DIY How to Get Rid of / Kill Cockroach / roach / roaches Infestation for under $100: 7 step guide to do it yourself

If you lived anywhere, you probably seen a cockroach, as they are real survivors. They come in a wide variety of sizes. Some of them even fly! They can fit into the tightest places, eat almost anything, even each other. (Really, cockroaches are cannibalistic if there is not enough food.) Those who have a cockroach infestation knows how hard it is to fight such an infestation.

However not all is lost. Modern science have came up with much more economical methods to help you control any roach infestation. Here is a 7-step guide on how to get rid of an infestation economically, by doing everything yourself, for under $100, and still have stuff left over for repeat applications for several months. And some of the items you probably already have.

This is do-it-yourself pest control strategy, not just a recommendation for "best bug spray".

No food, and no food crumbs means no food for roaches. It really is that simple. if you have pets, watch out for pet food and pet water dishes and so on. That's food too. Use a trash can with a good tight lid would also help. Limit snacks to kitchen only, and sweep daily.

Less food means less incentive for the roaches to breed a large litter of little roaches, and may even encourage roaches to move to an alternate location.

Even if your place is clean, your neighbors may not be, and apartments are notorious for this. Roaches love to hide in dark corners and gaps, between the walls, and so on. If you eliminate gaps they can't get in.

So caulk the seams. You can get semi-transparent or white caulk to match the decor. This may take a little time.

Most powder form of roach killer is boric acid. The pro forms you buy in Home Depot or such are premixed with something sweet the roaches will find attractive, eat it, and die. It's not poisonous to humans though.

Boric acid kills roaches by two way. As dry powder, it is abrasive, and thus worn away the waxy coating on the insect's exoskeleton, causing the internal liquid to evaporate more easily, thus dehydrate the bug. When ingested, it acts as a metabolic poison on the bugs.

Deploy boric acid powder as a barrier under the sink along the walls, as well as places you think have gaps they can crawl in and out of. As long as the dust remains dry, it will last 6 months or longer. If you have heavy infestation, open up the wall switches and sockets and put some in the back. You also want them in cracks of floor boards, behind counter tops, and anywhere you see cracks, seams, and whatnot.

An alternative form of powder control is called diatomaceus Earth, which is a super-fine natural abrasive made of dead diatoms, also kills roaches and pests without chemicals. They are abrasive, and they also absorb lipids (fat and liquids) from insects that crawl over it, thus dehydrating the insect. However, diatomaceus earth should not be breathed, as inhalation may cause lung problems. If you handle diatomaceus earth, wear a dust mask at all times.

Now that you have effectively sealed off the house, and don't need to worry too much about external infestation, it is time to deal with the population WITHIN your residence.

Start by deploying some roach motels (i.e. roach traps). Either the sticky kind or the bait kind will work fine for the back of cabinets or behind the fridge. Those are stationary traps. Put one next to the trash bin too. One for each room should be sufficient unless you have a heavy infestation.

You CAN buy professional strength Dupont Advion bait gels for home use (except in Conneticut) by ordering them online. Advion has a special ingredient called Indoxacarb that not only kills roaches dead, it also kills whatever eat the dead bodies... AND whatever eats THOSE dead bodies. Really. You only need a tiny dot of Advion in each cabinet every 30 days. Buy a box (about $30 online) and share with friends and neighbors. One syringe lasts a long time.

Not all roaches respond to Advion. If you don't see any results, try MaxxForce Bait Gel, which is based on a different insecticide formula.

If you can't wait, or don't want to spend big bucks, try the "home sized" bait gels from Combat and similar products.

IGR (insect growth regulators) basically interfere with insect's growth hormones, rendering them infertile, so they cannot make more baby roaches. This basically gives you more time to kill the living roaches, with OTHER methods. IGR by itself does NOT kill roaches. It must be used with all the other pest control tactics discussed above. IGR is available in either spray form or as a "bait station".

Deploy IGR in an area that roaches go through, almost like a "persistent" bug spray. Around trash cans, for example.

IGR is especially important in areas where bug spray cannot be used.

Bug spray is weapon of last resort when it comes to roach infestation. To put it plainly, bug spray is nerve gas, albeit very weak ones, that is designed to kill pests. You don't want to do bug spray anywhere near food. However, it wouldn't hurt to keep one can around.

Bug spray actually comes in two types: contact (spray on the bug and it dies in seconds), and persistent (spray this area and it kills for weeks). Some are both.

Contact form of bug spray are usually aerosol and comes in a can.

The persistent form may come as spray bottle.

You should always wear a glove when applying bug spray. A mask wouldn't hurt either, esp. when you're using the aerosol version.

Use bug spray only sparingly, and NEVER near a bait station, IGR station, or roach trap. Roaches can sense bug spray residue and avoid the general area, thus avoiding those traps and rendering them ineffective. Instead, once you have deployed all the rest of the barriers and whatnot, save the bug spray for local outbreaks.

You can purchase kits that includes most of the items above online for under $100. All you need is some vinyl gloves and some patience. The material in such a kit should be enough to eliminate the infestation and shrink the roach population to a very manageable level for several months. And the costs are much lower than hiring a professional exterminator.

Just keep in mind that the results are NOT instantaneous. It will take several weeks to see effects.

Now go kill some roaches!