How to use boric acid to control cockroaches

Cockroaches have long developed defense mechanisms against most insecticides used. Experts are forced to constantly look for new effective solutions in the fight against the Prussians. One of the ways to overcome resistance is to replace a drug with a contact effect with an intestinal-acting agent.

The production of many insecticides is based on boric acid. With its help, baits are produced in the form of gels. Boric acid is one of the key components of effective folk solutions for cockroaches. The chemical is accessible and low cost. This largely determined his popularity.

Reviews from people who have used boric acid as part of industrial insecticides and folk remedies indicate the high effectiveness of the chemical. But independent use of the drug will only be effective if the user knows:

• how to make bait that is attractive to cockroaches;
• where to lay out traps for the Prussians;
• how to prepare a room for processing.

A folk remedy using boric acid, in contrast to industrial insecticides and professional treatment of premises, almost always demonstrates less effectiveness. It will be relevant in the initial stages of the appearance of cockroaches, when they have not yet had time to multiply and occupy all the attractive places in the house.

How does this chemical work? How can you enhance its effect and use it correctly? Next, we will try to find comprehensive answers to these questions.

Instructions for using boric acid against cockroaches

Boric acid affects pests like a slow-acting poison. Once in the stomach of a cockroach, it will corrode its walls, and in the reproductive system, it will destroy the female’s ovaries and affect the spermatogenesis of the male. The acid also dehydrates the insect to such an extent that it dies.

The product is sold in pharmacies in several forms: alcohol, powder and solution. It is undesirable to use boric alcohol, as it has a pronounced odor.

The poison is used in its pure form, and various baits are prepared with its help.

Causes of pests in the apartment

Sanitary and epidemiological station specialists, professional insect fighters and simply sellers of insecticides unanimously claim that the reason for the appearance of cockroaches is unsanitary conditions, improper storage of food and untimely removal of garbage and food debris.

At least three more conditions must be added to unsanitary conditions:

• The presence of free water, which is extremely important for maintaining the metabolism of the insect body;
• Problems with sewer lines. Putrid fumes, traces of sewage leaks, places with the characteristic smell of missing food attract cockroaches like a magnet, even if the room is treated with the product;
• Devices with built-in open electric and gas heaters. A cockroach needs warmth, just like water and food.

Heaters most often become nesting sites for insects, even if the apartment is cleaned fairly regularly and food is carefully stored. Cockroaches have a good chemical memory, finding their traces even several weeks after a general cleaning of the room.

Therefore, we have to look for chemicals that can affect the metabolism and chemistry of cockroaches. The best products are those based on siloxanes, but they are too expensive compared to boric acid.

Recipes

Sometimes the classic method does not help, since the pest simply does not eat the poison. In this case, aromatic baits are made, which include boric acid and some food.

Boric acid with egg against cockroaches

One of the most common methods. The bait is obtained in the form of small yellow balls. You can cook it from both raw and boiled chicken eggs. Bait with raw egg:

1. Separate the white from the yolk.
2. Place the yolk and a small amount of boric acid powder into a container.
3. Mix the ingredients to a thick paste.
4. Roll the mixture into balls about 10mm in diameter.
5. Place the resulting bait on disposable cardboard stands and place it in cockroach habitats.

Bait with boiled egg:

1. Boil the egg hard.
2. Cool and remove the yolk.
3. Mix 10 g of borax powder, mashed yolk with a fork and a little sunflower oil.
4. Make small pieces of any shape.
5. Distribute the bait throughout the kitchen.

Bait with boric acid for cockroaches with boiled potatoes

To make potato poison, follow these steps:

1. Boil 1 small potato.
2. Cool, peel and mash it with a fork.
3. Mix with acid, adding a little sunflower oil for viscosity.
4. Make balls and place them in secluded corners.

You can also add boiled egg yolk to the poisonous mixture if desired.

Boric solution

Mix boric acid with water. Fill small open containers with the resulting poison and leave them under the sink, near taps and drains. For a more attractive aroma, add a little sugar or vegetable oil to the solution.

Poisonous agent with flour

To prevent the pest from smelling the boron, flour is added to the powder. Just mix boric acid with flour in equal quantities and sprinkle it in secluded places.

Powder

Sprinkle boron powder around the perimeter of the kitchen and cabinets, paying special attention to the insect's paths to damp areas. Please note that it is not recommended to sprinkle poison in heaps. Cockroaches will simply bypass the mounds of poison.

Traps

Cockroaches love bright objects, so grated crayons added to the mixture will enhance the effect of the bulk poison. When using balloons, place something bright near the bait, such as a candy wrapper.

Liquid bait with sugar

The product will help get rid of not only cockroaches, but also ants. To make bait:

1. Start cooking sugar syrup at the rate of 5 tbsp. spoons of sugar per glass of water.
2. When the sugar dissolves, add a packet of boric acid to the liquid and stir.
3. The output is a thick mass, which is distributed into containers and placed in insect habitats.

With sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is added to the mixture for a brighter aroma. Therefore, unrefined oil made from roasted seeds is better. Add a little aromatic oil to the yolk and potato bait.

Technology of use

The most common way to use boric acid is to scatter the substance in places that are accessible to Prussians.

Particular attention is paid to the points where they are concentrated the most. These places include the following:

• in the area of ​​skirting boards;
• perimeter of bedside tables and tables;
• sink, especially under it.

The action of the bait begins after the cockroach walks over the poison and collects deadly particles with its paws. In its shelter, the insect begins the procedure of cleaning its paws from food remaining on the limbs. This process involves the jaws, which means that the pest will swallow the poisonous powder. After which irreversible processes occur in his body, which lead to death.

To cause poisoning in 1 cockroach, you will need about 3 mg of the substance in question. It should be noted that boric acid is sold in powder form, which is packaged in sachets (10 g each). If you make simple calculations, you can find that 1 sachet is enough to control several thousand pests.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that in practice the powder can be used in vain, since there is no guarantee that cockroaches will pass through all the grains. Using boric acid, you can fight not only cockroaches, but ants and other insects that often appear in houses and apartments.

Recently, boric acid powder has been increasingly used in pest control, including cockroaches. Cases are recorded when the product does not bring the necessary results and is considered ineffective. Users do not use boric acid correctly to get proper results.

In addition, it was revealed that there are cockroaches that have developed resistance to the poison in question. To solve this problem, it is recommended to turn to more modern methods.

It is very important to wipe dry any drops of water in the sink. A cockroach will survive if it drinks water after eating poison.

Recipes for making boric acid balls

Poisonous balls can be prepared not only from eggs and boiled potatoes. The aroma of the bait can be varied with any products.

With powdered sugar and flour

To make bait:

1. Mix 40 g of boric acid, 2 tbsp. spoons of powdered sugar and 1 yolk.
2. Knead a thick dough by adding the required amount of flour and water.
3. Make bait balls and place them in areas where cockroaches are concentrated.

With minced meat

The aroma of meat is also a great attractor for insects. Mix a small amount of cheap minced meat with a whole raw egg and 40 g of boric acid. Roll the meatballs and place them in secluded corners. The minced meat in the balls will create the necessary attractive smell, and the egg will prevent the balls from falling apart.

With bread

The aroma of bread also attracts insects well. Moreover, everyone has this product in their kitchen. Take bread crumb without crust, mix it with raw egg and boric acid. Roll the resulting dough into balls and distribute in the kitchen.

With mayonnaise and salad

If you have any mayonnaise-based salad left over after the holidays, you can also use it to make balls. Simply stir the acid into the previously chopped lettuce, form the mixture into balls and place them on shelves.

With cottage cheese

For bait, choose cottage cheese with the highest fat content. Add boron powder to the fermented milk product, stir and form into balls. If the mass turns out to be liquid, add flour; if it is too dense, add kefir (ryazhenka).

With porridge

Porridge with meat gravy attracts cockroaches especially well. Use the uneaten portion by adding a raw egg and boric acid. Make small pieces from the resulting mixture and distribute around the kitchen.

With cookies

You can make bait from cookies by first soaking them in milk. Pour boron powder into the resulting dough and form into balls.

Efficiency

The folk remedy is an analogue of chemical insecticidal preparations, but is significantly inferior to them in effectiveness. The drug helps with minor contamination of the premises, at the initial stage. Efficiency increases with proper placement of the poison.

If you dilute boric acid with water, the properties do not change, but the effectiveness when treating surfaces decreases. The layer created is extremely thin, so the bullying process slows down and the fight drags on. The best option is poisonous bait. You can kill mature and immature individuals in a few days, but you need to prepare fresh food every 3 days.

Where to place bait?

For the poison to work, you need to block the cockroach from any access to water, so before baiting, remove any moisture in the kitchen:

• hide vessels with water, wet sponges and rags;
• turn off all taps;
• Wipe the sink dry.

If you are using pure boron powder, sprinkle it in all areas where cockroaches are likely to appear. Any prepared bait can be spread out:

• near the baseboards;
• next to the trash can;
• under the stove, refrigerator;
• on shelves in closets.

Pay close attention to wet areas:

• space under the sink;
• a place near a sewer drain;
• area near the toilet;
• taps and connections to them.

If you have small children or pets and you are afraid that they will eat the bait, spread the poison only at night and remove it in the morning. Adults will begin to die within a day and will be completely hatched within a month. You should not remove the bait immediately after extermination. Cockroach eggs may remain, from which new individuals will hatch. Leave the poison for about another 6 months, periodically replacing old balls with fresh ones.

How is the processing carried out?

In order for the insect to eat the poisoned ball, all the food must be removed. Before laying out the bait, you need to clear the room of debris and dust. Balls or solution are placed in the favorite places of cockroaches, which are usually:

• back of furniture;
• cracks and crevices, peeling wallpaper;
• all the space around the refrigerator and cabinets where food is stored;
• legs of kitchen tables and chairs;
• area near the trash can.

It should be borne in mind that even if the colony is completely destroyed, there is a high risk of re-infection. Therefore, boric acid should be placed in dark, hard-to-reach places for some time as a preventive measure.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

It is necessary to use boric acid pest control methods after first familiarizing yourself with the consequences and precautions.

Advantages:

• low price and availability;
• copes well with bullying if you started using poison immediately after noticing the first individual;
• does not emit an unpleasant odor;
• the methods for preparing baits are very simple, and the products included in the composition are available in every home;
• helps get rid of not only cockroaches, but also ants or bedbugs;
• does not repel, but kills the pest.

Flaws:

• does not cope with bullying when the situation is already too advanced and there are a lot of cockroaches;
• prepared baits must be distributed only in areas inaccessible to children or animals;
• does not destroy cockroach eggs;
• with frequent use, it sometimes causes addiction in insects;
• It is recommended to take precautions when preparing poison.

Why does boric acid sometimes not work?

It happens that cockroaches eat poisonous bait, but in the end only a few individuals die, while the rest remain safe and sound. This happens because the pests have access to water, because if the insect drinks after eating the bait, boric acid will not work. To prevent this from happening:

• be sure to follow the recommendations for removing any type of moisture from the kitchen;
• check the serviceability of the water supply and sewerage system;
• wipe not only the kitchen sink, but also the bathtub, toilet and sink;
• Dry the washed dishes thoroughly.

Ultraviolet rays have a detrimental effect on the properties of boric acid. Do not expose the poisonous bait to sunlight, even for a few hours.

Why doesn't boric acid work on cockroach eggs?

The female lays eggs in a special hard cocoon, which reliably protects the offspring from physical or chemical influences. To completely exterminate the entire family, replace old baits with fresh ones at least once a month.

Common Mistakes

Many people poison cockroaches incorrectly, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the substance or completely eliminating it. Now we will talk about the most common mistakes that people make when baiting insects with boric acid.

• Available fluid sources

As mentioned above, a cockroach can cleanse the body with water, so you need to carefully isolate them. Many people forget to wipe down dripping water from a sink or bathtub or fix a leaking faucet, creating an opening for pests.

• Incorrect placement of poison

Cockroaches are not stupid at all - they will not climb onto a pile of powder poured in the corner of the room. For the poison to be effective, it must be distributed evenly throughout the room, paying special attention to the paths of movement of insects.

• Incorrect drug concentration

If the acid concentration is too low, it will cause virtually no harm to the insect, but if it is too high, it will simply scare it away from the bait. Carefully follow the dosage indicated in the recipes.

Safety and precautions

Although boric acid is sold over the counter without a prescription, the substance can still affect human health if it enters the digestive tract, lungs, or blood. To prevent the negative effects of poison on the body, follow the following recommendations:

1. Avoid getting acid vapors into your respiratory system by protecting them with a respirator or a cotton-gauze bandage.
2. When preparing baits, be sure to wear rubber gloves.
3. Keep pure poison and prepared traps out of the reach of children and pets.

Dangerous or not?

The substance can be safely used to bait cockroaches in an apartment. If the poison is kept in an open but inaccessible place, it will not affect your well-being in any way. If a pet eats poisoned bait, nothing bad will happen, but it’s better not to allow such things to happen.

However, it is not recommended to prepare poisoned baits:

• pregnant and lactating women;
• people suffering from allergies or skin diseases, as well as kidney failure.

Boric acid is an effective and inexpensive remedy used in the fight against cockroaches. It can be used in its pure form, and you can also prepare a wide variety of simple baits. Before use, be sure to read the safety precautions and prepare the area properly.

Basic data

Many chemicals are used in the fight against cockroaches, but only boric acid has not lost its relevance over many years of use. It has a special effect on insects that are unable to resist it.

Boric acid is defined in chemistry as a weak acid, the chemical formula is H3BO3. It has the appearance of white crystals in the form of scales, tasteless and odorless. It is poorly soluble in water. The melting point is 170C, at which the structure of the substance and its chemical composition change.

Boric acid is extracted from hot springs, a special mineral - sassolin, which contains boron. There are not many reserves of pure substances in nature. Widely used:

• in industry;
• nuclear energy;
• jewelry making;
• medicine;
• photos;
• ceramics production;
• as a fertilizer.

In the household it successfully fights cockroaches; in gardens it is effectively used against red ants. The widespread use of boric acid is due to its properties. Natural origin makes it more popular, since the product is well tolerated and does not cause allergies.

Overdose

If Boric acid is accidentally taken orally, symptoms of acute intoxication may appear, which include hyperpyrexia, nausea, vomiting, gastralgia, diarrhea, erythematous rashes accompanied by subsequent desquamation (can be complicated by death within 5-7 days), stimulation or depression of the central nervous system , impaired functioning of the cardiovascular system, liver dysfunction (including jaundice) and kidneys, shock, including death.

In case of overdose, symptomatic therapy is prescribed, and, if necessary, hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis and blood transfusion are performed.

Prevention measures

It is important to understand that one-time placement of edible baits does not guarantee complete destruction of insects in a short time. Systematic processing and compliance with conditions that prevent the reappearance of Prussians is needed. Here are some tips:

• Observe proportions when making baits and use the most attractive products for cockroaches. The main goal is the food attractiveness of the bait for insects;
• get rid of other possible sources of food for insects (crumbs and leftover food on the table and surfaces, open trash containers, cat food, unwashed dishes in the public domain);
• cockroaches are attracted to water and moisture, make sure that you exclude all sources of water in the apartment;
• block “escape routes” - ventilation holes, cracks in the floor, drains (if you cannot completely close the holes, install a fine mesh);
• periodically treat the entire living area for preventive purposes. Even if there are no insects, this minimizes the likelihood of them migrating from neighbors.

It is easier to fight cockroaches in a private house than in an apartment - the area is isolated, and it will be difficult for annoying insects to safely change their place of residence. Another thing is apartment buildings. Often, after treatment, cockroaches simply abandon their nests and migrate to their neighbors. That is why it is necessary to close all communication passages, even if you do not have problems with cockroaches.

Useful tips

Several useful tips to help make the use of boric acid as effective as possible:

Remember that if a poisoned cockroach drinks enough water, its body can cleanse itself, which means that death will not occur. To be sure to kill the pest, remove all sources of clean water after baiting. Instead, you can place water with acid dissolved in it in places where insects follow. All taps must be closed tightly

In addition, it is advisable to wipe all wet surfaces with a dry cloth at night. Cockroaches are very curious, so they can pay attention to bright objects. Take advantage of this and make the bait attractive and catchy so that the pest will definitely notice it and will not ignore the poison. If you sprinkle acid powder in handfuls, then pests will probably bypass it, as they “sense something is wrong”

So if you decide to use acid in its pure form, do it wisely and cunningly.

OUR READERS RECOMMEND!

To get rid of cockroaches, our readers recommend the Pest-Reject repeller

. The operation of the device is based on the technology of electromagnetic pulses and ultrasonic waves! Absolutely safe, environmentally friendly product for humans and pets. Read more here...