How To Get A Cockroach Out Of Hiding? [7 Fast Methods]

You will agree when I say this:

Cockroaches are one of the creepiest insects to have in the home.

Right?

And once you have these tiny cockroaches in your home, they are less likely to show up frequently as they are experts in hiding.

It becomes even harder to get them out of hiding in the daytime as cockroaches are nocturnal insects. That means they are active at night or in darkness.

So, once you know that cockroach infestation or roaches are hiding in your home, how will you get these cockroaches out of hiding?

Worry not!

With today’s simple step-by-step guide, you can get these creepy insects out of hiding and get rid of them permanently.

Let’s get straight into it!

How To Lure Cockroaches Out Of Hiding?

As said earlier, cockroaches are nocturnal insects. Therefore it is less likely that they will show up when it’s lit.

That means whatever you do to lure them; you need to do it in the dark or at night. Once you know the right time, i.e., during the night, you can use the correct type of bait to catch them.

To do so, keep these things in mind:

• Perfect timing
• Right bait (something that roaches love the most)

You already know about the timing game.

The scented smell of food attract cockroaches the most. That means you can mix food with the scent that cockroaches love to eat.

For instance, something sweet, meaty, or heavy starch-based baits will work perfectly to lure cockroaches.

Therefore, you should follow the luring method only at night, as in the daytime, your bait is less likely to get any attention from them until or unless cockroaches are starving.

Also, roaches are always aware of their surroundings and dangers. They already know how dangerous it is for them to be inside a home with the most significant threat.

They know they can be squished anytime if they mistook to get in front of the threat, i.e., us. And it is why cockroaches ran fast and hid quickly.

Once they detect any danger for themselves, they will remain in their hiding spots for extended periods.

And even if you find them and start banging on cupboards or sticking pointy objects into cracks, it will send them deeper into hiding instead of getting them out from there.

Although this method can work on a large colony of the cockroaches where you know you can remove the object if needed, such as a piece of furniture or cardboard box.

Remember that cockroaches are very clever insects.

They can even play dead even if you catch them.

Therefore, you need to be one step ahead of them by keeping the perfect bait ready along with their most-active time.

Cockroaches love food, and with a good scent, thus, you can lure them with food items to get out of hiding, and then you can catch them to throw them out of your home.

7 Methods To Get A Cockroach Out Of Hiding

Getting the cockroaches out of hiding is not an easy task. Unfortunately, these tiny insects are fast, clever, and easy to hide.

However, there are seven working methods by which you can quickly get the cockroaches out of hiding and then kill them or throw them out of your house.

Here’s how:

Method 1: Waiting Till Dark And Night

Cockroaches are nocturnal insects; therefore, they remain more active in the nighttime or dark.

And to get them out of hiding, you need to either dark your room or wait till night time. The latter is a more feasible option, however.

At night, you must stay active to observe any movement around the cockroach hiding areas so that you can catch them when they are out of their hiding.

It is one of the best and most successful methods related to cockroaches’ genetics because they are biologically built so that they remain active more in the nighttime only.

Method 2: Heat

Cockroaches hate heat. Even though they can stay in slightly higher temperatures but after some time, they can’t live in an environment that is too hot for them.

That means you can take benefit of their weakness to get them out of hiding.

Use a hair dryer or space heater where you know the roaches are hiding. Bugs hate hot air and the environment, so they must leave their hiding.

It is a proven method many people use to get rid of cockroaches by catching them by providing excess heat.

Even you can get rid of cockroaches in a car using this heater method.

Method 3: Odor

Another working method is odor. If providing heat is not feasible for you, then you can use this method.

As cockroaches hate heat too much, they also hate the smells of essential oil like tea tree, peppermint oil, lavender, cypress, etc.

Therefore, you can put some essential oil on a piece of fabric, and then you can attach this fabric to a stick. Now put this stick or try poling in where the cockroaches are hiding.

You need to wait sometime to let the odor work. After some time, you will observe cockroaches getting out of their hiding.

It is also a proven method, but you need to use the oil, which has a sharp odor and must be hateful to cockroaches. You can also read more related articles related to it online.

Method 4: Gel Bait

Gel bait is a method that not only gets them out of hiding but also kills them. Nowadays, there are many cockroach gel baits available in the market.

These gel baits are manufactured in such a way consisting of ingredients that roaches love to feed on. That means these gel baits have all those stuff that can pull cockroaches towards them.

And once roaches are trapped with gel baits, they will be killed eventually, and it is also a proven method to get cockroaches out of hiding and kill them.

Method 5: Cockroach Trap

Apart from all the methods above, the following way uses a cockroach trap, which will contain the favorite food of roaches and an attractive odor.

The trap will attract roaches and catch them.

You can also add a water source in this trap to increase the chances of working on this trap. And once they eat the food of this trap, they will eventually die after consuming it.

To make such a trap, you can read below the DIY cockroaches lure or refer to the internet for the same.

Method 6: Insecticide Spray

It is another prevalent way of killing roaches and getting rid of them. And also, it is a direct method to kill the insects where they are hiding.

So you even don’t need to get the roaches out of hiding. You can put this spray in the areas where the cockroaches must be present, and once you spray it, the insects will be killed.

Also, these sprays are built in such a way as to reach even complex areas, cracks, and regions, so you can easily make this spray work most of the time.

Method 7: Cutting Off Food And Water Sources

Last but not least, cutting off food and water sources is another working yet slow method to get rid of cockroaches even without making them show up.

However, the success probability decreases in this method. Also, roaches eat anything but by cutting off water and food sources, you can take the first step towards eliminating them.

You already know that roaches cannot survive without food and water sources, so that you can cut off their supplies; eventually, they will die due to thirst and hunger.

However, remember that roaches can survive without food for up to months, whereas without water, they can only survive for a few weeks.

Therefore, you need to cut off the water supply first, increasing the chances of killing the roaches.

DIY Cockroach Lures

You already know several methods and ways to get the roaches to show up here. And you also know the several traps you can build to catch these tiny insects and kill them.

However, if you want to try your hand at making homemade lures for cockroaches, then there are some proven and effective DIY lures that you can try.

The Jar Trap

Roches hide in multiple places and this DIY lure method will work perfectly make you catch cockroaches.

You need to find a jar big enough to hold the roach you want to catch. Then you need to pour a small cup of beer or some drink with a pungent smell into the jar.

You can prefer any drink which should be of solid odor and be attractive to the roaches.

Now fill the jar about a quarter, and line the top half of the jar with petroleum jelly or Vaseline.

It’s time to create a ramp for the cockroaches to access the top of the jar. You can do it using a strip of duct tape or wood, a ruler, or anything else available to you.

Once the cockroaches are drawn towards the jar, they climb and get in.

However, once they enter the liquid area, they will not be able to come out of it as you already used the petroleum jelly around the top of the jar.

Also, roaches can survive in water and most liquids. Therefore, they will not die there, but you have already caught them, and now you can dispose of them.

This method is a little complex, but you can get rid of roaches quickly once you successfully do this.

The Baking Soda Lure

It is another standard method to kill roaches at home. So you need to get one tablespoon of molasses and put it into a bowl for convenience.

Add three teaspoons of baking soda to the same bowl and stir until it is combined perfectly.

Once the mixture is ready, drop a small spoonful onto an aluminum foil (you can also use another non-stick surface).

Now place this in those areas where roaches are more likely to come.

Of course, the mixture is attractive for the roaches, but as soon as they eat it, the baking soda mixture will eventually kill them.

This  DIY lure for cockroaches works perfectly to kill all the roaches in your home.  

The Duct Tape Or Adhesive Traps

The duct tape trap is quite simple, effective, and quick.

In this method, you must take a common duct or adhesive tape and place an area of sticky tape side up on the floor.

You need to create a larger area of stick-side-up tape using several strips of adhesive tape.

Now it is the time to put the bait in. So, you need to place a generous dollop of peanut butter in the center of the sticky area you created.

Of course, you can also use other items such as jelly, honey, or chocolate. In addition, make sure that the food item must be the favorite of roaches.

Once the trap is ready, you will have to wait for the roaches to fall. It will work as a magnet trap that attracts cockroaches and catches them.

After catching the roaches, you can quickly dispose of them.

However, one drawback of this method is that you must wait for some time before you can notice any roaches in the trap. So, you must check on the trap frequently to see if any roach is trapped.

Best Ways To Draw Out Cockroaches

Here are some more professional lures that will increase your chances of trapping roaches and getting rid of them.

Food Traps

To trap roaches, food traps are one of the best methods as cockroaches hide to save themselves but come out of hiding to find food.

And this is when you can trap other roaches as well.

Food is the primary reason that roaches are hiding in your home. And you can use this to lure roaches against themselves to catch them by using food traps.

You can easily use several food traps in your home and trap the roaches.

Bread Trap

According to Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, rye bread crust is an effective way to lure German cockroaches.

Therefore, you can use this to lure roaches.

Bread is relatively high in starch; roaches want this food because it keeps them satiated for longer.

And now, as you know this secret of roaches, you can use it with a sticky trap to catch them. It is another effective way to catch cockroaches which is easy to build as the food item is commonly available.

Glue Traps

In glue traps, you use adhesive or sticky material to spread across the floor. You lure the roaches with any food item on this sticky material.

And once the feet or belly come into contact with the glue, they cannot move and leave.

Therefore, they get trapped in it quickly, and you can dispose of them.

Although according to Environmental Entomology, the sticky type of cockroach traps effectively catch only baby roaches or smaller nymphs.

However, these traps struggle a bit to catch bigger roaches.  

Poisoned Bait Traps

Suppose food or sticky traps are not working for you. You can try poisoned bait traps, a sure-shot solution to kill the roaches.

You can either first trap the cockroaches in a jar and then put poison to kill them. Or there are many online cockroaches poisoned bait traps available, which you can buy and seek help to get rid of roaches.

How To Dispose Of Cockroaches After Catching Them?

Till now, you are aware of several methods to catch cockroaches. But what to do after catching them? How will you dispose of them?

The good part is that catching roaches is tough, but disposing of them is not. So there is a variety of methods by which you can dispose of insects.

You can drown them, poison them, leave them to die, or crush them.

Let’s find out some ways to dispose of cockroaches after catching them.

Crushing Cockroaches

It is the simplest method to dispose of roaches after catching them.

Once your hands are on the roaches, you can crush them with something heavy and flat like a book, paperweight, or even with your slippers.

Of course, you can also use the show or boot to place them on the top of the cockroach and press it down until they die.

However, the major drawback of crushing cockroaches is that it will create a mess.

To avoid the mess, you can first put your cockroaches into a bag or container and then hit them from above to prevent mess and kill them ideally.

Drowning Cockroaches

Before you opt for this method, let me tell you that cockroaches can survive in water for several days. Therefore, drowning them can be a tough job for you compared to crushing them.

To make cockroaches die in water, you must wait for some time.

To proceed with drowning cockroaches, you need to put them in the deep bucket or some other available container, then put some hot water over them.

You can also add some detergent or dish soap to the water, which will help them drown quickly.

Once you finish your job, you will observe that the cockroaches must die after a few hours.

The better option is to leave the submerged bucket for at least 24 hours to be sure the roaches die.

Poisoning Roaches

It is one of the cleanest ways to kill roaches once you catch them.

You can poison the roaches after caching them. Also, the plus point of this method is that you don’t need to touch them at all.

You must place poison in the bucket or jar where you have caught the roaches.

You can grab any roach poison from the market and use it for this purpose. From fumigant pellets to sprays, you can use any toxins to get rid of roaches.

After poisoning roaches, you must have a large number of dead cockroaches. Therefore, you need to be sure that the scent of these dead roaches should not attract other roaches to that area.

It is because dead roaches attract more cockroaches, so you need to be aware of and dispose of the dead cockroaches by digging a small hole in your yard and burying them.

Remember to dig the hole and bury roaches at some distance from your home.

Signs Of Cockroaches Hiding In Your Home

If you doubt your house has an insect infestation, you can look for several signs that give you surety for the doubt.

These signs include observing:

Cockroach Droppings

It is a sure sign that your house has a cockroach infestation. Cockroach droppings or smear marks are small, dark brown, or black with oval shapes around 2-3mm long.

Due to their resemblance to mouse droppings, many people confuse cockroach droppings with it, but you must be careful and observe the sign.

The main difference between mouse dropping and roach dropping is the size of the piles, in the case of mouse dropping, the pile size is comparatively bigger.

On top of that, cockroach waste is often seen near the cockroach hiding places, so if you are observing cockroach droppings in some area, then most likely cockroach colonies should be around that.

The most common cockroach hiding spots are around the kitchen because their food and water sources are readily available.

Cockroach Odor

Cockroaches produce an easily detectable odor if you pay attention to the roaches’ hiding areas.

Roaches have glands that release a pheromone that attracts other insects. The odor is oily and musty, which can observe around the area where cockroach infestation is happening.

Roach Egg Casings

Female roaches can carry egg casings for up to 40 days before hatching; therefore, the larvae drop out of the casing when they do.

You can observe these roach egg casings as small brownish-white ovals around 1mm in size.

Also, you can find them on common surfaces such as cupboard tops or along baseboards where roaches like to run when disturbed.

Tips To Prevent Re-infestation

So, finally, you did everything right and got rid of roaches in the end, but still, you need to be careful and attentive as roaches can re-infest your house.

Therefore, you can follow these tips to prevent cockroach re-infestation:

• Permanently repair the cracks of walls instantly and stop any water leakage in the kitchen where roaches are more likely to infest.
• Cockroaches hate smells such as peppermint, lavender, and cinnamon. You can always keep these oils handy and use them whenever you doubt a roach infestation is occurring.
• Keep your home clean, especially in areas prone to roaches. On top of that, you can keep bleach powder handy and use that whenever needed to kill cockroaches.
• You can also use concentrates diluted in water as a spray, which protects against re-infestation.
• Another thing you can do to prevent re-infestation is to move yard debris away from the outside of your house. Cockroaches are more likely to get attracted by wood piles; therefore, removing all the stuff from their reach can prevent re-infestation.

FAQs

How To Get A Cockroach Out Of Hiding: Conclusion

Cockroaches are clever, fast, and scary, but once you find their location, you can lure them out of hiding to catch them.

To attract roaches, you need to focus on the food items that roaches love the most and the timing in which they are the most active (which is during the night).

And once you are successful in luring the roaches, the next step is to either throw them out of your home or kill them with various methods.

However, many insecticides and pest control products are available on the market which you can use to eliminate cockroaches.

Above all, remember that you don’t need to wait for roaches to die, as they can live for several weeks without food or water.

So, you better be prepared and take action to finish them.