Pest-Control-Expert.com
A property manager's guide to pest control

How To Get Rid Of Roaches - Cockroach Pest Control Guide

Roaches are a very difficult pest to deal with. Learning how to get rid of roaches can be a challenge. They are probably one of it not the most resilient pest I have dealt with.

Cockroaches often stick together and find a place to hangout during the day. Their hiding places are often dark and sometimes damp. If you notice a couple roaches coming out at night you should try to find their hiding place during the day. They don't often travel far from their hiding place. If you notice them in the kitchen chances are good that they are hiding somewhere in the kitchen during the day. Here are a few places to check:
  • In cabinets or cabinet drawers
  • Under the cabinets
  • Under or behind the stove
  • Under or behind a dishwasher
  • Under or behind a fridge
  • Beneath your microwave
If you can't find the roaches they are likely hiding out in the walls. If so they will be passing to and from the areas they have been spotted using some hole in the wall. You will need to do a very thorough inspection of all walls and baseboards to see if you can discover any possible cockroach entry points. This is where attention to detail is very important. If you can see a hole, no matter how big, chances are a cockroach can fit through it. Use painters caulking to fill any holes you may discover.

Do not forget to check under the cabinets for holes. Holes under cabinets or behind drawers are the most common entry points for roaches because they are often unseen or neglected by homeowners because they are in areas that don't matter much from a cosmetic standpoint.

If you cannot find out where the cockroaches are coming from you can use insecticide to make them come to you. Demon-WP is a powerful insecticide that is used by roach pest control companies. You cannot buy Demon-WP in local stores. It is however fairly inexpensive to purchase on-line. Most people that know how to get rid of roaches are familiar with this product even though it isn't advertised.

Demon-WP can irritate your sinuses and you should use a respirator while spraying. To find where roaches are hiding spray around all corners of the room they have been spotted in. Use liberal amounts and make sure the walls and floors are well saturated. After spraying wait for a few minutes and the roaches will likely start coming out of their home like it is a burning building. Pay close attention to the area they are coming from. The cockroaches you see will likely be dead in 30 minutes but their eggs will still hatch and more roaches will come soon after. Because if this try again to find any holes the cockroaches are using to gain access to the affected room in the area they are coming from. Once you find that area seal all holes. If you cannot find or reach the area the cockroaches are coming from continue spraying Demon-WP every couple days until you no longer see any roaches.

How To Get Rid Of Roaches When There Is A Major Infestation

If you can see 50+ cockroaches crawling around at night you have a major problem. At this point you really have to spend a weekend to go to war. Here are the home cockroach pest control steps to take:
  • Bag up all personal belongings in black trash bags - you can't be lazy here, everything has to be removed from drawers, cabinets, and closets
  • Set all trash bags out in the sun for the day
  • Put all food in sealed containers
  • Do a major cleaning of your entire home
  • Seal any and all cracks that roaches can fit through
  • Spray your entire home with Demon-WP (make sure you wear a respirator while you are spraying). The easiest way to make sure every room is covered is to spray all corners of the entire house. In the kitchen make sure you spray well in all cabinets and drawers. After the inside is done go outside and spray around the foundation, doors, and windows of your home. As you are spraying the roaches will get irritated and start coming out of the woodworks. Use liberal amounts of Demon-WP and keep spraying the areas the roaches are coming out of. With the floor soaked in insecticide the roaches will start dying off.
  • Leave all personal belongings out overnight if possible and do another heavy spraying the next morning. At this point a good portion of the roaches should be killed. Four hours after the 2nd spraying you can go ahead and move your stuff back in.
  • Even if all cockroaches have been killed their eggs will hatch a week or two later. Make sure to spray again one week and two weeks after the initial treatment
  • Keep your home and especially your kitchen as clean as possible
Ridding your home of termites requires similar diligence in terms of finding the nest and destroying the eggs and queen.