Boric acid is a common product used to control harmful insects. Cockroaches, which have been annoying humans since ancient times, are carriers of foodborne infections. There are numerous drugs on sale, but people often turn to folk remedies, among which boric acid is very popular.
Drug safety
Boric acid does not irritate the skin of the hands and does not leave chemical burns on them. This product is used to bait cockroaches, even if there are children or pets in the house. The acid poses little danger and was previously used as a disinfectant, but has since been replaced by other means. Basic caution must be exercised when working with the chemical.
Children under 3 years of age are prohibited from coming into contact with boric acid. Contact with the product should be avoided by women expecting a child, nursing mothers, people predisposed to allergic skin diseases, and those with kidney disease.
If animals get to the bait, nothing bad will happen to them, but it is better to exclude such a situation and remove the product away from children and animals. The powder may cause an allergic reaction. If acid enters the body, the following symptoms may appear:
- headache;
- nausea;
- vomit
Acid powder is less dangerous than other chemicals for baiting pests, and therefore is often used for urgent treatment of premises. What are the properties of the substance?
Why the method may not help
According to studies, indicators of cockroach addiction to boric acid have not been identified. This means that you can use the product for an unlimited amount of time. If a lot of time has passed after applying the composition, and the insects have not died, then the problem is in the bait.
Getting a cockroach to eat boric acid is very difficult. It has no smell, which means insects have no interest in it. In order for cockroaches to start eating it, it is necessary to resort to tricks. Experts make small balls based on powder and food products, which should attract insects. If in this case the insects remain indifferent, try changing it by sucking the bait.
When creating food baits, it is important to follow the rules:
- The products used should be very attractive to cockroaches - despite the fact that they are omnivores, there is a group of products that attract them the most. For example, eggs, vegetables, sweets, etc.;
- Insects should not be allowed to have additional food sources other than bait. Remove all food from tables, do not leave crumbs, throw away trash at night, turn off the water. If there is at least one additional food source, the processing efficiency will be reduced;
- When selecting components for preparing bait, it is important to take into account their chemical composition. Otherwise (the appearance of an oxidation reaction), the acid may lose its properties and will be useless.
Boric acid is a folk remedy for eliminating insects. However, its effectiveness is confirmed by scientific research. If all the rules are followed, the drug will help destroy cockroaches and prevent their reappearance.
Properties of boric acid, effect of the drug on insects
Boric acid is a crystalline powder, poorly soluble in water, odorless. The white grains are similar to scales. The product can melt and change its composition at a temperature of 170 degrees. The substance is found in the mineral sassolin, found in the Middle East and Mediterranean. More information about the substance is on Wikipedia.
In the pharmacy, the product is sold in alcoholic form, diluted with water, or in powder form. A solution of acid in 70% ethyl alcohol is called boric alcohol. It has a pungent odor. Alcohol is not the best option for pest control. The specific smell scares insects, so they do not touch the bait. The powder is completely invisible to cockroaches. The method of dealing with them is based on this. Pests carry it to their shelter on their paws or eat it with food.
Boric acid is a strong poison for cockroaches. Pests are unpretentious in food, and this factor can be used when baiting Prussians. Once in the insect’s digestive tract, the acid affects the pest’s nervous system through the blood, causing severe irritation of the nerve endings. If the dose exceeds the permissible level, paralysis occurs in the pests and they die from suffocation.
Cockroaches that come into contact with the powder can become poisoned. Particles of the product will stick to the paws of cockroaches after the pests run through the powder. Returning to the shelter, the insects will begin to clean their legs and swallow the powder. To poison 1 insect, 2-3 mg of powder is enough. A sachet sold in pharmacies, weighing 10 g, is enough to kill 1000 parasites.
As practice shows , the toxic substance is consumed in larger quantities. Part of the product goes unnoticed by the cockroaches and is wasted. For boric acid to be effective, the insects must ingest as much of the powder as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare attractive baits for them.
Advantages of the substance and user reviews
An absolute advantage, judging by the reviews, is the cost of the acid, which is several times lower than other substances. Also the advantages of the substance:
- The drug helps not only to destroy uninvited guests, but also promotes their sterilization, which eliminates the possibility of their subsequent reproduction. It has no odor, which makes the substance a fairly comfortable method of pest control for households. Preparing bait does not require special skills, takes little time and does not require additional protective equipment. It poses virtually no danger to humans.
Baits for cockroaches, recipes, methods of using products
The powder should be poured in insect habitats:
- cracks along the baseboards;
- area under furniture;
- places near the bathroom, under the sink.
In addition to the kitchen, cockroaches are attracted to the bathroom. Insects cannot exist without water, this place is dark, no one causes disturbance. The scattered product sticks to the paws of pests and, entering the body of insects, leads to death. Pour the powder in small piles to create the impression that granulated sugar or flour has been spilled, otherwise the insects will bypass the bait. The disadvantage of this product is that the acid is ineffective in killing insect eggs.
When fighting cockroaches, the following methods are used:
- use of powder without impurities;
- production of baits;
- use of solutions.
Recipe for boric acid with egg against cockroaches
There are various recipes for baiting insects using boric acid. It is not difficult to make a poisonous insecticide; we list the basic recipes.
Recipe 1. Take a raw egg and separate the yolk, combine with 50 g of acid. Mix the composition until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Form into balls and place in cockroach habitats.
Recipe 2. Boil 1 potato and 1 egg. Mash the potatoes, add 40g of powder, egg yolk and sunflower oil.
Recipe 3. Take raw yolk, 2 tbsp. spoons of granulated sugar, 40 g of powder. Then pour in water or add flour to form a viscous mass.
Recipe 4. For this recipe you need to take 200 g of acid, 60 g of starch and the same amount of powdered sugar, a packet of vanillin. Mix everything and dilute with water until a thick mass is obtained.
Recipe 5. Mix 1 boiled potato with 4 packets of acid, add 1 boiled egg yolk and a little kefir.8
Balls are prepared from the resulting mixtures and placed in pest habitats. The yolk of the egg eliminates the smell of acid and stimulates the appetite of insects. Humans do not smell, but cockroaches have a fairly developed sense of smell.
Oleg Roshchin
I am a professional exterminator, I have been removing insects from apartments and private houses for 7 years.
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The number of components can be changed depending on the volume of the area being cleaned. The prepared composition according to 1 recipe is enough to exterminate cockroaches in 1 room. If you need to prepare a product to get rid of insects throughout the house, increase the amount of ingredients. The death of cockroaches occurs a few days after they eat the bait. Usually it is 2-3 days.
To kill as many cockroaches as possible, you will need more chemicals. In order for the insects to get hungry and decide to eat the balls, it is necessary to remove all food and crumbs from the kitchen and take out the trash. In addition to dry bait, liquid poison is prepared for pests.
Why do you need yolk as part of the bait?
A person does not smell the smell that comes from boric acid. It is for this reason that textbooks indicate that it has neither smell nor taste.
But cockroaches have a more subtle sense of smell than humans. They are able to capture aroma that humans cannot smell.
Egg yolk can remove the smell of boric acid, which increases the likelihood of cockroaches eating the bait. But the yolk itself is a desirable food for the Prussians.
Liquid solution of boric acid against cockroaches
In order to make a liquid poison for pests, several bags of powder are poured into a container of water. The more saturated the solution, the more effective the result. The prepared mixture is poured into small saucers or jar lids and placed in the far corners of the kitchen under the furniture. Cockroaches will try the bait in the absence of water. To do this, carry out the following actions:
- thoroughly wipe the sink;
- close the taps well;
- At night, remove all wet wipes and sponges.
- pots and vases with flowers are moved to another room, because insects are accustomed to taking water from the soil.
The product will not work if the pests taste the poison and then drink the water.
When preparing and spreading poison for cockroaches, you must wear a protective mask and gloves. Although acid poses a slight danger, it is still a chemical and should not be allowed to come into contact with the surface of the skin. Only after protective measures do they proceed to chemical treatment at home.
Poisonous water
Cockroaches cannot live without water, so they regularly appear near sources of life-giving moisture. This is the bathroom and kitchen. Poisoned drinking bowls should be placed near the bathtub, toilet or sink. Dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in half a glass of water. Add 30 g of boric acid. Pour the poison into saucers or nylon lids. Place drinking bowls near plumbing fixtures.
If insects are accustomed to drinking from a sink, then they will go to it, bypassing the drinking bowl with poison. To force a cockroach to drink poisoned water, you need to eliminate other sources of moisture. Wash the plumbing fixtures, wipe them dry and limit their use.
Room treatment
To get rid of cockroaches, you need to carefully prepare the room for the planned event. To exterminate insects, the following measures are taken:
- preparing the apartment for pest persecution;
- preparing poison for insects;
- decomposition of bait.
Before you start killing cockroaches, you need to clean the room. Pests will be able to eat the poisoned bait if there is no food or water nearby. The balls must be placed in the favorite habitats of the parasites. The poison affects the behavior of insects. Cockroaches emerge from hiding during the day. They become leisurely in their movements. The death of insects will occur in a few days.
Prevention of re-infection of the premises
When the house is cleared of pests, you should not stop at the achieved result. If insects persist in neighboring apartments, they can enter the cleaned room. Boric acid will help in carrying out preventive measures against the return of Prussians. The following conditions must be observed:
- make and place insect bait in far corners;
- maintain order in your home.
It is necessary to study the instructions for use of the drug indicated on the packaging. A large number of baits that affect insects are prepared from the powder. When there are a lot of cockroaches in a room, you should resort to store-bought preparations, and then use boron powder to prevent re-infestation of the room with insects.
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Prepare your own cockroach poison and distribute it
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Precautionary measures
Boric acid is dangerous if ingested in large quantities. For children, 4 g is enough, for an adult – from 15 to 20 g.
The substance has the ability to quickly penetrate the skin and mucous membranes, so boric acid should only be used with gloves.
Do not spill acid solution on yourself. If this happens, rinse skin with plenty of water. Getting boric acid into your eyes is also dangerous.
They are also washed with running water; it is advisable to visit an ophthalmologist to prevent damage to the eyeball.
In the human body, acid accumulates in the internal organs, which is why treatment with this remedy is never long-term.
When using the drug, you need to make sure that it is not eaten by pets or small children.
Boric acid cost
How much money will you have to spend to purchase boric acid? The purchase will not require significant funds. A bottle containing 25 ml costs 10 rubles. A package of powder costs 50 rubles. It is advisable to purchase the product in sachets. It is recommended to buy several packets of powder. This will cost 200-250 rubles.
You should not expect quick results if you are trying to urgently destroy all the cockroaches in the house. The use of the product is effective when there are few insects and the apartment is kept clean. It happens that pests get used to the powder due to frequent or improper use of the product, or cockroaches that are resistant to it appear.
Sometimes you can use store-bought drugs and then use this folk remedy. Compared to modern aerosols and gels, acid is less effective. However, the availability, safety and low cost of the drug makes boric acid a popular tool in the fight against cockroaches in the home.
