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There are several reasons that cause a house to have a high infestation of roaches. No bug seems to be as repulsive as these things. For many years after my wife and I married, we moved several times because of my work, and it seems that everywhere we moved, we were smothered in those things. We sprayed with everything we could find, even hired professionals to do the job for us on several occasions, but rarely could ever say we were roach free. I read every book I could find on the pests and how to dispose of them. Usually, all we accomplished was a lot of money spent and a lot of work done.
Most roach types do not infest houses but there are some four or five which do. Here in the southeastern United States, there is generally only one, the German Cockroach (Photo at right). He is fairly easy to recognize, a reddish brown in color and adults are usually ¾ to 1 inch long. But regardless of the type roach, I believe most, if not all are subject to the same habits and also method of elimination. In addition to the German roach, those others who infest houses in other areas are American cockroach, Broadbanded cockroach, and the Oriental cockroach.
Spraying, even by a reputable professional, generally will not completely rid your home of these pests although you may see a marked decrease in their presence. There are several factors which must be considered when you begin your crusade against them. If you live in a neighborhood where a number of homes have an infestation in close proximity of each other, the resolution is more difficult. If you have outbuildings, boards or pieces of lumber laying on the ground, and things of this nature, they are a breeding ground for roaches especially if there is moisture present. Junk and decaying wood makes a delightful home for them. They can even breed and raise in vegetation where there are areas of semi-shelter. So, in conjunction with your indoor campaign, you should purchase a bag or two of a reputable brand of yard bug killer and spread it well over the entire area and with extra amounts around the base of the house and any area where breeding is suspected, i.e., outbuildings, etc. This should be done about every 3 months.
Sanitation is very important, both inside and outside the home. Roaches like to deposit their eggs in tiny cracks or crevices, near moisture and food. Many such spots are not within access of the home owner. I was repairing an electric range for a lady once, when I removed a panel cover from over the electrical entrance connections, exposing a cavity of about 6" X 6" and 2" deep, and there fell from that hole, what I estimated to be, around 500 small roaches which scampered in every direction. Ugh. They will also congregate under clothing piled in a closet, or any such hiding place.
Now you must understand, even though you can completely rid you home of these pests, there is absolutely no way you can be assured of not having a re-infestation except by continuing to be diligent in keeping as many breeding places as possible, clean and open to light. And to continue to place the poison bait around ever 3 or 4 months. Also, this remedy which I am about to tell you, will not do the job overnight. In fact, it will take from 3 to 6 months to completely rid your home of these pests. This is because the female may deposit their egg bags in some area completely out of your access. So, in order to clean the varmints out, you may have to deal with 2 or 3 generations. But you should see a tremendous decrease in their numbers within the first 3 months. If you wish to obtain faster results, you may purchase some good spray and use it around baseboards, under sinks and other dark hidden areas. Bengal is one of the most effective. But sprays will not kill all of them and will not keep the eggs from hatching. Now let us look at some of the habits of roaches which help you eradicate them.
Roaches often lick their feet, especially if they have walked on areas where there is moisture or minute food traces. This gives you one approach which will lower the population quite well, but I never liked to do it because, in a household with children, you cannot do much of it. Spreading boric acid (Acidum Boricum) powder in places where they frequent, will cause them to get the powder on their feet and when they lick their feet, it kills them. But as I said, you must be careful not to spread it where children or pets can get at it.
Using a home made mixed bait is the most effective way and can be safely placed completely out of the reach of little hands. You can make this dough and place small portions under sinks or anywhere there may be roach activity. You can do whatever you like but I prefer to place each piece of dough on a small lid (bottle cap) or at least a piece of cardboard, for easy placement and removal. Here are the ingredients:
¼ cup bacon drippings or lard
8 ounces powdered boric acid
3 heaping tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon onion powder (or small piece of onion finely chopped)
2 tablespoons sugar
Water as needed to make a soft pliable dough (softer the better but not runny)
These pieces of dough will dry out within a few days, depending upon the humidity in your house. A few drops of water on each now and then will help to attract the roaches. Roaches will eat this and it kills them. They return to their lair to die and the live roaches cannibalize the dead one and then they die. It creates a domino effect. It sounds as if you might expect this to clear them out in a few days, but it doesn't. But it will in time if you diligently keep the poisonous dough before them. Once you go for several weeks without seeing a roach, you might prefer to purchase some of the best brands of "roach hotels" the little, mostly enclosed, bait packets that are available. They are easier than trying to keep the home made dough on hand and in place. Yet, the dough does the best and most thorough job of ridding the place of them.
My wife and I learned this method some 30 years ago. When I retired 11 years ago, we purchased this older, refurbished home, and guess what...we had roaches. We immediately put our tried and proven method into action and we have been roach free now for at least 10 and ½ years. I keep the roach hotels in place (they have to be replaced every 6 months) and I also diligently keep my yard de-bugged. My older sister (now deceased) gave me that recipe many years ago. It works.
    
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