First published May 2008, updated July 2011
The sight of a cockroach would have my mother calling the exterminators
post-haste (or more accurately, demanding my father to). In fact, I don't even
remember seeing a cockroach in the house we lived in for over a decade, although
I'm sure they were there - just scared to death of my mother.
She saw them as a sign of an unclean house - which of course isn't necessarily
correct. I'm sure she also had no idea that what the exterminators were spraying
back in those days probably contributed to her premature death at the age of 50.
I'm certainly not a fan of cockroaches, but they don't stir up such strong
reactions in me. There are also many species of cockroaches of which only a few
cause problems inside the home. I've come across some harmless wood roaches
out in the bush that were nearly as large as the palm of my hand and they play
an important role in breaking down organic waste. Out of some 4,500 species of
cockroach, only a handful are considered pests.
Cockroaches inside the home can spread disease and they are a sign that there
is food they can access close by, so it's best to deal with them. Sometimes if
no real food is available, they'll even resort to eating particle board, a
common item in many homes. The fact that they can eat this stuff, which often
has formaldehyde
in it is testimony to their somewhat indestructible nature.
While heavy duty chemicals are an option, they should be seen as a last
resort. Some of the many chemical compounds used specifically for cockroaches
and their impact on the environment include:
Indoxocarb - developed by Dupont, indoxocarb is toxic to
mammals, birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. It has a half life ranging from
3 to 693 days.
Hydramethylnon - highly to very highly toxic to fish in
laboratory studies and has a half-life of 10 to 11 days in an aquatic
environment
Fipronil - highly toxic to fish and aquatic
invertebrates. Toxic to bees. Half-life of 20 to 200+ days.
Environmentally friendly cockroach control
As with most things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; so
first, threat reduction:
- Clean up thoroughly after food preparation and don't leave used dishes out
overnight
- Wash your pet's food bowl as soon as possible after feeding
- Reduce shelter for cockroaches
- Plug up points of entry from outside using sealants or mesh
- Get rid of materials brought in from outside that may harbor cockroach eggs
as soon as possible; particularly where those items have come from food sources;
e.g. supermarkets
- Dry out damp areas inside your house such as under sinks - something as
simple as baking
soda can assist with this.
Cockroach eradication
If you've got 'em, it's probably not wise to try and co-exist peacefully with
cockroaches as they'll soon take over. Also, the presence of cockroaches can
spark asthma attacks in sufferers.
- Combine 1 part borax,
2 parts flour and 1/2 part icing sugar, then add water and mix into a dough.
Place in areas where cockroaches frequent, but out of reach of pets and
children.
- A small container of water with a teaspoon of oil can attract cockroaches.
They'll climb in and be unable to get out and will drown (eventually)
- A variation on the above - take a small jar and spread oil around the
inside of it, place bait in the jar such as a small piece of sweet fruit; set it
upright in roach territory - again, they'll be able to get in, but not out.
- Sprinkle borax powder where roaches are active. It will collect on their
bodies, be licked off and then kill them. Again, keep out of reach of pets and
children.
- A Green Living Tips reader suggested the following - "shallow trays of
icing sugar mixed with plaster of paris makes a really good cockroach killer -
they eat it and it sets in their stomachs.. far better than the organophosphate
cockroach traps."
- Sticky flypaper type traps can be a good non-toxic alternative to any
chemicals
Do you have any environmentally friendly strategies for dealing with
cockroaches? Please add them below!
