Cockroaches are one of the most dangerous pests that you can think of since they can carry around infectious diseases. How to attract a cockroach out of hiding to finally catch it in a trap? There are, fortunately, many methods that you can use.
Generally, cockroaches are not the neighbors you want to have since they can easily get inside and then survive almost anything you throw at them.
- One thing that you can do is to reduce the amount of food that you have in your home. Cockroaches are attracted to food, so if you reduce the amount of food that you have, they will be more likely to come out of hiding.
- Another thing that you can do is to increase the amount of light in your home. Cockroaches are attracted to light, so if you increase the amount of light, they will be more likely to come out of hiding.
- Finally, you can use a cockroach trap. This will attract the cockroaches and then kill them.
What Can I Do to Catch Cockroaches
If you are looking for how to get a cockroach out of hiding, there are pretty easy tips that you need to apply at your house:
- Make sure you have baits with food
- Find out where most of them are located
- Place the traps in the common places of visit
Where You Can Find Them
Roaches have gotten used to living alongside humans a long time ago. They can be found in any place which isn’t cleaned properly and contains sources of food and water. These creatures hide in tiny spaces you won’t even think about, so it is very important to know your enemy’s secrets.
How Do I Get Them Out of Hiding?
The first thing cockroaches look for in our houses is food, so it is logical to use it against them. The most effective traps use food baits in them, which cockroaches bring to their colonies. You need to understand that they won’t just run around any corner, so your traps need to be placed in specific areas.
Roaches are nocturnal insects, which means that they don’t like the light as well as people and noise. Your best option is to put your traps in less crowded spaces. In addition, don’t check on them too often, because it will also scare away the pests.
You can potentially find a whole colony in your house, but it is dangerous to try and deal with it yourself. Cockroaches leave a lot of pathogens and allergens, which can cause problems upon breathing them in.
Common places where these pests settle are the kitchen and bathroom. Especially in kitchens, where there are enough products to feed on and the furniture is conveniently placed to hide behind.
You can try and move around stoves, freezers, washing machines, and trash cans – these are the most common locations of the roaches. Leaving baits around such points is a good idea to see where exactly your unwanted guests prefer to go.
Best Methods to Draw Out Cockroaches
So how to draw out a cockroach? There are plenty of traps the world can offer, and they all work in different ways. You might know about sticky traps, which are based on just getting the insect on the surface and then leaving it there until it dies.
A good thing would be to place a piece of bread on the trap since cockroaches are big fans of starch. Generally, they will eat anything you can offer them, but nutritional and mushy food will be your best choice.
Use high-sugar mixes
In addition, you can find some baby food or high-sugar mixes that can also attract these pests. Some traps use chemicals that stick to the bugs’ legs, and then they bring them to the whole colony, slowly poisoning the nest.
Their effectiveness can change from one to another, but it is still a good prevention method. Usually, they have a smell attractant for the cockroach, so they will be interested in inspecting it closer.
Find cockroach trails
Don’t try knocking around floors and walls because you are more likely to scare the cockroaches away. It is better to find out their trails around the house and place the traps. Of course, if you are lucky to locate the colony, you can try using some pesticides on the area, so the roaches come out and get on the traps.
Make sure to always wear a mask, because roach infestation has high amounts of disease-inducing pathogens.
Use different kinds of traps for the best results
Conveniently placed food might not be enough since cockroaches try to avoid open spaces. You need to try and place the traps in areas they are likely to explore and then cut their ways to the colony. You might encounter different stages of life in cockroaches starting with small whitish larvae and grown brown imago.
Their food preference doesn’t change much over time, but some traps can be more effective against adult insects, and others are more effective against youngsters.
Lures You Can Do Yourself
There are plenty of tips on how to trap roaches. Most of them are actually easy to make, so you might think about creating one rather than buying it.
Duct tape
For example, you can replace glue or sticky traps with just some tape. The method is quite easy: you take a piece of tape and put it in a dark place where roaches are likely to appear. You need to put the tape with a sticky side up to make sure the insects stick to it.
In addition, you might want to put some food on it, so the pests will be interested in it and crawl over the tape. It can be bread or any other food leftovers. The problem is, you will have to check on it regularly, and it needs regular replacement.
Jar method
There is also a jar method, which doesn’t differ much from the one mentioned previously. You need to find a clear jar and cover it with petroleum jelly. The substance should be applied in good amount, so it fills all the walls of the jar. The jelly is sticky and slippery, so any insects that come inside won’t be able to escape.
Inside the jar, you also need to put a food bait of any kind. You can try leaving peanut butter and or some sugary cereal. Cockroaches like something high in calories – once they find this trap, they will go into the jar and then won’t be able to crawl out of it.
A jar method is more effective than duct tape since you won’t need to change your trap often. In addition, if you see that the jar needs replacement, you clean it out of all the dead insects and repeat all the previous steps.
Soda bottle trap
There is also a soda bottle trap. It requires some more effort, but it is as effective in trapping the insects. For this, you will need a plastic 2-liter bottle of any kind, cut it in half and place the curving side with the cap inside so the opening leads to the bottom of the trap. Make sure that you tightly seal any openings because it is a sure way for insects to escape.
On the bottom, you put some peanut butter or bread soaked in beer and cover the walls of the bottle with frying oil or petroleum jelly. Curious roaches will get into the bottle and then won’t be able to get out of it due to the slippery walls.
FAQ
There are plenty of questions that can appear while you are trying to get rid of the cockroaches. Here we’ve gathered some common answers that might help you on your journey.
What smell attracts cockroaches?
Cockroaches love anything that has starch and sugar in it, that is why bread traps are so common. In addition, rotting fruits and vegetables can be the source of a strong smell that attracts insects. Of course, they also won’t mind feeding on some free meat.
How do you get roaches to come to you?
Overall, you just need to get any kind of cockroach traps like sticky tapes or chemical baits and then lure them in with food. Since cockroaches are omnivorous, there is plenty of food you can place on your baits. It is also important to find the right place: it should be quiet, dark, and away from crowds in your house.
Can you scare roaches out of hiding?
You can, but it is not an effective method of fighting. You can try scaring the colony out to the traps you’ve placed near its location, but be ready that there are a lot of cockroaches inside of it.
What smells keep cockroaches away?
Cockroaches don’t like the smell of peppermint oil, cedar wood, and cypress. These plants are their natural repellent that you can use around the house. In addition, they don’t fancy crushed bay leaves that you might leave around the corners.
Try to Kick Them Out as Soon as You Can
Knowing how to lure a roach out of hiding is your upper hand in a battle with the insect. You need to understand that roach infestation can be dangerous to have inside the house, so it is better to deal with the problem as soon as you identify it. Always have some traps around and be ready to use food baits.
How do you lure the cockroaches out? What methods do you find the most effective? Please, share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Also read:
- Can You Kill a Cockroach by Stepping on It & Is It Safe?
- Water Bugs vs Cockroaches: How to Tell the Difference?
- Diatomaceous Earth for Roaches: Is It Effective?
- Do Roach Traps Work? Most Effective Solution
- Do Cockroaches Make Noise? Let’s Find Out
- Roaches in Refrigerator: Eliminate the Pests for Good
- What to Pour Down Drain to Kill Roaches: Bye-Bye, Cucaracha!
References
- Living alongside humans (Gholam Hossein Shahraki, Saadat Parhizkar and Alireza Raygan Shirazi Nejad, International Journal of Zoology):
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijz/2013/649089/#abstract - A lot of pathogens and allergens (Eric S Donkor):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7218330/ - They all work in different ways (Changlu Wang):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233611837_Comparison_of_Cockroach_Traps_and_Attractants_for_Monitoring_German_Cockroaches_Dictyoptera_Blattellidae - Something high in calories (Prachumporn Lauprasert, Duangkhae Sitthicharoenchai, Kumthorn Thirakhupt):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251221135_Food_Preference_and_Feeding_Behavior_of_the_German_Cockroach_Blattella_germanica_Linnaeus
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