Of all the colors of lights out there, red light repels the highest number of cockroaches. These pests are usually picky about the color of the light and are most sensitive to red light, which they will try to get away from it as fast as they can.
Roach Repellents
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
It's a fact that cockroaches are afraid of humans and other mammals or animals that are bigger than them. They see us as predators and that fear triggers their instinct to scatter away. However, they dislike strong and distinctive scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender and vinegar.
And it's not just artificial light that cockroaches dislike. They're not fond of natural light either. Because of this, you're unlikely to see them during the daytime. If you do notice one during the day, it may be because the roach got crowded out of its home or was forced out of hiding due to a lack of food.
Smells that roaches hate: a quickfire summary
Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too. And surprisingly, lower concentrations – 2.5 parts per hundred – seem to work best as deterrents. Just don't bother with lavender.
Boric acid Some people find this to be the best option to kill roaches. Boric acid can work too, the only downside is that sometimes roaches will go away as soon as they smell boric acid.
Keep a Cold Home
Turning up the AC may not look good on your energy bill but at least your house will be cockroach-free. There's a reason why we see roaches in the summer, and they vanish during the winter – cockroaches hate the cold. Always turn up the AC.
The results of the investigation on what color will repel the greatest number of cockroaches, indicate that red light repels a greater number of roaches than the other five colored lights and the control group of no light. Green light deterred the second most roaches followed by white, yellow, and blue.
While your bedroom door probably just opens up to the rest of the inside of the home, roaches that get in through other doors of the home can make their way to your bedroom and even your bed.
Cockroach Eliminating Method: Baking Soda and Sugar
The method: Mix equal parts baking soda and sugar in a shallow bowl and place near the site of your last cockroach sighting. The idea is that the sugar attracts the cockroaches and the baking soda will kill them.
Does salt kill cockroaches? This one's a myth. Salt doesn't kill cockroaches. However, epsom salt (a.k.a. magnesium sulfate) is toxic to roaches.
For cockroaches, window cleaner can make them temporarily unconscious so that you can squash them. This works on initial contact, but Windex will not continue to kill bugs after it has dried. Laundry Detergent – Dilute a few drops of laundry detergent or dish soap in water and use the mixture as a spray.
Cockroaches are attracted to your home by the smell of food. They are most attracted to starch, sugar, grease, meat, and cheese. Rotting fruits and vegetables can also give off a very pungent smell that will definitely attract these pests.
Dusts – A few insecticides used for cockroach control are applied as dusts or powders. Most familiar to householders are boric acid and diatomaceous earth. For controlling cockroaches, boric acid tends to be more effective. Roaches succumb to boric acid after crawling over treated surfaces.
Interestingly, they found that wavelengths of light from ultraviolet (378 nanometers) to visible blue-green (508nm) killed off the bugs, whereas wavelengths of light in red and yellow had essentially no effect. Even more interestingly, the wavelength of light did not directly correspond to its lethalness.
They Can Ruin Clothes
Cockroaches can also eat off of your clothes and ruin its fabric. Cockroaches are not only attracted to food crumbs and sweets. According to entomologists, these creatures are also attracted to stains and sweat. Your dirty clothes in the hamper is a common attractant to cockroaches.
By keeping a clean dwelling, you'll give roaches less of a reason to intrude upon your happy home. There is more to keeping roaches at bay than just having spotless floors, however. Let's look at potential trouble spots that you may have overlooked during your most recent cleaning spree or inspection.
Temperatures between 15 and Zero degrees Fahrenheit will kill a cockroach, and they cannot breed at temperatures below 40 degrees. So, once temperatures start to drop, roaches look for a warm place to hide.
There are a lot of people dropping air fresheners in their trash cans under the belief that the smell will offend roaches and send them running. Not only does it almost never work, but some scents may attract cockroaches and other pests.
Sprinkle the diatomaceous earth around areas where roaches travel and frequent. The sharp particles of diatomaceous earth damage the waxy, protective exoskeleton of the roach, causing it to dehydrate and die, typically within 48 hours of contact.
Eucalyptus oil has a strong scent that seems to have some success in repelling roaches. You can dilute it with water and spray areas you think cockroaches might have nested.