Today, perhaps, you will never meet a person who has not seen or at least heard nothing about cockroaches. You can meet these insects in different places: in your home, in the apartment of friends or acquaintances, in dining rooms and other rooms. The main thing is that there is free access to food there. True, these red, mustachioed creatures do not evoke any other feelings in people except disgust. And each of them wants to quickly find out how to get rid of red cockroaches. This article will help solve the problem.
Red cockroaches in the apartment, where did they come from?
It is not so easy to get rid of cockroaches that have settled in an apartment. Therefore, it is very important to know in what ways they can get there in order to promptly take the necessary measures to prevent the emergence of an undesirable neighborhood.
So, these insects can enter the home through:
- Ventilation;
- Attic;
- Joints between floor slabs;
- Basement;
- Entrance;
- Gaps in the floor or under baseboards;
- Risers;
- Electrical or telephone wires;
- Neighboring apartments;
- Packages in which products were brought from the market.
It is also necessary to ensure that household members or guests who enter the house do not inadvertently bring a cockroach with them in their shoes, bag or bag.
An important point in getting rid of red cockroaches is the proper environment in the apartment, that is, maintaining order. Without this, it will not be possible to get rid of insects forever.
Homemade traps
Specialized stores sell traps for cockroaches, which are a structure with holes for entry and the impossibility of getting out from the inside. It's expensive, and craftsmen have come up with homemade traps that are no less effective.
The main advantage is that cockroaches come running to the bait, there is no intoxication of the human body. The downside is that you have to remove cockroaches from the structure.
Sticky traps
This design involves the use of only 2 materials - double-sided tape and a piece of cardboard / paper, etc. The principle of the sticky “trap” is simple - the cockroach is directed to the bait food, stepping on the sticky base with its paws, as a result of which it sticks.
Manufacturing process:
- Cut a rectangle of any length from cardboard.
- Cut a piece of tape so that its length on both sides is 2-3 cm shorter than the size of the cardboard.
- Glue the sticky material to the base.
- Place the bait in the central part of the tape. This could be sugar, vanilla, bread crumbs, jam, honey or any other food scraps.
- Place sticky traps out of the reach of children and pets.
From the bottle
The plastic bottle trap is based on the fact that a little sweet water is poured inside the structure, the Prussians climb inside in search of liquid, but cannot get back out.
What you will need:
- plastic bottle;
- water;
- scissors;
- sweetness.
How to do it yourself:
- Draw a transverse line along the container just above the middle.
- Cut the bottle into 2 parts.
- Pour sweetened water into the bottom (mix with sugar or jam).
- Turn the top part upside down and in this position insert it into the base with liquid.
- Place the trap anywhere.
From a can
A simple way to catch cockroaches using an ordinary glass jar. The trap works identically to the previous method, only dry food is placed inside, not water.
What materials are needed:
- capacity 0.5, 0.7 or 1 l;
- fat base – Vaseline, sunflower oil;
- scissors;
- single-sided tape;
- a piece of fabric or paper (raw materials that make it easier for insects to climb into the container).
Manufacturing instructions:
- Prepare a glass jar - cut a piece of paper (anti-slip) to fit its volume, wrap it, and secure it with tape.
- Place bait inside - a little jam, leftover food, sugar, etc.
- On the inside, lubricate the glass 2-3 cm from the neck with an oil base.
- Place it in areas where cockroaches gather.
Trap houses
If you hate to look at a bunch of insects caught in a trap every day, build a “house” with your own hands. To do this you will need the following:
- Double-sided tape;
- scissors;
- a small cardboard box (for parcels, sweets, shoes, etc.).
How to make:
- Make holes of any shape on the sides and roof of the box.
- Place tape on the entire bottom of the box from the inside.
- Place bait food in some places.
- Close the lid and leave it in the room.
Cockroaches, having entered such a house (and they will do this with pleasure thanks to the bait and darkness inside), will stick their paws to the tape and will no longer be able to leave.
Why is it difficult to get rid of red cockroaches?
There are several different reasons that explain the difficulty of getting rid of cockroaches:
What danger do these pests pose to human health?
Red cockroaches are completely picky in food, because they eat both leftovers from the human table and leather from clothing, fabric, shoes, book bindings, paper, soap, and can even gnaw through wires from electrical appliances, causing a short circuit.
Since red cockroaches most often live in trash cans or cracks in the floor, they collect a large number of microbes on their bodies.
And upon contact with the surface of the dining table or food, insects quickly spread various diseases, which include:
In addition, a cockroach can carry worm eggs on its legs, and the chitinous covering that insects shed during molting can cause allergies in apartment residents.
It’s rare, but it still happens that a cockroach mistakes a person’s ear canal for a reliable shelter and crawls there when he’s sleeping. And in this case it will no longer be possible to do without a doctor.
Harm to humans
Living with Prussians poses a danger to people, despite the fact that the insects are not poisonous and do not have predatory instincts. Red cockroaches are constantly puzzled to find food. In search of food, they quickly move from one room to another, along the way running through sewer pipes, garbage chutes, ventilation shafts, basements and attics.
The colony
An insect's body accumulates a huge amount of dirt and germs, which it leaves on everything it touches. This could include uncleaned food, dishes, door and window handles, switches, and countertops. Consequently, all products that a cockroach has run over must be washed or thrown away, and by touching any surface, you can catch the infection it brought.
In addition to dirt, Prussians carry eggs of worms and pathogens of serious diseases, including:
- salmonellosis;
- dysentery;
- meningitis;
- tuberculosis;
- tetanus;
- diphtheria;
- hepatitis.
Remains of chitinous cover and waste products of cockroaches are mixed with dust and, if they get on the skin or in the respiratory tract of a person, they can trigger allergies.
How do red cockroaches reproduce?
Red cockroaches reproduce much faster than black and Madagascar cockroaches. They are insects with incomplete transformation, so their own copies appear from cockroach eggs, only very small and without wings. This stage corresponds to the stage of larvae of butterflies and beetles and is called a nymph.
Over a couple of months of development, nymphs molt 6 times. They grow with each molt until they become adults with wings.
Currently reading: How to get rid of Prussians - the most effective methods of control
The development of cockroach eggs lasts from 2 to 4 weeks, and it occurs in the ooteca (a kind of packaging), which the female drags at the end of the abdomen before the larvae hatch. At the most crucial moment, the ootheca is deposited, and from there appears from 20 to 25 transparent white larvae.
Only a few hours pass and the larvae become darker, and on the back of their heads a distinctive feature of red cockroaches appears - a pair of red spots.
The larvae eat the same things as adult cockroaches.
The lifespan of a female is 10 months, and during this time she manages to give birth to 250 new cockroaches. And taking into account the fact that each nymph turns into an adult insect after a couple of months and can produce new individuals, the number of descendants of each female by the end of her life will number in the thousands.
Description and appearance
Red cockroaches are insects with an elongated, slightly flattened oval body. This shape provides insects with the opportunity to penetrate even the narrowest crevices. Females have a larger and wider body than males. The body size of an adult European cockroach is from 9 to 16 mm; the largest red cockroaches grow up to 20 mm. The body is covered with a rather soft chitinous cover. Color can vary from light brown to red. A characteristic feature is darker brown stripes on the back.
Prusak
The life cycle of a cockroach includes three stages:
- egg;
- larva (nymph);
- adult (imago).
The reproduction of cockroaches does not depend on the time of year, so in each population there are nymphs at different stages of development and pregnant females. The average lifespan of Prussians is 8–9 months, but how long a particular cockroach will live largely depends on conditions (in particular, the availability of sufficient food and water, and ambient temperature).
Is it possible to get rid of cockroaches forever?
Eliminating the cause of cockroaches in your home does not mean defeating them. In order to get rid of cockroaches, and even forever, you will have to try very hard. Therefore, having heard from someone that no problems will arise in the process of fighting insects, since the modern market offers a lot of different chemicals, you should not relax and believe. Most likely, the one who said this has not himself encountered these mustachioed uninvited guests within the walls of his home.
Causes of insects
It is believed that cockroaches are the province of dormitories and dirty premises. However, this is not entirely true, and unwanted migrants may choose a completely safe and clean apartment or house. The reasons for the appearance of barbels are:
- non-compliance with the rules of room hygiene - crumbs lying on the floor and under cabinets, a full trash can: all this is a treasure trove of food for the mustachioed;
- cockroaches “escaped” from their neighbors - they felt crowded due to their large numbers or the neighbors poisoned insects: in any case, you are under attack;
- the parasites arrived along with personal belongings - you can bring a couple of individuals from friends and relatives, bring them from the hotel after a vacation, or one of your guests will “deliver” them to you;
- natural migration - these beetles are heat-loving, so in the summer they are able to live outside and feed on scraps that they find there. But the cold snap forces them to look for a warm shelter, which could very well be your family nest.
Cockroaches come out to hunt mainly at night, so owners may not be aware of the presence of illegal residents for a long time. The following signs indicate that they have settled in your living space:
- black dots appeared on the walls, floor and furniture;
- there is a characteristic stench in the kitchen;
- Clutches of eggs can be seen in cracks and corners.
The presence of any of these signals means that you will have to take urgent measures, otherwise your square meters will soon be occupied and it will become difficult to live there.
How to remove red cockroaches from an apartment at home?
As mentioned above, getting rid of cockroaches forever is quite difficult. A one-time use of a special product, of course, will help drive insects out of the apartment, but only for a while. And then they can go back there again. To avoid this, you will have to improve the sanitary condition of the home, as well as the surrounding areas.
To remove red cockroaches from an apartment at home, the following methods are used:
Cleanliness and order in the apartment will repel mustachioed insects for a long time, but we are not talking about one-time cleaning, but about putting things in order on a regular basis in order to create conditions in which cockroaches simply cannot survive.
Body structure
From an evolutionary point of view, the body structure of cockroaches can be called perfect for its lifestyle. This is confirmed by the fact that over millions of years, cockroaches have remained virtually unchanged. The insect's body consists of a rather large triangular head with a pair of compound eyes, a gnawing mouthpart covered by a shield, and long mustache, chest and abdomen. Despite the fact that cockroaches do not fly, they have wings that are hidden under dense elytra.
Three pairs of legs differ in length and main functions. So the first pair (the shortest) is a kind of brake. The second is responsible for maneuverability, since the paws can move in different directions. The third pair is longer than the others and plays a major role in moving and jumping.
Cockroaches have an open circulatory system, that is, blood circulates freely throughout the body, washing the internal organs. The respiratory system is separate. Air enters through holes located on the sides of the abdomen and disperses through the tracheal system. The digestive system consists of the crop, stomach and intestines. In the body cavity of the red cockroach there are Malpighian tubes, which are excretory organs. They collect toxins from throughout the body, which are then eliminated.
Interestingly, red cockroaches do not have an excretory organ such as the urethra, so both urine and feces are excreted through the anus.
Removing red cockroaches from the kitchen
Before you begin removing insects from the kitchen, you will need to estimate how many colonies have settled in the room. If one settlement is discovered, then a one-time processing will be quite enough, but if there are more of them, then you will have to prepare for a long war.
You can purchase an insecticide to kill cockroaches at the sanitary-epidemiological service or a specialized store, you just need to choose it correctly. Use it to treat all the corners in the kitchen.
Poisonous agents are commercially available in the following forms:
If the insect population is insignificant, then a trap with bait inside and an adhesive backing can cope with them. Traps are also electric, like repellers, but they require a constant power source.
Proven and budget-friendly methods for combating barbels are folk remedies. As a rule, you can get rid of cockroaches with their help in just a couple of weeks.
Which of the means will be the most suitable and effective will be clarified further.
Homemade traps
Another method of combating hated insects is the traditional cockroach trap. It is inferior in effectiveness to ready-made factory analogues, however, if necessary, it can serve as a good remedy for pests.
There are several options for creating it, but the simplest and most accessible remain:
- You need to take the most ordinary half-liter jar and drop a little honey or beer on its bottom. Under the neck, apply sunflower or olive oil with a ribbon of 2-3 cm along the entire radius. Place it in a place where the Prussians should appear. The next morning you will find a large number of insects trapped in the trap, which can simply be destroyed by flushing them down the toilet.
- Place a little tape on a piece of cardboard, sticky side up, and drop some honey in the center. Cockroaches, running to the bait, will remain on the tape. Of course, the factory version of the trap is more effective, however, this simple method will get rid of pests.
The destruction of cockroaches using folk remedies remains one of the fairly popular methods of combating annoying pests. A person decides on his own which specific method to choose.
If the methods described above are ineffective, you can treat baseboards, trash cans and other surfaces with kerosene or turpentine. This aroma can repel cockroaches for a long time, but the residents of the house themselves will have to be patient a little. One way or another, you can remove uninvited guests using fairly simple methods.
Most often, people still turn to recipes with boric acid because of their accessibility and simplicity:
Source
Remedies for red cockroaches in the apartment
Modern industry offers a wide range of products for getting rid of cockroaches. If folk remedies are herbal and repel insects with a pungent odor, then chemical ones are much more effective, but also more toxic compared to folk remedies.
Chemicals
Many people believe that the best results in the fight against red cockroaches are provided by chemical rather than folk remedies.
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These include:
In no case should we forget that any chemical is harmful to human health. To ensure that the fight against cockroaches is as safe and effective as possible, you must carefully read the instructions for the selected insecticide.
Repellers and traps
A repeller is a special device powered by an electrical network. When the device is turned on, it begins to spread electromagnetic waves, which have a detrimental effect on the nervous system of cockroaches. They will either run away or die. This product is one of the most humane in the fight against insects, and it can be a good addition to another product.
Traps can also be used as an aid. With their help, you can overcome a large number of cockroaches, and also identify them if only one individual caught your eye.
You can purchase a trap in a store, choosing an adhesive, electric (effective, but not destroying cockroach nests) or a model whose poison is transmitted to insects upon contact with each other.
Traps are only good for controlling small populations of cockroaches. They are not suitable for exterminating large populations.
Popular questions
In order for the fight against insects to be more successful, it is necessary to know what these parasites look like and what the characteristics of their life activities are.
Below are answers to questions about what cockroaches are afraid of, what attracts these insects, and many others.
What they look like
Probably, the answer to the question of what red cockroaches look like is known to everyone. These are relatively small insects, the size of which does not exceed one and a half centimeters. Color can vary from dark yellow to brown. The wings are fully developed, but the ability to fly is absent.
However, when falling, the insect actively moves its wings, which allows it to glide.
Males differ in body structure - it is narrower, longer than that of females, in addition, the last segment is not covered by wings. Females have a more rounded body, which is completely covered by wings.
During the breeding season, females wear an ootheca, which significantly protrudes beyond the wings and abdomen.
How do they reproduce?
Red cockroaches reproduce at an incredible rate; one adult female can reproduce more than three hundred individuals throughout her life. After reaching sexual maturity, that is, the adult stage, the insect lays eggs, reliably protected by a special capsule called ootheca.
The female carries this capsule under her abdomen for two to four weeks, that is, until the larvae hatch. A young cockroach that is born reaches maturity within two to three months; this period may vary slightly depending on environmental conditions.
What do they eat?
Red cockroaches are absolutely unpretentious when choosing food sources.
Unfortunately, even absolute cleanliness in the room will not completely get rid of insects.
Not only food familiar to humans can serve as food for red parasites, but also leaves of some plants, paper, household chemicals, and even particles of skin, human hair, and animals.
In the absence of food, a Prussian can feel quite well and live up to several months.
But the lack of sources of moisture is disastrous for red insects.
How long do red cockroaches live?
The lifespan of the red cockroach can vary somewhat depending on the environmental conditions. Under favorable conditions, optimal temperature, sufficient water and food, an adult insect can live for more than a year.
If the temperature in the apartment is constantly too high and the air is excessively dry, this period is significantly reduced.
What are they afraid of?
Awareness of the factors that red cockroaches are afraid of will help prevent the appearance of these unpleasant insects in the apartment. Parasites, for example, cannot tolerate strong odors, which include the aroma of pine needles, wormwood, citrus fruits, mint, and lavender.
To protect your apartment from insect infestation, it is enough to spread a small amount of herbs around the perimeter of your home. Aroma oils can be used together.
Another negative factor for red cockroaches is the lack of food sources and moisture.
Timely cleaning and maintaining the cleanliness of the room will help prevent the appearance of not only cockroaches, but also a number of other unpleasant insects, conventionally classified as parasitic.
How to get rid of red cockroaches in a private house?
Red cockroaches prefer to live in apartments rather than private houses, where there is no sewerage system, running water, and they are heated using a stove. But today, most private houses and summer cottages already have the benefits of civilization, so mustachioed insects happily settle down in them. As for the methods of getting rid of cockroaches in private homes, they are similar to the methods of dealing with them in apartments. The main thing is not to use the same insecticide repeatedly, so as not to contribute to the development of addiction in insects.
Are cockroaches dangerous for pets?
As with humans, cockroaches can bite cats and dogs, especially if the animal is infirm. But in most cases, red cockroaches view pets as predators and will keep their distance from them unless they are very hungry.
The big danger is that cockroaches share food with your pet. Because cockroaches carry diseases and spread bacteria, they can infect a pet by contaminating their food. If you suspect you have cockroaches, it's always a good idea to wash bowls after feeding.
Folk remedies for red cockroaches
Before you take on a highly toxic chemical to remove cockroaches from your home, you can try to do this using folk remedies, especially since there are quite a lot of them:
Currently reading: Making a cockroach trap with your own hands
Folk remedies have the advantage of being non-toxic and quite accessible, so you don’t need to neglect them.
Houseplants, herbs
Plants have specific odors and have a repellent effect on beetles. The main rule is that they must be in the apartment at all times.
At the same time, it is important to renew herbs (fresh or dry) 1-2 times a week, and water indoor flowers so that they do not wilt
Geranium
Growing geraniums not only pleases home owners with beautiful flowers, but also helps get rid of cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes and other insects. This is due to the specific aroma of the green mass of the plant (because of it, not even all people can grow an indoor flower on a windowsill).
To effectively scare away red-haired uninvited “guests”, it is enough to place the pot in those areas of the room where there are the most cockroaches. It’s even better to place several geranium bushes around the apartment.
Bay leaf
Bay leaves release essential oils into the air, which is why they have a sharp, intoxicating odor. If you keep the laurel open, the aroma evaporates after 3-4 days. People's inventors have come up with a method that allows you to “smoke out” pests from an apartment in literally 2-3 procedures.
What to do:
- Buy a plant branch at the market - dry or freshly cut.
- Light a match and direct the fire to the laurel.
- After it begins to smolder, fumigate the entire room. Do this until the branch fades.
The aroma in the house lasts for about 3 days. Cockroaches will completely leave the area during these days. Repeat the procedure 2 more times a week later, since pest eggs remain in the cracks and on surfaces, from which young animals emerge.
Sagebrush
Wormwood contains toxic elements, but they do not have a detrimental effect on the life of insects. Medicinal herbs only scare away.
What to do:
- hang branches around the apartment;
- put pharmaceutical wormwood (crushed) into gauze bags and place on shelves;
- scatter under baseboards, carpet, linoleum;
- Spray the apartment with the decoction.
How to prepare the infusion:
- Add 2 tbsp to 200 ml of boiling water. l. dry wormwood.
- Bring to a boil and leave on low heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Turn off the stove, cover the pan tightly with a lid, and let it sit until it cools completely.
- Strain.
- Treat surfaces with a spray bottle.
The frequency of the procedure is every 1-2 days.
Tansy
Tansy has a similar effect on cockroaches as wormwood. It is used in an identical way, but the decoction recipe is slightly different. You can prepare it in 2 ways:
- Decoction. Pour 90-100 g of dried plant inflorescences into 2-2.5 liters of water and boil for 10 minutes.
- Alcohol tincture. For 500 ml of vodka, take 100-120 g of dried flowers, leave in a dark place for 7-10 days.
Infusions can be used not only for spraying, but also for wiping surfaces.
Prevention of cockroaches
When red cockroaches appear in an apartment, it is recommended to immediately take the necessary measures to eliminate them. First, you should carry out wet cleaning, and then remove all food sources for these insects.
Most often, cockroaches live in the kitchen and bathroom, so preventive measures will be special.
So, in the kitchen you will need:
In the bathroom you will need:
Lifestyle and nutrition
Prussians do not like daylight and crawl out of their hiding places only at night.
If you suddenly have suspicions about the appearance of uninvited red-haired guests in your apartment, turn on the light in the kitchen at night: live cockroaches will splash out from the sink and from the dining table in all directions.
The favorite habitats of domestic red cockroaches are all kinds of narrow crevices (so that the back and abdomen of the insect are in close contact with surfaces): in the floor, under baseboards, in door jambs, furniture . In addition, Prussians can choose household appliances and books for settlement.
These insects are omnivores . Food for them can be not only food, but also paper, wallpaper paste, book bindings, fabric and even soap.
Cockroaches are capable of starving for a long time, but they cannot tolerate drought at all. If the Prussians can survive without food for a whole month, then without water they will not survive even a week.
Reviews
Dear readers, you can leave your review on how to get rid of red cockroaches in the comments; your opinion will be useful to other users of the site!
Christina
There have never been cockroaches in our apartment. But with the opening of a grocery store below us, everything changed. These nasty insects came in droves to both us and our neighbors on the floor. Neither crayons, nor sprays, nor traps, nor gels helped. The cockroaches steadfastly survived all the trials of fate. When they were completely desperate to get rid of them, they called specialists from the insect control service. For now we have moved to a rented apartment. A few days later we returned to our home and did a general cleaning, but we were well aware that a little time would pass and the cockroaches would crawl back to us again. Therefore, we decided to sell our apartment and move to another place. Since then we haven't seen any more cockroaches.
Valeria
In our house, in the apartment above, there lived a granny who carried various rubbish from the trash to her home. What didn’t she have there! Unfortunately, there were also red cockroaches, which spread everywhere from her. At that moment we learned what it was like to live next door to disgusting mustachioed creatures. We rushed to the store and stocked up on all sorts of means to remove them. After treating the premises, our cat got sick and my grandmother almost suffocated. And she remembered one folk remedy that her grandmother told her about. To prepare it you will need a boiled chicken egg, boric acid and a little water. Boil the egg, peel and grind to a paste. Pour in a small amount of water and add a couple of bags of boric acid. Mix well, form more small lumps from the mixture, place them on bottle caps and place them in insect habitats. And when a month has passed, it will be possible to replace the poison with a new one. The main thing is that children and pets do not get to it.
Crayons
In the 1980s, a new method appeared to combat domestic cockroaches in an apartment. To protect army food supplies from pests, the defense industry developed the Mashenka chalk, which quickly gained popularity among the people. The product can still be found on store shelves today.
But it is important to consider that its composition is significantly different from the previous one. Due to the ability of cockroaches to adapt to poisons, the active substances have changed several times
Today these are the pyrethroids deltamethrin and zetacypermethrin, which have contact-intestinal activity and paralyze the central nervous system of insects.
The chalk is extremely easy to use. You just need to “draw” with it in places where you often encounter cockroaches. Typically, this is near the kitchen stove, dining table, trash can, sink, bathtub, toilet, and so on. After running along the white stripe, the pest will stain its paws, and when it starts to clean them, it will eat poison. Death will occur within a few hours. In addition to Mashenka, pest control crayons are produced by such brands as Clean House, Titanic, Tornado, Domovoy and others. They differ slightly in composition.
