Roaches must be one of the most loathed creatures on this planet. Even those unafraid of mice and spiders shudder at the sight of a cockroach scuttling across the wall. While a cockroach is creepy itself, a roach infestation is enough to send you packing.
These insect pests are notorious for bearing germs, bacteria, and diseases like dysentery and cholera. Additionally, they leave feces, egg casings, and allergens in their wake, triggering asthma and allergies. If you see one roach, there’s the likelihood you have more hiding in dark areas of your home.
Occasional cockroach sightings are one thing, but regular roach visits indicate that you have a roach problem. If you find yourself constantly cleaning up cockroach droppings and eggs and chasing down scampering adult roaches, you’re well into a cockroach infestation. It’s time to take immediate pest control measures with home remedies that kill roaches on contact and help avoid infestations in the future.

- Eliminating and Preventing Roach Infestations
- How Many Roaches is an Infestation?
- What Causes a Roach Infestation?
- How to Tell That You Have a Roach Infestation
- Cockroach Control Tips and Prevention Methods
- How to Use Glue Traps to Identify a Roach Problem
- Getting Rid of Cockroaches with Diatomaceous Earth
- How to Use Baking Soda to Control Roaches
- Eliminating a Roach Infestation with Boric Acid
- Using Borax to Get Rid of Cockroaches
- Eliminating Roaches with Bait Stations
- Deterring Cockroaches with Essential Oils
- Employ Commercial Roach Products
Eliminating and Preventing Roach Infestations
Cockroach infestations are common in the South, yet you can have a cockroach problem just about anywhere with the right conditions. Learn how to eliminate and prevent roaches in the house and keep the cockroach population in check.
How Many Roaches is an Infestation?
It’s understandable to panic at the sight of a cockroach indoors since these insects are known for infesting certain areas. So, how many roaches is an infestation, and how fast do they multiply?
Cockroach Infestation
There are three classifications for roach infestation. A light infestation is when you have five or fewer roaches, ten to 25 insects equal a moderate infestation, and 25 or more cockroaches are heavy infestations.
Female roaches can lay up to two egg casings a week, with each egg case containing up to 16 eggs, and they incubate for six to eight weeks. However, their reproduction rate declines over time, and females may produce an average of 150 baby roaches in their lifetime.
What Causes a Roach Infestation?
The reason for a roach infestation depends on the cockroach type and location. Learn the most common roaches that infest homes and why they find the space appealing.
The German cockroach is a problem worldwide and the most common variety in the United States in inner-city environments. They prefer warm and humid areas and develop faster, leading to a German cockroach infestation.
The American cockroach is the largest of North American roaches, reaching two inches at maturity. People often refer to them as a palmetto bug. You usually spot these types in lower-floor apartments in cities.
Thinking that filthy areas draw cockroaches is a popular misconception. While most species love trash and debris, this isn’t the only reason they head indoors. Cockroaches seek three basic needs; food, water, and shelter.
If they find all their requirements in one place, they invite their family and friends. While they don’t build nests, they make themselves comfy beneath appliances and other secretive spaces.
How to Tell That You Have a Roach Infestation
Since the German, American, and Oriental cockroach are masters at hiding, you may find it challenging to tell whether you have an infestation. Here are typical things to look for to determine if you have a cockroach problem.
Roach droppings are a definite sign that you have an infestation. Cockroach feces resembles coffee grounds or pepper, and you may spot them near a food source.
In addition, a random live or dead cockroach may indicate you have a problem, as well as roach eggs and dark smears on walls. Finally, roaches have a particular scent they leave behind due to their pheromones, and it’s the type of smell you can’t seem to place.
Cockroach Control Tips and Prevention Methods
Prevention is key to many things in life, and pest control is no different. The best way to stop a roach infestation is to prevent it in the first place. Follow some cockroach control tips to ensure your living space is uninviting to these nasty pests.
One of the best cockroach control tips is to remove the pest’s food source. Keep human and pet food in storage containers with lids, clean the kitchen to remove crumbs and debris, take out the garbage nightly, and wash dirty dishes daily.
Roaches have a preferred hiding place, usually where it’s dark, damp, and cool. Clean cluttered spaces, like the bathroom, kitchen, basement, and laundry room.
How to Use Glue Traps to Identify a Roach Problem
Glue traps stop cockroaches literally in their steps, making it easier for you to trap and discard roaches without using chemicals. Make cockroach traps with homemade bait and determine if you have an infestation.
Cut off a large piece of duct tape and place it with the sticky side facing up in an area where you suspect roach activity. Consider putting it behind an appliance or on a top shelf, and set a small piece of overripe fruit or a banana peel in the center of the tape as bait. Check the trap daily and discard it in the outside trash after capturing roaches.
Getting Rid of Cockroaches with Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a popular substance with various industrial uses. However, it is a naturally occurring powder that eliminates insects, including the dreaded cockroach, and is safe for home use. Apply DE to kill roaches and keep their population in check.
Put on a face mask and sprinkle a layer of diatomaceous earth in areas where you notice cockroaches. The German roach walks across the powder, which damages the exoskeleton, leading to dehydration and death. Check the site frequently and discard the dead roach outside.
How to Use Baking Soda to Control Roaches
How many roaches is an infestation, and does sodium bicarbonate kill these insects? An infestation is anywhere from five cockroaches to 25 and up. Fortunately, baking soda is an excellent ingredient for eliminating roaches.
Pour baking soda into a shallow container and add some sugar. Set the container in the roach-infested area and wait for the poison to eliminate the roaches. The sugar attracts the pests, and the sodium bicarbonate kills them.
Eliminating a Roach Infestation with Boric Acid
Boric acid kills cockroaches rapidly, sticking to their legs and wings as they pass over the powder, and it’s available online and at many stores. Use this powder to get rid of roaches and stop an infestation.
Sprinkle boric acid over a paper plate, set a spoonful of peanut butter in the center as roach bait, and place it strategically to draw roaches. After the insects walk across the powder and eat their snack, they go back into hiding, ingest the powder while grooming, and die.
Using Borax to Get Rid of Cockroaches
You’ve probably seen Borax in the laundry aisle of your favorite supercenter. While it’s great for cleaning your clothes, it’s also effective at eliminating roaches. Use this laundry additive to kill cockroaches.
Combine Borax and white sugar and sprinkle the mixture in suspicious areas. The sweet sugar draws the insects to the Borax, which they ingest, causing dehydration and eventual death.
Eliminating Roaches with Bait Stations
Make a bait and trap station to get rid of roaches fast. Some bait stations work by drawing the roach into a trap with the promise of a tasty treat; once they enter, they cannot get out. Other stations trick roaches into eating poisoned gel bait.
Start by lining the inside of a Mason jar with petroleum jelly. Set roach bait inside the jar. Just about anything type of food works, whether it’s a piece of fruit or leftover scraps. Put the trap in the spot where you see roaches and wait for them to fall for the bait and get trapped.
Deterring Cockroaches with Essential Oils
Essential oils can be used as scents that roaches will stay away from while maintaining a toxin-free home. Cockroaches, spiders, and other household pests cannot stand peppermint and rosemary oils – combining them into a spray keeps the area roach-free.
Fill a glass bottle sprayer with water and add 20 drops of peppermint and rosemary essential oil. Shake the container well and spray it liberally over all the entry points to your house or apartment to keep roaches from entering your living space.
Employ Commercial Roach Products
There are many roach-eliminating products on the market if you don’t have the time to mess around with home remedies. However, their application varies from one to the other, and some are safer than others.
Roach traps and bait stations are the best choices if you have children or pets since the poison is confined within a trapping system. Roach sprays are ideal for treating the outside perimeter of the house, effectively keeping pests out. Powders and gels are great for poisoning and killing roaches fast.
Cockroaches multiply quickly, turning from a couple of roaches into hundreds in no time. It’s crucial to take roach control measures to prevent an infestation. Luckily, home remedies and commercial products work wonders for cockroach control, keeping your home pest and cockroach allergen free.

We hope that our pest control tips help you prevent a roach infestation, and we’d love it if you’d share our cockroach elimination and prevention guide with your family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook.