How to Get Rid of Water Bugs & Cockroaches

Cockroaches can be difficult to rid from your home.

Water bug is just another name for the cockroach, usually either Oriental cockroaches or German cockroaches. They're called water bugs because they are often seen in indoor areas where it's damp, such as around leaky pipes or condensation runoff. People want to eliminate roaches in their homes, but it's just as important to take care of the problems that attracted roaches to the home in the first place. If you kill the existing roaches but don't fix the problems that attracted them, more will move in.

Things You'll Need

• Roach baits
• Boric acid
• Diatomaceous earth

Instructions

1. Eliminate food and water sources for cockroaches. Clean up spilled food, and do not leave garbage sitting out. Pick up pet bowls and clean them as soon as pets are finished eating. Fix leaky pipes and windows.

2. Set out cockroach baits. The pests that eat the bait will carry it back to the places where they hide, where other cockroaches will feed on it when they die. Baits come in a gel form that you can squirt into crevices, or in pellet form in child-proof containers.

3. Spread boric acid. Boric acid comes in powder form and should be sprinkled lightly over areas where roaches travel. It is deadly to cockroaches, but has a low toxicity to people and pets. Spread it in areas where roaches hide, such as under counters, behind refrigerators, and in cracks between appliances and countertops. Do not apply it in areas where food is kept.

4. Spread diatomaceous earth in areas where roaches hide. This powder is made from silica, and cuts the waxy coating on the roach's body, causing it to dry out and die. Diatomaceous earth is safe for use around food, but should be applied using a mask. You don't want it getting in your lungs.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a heavy infestation, it may be necessary to call a professional exterminator.

• Insect foggers, also known as bug bombs, do a poor job of controlling roaches. The insecticide can't penetrate into the cracks and crevices where roaches live.

References

• NC State University: Blattodea
• University of Minnesota: Cockroaches
• University of Kentucky: Cockroach Elimination
• University of Nebraska: Least Toxic Cockroach Control