Home Made Roach Traps
Having a hard time on some tiny, beetle-like insects known as roaches? You can sure destroy those using defined means of cockroach control. But investing time and money on them is not an option? Then homemade roach traps are just the thing for you! They can be made from materials available at home and for a cheaper price compared to commercially available options. Here, in no particular order is a list of some homemade traps prove to be useful by its users.
1. Duct Tape Trap
Duct tapes are widely used for packaging purposes but with its sticky substance, you can use it to catch those cockroaches. You can create a homemade roach trap from it, simply by folding the two ends of the tape in order for it to stick to the floor upside down. The length and width is up to you, but take into consideration your environmental factors such as children or pets. But if you can place it in a hidden spot where you are sure roach traffic is high, you can size it up for more effectiveness. Of course for increased potential, a sweet bait or roach bait gel can be placed inside the tape to attract the cockroach to the gates of their hell.
2. Jar Trap
One popular homemade roach trap is the jar trap, which you can build by using only an empty jar and a petroleum jelly or cooking oil. The science behind it is that you will reduce friction to a negligible amount so that when the entrapped roaches tries to get out, they can't. Even though their crooked legs can't handle a friction-less surface. They will just slide down like being sucked by a quicksand. To create this awesome roach quicksand, just apply petroleum jelly or cooking oil to the inner side of the jar to make it friction-less, and that's it! But to increase its effectiveness, you can cover its outer surface by a rough material like a masking tape and place a bait inside. It's like inviting them to a feast all equipped with a red carpet. Their animal instincts can't say but yes, making it an effective homemade roach trap.
3. Bottle Trap
The bottle trap is a second version of the jar trap, more like an enhanced version. The principle behind it is the same, but things will be different when the roaches learned to counter the jar trap - flying. The wide neck of the jar can make escape possible through flying, but the bottle trap can handle that risk, thanks to its narrow neck. The procedure is just the same. Fill the inside neck part of it with petroleum jelly or cooking oil to reduce its friction and you can cover its outer surface with rough material. But you can't please everybody. The bottle traps has also its downfall. Due to its narrow neck, a strong bait should be used to invite the roaches inside their death pit, unlike the jar trap that has its mouth wide open. Upon inspection, the optimal use of the bottle trap is for big roaches that can fly but can fit inside the neck, while the jar trap can be used for small roaches which are unlikely to fly.
Remember that these traps are effective against single, double, triple or quadruple roaches. They can be effective as long as the roaches are still countable. But if their numbers grow, these diy solutions are not enough to stop the infestation. Homemade roach traps are made just to control some few roaches at your home. When their population grows, it is a must either call the professionals, or switch to different methods meant to take out entire population. One site I really like for methods that you can do it yourself at home is pestsoff.com. I personally prefer to take care of the problem myself and save some money, but you can certainly opt to hire a professional instead when homemade roach traps just won't cut it anymore.
Photo credit Keith Tyler
