Cockroaches are pro-hide-and-seek players. You may see them for a moment, and they’d vanish under your furniture the next second. Even worse, they can build their homes inside your carpets, walls, and even electronics.
Of course, you can’t just spray insecticides on your appliances or expensive furniture to bring them out.
So, how can you bring them out in the safest way? With a fool-proof plan that includes bait traps and several DIY techniques that lure roaches out of their hiding spots. You can quickly kill them when they come out with a powerful insecticide.
Let’s dive into this post to learn some effective tips and tricks to lure these roaches to come out in the open.
Where Do Roaches Commonly Hide?
Roaches can infest almost any part of your home. That’s why you must place your baits and traps in multiple locations across the house to eliminate them.
The first step in bringing roaches out of their hiding spots is to find out where they are. Here are some familiar places where you can find these pests:
Kitchen
Roaches are enthusiastic food-lovers, so they hide in your kitchen as it’s loaded with several food items. To spot roaches in your kitchen, inspect your:
- Kitchen appliances, such as a toaster or microwave
- Oven
- Fridge
- Stove
- Cupboards
- Dishwasher
- Pantries
- Cabinet
- Decor and pictures
- Trash cans or recycle bins
Bathroom
Roaches prefer to hide in dark, damp places with a sufficient food supply. What’s a better place for these conditions than your bathroom? So, check these areas in your bathroom:
- Shower drains
- Tubs
- Toilets
- Sinks
- Wall and other corners
- Cracks and crevices
- Baseboards
- Shelves
- Garbage bins
- Cabinets
Living and Work Areas
Yes, no area of your home is entirely safe from roaches, even if it’s your workplace or living area. Look for these roaches around:
- Furniture
- Desks
- Electrical appliances, such as Xbox or speakers
- Power outlets
- Walls
- Ceilings
- Closets
Bedrooms
Your bedroom is the worst place for roach infestations. To get rid of roaches in your bedroom, look under or near your:
- Dresser
- Closet
- Wardrobe
- Drawer
- Bed
- Mattress base
Attic, Garage, and Basement
Roaches prefer being alone and away from predators. That’s why storage spaces are ideal for them to hide. Check out the following:
- Boxes
- Trash cans
- Vehicles
- Yard equipment
- Decorations
How to Know if Cockroaches Are Hiding Inside Your House?
Roaches leave evident marks of their presence. So how can you tell if your house is infested with cockroaches? Confirming an infestation is relatively easy if you know their common hiding spots.
You can look out for the following signs near roach hideouts:
- Smear and poop marks
- Bad smell
- Eggshells
What is the Right Way to Get Roaches Out of Hidings?
You must stay cautious of the trap, time, and place to lure roaches from their hiding spots. That’s because getting rid of these intelligent pests doesn’t come easy.
Cockroaches are well aware of their size and vulnerability, which makes them pros at hiding. This is why you see roaches dispersing within seconds to their safe spots when you step into the kitchen to grab some snacks.
This means jarring your mattress, shaking devices, and pounding on your walls won’t bring you any luck. The only way to draw these troublemakers out of their den is to use baits. Have a look at these tricks:
Select Suitable Baits
Roaches usually come out of their hiding places in search of food. So it is the perfect time for you to set food baits that lure cockroaches into your trap. Of course, you’ll have to use roaches’ favorite foods that persuade these pests to consume them.
Some most-suitable food baits for roaches are:
- Scented Baits: such baits have a strong and delicious aroma that invites roaches to come and eat them even from a significant distance.
- Offer Desserts: mix some candies with the poison and use it as bait for the roaches.
To get better results from your efforts, track the usual walking path of the roaches and leave the bait in such places. So, even if they try to avoid them, these baits’ delicious aroma and sweetness will surely lure them into taking a bite.
Choose the Right Time
Cockroaches are nocturnal pests. That’s why they enjoy partying at night and searching for food in your kitchen. This time can be your best chance to exterminate them without much hassle.
So, set your traps at night and wait for sunrise. When daylight hits, you’re most likely to see piles of roaches’ dead bodies in multiple areas of your house.
Set Traps at the Right Spots
If you don’t pick the right spot, your roach-killing spree may fail even with the right lures and time. So, once you’ve set your traps, ensure to clear the vicinity and don’t do any sort of activity there.
Roaches usually keep hiding away if there is:
- Any activity, such as kids running, walking, or playing around
- Light, which can expose them
- Noise from music or people talking
How to Draw Roaches Out of Their Hiding?
Now, with the right place, time, and lure type, all you’ve got to think about is picking an effective trap. Here is a list of some effective ways:
Sticky or Glue Traps
Glue traps are sticky adhesive sheets that come in handy for capturing roaches who love to wander around. When roaches step onto the sheet, their underbelly or feet stick to the adhesive.
These traps are great for catching tiny roach toddlers or smaller nymphs. However, the big ones might succeed in escaping the sticky grip. Once the sheet has imprisoned an excellent number of roaches, you can discard it and place a new one.
In addition, you can get a bit creative when using this trap. For instance, you can make a fun camping tent for the roaches and leave a piece of food inside. Then, the cockroaches that come in for the treat may get stuck and unable to escape.
Gel or Liquid Baits
These baits work around the concept of attracting and killing. They are coated with pheromones and insecticides that effectively lure roaches. When a cockroach ingests the bait, it gets poisoned slowly and ultimately dies.
Although this method is relatively slow, it can kill massive roach colonies.
The best part about liquid or gel baits is that the poison remains within a roaches body after it dies. So, if other roaches eat the poisoned cockroaches’ dead bodies, they may become poisoned too and die.
Mixing Baits and Traps with Food
Roaches love food. So, why not use it against them. Pairing food with baits and traps can result in increasing your roach-catching efficiency. Here are some common foods that can easily lure cockroaches out of their hiding places:
Rye Bread
You can spread bread crusts over sticky traps to catch roaches that come over the adhesive to feed on the crumbs. In contrast, lacing the bread with poisonous bait can also be fruitful.
In fact, rye bread is a high-starch food, so roaches are more likely to rush toward these baits to enjoy the delicacy. According to research, such lures can attract more roaches than the traps or baits alone.
Beer and Baby Food
Baby food is not just for your toddler. Even roaches love to satisfy their appetite with baby food since it’s rich in calories and has a soft texture. So, you can use baby food to attract baby and adult roaches quickly.
If you don’t have any baby food lying around, you can resort to using your good old beer with some bread.
Grain and Peanut Butter
Distiller’s grain and peanut butter are more effective than sticky traps with pheromones. So, you can rely on these traps to eliminate more roaches in less time. However, if you don’t have either at home, worry not; you can easily find them at the local market.
Alternatively, you can use the insecticide dust with peanut butter. Once a roach bites on the lure, the poison will shut down its nervous system. If any cockroach survives until uniting with the rest of the colony, it may get poisoned.
DIY Roach Lures
DIY lures are excellent if you do not have enough budget for baits, traps, or expensive fumigation services. So, if you’re dealing with a bunch of them, you can get rid of cockroaches using some genius DIY lures.
However, you must remember that these lures are ineffective for treating full-scale infestations. Anyway, here are some DIY roach lures that usually work:
The Duct Tape Trap
You will need a duct tape roll and some peanut butter to make your own sticky traps. Then, follow these steps:
- First, cut out some duct tape.
- Then, observe places in your house where roaches are often found.
- Next, place a strip of duct tape with its sticky side upward.
- Spread some peanut butter on the strip. Make sure it’s well-positioned toward the center.
This trap is effective at catching roaches because these pests love peanut butter. Even the smell of peanut butter is enough for them to get stuck on the sticky tape. However, you must keep an eye on the trap since the peanut butter may begin to rot after some time.
Other bugs, such as flies and ants, may also get trapped on the duct tape. As a result, roaches may resist feeding on the peanut butter.
Jar or Pot Traps
The jar trap works tremendously at luring roaches. Plus, it’s cost-efficient and less wasteful. You can make this DIY trap with petroleum jelly and an empty jar. Here’s what you need to do:
- First, spread an even layer of petroleum jelly on the jar’s inner walls.
- Then, place this jar near potential roach hideouts.
- Before leaving the jar, place some baby food or bread inside the jar. This trap can also work with any used pot or jar that has some peanut butter, flavored spread, or jelly left inside.
When you think the jar is filled with enough roaches, you can spray insecticide or pour hot boiling water to kill them.
Although such baits may invite roaches for a treat, they will prevent them from leaving the jar. Wondering how? That’s because the jelly you lined on the walls is sticky and may inhibit the roaches from returning to their hideout.
The best part is that you can use the jar for a long time. After the use, clean the pot, prepare the trap with new bait and jelly, and place it again.
Bottle Traps
The soda bottle trap is pretty similar to the jar trap. However, the difference lies in your effort since preparing this trap is relatively more time-consuming. Regardless, you can make this trap by following these steps:
- First, grab a 2-liter soda bottle and cut off its curved top.
- Next, coat the exterior of the cut-out with cooking oil or petroleum jelly.
- Now, place any food such as beer-soaked bread inside the soda bottle.
- Then, put the curved top with its nose down into the bottle.
- Join the pieces firmly and seal them. Ensure that there are no crevices or cracks in between. Otherwise, the roaches may try to escape.
- Finally, place this trap near roach hiding spots and wait for the trap to work. However, you must ensure that the bottle is set upright.
- To make it easier for roaches to climb up the bottle, you can wrap it with fabric.
There, your soda bottle trap is all ready to attract roaches. The food placed inside the bottle will attract the bugs. But since the bottle has a tricky exit point, the cockroaches may have difficulty escaping it.
Once the bottle has collected enough roaches, you can eradicate them by following these steps:
- Pour boiling, soapy water inside the bottle and ensure it doesn’t overflow.
- Leave the bottle for about two hours to let all roaches drown to death.
Unlike the duct tape bait, this trap can be used multiple times. You just need to wash it once before reusing it, so the smell doesn’t scare off new roaches. Moreover, you must keep an eye on the trap to ensure the trap is working effectively.
Anti-Roach Cookies
Don’t get excited when you hear cookies, as these cookies are inedible for humans. These roach treats can be prepared at home with a few chemicals to kill the bugs. To prepare this trap, you need:
- Standard Dough from the Local Store. The dough usually used for pizzas, cookies, biscuits, etc., works best for this recipe. You can even make the dough at home.
- Boric Acid Powder. This magical powder will be responsible for eliminating all roaches.
Here’s the recipe you need to follow:
- First, take ½ a cup of boric acid and ½ a cup of dough.
- Then, mix the two ingredients until they’re thoroughly blended.
- Once done, divide the dough into a few small pieces.
- Now, place each piece near roach hideouts.
- If some dough is left, you can store it in your refrigerator after wrapping it in plastic to preserve its effectiveness.
- Keep an eye on your roach cookies throughout the day. So when they dry out, you can replace them with new ones.
Believe it or not, the anti-roach cookies have tremendous power to wipe out roach colonies. This bait can last around 1-2 weeks. So, don’t be upset if you do not observe any roach corpses lying near the bait.
Boric acid poisons its prey slowly so the roach can spread the toxin to its other kins in the colony. However, when using this type of DIY roach trap, you must be cautious.
Since you’re dealing with chemicals, you need to:
- Wear safety gloves to prevent skin irritation
- Wear a mask to avoid inhaling boric acid
- Keep the bait away from children’s reach as it should not be ingested
Where Do Roaches Lay and Hide Eggs?
When dealing with an infestation, you can find roach eggs all around the house. They reproduce impressively fast and increase their population within a matter of time. So even if you succeed in exterminating an entire roach colony, you’ll be surprised with new baby roaches in a few days.
Therefore, you should eliminate the minor bugs as soon as they hatch. For that, you need to understand where cockroaches usually lay their eggs to place the traps nearby.
Roaches prefer the same environment for laying eggs where they thrive. These spaces are usually warm, moist, dark, and far away from predators.
So, a few common places to search for roach eggs include:
- Moist areas, such as bathrooms and kitchens
- Near sinks and dishwashers
- Ceiling or wall crevices and cracks
- Behind wallpapers
- Crawl spaces
- Cardboards
- Furniture like wooden tables, chairs, beds, and couches
- Near food supplies like pantries, kitchens, garbage, fridges, waste bins
FAQs
How Do You Lure a Cockroach Out of Hiding?
Food traps, gel baits, and glue traps effectively lure a cockroach out of hiding. These baits are readily available in the market, but you can also prepare some DIY traps at home to attract cockroaches. These include duct tape, bottle and jar traps, and anti-roach cookies.
How Do You Find a Cockroach That is Hiding?
You can look for hiding roaches inside cupboards, cabinets, and other tight and small spaces. In addition, you may search for hidden cockroaches behind furniture and under appliances. If you find eggshells or poop marks in any place, roaches are probably hiding there.
Where Do Roaches Hide in the Bedroom?
Cockroaches hide in your bedroom in dark spaces. For instance, they may hide under your mattress, dressers, wardrobes, lamps, drawers, and bed.
Final Thoughts
Spraying insecticide aimlessly at random household items wastes time, money, and energy. However, your killing spree can become more manageable if you learn the art of luring roaches out of their hideouts.
Therefore, you can try placing roach traps near a few roach hiding spots to see if your technique works. But before that, you need to make sure to use suitable traps. In addition, picking the right time and location is also vital for ending your roach problem.
Alternatively, you can use some DIY lures we listed above if you’re low on budget. If nothing works for you, it’s better to consult a professional pest exterminator before things get out of hand.