What are cockroaches most afraid of: bright light, honeysuckle, cold or heat

Welcome to the pages of my blog! I regularly receive questions related to certain parasites, and I don’t have time to answer everyone. One of the most common is what cockroaches are most afraid of. Unfortunately, the universal answer is not always there.

Sometimes it is necessary to make an adjustment to what cockroaches poisoned to the present moment: many of them develop resistance to certain types of poisons. And they pass this resistance quite successfully to their offspring. However, we will analyze the main chemicals that are unpleasant for cockroaches. All the details are in my material!

10 things cockroaches are afraid of

Today, many people are faced with such an unpleasant phenomenon as the appearance of cockroaches in their homes. It is quite difficult to remove these parasites, since they easily adapt to any conditions of existence.

Prusaks eat not only food and leftover food from the master's table, but also objects that, it would seem, are not suitable for consumption.

These tenacious insects are not afraid of nuclear war, they were able to survive even dinosaurs and can easily endure prolonged hunger strikes.

A person asks a fair question: is there anything that cockroaches are afraid of? Scaring cockroaches is very difficult, but they also have their own weaknesses. We will talk about them in our article.

Bright light

Everyone who knew the problem of cockroaches in the house firsthand could observe the following picture: going into the kitchen at night, and turning on the lights there, you can see hordes of people scattering in all directions in search of shelter of the Prussians. In fact, they are not so much afraid of the light as the approaching danger.

As an experiment, you can turn on the light and not turn it off for several days. As a result, you can see that insects get used to the light, cease to be afraid of it and leave their shelters.

Cold

Cockroaches belong to cold-blooded insects, they are deprived of the ability to independently heat their own body. This means that the Prusaks are completely dependent on the temperature around.

A drop in air temperature to +5 С˚ leads insects to a state of hibernation, and a temperature of -5 С˚ and lower leads to their death.

It is unlikely that anyone today would dare to leave the windows and doors open in the apartment for several days. And people living in the private sector can not always risk such a method of extermination of cockroaches.

Heat

Exposure to high temperatures also adversely affects baleen pests. Since even intense heat will not lead to the death of an insect, then the use of high temperatures must be approached radically.

A jet of hot steam directed at the cockroach guarantees a fatal outcome in the shortest possible time. You can use boiling water, pouring them all the cracks in the apartment.

Be careful, because there is a risk that water will leak to the neighbors living on the floor below you. The best solution would be to use a steamer, steam generator or iron, which has a steaming function.

Lack of water and food

Lack of water and a feeling of thirst can lead the cockroach to inevitable death in a matter of days. The problem is that parasites can find water in a variety of places. A dripping faucet, an unpowered bath, fruits, vegetables - nothing will be left without their attention.

In the fight against barbel, try to limit their access to food and water sources as much as possible. To do this, follow these steps:

• thoroughly wipe all surfaces on which water gets while using the sanitary equipment;
• the apartment should not have dripping and leaking taps and other plumbing. All leaks should be repaired immediately;
• watering flowers is better to transfer to the morning hours, so that until the evening the water is absorbed into the soil;
• after cooking and eating, cleaning should be carried out so that the remnants of food and crumbs do not remain on the table and floor;
• at night all products must certainly be refrigerated or packed in tightly closed containers;
• Do not leave trash overnight and be sure to wash the bin every night.

Smells

In addition to temperature differences, cockroaches are afraid of many smells, among which a number of the most popular can be distinguished.

Eucalyptus oil

Since eucalyptus in our country is not a very popular plant, in pharmacies today are sold essential oils made on the basis of eucalyptus leaves. Prusaks do not like the smell coming from eucalyptus oil.

Be careful as the essential oils are toxic to pets, especially to cats. If the drug enters the digestive tract of an animal, it can cause severe poisoning.

Anise oil and dried anise herb

Anise is a folk remedy that is actively used by humans as an anesthetic, antipyretic, expectorant and disinfectant. But cockroaches do not like the smell coming from anise, and begin to leave the room as soon as they feel an unpleasant aroma for them.

On sale today there is dried anise grass, which can be distributed over all surfaces where insects most often run. Also in pharmacies you can buy aniseed essential oil.

Mint leaves

Many housewives use mint, adding its leaves when brewing tea. And this smell is very unpleasant for cockroaches. If after breeding cockroaches, they begin to return again, then try to grow mint directly on the windowsills. Its aroma will spread throughout the kitchen and cockroaches will no longer want to come here again.

Cedar

From cedar oil comes a pleasant aroma that people like, but unpleasant to the Prussians. Fill the vase with cedar cones and place on the table or window sill. It will simultaneously be both an element of decor and a scent for repelling insects - pests.

Tansy

This is a plant with small yellow flowers.It can be found in the garden, near the houses and along the roads. You can collect plants yourself and distribute them throughout the kitchen.

Care must be taken that children and pets do not touch them. Indeed, in addition to medicinal properties, tansy is a poisonous plant.

Honeysuckle

It can grow in the garden and in the wild. The smell of honeysuckle not only scares the barbel, but also has a beneficial effect on the human nervous system. It can be used as a sedative in stressful situations.

Elderberry red

The smell of this plant scares not only the Prussians, but such small rodents as mice. It is a shrub plant on which red berries grow. Many people love red elderberry for its attractiveness.

Tea tree

Tea tree oil is quite popular and endowed with many beneficial properties for people, but it is very dangerous for pets. Cats are most susceptible to it.

To fight the Prussians, just drop a little oil in a bucket of water. The resulting solution needs to wipe the floor surface.

Completely rid the apartment of the mustachioed "invaders" with the help of odors alone unpleasant for them is unlikely to succeed. Yes, cockroaches do not tolerate them, but this does not lead to their death.

Over time, parasites develop an addiction to the smell used to combat them, and they no longer fear it. So, such a measure can only be temporary, while you are looking for a more effective drug or a way to destroy baleen insects.

Keep in mind that in neighboring apartments, people can also use the same smell as you for breeding Prussians. Therefore, parasites crawling towards you from neighbors have already adapted to it and feel completely safe.

Chemicals

A lot of time, scientists working in the chemical industry, spent to determine what smells inspire fear in cockroaches.

The data obtained during the studies were used to create drugs for the destruction of these pests. It is chemical agents that have shown themselves as the most effective solution to this problem. The most popular insecticides today are gels, sprays, aerosols, poisonous traps, pencils and crayons.

Crayon

Crayon has a nerve-paralytic effect on cockroaches and today is a very common tool for their destruction. It is not a sufficiently effective drug, but does not allow the Prussians to spread, provided that their population is not very large.

Aerosols

Aerosol insecticides act quickly and are very convenient to use. But there are some negative points. The drug acts on insects directly during spraying and for a short time after treatment.

But today aerosols began to appear, the basis of which are pyrethroids. Therefore, these drugs do not pose a danger to humans, but its effectiveness is much higher.

Cockroach Gel

Gels, in addition to an insecticidal substance, contain a fatty base, which prevents the drug from drying out quickly, a number of food flavorings and additional substances.

Gel insecticides do not have a pronounced toxic effect on people, because they have an intestinal - contact effect on insects when the poison enters the digestive tract of Prusak or into its chitinous integuments.

The most convenient and safe insecticides in the form of traps with toxic substances inside.

Boric acid

Another remedy that the mustachioed invaders fear is ordinary boric acid. Penetrating the body of an insect, it disrupts the functioning of its nervous system, causes paralysis and the parasite inevitably dies. You can make a cockroach eat poison if you make a bait by mixing boric acid with flour and egg yolk.

Attention should be paid to those surfaces where you see the largest accumulation of insects. The use of boric acid to kill cockroaches has both pluses and some minuses.

Among the positive points include:

1. absolute safety for life and health of a person, as well as his pets;
2. lack of an unpleasant smell;
3. death of parasites, and not just their flight.

The disadvantages of using boric acid include:

• this method cannot be called the fastest, because each insect must necessarily come into contact with a poisonous agent;
• if the poisoned Prusak can get to the water and drink it, then death does not threaten him. Therefore, when using boric acid, it is necessary to exclude the access of cockroaches to water sources.

Ammonia

Cockroaches are extremely negative about the smell of ammonia in the apartment. Liquid ammonia is nothing more than a solution of ammonia, which can be easily bought at any pharmacy.

To repel insects, one teaspoon of ammonia solution is added to a bucket of water designed for wet cleaning. This is an effective measure, but it is better to resort to it only as a fallback.

Therefore, a respirator should be used during cleaning, and windows should be kept open. Such processing should be performed weekly.

Ultrasound Exposure

Especially for ridding the home of the mustachioed "invaders" a modern ultrasonic repeller was created. The human ear does not perceive ultrasonic vibrations, and cockroaches react negatively to the presence of high-frequency sounds. Hearing them, insects are subject to general panic and flee.

The ultrasonic repeller installed in the apartment will force the Prusaks to leave your home in search of a new habitat.

Rat fear

Cockroaches are extremely negative about the presence of rats nearby, they even can’t tolerate the smell of these rodents. The Prussians do not like this competition, because they may not have enough food. They will be forced to leave the apartment and search for another place suitable for their residence.

Of course, wild rats running into an apartment is not a good solution. Buy a decorative rat at the pet store and release it for a couple - three days to the territory of the kitchen. The result will certainly delight you!

Output

All the phobias of cockroaches that we examined above are nonsense compared to a lack of water and food. They can adapt to any living conditions and to various smells, but without food and water they can never survive.

Dehydration leads to the inevitable death of the Prussians, and it will take only one week to do this. Therefore, the best option would be to limit the access of insects to all sources of water in the home and always working plumbing equipment.

What are cockroaches afraid of?

Despite the fact that cockroaches are one of the most adaptable species of insects that can live even with elevated levels of radiation, there are some conditions that cause pests to leave their homes.

It is impossible to get rid of cockroaches without a number of professional measures, which include complex processing of the home in several stages.

At the same time, one of the ways to combat parasites is to change the environment - this will not be able to destroy the colony, but with a high probability it will make insects look for a new place of residence.

Microclimate

Cockroaches are thermophilic insects for which climatic conditions with relative humidity of 30–50% and temperature from 20 ° C to 30 ° C are ideal.

Therefore, they choose dry apartments that are well heated. Cockroaches do not like frost and extreme heat, as well as critical readings on hygrometers.

There is a way to drive insects away by critically changing the temperature: dropping it below -2 ° C or raising it above + 40 ° C. However, this is possible only for non-residential premises or areas not yet populated, where there is no central heating or it is possible to temporarily turn it off and drain the water from the pipes.

Such differences in performance will adversely affect the repairs made, and all the furniture in a residential building, so you should not resort to this.

Physical impact

Light and sound affect the life of cockroaches. These insects prefer silence and complete darkness - such conditions allow them to move as quietly and safely as possible, find food, water, and reproduce new offspring. Using special tools, you can drive pests out of your home.

Ultrasound

The cockroach is oriented in space with the help of antennae, on the tips of which the hearing organs are located. Almost all insects are sensitive to high-frequency sound vibrations, therefore, ultrasonic type repellers were produced.

Waves of this frequency affect the nervous system of cockroaches, forcing them to leave the room, but for the most part, such devices are ineffective.

Powerful ultrasonic traps can negatively affect the human psyche, causing sleep disturbances and headaches. They are also dangerous for pets, for example, in guinea pigs, ultrasound can cause cardiac arrest.

Shine

If at night you go into a room where there are cockroaches and turn on the light abruptly, you will notice how these insects scatter in the corners. This is not because they are afraid of the light, but because their natural mechanism of self-preservation works.

Sharply changing conditions are perceived by the pest as a danger. Therefore, the method of extermination of cockroaches using ultraviolet lamps and other dynamic light traps is not effective.

If you leave a turned-on lamp or a lamp with ultraviolet radiation in the kitchen for the night, cockroaches will perceive this as natural conditions and begin to crawl out of their holes in search of food.

You can buy a special light trap against cockroaches, they are not in great demand, but there are still such ones on the market.

Smells

Microscopic hairs at the tips of the antennae allow the insect to navigate in space, touch objects and smell them.Given that cockroaches often live in garbage cans and in the garbage chute, where they find food for themselves, we can conclude that they are not too selective for the aromas surrounding them.

In fact, there are separate odors that are not tolerated by cockroaches. Substances with such aromas can be used to prevent the appearance of cockroaches in apartment buildings, if most of the apartments in the building are captured by parasites.

Some plants contain essential oils that have a pronounced smell and are not tolerated by cockroaches. There are many technologies for using plant products to control insects.

Mint

Mint can be used fresh or dried, it has good aromatic qualities that are beneficial to humans and scare away the Prussians.

The shoots of the plant must be laid out in the corners of the rooms, and also placed in all kitchen cabinets and drawers, which can be a potential habitat for cockroaches.

Having spread the dry grass in the corners and along the baseboards, use an aromatic lamp in which water is poured with a few drops of oil, after which the liquid heats up above the candle flame and evaporates, spreading a bright mint aroma.

Tansy

Tansy is a poisonous plant that is a natural repellent. You can use it to fight insects in several ways:

1. to spread freshly cut shoots in the corners of the rooms, at the junction of the floor with the walls and the kitchen set. The plant gives off a specific smell that cockroaches cannot tolerate, as a result of which pests will bypass plant barriers;
2. boil 5 liters of water and pour boiling water over a full glass (250 ml) of dry crushed tansy inflorescences. Insist the product under the lid until it cools completely, then strain and pour the infusion into a container with a spray bottle. Spray the liquid on the floor, skirting boards, along the walls. This method has a drawback: in addition to being poisonous, it leaves traces on surfaces that can be difficult to remove.

Sagebrush

Bitter wormwood has an extremely unpleasant smell for cockroaches, smelling its aroma, they quickly leave the house. The grass is used fresh or dry, laying out in large bunches on the floor and in the places where cockroaches are likely to live.

Wormwood shoots are spread with carpet in the kitchen and bathroom, as well as laid on window sills, kitchen worktops and under the sink. After some time, the pests will begin to crawl out of their holes, trying to leave the apartment.

Laurel

Dried bay leaves are widely used as a means of preventing the appearance of cockroaches in the kitchen. In order for the Prussians to pass your home, it’s worth putting the dry leaves in the kitchen cabinets, where there are bulk products, pasta and cereals.

Also, laurel leaves can be placed under the sink so that insects are not interested in the bin. Cockroaches do not tolerate the smell of this spice, so placing it in places of potential settlement, you can prevent the appearance of unpleasant insects.

Pungent substances

Cockroaches do not live in rooms where there is a strong smell, such as vinegar, gasoline or alabaster. These substances can be dangerous to humans, therefore, these compositions for the treatment of residential premises are used with great care. Among the remedies with the most unpleasant odor for cockroaches, one can distinguish:

• Vinegar. This is a strong acid that harms the cockroach with a pungent odor and corrodes its chitinous cover.
• Turpentine or kerosene.These substances are unbearable for almost any organism, including humans. It is forbidden to use them for processing apartments or houses where people live. The technology for exterminating a cockroach colony with these aggressive compounds consists in processing all cracks and crevices in the room. Funds are applied to the baseboards around the perimeter of the room with an impregnated rag or brush.
• Ammonia. This substance effectively repels adults and small cockroaches, creating a general background in which insects cannot exist. The tool is used if insects have just appeared and have not created a large colony. To process the premises, it is necessary to pour a teaspoon of ammonia into a bucket of water, and then wash the floor with the resulting composition. To prevent the re-emergence of cockroaches, it is recommended to add ammonia with every mopping in the kitchen.
• Chlorine. Wearing rubber gloves and a respirator, you can soak a rag in a chlorine solution (Domestos, White, bleach) and wash the floor with it. This will scare off cockroaches. After processing the room with a strong solution of lime (1 kg per bucket of water), traces will remain on the floor that can be removed by washing with clean water. You can remove the remaining lime after 24 hours after treatment - during this time half of the cockroaches will die, and the second half will run away. However, such disinfection is permissible only in non-residential premises and after protecting the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes, that is, a gas mask is needed in a good way. And no wonder, because chlorine is a chemical weapon.

Natural enemies of cockroaches

Cockroaches have many enemies, ranging from predatory insects to large primates. The most exotic hunter for these pests is the emerald wasp.

The wasp carries its prey to its mink, where larvae eat it. In addition to wasps, a large number of animals feed on cockroaches:

1. arachnids;
2. monkeys;
3. hedgehogs;
4. shrews;
5. birds;
6. rodents;
7. other insects.

Destruction of cockroaches with boric acid

Boric acid is lethal to a cockroach, so it is used in the form of food traps as one of the most effective folk tools for controlling domestic pests.

To make a home poison, you can use the following instruction:

• Cook hard-boiled egg.
• We extract the yolk, knead it and mix with 2-3 sachets of boric acid to obtain a homogeneous mass.
• We form a large number of small balls and arrange them near the sink, stove, in the corners of the kitchen.

Having eaten the poison, cockroaches die. But boric acid is a danger to pets and children, so you can use this recipe only if there are no people in the house who can be at risk from this product.

Purchased funds from cockroaches

Modern insecticides have a low cost, a low degree of toxicity and do not require special skills and knowledge to use.

Regardless of the form of release and the principle of action of the drug, all insecticides can be divided into the following groups regarding composition:

1. Organophosphorus compounds (FOS) are strong poisons of a wide spectrum of action, which have a nerve-paralytic effect. They are rarely used for processing residential premises, since they are long weathering and pose a significant danger to all warm-blooded creatures.
2. pyrethroids are neurotoxic poisons that effectively destroy cockroaches and are relatively safe for humans. Their disadvantage is that they quickly decay under the influence of light, however, thanks to modern forms of release, manufacturers managed to increase the duration of the action of poisons.

According to the form of release, insecticides can be divided into:

• gels - poisons that have high toxicity for cockroaches, most often they have a pleasant smell and taste for insects. They act by contact and intestines, the brightest representatives of the group are: “Trap Sturm” (gel paste), “Fas” gels, Global;
• aerosols are potent poisons that, due to their shape, can penetrate small crevices and under the baseboard, destroying the parasites that hide there. Among the most popular aerosols against cockroaches, Combat and Raptor are distinguished;
• powders - bulk mixtures lethally acting on insects by contact. The disadvantage of this form is that the powder can enter the respiratory tract, posing a danger to humans and pets. To combat parasitic insects, you can buy Pyrethrum or Front Line M powder;
• liquid poisons are the most powerful drugs used by professional disinsectors during room treatment.
• aquafumigators - devices containing poisons that are activated when water is added. The fumigant evaporates the active substance in the form of steam, which penetrates into all cracks, destroying insects. Its disadvantage is a high danger to humans, when processing the premises it is necessary to leave the apartment. The most effective aquafumigators are products of the brands Raid, Raptor, Off.

Prevention of the appearance of cockroaches in the apartment

Preventing the appearance of cockroaches in an apartment is much easier than fighting an already spread insect colony. To pests past your apartment, you can use the following recommendations:

1. if the apartment is in an old-style apartment building, where there is a common ventilation system and a garbage chute, it is necessary to seal the ventilation openings in the room with a fine mesh. If possible, tightness should be achieved at the entrance and exit to the apartment of sewer and heating pipes;
2. all food, including bulk products, must be kept closed in airtight containers;
3. remove all food debris, including crumbs, from work surfaces, tables and floors in a timely manner. You need to wash the dishes immediately after eating or cooking, without leaving a "mountain" in the sink;
4. if there are animals in the house, it is necessary to constantly clean the places where they eat, wash bowls for food and water;
5. buckets with a tight-fitting lid that will not leave insects access to waste should be used to collect garbage;
6. most of all, cockroaches need moisture, so you need to wipe the dishes, countertops and sink, which will repel insects from living in your apartment.

What are cockroaches most afraid of

Cockroaches are rather unpleasant insects that have long adapted to live next to humans. Every third faced with such a problem as the invasion of cockroaches.

In our houses and apartments they are attracted by access to food, water, private places and comfortable temperature conditions. If in some dwellings it is not difficult to get rid of baleen pests, then in the apartments of multi-storey buildings the war can seriously drag on. Fortunately, there is something that cockroaches in the apartment are afraid of.

Cockroach Preferences

Insects lived on Earth even before the advent of the dinosaurs and were able to survive them due to the fact that they learned to adapt to adverse environmental changes.

As a result, they are not afraid of the absence of food waste, because cockroaches can eat such inedible fibers as paper, polyethylene, their own excrement. They can do without water for 3 weeks.

"Mustachioed females" are quite fertile: they lay up to 40 eggs, from which mature individuals grow in 2 months.

Their favorite places are near a source of water (sewage, leaking batteries) and food (kitchen, landfills, garbage chutes). They often climb inside household appliances and feel comfortable there.

In addition, favorable conditions for the life of insects are:

• Temperature from +10 to +25 degrees;
• Lack of light;
• High humidity;
• Constant access to food.

Adverse factors for cockroaches

In nature, cockroaches have natural enemies: birds, some animals. But they do not have access to human dwellings, therefore, it is only necessary to create conditions for the destruction of these parasites.

Temperature

Cockroaches are warm-blooded animals and cannot maintain body temperature at the same level, so their life depends on the climate. At what temperature do cockroaches die?

In addition to low temperatures, cockroaches are afraid and too high. So, at 28 degrees Celsius, humidity decreases, and at first they stop multiplying, and then they die completely.

There is such a way as pour boiling water into cracks and other cockroach places. This will help get rid of a significant amount of pests.

Smells

In addition to temperature, cockroaches do not tolerate many odors. Intolerable for cockroaches odors:

1. cedar;
2. eucalyptus;
3. peppermint;
4. anise;
5. tansy;
6. honeysuckle.

Of the chemicals, the smells of bleach, vinegar, kerosene, gasoline, and ammonia are harmful to cockroaches.

Essential oils of the following plants will help in the fight against mustachioed pests:

• Geraniums;
• Vetiver;
• Melissa
• Citronella

Essential oils are conveniently used in aroma lamps. It can also be dissolved in water and then sprayed like an air freshener. Do not use oils in their pure form, always dilute with water.

Such methods are useful for the prevention of cockroaches. However, insects will not die, but will leave your home, which means that they will be able to return with time. Remember that odors do not affect pest eggs.

Shine

Many people are familiar with this situation: you go into the kitchen at night and just turn on the light, the cockroaches immediately start to scatter. Why are cockroaches afraid of the light?

It is widely believed that with prolonged exposure, light shortens the mustachioed life. But, as you know, cockroaches are nocturnal insects, so such a sharp change of scenery, as when you turn on the light in the room, is perceived by them as a potential danger that causes insects to turn on their self-preservation instinct and run away.

Ultrasound

There are many versions of why ultrasound scares off cockroaches. Among them, the most common:

1. They perceive ultrasound as a danger signal and begin to panic;
2. Ultrasound inhibits their metabolism, so insects avoid such rooms;
3. It impedes their communication.

In fact, a serious study of the effects of ultrasound on these pests in our country has not been conducted. Abroad, such funds are actively used in public places.

It is not surprising that insects will leave the apartment where such a device works and find a more peaceful place. However, it is advisable to include it only when there are no people or pets in the room.

Rats

It is noticed that cockroaches do not like these rodents and do not tolerate their smells.If there are rats in the house, then the insects simply do not have enough food, and they will leave this place.

How to use this feature? Breeding wild rats in the apartment, of course, is not worth it. But you can buy a decorative one and let it go to the kitchen for a couple of days.

Water scarcity

Cockroaches are most afraid of this factor. They die in just a few days. However, whiskered pests will find liquid everywhere.

Therefore, in order to destroy insects, eliminate all moisture: turn off the taps, eliminate leaks and dampness, do a general cleaning in the house, and then you can carry out insecticidal treatment.

How to protect housing from cockroaches

• The most important secret - keep your home clean!
• Clean your house regularly, especially in the kitchen and bathroom;
• Store food waste and products in tightly closed containers;
• Watch for water accumulation in the apartment. Wipe the washed dishes; wipe the sink dry; water the flowers in the morning, and not in the evening, do not leak in the water system;
• Close all kinds of gaps - mustached guests can get through them;
• Having visited places in which cockroaches can live, carefully inspect clothes and shoes, there is a risk of bringing a barbel with you.

What cockroaches are most afraid of

Cockroaches are ubiquitous creatures that, as it seems to those who come across them, are not afraid of anything. However, this feeling is misleading.

Unable to maintain their own body temperature, constantly in need of water, sensitive to a number of chemicals. These insects have a number of vulnerabilities. What cockroaches are afraid of will be discussed in this article.

Cockroaches and their preferences

Cockroaches are insects that have long been living next to humans. Everything suits them in our dwellings - it is warm here, there is always food and secluded places to create a colony.

The ubiquitous insects can cause phobias in humans. So, the fear of cockroaches is called blattophobia and is quite common among the urban population.

What are the most favorable conditions for their life? The most important are the following:

1. Constant temperature in the range from +12 to 250С;
2. Access to water and sufficient humidity;
3. Lack of light.

Thanks to special microorganisms - gregarins living in the intestines, cockroaches easily tolerate the lack of free food waste.

They are able to digest inedible materials such as cardboard, paper, glue, shavings, which allows them to survive in non-residential premises for a long time.

Favorite places for cockroaches are dark secluded corners of human housing, located near the source of water. It can be places near sinks and toilets, water and sewer pipes, for wallpaper, batteries, rarely moved kitchen furniture.

Sometimes they settle inside old electrical appliances - radio, tape recorders, televisions. Here they are attracted by protection against insecticidal drugs and a suitable temperature.

In rooms where access to water is limited, cockroaches often settle close to flower pots with earth, which serve as their source of water. In this case, edema is often found inside the pot - so the females try to provide their offspring with sufficient moisture for proper growth.

What are cockroaches afraid of?

Inside human homes, cockroaches have no natural enemies. In nature, they are birds, insectivorous animals, as well as carnivorous arthropods (for example, ticks).

In nature, extremely prolonged and severe droughts, completely destroying insects, are extremely rare. Most often, they always manage to find wet cracks and cracks in the ground in order to wait out the heat and lack of moisture.

Temperature

Cockroaches are able to live comfortably and breed at temperatures from +2 to + 28 ° C. In winter, temperatures below -5 ° C cause the death of these insects within half an hour.

This is due to the fact that they are unable to maintain a constant temperature of their body, as they relate to cold-blooded animals. Even stable ooteks do not save cockroach offspring from frost.

The last to die are females, dropping their ooteks. These devices not bad save future nymphs from drying out in the heat, as they are covered with a dense, water-retaining cover.

On the knowledge of these features, such folk remedies against cockroaches as freezing and boiling water treatment are based. They suggest the destruction of cockroaches in the house with the help of prolonged exposure to low temperatures in winter and treatment of their habitats with boiling water.

Ultrasound

There are many theories why cockroaches are afraid of ultrasound. Here are the most common versions:

• Cockroaches respond to ultrasound as a danger signal;
• Ultrasound negatively affects their metabolism, which makes it necessary to avoid the premises where it is;
• Ultrasound knocks down the communication settings of insects.

In fact, serious studies of the effects of ultrasound on cockroaches in our country have not been conducted. Abroad, such repellers are often used in public places and most effectively repel mosquitoes. Their effect on different types of insects most likely depends on the frequency used and the power of the device.

It is not surprising that cockroaches leave the apartment where such a device works. However, you can turn it on only when nobody is at home and if there are no pets in it.

Bright light

The fact that when lights turn on at night, insects start to scatter in different directions, makes some think that cockroaches are afraid of light. However, their reaction to light is rather a way to avoid potential danger.

The fact that colonies never settle in the light also does not prove this thesis. Dark places usually require sufficient humidity and protection from basic hazards.

Studies in which cockroaches were exposed to light of various frequencies and intensities showed that in fact these insects do not change their behavior when changing light conditions. Therefore, the effect observed in the kitchen is associated with their reaction to the sounds of an approaching person and his smell.

Drought

Cockroaches are even more afraid of lack of water than lack of food. That is why the insecticidal treatment of premises is always carried out after all the damp places in the house are isolated.

Control of this parameter avoids the appearance of a colony in a new apartment. Low humidity (less than 65%) in combination with a high temperature (more than 28 ° C) of air slows the metabolism of these insects, reduces the hatchability of eggs and, with prolonged exposure, completely destroy cockroaches in the house.

Chemical substances

Over the long history of the neighborhood, people have studied well what smells cockroaches are afraid of. This knowledge allows you to effectively destroy and scare them away from our apartments.

The exception is ammonia - its addition to water for wet cleaning has long been used as an effective deterrent.

A number of essential oils also have a repellent effect. Among them, the following are most often used:

1. Anise;
2. Mint;
3. Eucalyptus;
4. Cedar;
5. Honeysuckle;
6. Tansy;
7. Pyrethrum.

Persian chamomile in the form of powder not only scares off, but also kills cockroaches. By scattering it along the paths of their penetration into the house, you can effectively protect it from invasion.

Surprisingly, these insects do not react to boric acid in any way, eating bait with its presence. Therefore, it cannot be said that they are afraid of this substance, although it is toxic to cockroach symbionts.