes insects and rodents from your home safely and without chemicals or sprays.
- Electromagnetic technology designed to control pests from entering your home.
- Emits a mix of frequency waves to ensure pests do not get immune to the sounds.
- Inaudible to people and to home pets such as dogs, cats, birds, etc.
- Coverage area: 5,000 Sq. Ft. However for ultrasound it’s recommended to get one unit for each room.
The PestZilla Advanced Pest Repeller plugs into power outlets and produces electromagnetic frequency waves to repel pests without the use of toxic chemicals. It works by sending electronic pulse signals through your home’s wiring to repel pests through the walls to keep them from entering your home. One unit offers protection for up to 5,000 square feet against roaches and other common household pests.
What’s the Best Roach Killer?
Just when you think you’ve conquered your pest problems you can encounter a new problem: resistance! Even the best roach killer can lose its effect after some time if roaches become resistant to it. This is why it’s important to refrain from using the same product over a long period of time. Once one product has lost its effect or it’s time to replace, switch to a different product to thwart off these pesky bugs. If you have a serious roach infestation that continues to be problematic even with roach baits and repellents it may be time to call in the professionals.