Pest Strategies

Cockroach killers help you quickly get rid of these pests without contacting a professional exterminator. To help you find the best cockroach killer for your infestation, Pest Strategies researched dozens of products on Amazon. Check out our findings below.

 

Buying Guide

Cockroach killers take the form of sprays, traps, gels, and more. To find the best cockroach killer for your infestation, consider the following information. 

• Type: Below are explanations of four common cockroach killers on the market.

• Gel: Cockroach gel combines an attractant to lure roaches in with an insecticide to kill them. Roaches get poisoned when they touch or eat the insecticide. Because of the insecticide’s delayed-action formula, roaches unknowingly carry the poison back to their colony before they’re killed. The poison spreads, killing more than just the roaches that came into direct contact with it.

• Spray: Sprays come in two forms — residual and non-residual. Residual sprays leave a film of insecticide around the perimeter of your home or in targeted areas where you have seen roach activity. Non-residual sprays are used when you see a roach and want to kill it on contact. For the best results, we recommend using a mix of both roach sprays. 

• Trap: Unlike spray and gel, traps act like monitoring devices to detect cockroach infestations. Once the trap captures some roaches, the homeowner can deploy additional traps or cockroach killers in that area to further combat the issue. The surface of the trap is covered with a strong adhesive to capture cockroaches as well as other insects as they crawl across it. Most of these pests can’t escape, dying within a day or two from starvation. 

• • • Powder: Much like spray, powder is applied around the perimeter of your home or in areas where you have seen cockroaches. However, it typically has a more environmentally friendly formula.

• Versatility: When cockroaches are present, it’s likely that other pests are as well. Certain products target a variety of invasive indoor insects, including ants, spiders, bed bugs, centipedes, crickets, and fleas. 

• Odor: Most cockroach killers, especially traps, don’t produce a strong odor. However, sprays do contain potent insecticides and other chemicals that can leave your home with an unpleasant smell. If this bothers you, we recommend wearing a mask during application and following up with an aerosol-based odor neutralizer. 

• Residue: Cockroach sprays, powders, and gels leave a residue behind. If you don’t want this, traps are a good option, as they’re generally self-contained. 

• Disposal: No one wants to handle dead cockroaches. Some cockroach traps contain the roaches, so little to no direct contact is required. Unfortunately, the other types leave a bit of a mess. In these instances, a broom and dustpan are useful. You can also wear rubber gloves to prevent direct skin contact. 

 

How To Prevent a Cockroach Infestation

If you’ve dealt with cockroaches recently, chances are high that they’ll return and in greater numbers. The best way to prevent this is to be proactive, taking steps to eliminate environments where they thrive. Follow our tips below to do this.

• Seal cracks: With a flexible exoskeleton, it’s easy for cockroaches to squeeze through gaps as narrow as one-sixteenth of an inch. Locate as many holes and cracks as possible in your walls, windows, and doors, and seal them with a caulk that contains boric acid.
• Eliminate clutter: Cockroaches aren’t dubbed as the “ultimate scavengers” for nothing — they’re attracted to nearly anything with an odor. Keeping your living space clean and tidy won’t give them anything to be attracted to.
• Secure food: Finding food crumbs is akin to a gold mine for cockroaches. Wipe your surfaces, secure your food in airtight containers, and empty your trash regularly.

 

 

FAQs

• Do cockroaches pose an immediate threat to my health? 

Cockroaches aren’t venomous or poisonous. However, they can be an asthma trigger. They also carry various bacteria that can cause illnesses if ingested.

• What are Insect Growth Regulators? 

Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) disrupt the reproductive cycle of your roach population. You can think of IGRs as a form of birth control, interrupting the larvae and egg stages of the roach life cycle. IGRs are often found in gel-based roach bait. 

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a cockroach killer spray?

Sprays are fast-acting, while other killers take multiple days or weeks to do their job. However, cockroaches reproduce quickly and hide well, so it’s difficult to eliminate the entire population with one or multiple spray applications. Sprays work best in conjunction with other treatment options. 

• Are natural ingredients, such as essential oils, effective at killing cockroaches?

  No. In fact, using essential oils, cucumber peels, or other ingredients that claim to be natural insect repellents will likely attract additional cockroaches rather than repel or kill them. A serious cockroach infestation almost always warrants the use of insecticide-based killers. 

 

 

Pest Strategies provides reviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, and other objective criteria. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for non-professionals. Because pest control products can be dangerous to your family if mishandled, we always recommend consulting with an exterminator, even if just to ask for advice on how to apply pest control products yourself.