Cockroach Management Guide

Cockroaches frequently invade homes, and they don’t make it easy get them to leave. To effectively eliminate an infestation, you’ll need to use pest control products and implement preventative measures. We’ve gathered information to help you kick these pests out of your home.  

When cockroaches head indoors, they are often in search of food, water, or shelter. If your home provides them with these things, they will be more than happy to stick around. These pests are most active when it’s warm, but they can be spotted year-round if they can find shelter from the cold. Cockroaches multiply quickly, leading to large infestations. To get rid of these pests, you will need to address the things that attracted cockroaches to your home and use the right pest control products. 

Reducing Attractants

• Remove Food Sources: Cockroaches are opportunistic and will eat what they can find. Your food, pet food, trash, paper, and decaying plant matter can be tasty treats for these bugs. Always clean up crumbs and spills. Pick up your pet’s food when they’re done eating. Store your items in sealed containers to keep cockroaches out of them. Rinse jars to remove sticky residues, and take out the trash regularly. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
• Minimize Moisture: These pests are attracted to damp areas, so minimizing water build-up is important. Fix any plumbing issues, such as leaky pipes, dripping faucets, and clogged drains, to avoid water accumulation. Use a dehumidifier or fan in damp areas of your home, especially in basements or attached garages. Address any moisture problems in your yard as well.
• Reduce Sources of Shelter: Clutter in your home can give cockroaches places to hide. Keep your space organized to help reduce sources of shelter. Avoid using cardboard boxes to store your belongings since these pests are known to hide in them. American and Oriental cockroaches like to be outdoors and will hide in yard debris, woodpiles, and mulch. Keeping your outdoor space well maintained can help to deter cockroach activity.
• Seal Entry Points: Cockroaches can slip through tiny cracks and gaps throughout your house. Examine your home for possible entry points and seal them with caulk or steel wool. Pay close attention to cracks in your home’s structure or foundation and openings near doors or windows. These pests also like to slip inside in boxes, appliances, firewood, furniture, bags, and luggage. Always check these items before bringing them into your home.

The size of the cockroach infestation will play a part in determining the best pest control products to use. Maggie’s Farm offers insecticide spray, baits, and dusts to help eliminate cockroach infestations.

Plant-Based Insecticide Sprays

Our Ant & Roach Killer and Home Bug Spray are formulated using plant essential oils. They are ideal for spot-treating the occasional cockroach. Not only do they kill cockroaches, they also have repellent properties that can help to keep cockroaches from entering or returning to your home. To create a repellent barrier around the perimeter of your house that deters cockroaches, you can also use our Yard Bug Spray. It kills and repels cockroaches and other pests.

Application Tips

Before applying the spray, you will want to shake the can well. During applications, keep the can upright. Our Ant & Roach Killer provides contact kill, so directly spray as many cockroaches as possible. You can also spray near common entry points to prevent cockroaches from sneaking inside with our Ant & Roach Killer or our Home Bug Spray. Apply around window frames, doorways, vents, and spots where utilities enter your home. To prevent cockroaches, spray the lower portions of the foundation and the ground along the perimeter of your house with our Yard Bug Spray.

Baits

Baits are the best option when you are dealing with multiple cockroaches or an infestation. Our Roach Killer Gel Bait attracts and kills the most common home-invading cockroaches. These pests will feed on the bait and return to the nest before dying. Other cockroaches will be exposed to the bait when they feed on the dead cockroaches or their droppings. This creates a domino effect, gradually leading to the elimination of the colony.

Application Tips

Apply small, pea-sized drops of the bait to areas where cockroaches are likely to hide or enter your home including cracks, crevices, and voids. Cockroaches are drawn to cracks near doors and windows or areas where utility lines and pipes enter the house. Monitor the bait placements every 2–4 weeks, and reapply when the bait is almost entirely consumed. It’s important to ensure that the cockroaches have a fresh supply of bait, so repeat this process until you no longer see cockroaches.

Bait can also be applied outdoors in locations inaccessible to children and pets such as in cracks or holes on the exterior of your home as well as on nonexposed surfaces. The bait can be applied in crawl spaces, attics, garages, porches, and sheds too. When applying a bait indoors or outdoors, it’s important that you don’t spray any repellent products near it to avoid deterring pests from eating the bait.

Insecticide Dust

Insecticide dusts can also help to control a cockroach infestation. Our Spider & Insect Dust and Bed Bug Killer dust are labeled for cockroach control. Our Spider & Insect Dust kills and repels cockroaches, providing up to 6 months of protection when left undisturbed. Our Bed Bug Killer dust is a non-repellent dust that clings to the exoskeleton of pests when they walk through it, causing rapid dehydration and death. It will keep working for up to 10 years when undisturbed.

Application Tips

Dusts can be applied to the spots where cockroaches hide such as in cracks in walls or ceilings, in wall voids, under appliances or furniture, and behind cabinets. The dusts can be applied using the puffer bottle. You can also use a paintbrush to help push the dust into cracks or cervices. You just need to apply a light, visible film of the dust.

Traps

Insect traps can also help to keep unwanted guests out of your home. Our Spider & Insect Trap works 24/7 to capture cockroaches and other pests. The easy-to-use trap utilizes a glue board and is pesticide free. The station is sturdy, protecting the glue board and helping to keep children and pets from contacting the glue. The translucent station makes it easy to see when the glue board needs to be replaced.

Application Tips

Simply place the trap on level surfaces, typically along walls or edges, close to where you have seen cockroach activity. Focus on areas where insects come inside, harbor, congregate, or travel. You will want to replace the glue board every three months or when it’s full of cockroaches.

Because cockroaches are adaptable and multiply quickly, it can be challenging to eliminate an infestation. Removing their sources of food, moisture, and shelter as well as using pest control products can help to get rid of these pests.