This simple cockroach control recipe is perfect for sprinkling behind appliances (such as the refrigerator or stove where roaches tend to congregate), under sinks or places where moisture tends to be prevalent, as well as placed in small dishes and left in areas where roaches have been visible.
Cockroach Control Recipe
You’ll Need:
4 parts borax (found in the laundry detergent aisle)
2 parts all-purpose flour
1 part cocoa powder
Combine all of the ingredients together and place in a jar with a sprinkle top, apply liberally to areas where roaches frequent.
As with all Pesticides, Keep away from Pets and Children.
DIY Non-Toxic Roach Spray
I discovered this highly effective DIY non-toxic roach spray quite by accident. After switching over propane hoses on our grill I used a bottle of soapy water to test the lines to look for bubbles (signifying a potential gas leak). A cockroach (aka Palmetto bug) scurried from under the grill and I quickly doused it with the diluted spray. It was dead momentarily.
An inexpensive, effective, and safe insecticide for killing roaches (especially those huge “water bug” roaches we have in the South) is water mixed with just a little liquid dish soap.
Shake the bottle, allowing the water to get little foamy, then spray the roaches liberally. Of course, they will run, scramble, and try to escape, but they will die. Soap suffocates them faster than any chemicals.
Looking for additional Cockroach Control Recipes:
Photo Credit: CanstockPhoto/kritiya
or instead of coco powder add 1 part sugar:bee:
Thank-you for this helpful comment. I really do not want Cocoa to stain my carpet.
does this work on all kinds of roaches?
i am so going to try this! i will let you all know if it works. i just moved into an apt and i’m seeing these things way to often.
hello i am new here:stars:
i used this in florida , in an old house that had small and large roaches , it worked well as long as it was refreshed periodically. borax is a poison so use it cautiously around pets and children.
The borax that is referred to is Mule 20 Borax soap. It is found in laundry isle and is not poisonous. If pets eat it they will drink water because it’s soap.
If kids eat it they will blow bubbles, I’m kidding about the bubbles. If cockroaches walk through it, it sticks to their hair. They clean themselves like a cat and ingest it.
And because they can’t pass it, they become compacted and die from constipation.
greetings eye am a nubi here. now eye moved into my inlaws 2 bd 1bth home n it is infested with Roaches plz help. Anything stronger than borax cocoa n flour?
Eye have dn cedarwood essential oil. O.C.D cleaning and they are still millions. Besides the burning dwn the house what can eye do.?
i get this stuff through amazon and it is amazing!! not diy – and it is toxic – but i live in hawaii where we have a real roach problem grrrrr and this stuff is the only thing i have found that gets rid of them…invict gold roach bait gel. good luck.
new member, have tried many things to try to rid roaches, but have yet to find solution. this does not work for me. i think in low laying areas it is extremely hard to completely eliminate them.
but you can lessen them dramatically, with a combo of barrier spray, bait even store bought, and boric acid powder.
what can i use outside around the house to keep roaches & ants from coming into the house; by the millions!!!! i surely don’t want to kill my neighbor’s cats or small dog. we have a lot of pecan trees & pine trees around the house & a huge field across from us on the front.
plus, kill the roaches in house w/o killing our 2 cats. Gahh! Any help will be appreciated!!
Nanna1 9-4-14
USE Permethrin. Mix it according to the directions on the bottle (a little goes a LONG way) and spray it along the exterior of your home. This prevents them from coming into the house. Ensure you don’t have any leaking water, they prefer damp areas.
Permethrin is derived from the Chrysanthemum Plant (aka MUM’s). Also, planting these around your home is a natural deterrent to pests.
for outside repellent (and places like under the sink storage, behind stove, under stove, etc.) i strongly recommend a food grade desiccated earth. you can buy it at lowe’s or home depot. it is not expensive, and it is harmless to animals or children that do manage to get into it.
i use it in my vegetable garden to discourage fire ants. it’s wonderful!
persimmon, I believe you are referring to Diatomaceous Earth.
We sprinkle boric acid on our window sills, inside and out and around doors to keep big water bugs out. We also sprinkle around all baseboards, including the bathrooms. You may not think about the fireplace, but chimneys are one of the favorite entrance ways, so sprinkle some around each side of the fireplace pit and along the front. The only roaches we find now are legs up!
Most bugs have hydrophobic substances or thin hairs that make water bead up so it does not spread out and cover their tiny breathing holes. The soap breaks the surface tension of the water, increasing its wetness by preventing it from beading up. Similar chemicals (wetting agents) are sometimes added to fire fighting water for the same reason.