Unfortunately, the pitter-patter of little feet isn’t necessarily a good thing, when it’s a cockroach that’s invaded your home or apartment. Taking refuge in the nooks and crannies of your kitchen and bathroom, the roach is a common household pest with nearly 4,000 species scurrying across the world. Luckily, home remedies for roaches can help tame the 30 species known to infiltrate human dwellings. Find out what type of roach you may have scurrying about your home.
What is a Roach?
Cockroaches are known as one of the most dreaded of household pests. They’ve been around for thousands of years and they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. There are four species of cockroach officially considered ‘pests’ with the most recognized species being the American cockroach – measuring 30 millimeters long [1]. Preferring the warm environment found inside homes, the pest species of cockroach can easily adapt to their surroundings as they search for food and water. They will feed on pet and human edibles. Possessing the ability to live one month without water, and up to three months without food, the cockroach is a pretty resilient creature.
Roach Home Remedies
If actions are not taken to control the presence of roaches, their numbers will steadily increase. Luckily, at the first sign of the pest, home remedies for roaches can help reduce numbers. A few suggestions include:
1) Petroleum Jelly Trap:
Apply petroleum jelly around the inner rim of a jar. Insert a couple of apple, potato or banana peelings into the jar. Leave out overnight where you’ve spotted roach activity. The pests should climb into the jar, but will be unable to escape because of the petroleum. Discard the contents in a bucket of soapy water, and then flush down the toilet.
2) Baking Soda:
Many believe that a mixture consisting of equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar applied to problem areas will control roaches. Supposedly, the sugar attracts the pests while the baking soda mixes with their stomach acids to cause internal destruction.
3) Coffee Grounds:
Fill a jar halfway with water and coffee grounds. This trap uses the scent of coffee, which is pleasant to the roach, to lure and trap roaches in the jar. As the pests climb into the jar, they should fall inside and drown.
4) Cornstarch:
Create a 50/50 blend of cornstarch and plaster of Paris, which is spread into crevices where roaches appear.
Article Source: http://www.grandmashomeremedies.com/roaches.html