It’s often said that cockroaches would be the only survivors of an all-out nuclear war. While, thankfully, this theory has yet to be put to the test, there’s no doubt that these pests can be a persistent problem if they decide to take up residence in your home.
The simplest answer to an infestation would be to lay down a chemical insecticide, but in today’s eco-sensitive times, many people prefer to avoid this whenever possible. Quite apart from the dangers of introducing toxins to the environment, even the safest of these products can be cause for concern when there are children and pets around. So, what can you do to tackle a roach invasion without resorting to chemicals?
Firstly, it must be said that for a serious infestation, Sydneys Best Pest Control should be sought. The resilience of the cockroach means that if you face an army of the critters, you’ll fight a losing battle if you attempt to take them on alone. But if you spot the early signs of an increasing assault, these four solutions could halt the problem before it gets out of hand.
Fabric Conditioner
A good organic fabric conditioner with a strong lemony scent can be a powerful weapon in the fight against cockroaches. They find the odor irresistible, and will come to investigate. Unfortunately for them, soapy substances will quickly coat their outward breathing apparatus, leading to suffocation. You can either lay a conditioner booby trap in the areas you know the insects frequent, or mix a solution to use as a lethal spray for direct hand-to-hand combat.
Baking Powder
To add a little biological warfare to your strategy, mix a pinch or two of baking powder into some sugar, and leave the concoction temptingly lying around for the roaches. They’ll gorge themselves on the sugar, but the baking powder will create gas in their digestive systems. Cockroaches have no bodily way of releasing this pressure, and the results are invariably, and somewhat explosively, fatal.
Boric Acid
Although it may sound like a chemical, boric acid is in fact a natural fungicide which is also lethal to many insects, including cockroaches, ants, fleas, termites, and silverfish. As with baking powder, it can be mixed with sugar as an edible poison, but it can also be sprinkled very lightly around the areas where the roaches congregate. The powder will cling to any passing roach, attacking the exoskeleton on a cellular level, but it will also be ingested when the insect cleans itself. Death by dehydration will follow within between one and three days. Warning although boric acid is not poisonous to humans, it can cause skin irritation in high concentrations, so handle it as little as possible.