You can kill roaches using diatomaceous earth.
It’s a common ingredient found in pest control products, and it can be found in retail stores and online.
However, you can not only add diatomaceous earth to your own home, you can also apply it directly to cockroach infestations.
So, how do you apply diatomaceous earth for roaches? Diatomaceous earth, or DE for short, is a natural product that’s made from fossilized algae.
It’s known for its insecticidal properties. When applied to a roach’s exoskeleton, DE causes it to dry out and die.
You can also apply DE to infested areas, such as your pantry or pantry. DE works best when applied directly over roaches.
However, DE can also kill bed bugs, spiders, silverfish, ants, and flea larvae. DE is safe for pets when used properly.
However, it’s not safe for pregnant women or kids under 5 years old.
Does Diatomaceous Earth Kill Cockroaches?
Contents
Diatomaceous earth is a type of sedimentary rock made of fossilized diatoms.
It’s often used as fertilizer and pest control for homes. It’s harmless to humans, but how does it kill roaches?
Cockroaches have exoskeletons that are porous like diatomaceous earth. The silica in the diatoms causes roaches’ exoskeletons to harden and crack.
This eventually makes them unable to breathe and the insect dies. As a result, diatomaceous earth is an effective option for killing roaches.
Types of Diatomaceous Earth
Filter Grade Diatomaceous Earth
It contains 65 percent crystalline silica, which makes it an effective insecticide that kills insects by damaging their outer coverings and causing them to dehydrate and die.
It can be used to kill both indoor and outdoor pests including ants, termites, silverfish, spiders, fleas, ticks and more. It can be ingested by humans, but it may cause irritation if inhaled in large quantities.
Filter grade is best suited for use in filters or on garden soil.
Manufacturers often employ diatomaceous earth in personal products such as deodorants and antiperspirants and as an additive in toothpastes and cosmetics.
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
Food Grade DE is less concentrated than filter grade and contains about 35 percent crystalline silica, making it less toxic to humans than filter grade but still effective as an insecticide.
It can be safely used around food crops and stored grains without harming humans or animals.
Its use is also safe for pets when used as directed. This type of de is not typically used in consumer products because it’s more expensive than filter grade.
This is diatomaceous earth, which comes from the fossil remains of diatoms.
The substance is harmless to humans but deadly to many household pests such as cockroaches and silverfish.
To effectively get rid of these pests, mix this powder with water to form a paste and then spread it across areas where the bugs tend to hide.
Keep the mixture moist with a spray bottle so that it stays sticky at all times in order to trap and kill insects that come into contact with it.
Apply the paste in cracks and crevices where insects are most likely to hide, including along baseboards and beneath cabinets.
Aside from cockroaches, it’s the safest alternative for silverfish as well.
You’ll never have to worry about chemicals affecting your pets if you use this natural remedy to keep bugs away.
What Does Diatomaceous Earth Do to Cockroaches?
Cockroaches are killed by diatomaceous earth when they come in contact with the powder’s abrasive surface.
They lose their moisture and die because of dehydration caused by their porous exoskeletons.
By coating an area with a mixture of water and powdered DE, you can trap and kill multiple cockroaches at once because they’ll drown in the mixture as they crawl across it.
This treatment also prevents other bugs from moving in once they’re dead because they won’t be able to walk across the treated area.
As previously stated, the chemical itself is nontoxic to humans and pets, so you shouldn’t have to worry about your family coming into contact with it.
Diatoms provide 40% of the earth’s oxygen, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cockroaches die as their bodies dry out when they come into contact with diatomaceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth goes a step beyond ordinary pesticides because it works from the inside out: It dries out the insect’s body from the inside out and prevents it from absorbing water from the outside environment.
Ingesting large amounts of dust can cause lung damage in humans, but ingestion of small amounts is generally safe.
It’s also safe to use around food crops and stored grains without harming humans or animals.
Though it’s not recommended to use food grade on edible plants.
Because it doesn’t break down easily in the environment, it does work well for killing cockroaches and other insects that destroy stored grains and other foods in bins and warehouses.
It may slough its way through the soil, so it’s best to use in places where it won’t come into contact with vegetation.
The powder then consumes any bugs it encounters as it moves through their bodies, killing them from the inside.
This leads the roach to drown in its own excrement as it can’t evacuate its bowels because it’s clogged up.
In the future, it will struggle to breathe and eventually die of asphyxiation or starvation.
How to Apply Diatomaceous Earth for Roaches?
Select the Appropriate Type of DE
Roaches can cause a lot of problems for homeowners.
They can contaminate food and damage property. For these reasons, getting rid of roaches is important.
Unfortunately, getting rid of roaches can be complicated because they can adapt quickly to their environment. Because of this, it’s important to use the correct type of product to get rid of roaches.
For example, if a product contains boric acid, it will kill roaches on contact and repel them for up to three months. However, boric acid doesn’t kill eggs or larvae, so new roaches will eventually move in.
Because of this, it’s best to use a product that contains boric acid with an insect growth regulator, such as methoprene. These will both kill roaches on contact and repel them for up to six months.
Select the Best Locations for DE Application
Cockroaches are attracted to dark, humid places, which is why they are commonly found in the kitchen or bathroom.
However, they can also be found in other rooms of your house, especially if you keep food in cabinets or drawers that open easily.
Cockroaches can also enter your home through cracks and crevices.
Since cockroaches only come out at night, it’s extremely difficult to see them until it’s too late.
For this reason, you should apply DE to areas where roaches are likely to hide during the day, such as along baseboards and behind appliances.
Clean the Area
Roaches are attracted to dirty areas, so cleaning them is a good way to keep them away.
Cockroaches typically like to hide in dark, moist places, so wiping up spills and wiping down counters and cabinets is a good first step. Next, make sure to clean the floors.
A dirty floor is a cockroach’s favorite place to hide. Finally, make sure the kitchen is clean.
This includes wiping down the stove, washing dishes, and mopping the floors. Remember, roaches love dirty places, so keeping them clean is a good way to keep them away.
Set Up Roach Attractants
Roaches are disgusting bugs that carry many diseases.
They’re also hard to get rid of because they can hide in tiny spaces or travel long distances. However, setting up a roach trap can attract and repel roaches at the same time.
Bait traps are commonly used to repel roaches, but bait traps rarely work.
While bait traps make roaches hungry, they’re also very messy and difficult to set up.
However, roach traps containing roach attractant can be effective. Bait traps containing roach attractant are cleaner and easier to use than bait traps, and they work just as well.
Best of all, it’s easy and cheap to make your own roach traps with roach attractant and sticky traps.
Regularly Observe
Roaches are pests that are often found in the homes and buildings around the world.
Roaches are not only annoying but can cause diseases.
Therefore, it is essential to exterminate roaches from your home and premises since they cause diseases to human beings and pets.
Although there are many ways to get rid of the pests such as using insect repellents, however, the ideal way to get rid of them is to use insecticides.
There are various insecticides that kill roaches and prevent other pests from invading your home and premises such as boric acid powder and roach bait with boric acid.
However, these insecticides should be regularly used to prevent roaches from invading your home and premises.
Clean the Mess
Roaches are one of the most annoying insects in the world.
They can contaminate food and spread disease. Fortunately, you can repel roaches using simple methods.
Roaches hate the smell of lemon and vinegar. Therefore, you should clean the mess with lemon and vinegar.
You should also keep clutter to a minimum, since roaches love to hide in clutter.
Furthermore, you should clean under appliances and furniture, since roaches like to hide here.
Finally, you should vacuum regularly to prevent roaches from multiplying.
These methods are very effective at repelling roaches and preventing infestations.
Does Diatomaceous Earth Kill Roach Eggs?
Roach eggs are extremely hard to get rid of because they resist chemicals very well.
To destroy the larvae, you need to apply DE on the places where you see them hatching out.
Cockroach eggs are encased inside a hard shell and are almost impossible to crush by hand. In addition, cockroaches can lay up to an egg a day.
For this reason, a single female can produce up to a thousand eggs in one year! That’s a lot of eggs! And all of them must be destroyed.
It’s impossible to remove all of them by hand, which is why a pesticide must be used.
Diatomaceous earth is one of the best pesticides you can use to kill the eggs of cockroaches.
The powder will be unable to pass through the cockroach’s exoskeleton and will remain in the insect’s body until the egg hatches and the larva ingests it.
Cockroach nymphs are small enough to pass through even the smallest cracks and crevices in walls or floors, making them very difficult to spot and kill.
If you find a cluster of them, however, simply sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the cluster and they will die within a few days.
They will ultimately perish from the poison in their system or from dehydration as they cannot drink water without ingesting the powder as well.
Also Read:Does Peppermint Oil Repel Roaches?
Conclusion
Using diatomaceous earth for cockroach control is one of the best ways to get rid of these pesky insects from your home.
When combined with other methods of pest control, diatomaceous earth can be highly effective at keeping cockroaches out of your house for good.
As long as you are diligent and follow the directions carefully, you should not have any problems getting rid of roaches with DE.
