While cockroach infestations are usually despised by everyone, some homeowners want to keep away from the use of hazardous insecticides and poisons while attempting to rid themselves of the dilemma. Small children, pets, and even some adults can be negatively affected by harsh chemical agents, making the search for natural roach control a common effort. If you’re looking for a natural roach control substitute to the traditional fare, here’s a list of proven alternative strategies to help clear yourself of unwanted six-legged guests.
Bring in its Natural Predator
Natural roach control is typically a case of thinking outside the box. And when it comes to members of the natural world, why not fight fire with fire? Acquire a gecko or two and give them free sway of your home while your infestation persists. They are natural predators of cockroaches of all varieties and will diligently hunt down and sooner or later get rid of your trouble. At first, you won’t even know they are there, but when food sources become insufficient, you’ll notice your gecko making more numerous appearances out in the open. Some people swear by this method. Although you should go into it knowing you’re not only investing in organic roach control, you’re acquiring a pet, or two, as well. Once the geckos have cleaned your house of the problem, you’ll need to put them up in an aquarium or other suitable enclosure and make sure their needs are being met, including cleaning their tank and providing daily feed7-2ings.
Hate Reptiles?
Of course, not everybody is comfy bringing free-ranging reptiles into their home. Luckily there are a number of other natural cockroach control solutions out there to try if you’ve got cockroaches in the house. Here are a few of the more common ones.
Set Out a Mixture of Baking Soda and Sugar. Cockroaches have a very high acid substance in their stomachs. When they ingest the sugar, and the baking soda along with it, the subsequent reaction between the soda and their natural make-up results in death.
Mix Up a Non-Toxic Bait. Also taking benefit from the adverse effects of baking soda, mix up a dough made of baking soda, bacon grease, minced onions, sugar, and flour. The bait is easier to distribute and cleaner than the above-mentioned strategy, with the same deadly results.
Try Boric Acid. Boric acid isn’t non-toxic, but it isn’t as volatile as most insecticides, either. You can purchase it as a powder that you sprinkle in areas where you suspect roaches are congregating. It’s not exactly organic roach control, but your roaches in the house will get the boric acid on their exoskeletons through contact, after which the acid eats away at them until they die. You can also make Boric Acid-based bait, similar to the baking soda bait listed above, though be sure to keep pets and children away from any area where boric acid is used.
A Few Other Ideas
Besides the above-mentioned natural roach control methods, other things you might try include spreading diatomaceous earth, using Epsom salts as poisonous bait, and placing bay leaves in cupboards, pantries, and other areas as a repellent. Finally, keep in mind that none of these organic roach control remedies will work if you don’t take other important steps of cleaning your house and putting food and sources of water out of reach. Also, don’t forget that cockroaches are nature’s ultimate survivors. Even the use of high potency chemicals can come up short, let alone home remedies. If you’ve got a roach infestation that won’t go away, track down a pest control company that specializes in organic roach control practices to come in and take care of the problem for you.