- LAST UPDATED: December 1, 2023
Roaches are very difficult to eradicate. If you have some of these disgusting guys in the house, don’t wait until they become a huge problem. Not only these insects are messy but they also poop and can leave a nasty mess of black disgusting specks on your walls. The dead bodies and waste of these crawling insects cause allergies in people. Diarrhea, asthma attacks, gastro, and salmonella are all those conditions you or your family may suffer. You don’t want this!
When roaches become a danger, the question of eliminating them becomes more serious. Find out how to identify the droppings of roaches, clean their feces and get rid of these invasive guys forever.
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Do cockroaches poop? Roach droppings and their identification
There is no doubt about it – cockroaches poop! Once you know what to look for, cockroaches’ droppings are easy to spot. Their feces – often referred to as specks – can be the size of a tiny grain of rice or coffee ground. The droppings of these nasty creatures are shaped like small, black or brown cylindrical pellets. What about a size? It depends on the size of cockroaches. From small specks to larger black pellet sized droppings – you can find any variant.
Frankly speaking, one, two or three droppings of these frightful guys often go unnoticed. But a cluster of droppings – that indicates an infestation – means you have a significant problem.
Why it is essential to get rid of roaches’ droppings
There are numerous reasons. The main is your health! Feces – these insects produce – contain certain proteins (allergens) that trigger an allergic response. Asthma – one of the most serious problems you may have due to these feces. And this is not a joke. It was found that allergens from roaches’ droppings can trigger asthma symptoms.
In addition, allergens contained in droppings are remarkably durable and long-lasting. When roaches move, they often leave a trail of droppings which contain chemicals that “pass messages” to other cockroaches, such as designating the route that the insect is taking to find food or water. If cleaning and sanitation in your house are lacking, allergens from roaches’ droppings can persist in your house up to 5 years after roach removal.
Why? Cockroach disease can spread fast. If you don’t exterminate all of them, feces will continue to reappear.
Another essential reason to get rid of nasty, frightful guys is microbes and bacteria. Roaches can transport a huge number of microbes – potentially dangerous to humans – on their body surfaces.
They are implicated in the spread of:
- 33 kinds of bacteria
- 7 types of human pathogens
- E.coli and Salmonella species
- 6 parasitic worms
In case of infestation – when a large number of roaches are present – these guys release smelly secretions that fill the air with a really unpleasant odor. You may experience severe stomach cramps, belly pain, diarrhea not knowing that the reason for all your problems lies in cockroaches.
How to protect your health and crack the roaches’ problem
There are only 2 efficient methods to mitigate the roaches’ problem. These are:
- Cleanliness – preventing roaches from entering the house. Remember, the cleaner and more sanitary home you will have, the less inviting it will be to cockroaches.
- Eradication – using control products for effective roaches’ elimination.
To protect the family – get rid of droppings! So, how to clean roach droppings? Do this in 3 steps:
Step 1. Vacuum to remove all traces of disgusting droppings. Start at the highest areas – on top of appliances, cabinets – and work your way down. Vacuum in cracks and crevices, especially in those places where roaches’ presence is high.
To rid the house of droppings keep it clean.- Step 2. Clean the walls in the house with baking soda and soapy water to remove roach feces. Rinse dirty walls with clear water – often change the water – to remove the proteins causing allergies.
Step 3. Wash down all surfaces with disinfectant cleaner. This helps to remove allergens left by roaches.
It is important to clean flooring, appliances, and the inside and outside of countertops and cabinets.
Step 1. Vacuum to remove all traces of disgusting droppings. Start at the highest areas – on top of appliances, cabinets – and work your way down. Vacuum in cracks and crevices, especially in those places where roaches’ presence is high.
Step 2. Clean the walls in the house with baking soda and soapy water to remove roach feces. Rinse dirty walls with clear water – often change the water – to remove the proteins causing allergies.
Step 3. Wash down all surfaces with disinfectant cleaner. This helps to remove allergens left by roaches.Want to make the house German roaches free? Read this to make your property unsuitable for them.
Cockroaches’ allergens are nothing to fool around with. Even if you don’t smell the presence of these creatures, you can ingest allergic items from their feces and become sick. Therefore proper eradication of these roaches is as important as cleanliness is.
How to eliminate cockroaches and their feces using control pesticides and insecticides: Types, effectiveness, and precautions
Before you buy and use pesticides, you’d better think of removing cockroaches’ hiding places in the house. Remove moisture in dark areas, food sources from cracks, seal cracks and repair water leaks inside the house. Remove stacks of trash and wood outside the house. Eliminate clutter – piles of newspapers, magazines, rags – and weather-seal gaps around windows.
Let’s see what pesticides you can use to eliminate roaches and how to use them correctly:
Baits and gels
Formulated as solid blocks granules, liquids or gels, some bait products already contain the active ingredient in the station whereas other baits are designed as a liquid – you need to pour into a bait container. Gels usually come packed with a tube for dispensing.
Why? When using the same type of pesticide every time – it doesn’t work well – the cockroaches become resistant to the product you use.
Recommendations: Purchase several bait products that are different and contain different active ingredients. Use one of them the first time you put baits out. Use a different product next time. If you notice that one of the products is not working – roaches may be already resistant – switch to another one.
What to buy:
1. MaxAttrax Ultra Liquid Roach Bait by Hot Shot
Kill roaches and the eggs these insects carry. Long-lasting residuals and fast-killing formula of the product gives perfect control over unwanted roaches.
2. Cockroach Gel Bait – four tubes by Advion
Powered by a unique bait matrix, the product can eliminate even the toughest species of roaches. The active ingredient of the product – indoxacarb helps to control and eradicate populations in a fast way.
Sprays and Aerosols
Everyone knows – sprays provide a fast knockdown of cockroaches. However, they don’t give long-term control of these insects. By using sprays, you disperse roaches to other places of the house from which these little guys may return later.
Recommendations: If you use methods of sanitation and exclusion and practice using appropriate baits and dust, you don’t need to use sprays and aerosols. Use of sprays and aerosols can be dangerous due to the high probability of exposure.
What to buy:
3. Roach Spray by Bengal Products
The spray contains 2% Permethrin ingredient. It is effective for roaches you see and can kill roaches as they hatch.
Boric Acid powder
Deadly to cockroaches but low in toxicity to humans, boric acid is a perfect tool for controlling disgusting roaches. How does it work? The tiny particles of boric acid powder adhere to the body of the roach when it crawls over the treated area. Acting as a poison boric acid affects roaches’ metabolism. It takes a while for the powder to be absorbed by the insects and do its job. Within a week or two you will see dead cockroaches’ bodies pile up around your property.
You can use boric acid alone or in combination with other products – MaxAttrax, gel bait – that were previously mentioned. When used correctly, the product produces perfect results.
Recommendations: How you apply the powder is as important as where you apply it. Key areas for treatment are: under the stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, behind the commode, washing machine, and shower, inside pantries and cabinets. Proper application is another key to success. We suggest applying the powder in a very thin barely-visible-to-the-naked-eye layer.
What to buy:
4. Boric acid Roach & Ant Killer by Zap-A-Roach
Non-staining and odorless, this product works fantastic on cockroaches.
Boric Acid or Traps: What is more effective?
Frankly speaking both are good and effective but in different situations. It depends on the population of roaches in your house.
For those who don’t have a huge population of cockroaches – you notice some roaches in certain areas – we suggest using traps. Benefits of traps are great: no mess as with spreading powders, no risk of staining the floors.
Keep in mind – you may not spot dead cockroaches because roaches’ carcasses are often hidden from a range of vision.
In case of a large roach infestation, bait traps are ineffective. Boric acid is the best product to use in this situation. Why? Simply, because this chalk-like substance is really toxic to roaches killing them in a fast way. What’s more 1 bottle of the powder can last you months.
Everyone has a chance of getting roaches. But not everyone knows what to do in case of having these unpleasant guys in the house. Roaches are invasive and prefer to hide in and under everything. For best results, empty the house before you start the cleaning. Take all the measures – use our recommendations – and fight them as fast as possible.
