Roaches are becoming more and more resistant to your garden variety insecticides. But just because most sprays aren’t as good as they used to be, it doesn’t mean that there’s no hope left.
By using the best roach baits instead of the classic spray killers, you’ll also be able to clean your house in a way that’s safe for you, your kids, and your pets.
Top 3 - Roach Baits
8 Best Roach Baits for Residential and Commercial Use
Since roach bait comes in a variety of forms, here are my top picks from different categories.
The Combat Roach Killing Bait is a formula that contains Hydramethylnon as the primary active ingredient. It’s present in a 2% concentration and it has an impressive track record in killing cockroaches. You might also like to know that it has little to no effect on mammals, especially large mammals.
I also like that the bait comes in its own bait stations, eight of them per pack to be exact. The bait stations are completely covered and have a few openings in the side walls. Roaches go in, attracted by the bait, take the bait, and then share it with other roaches.
This essentially ensures that you can dispose of entire hidden nests and not just the visible roaches. I also recommend the Combat bait stations because they’re childproof. Even though the main active ingredient is not particularly toxic to humans, swallowing it is still ill advised.
The formula in the Advion Cockroach Bait Arena is complex and contains a number of highly efficient active ingredients, as well as a potent insect growth regulator. So, not only are you getting something that kills entire nests, but also a product that kills eggs and prevents future infestations.
Apart from being able to kill roaches at all growth stages, the Advion Cockroach Bait Arena also has a very slow-acting and efficient active ingredient. This means that no roach will get a chance to escape and cause trouble later down the line.
Three bait stations are included in the pack. They’re not childproof, but they are completely covered and feature fairly large entry holes that can receive roaches of all sizes. I also like that the formula works on most roach species, meaning that it will work in homes around the world.
The Hot Shot HG-95789 is one of the most efficient roach baits. It attracts the pests from afar and it spreads the insecticide among them slowly. It can rid you of the entire nest, including larvae and eggs.
I recommend this product for all types of infestations. You can get it in a single pack or a six-pack. The latter can help you treat multiple rooms in your home. You can also use some bait stations in the garage if you think that’s the main point of entry.
The bait is odorless, so you won’t need to close off a room during or after the treatment. This also means that it’s unlikely that your pets will be attracted to the bait stations. In case they are, and even if they tip the bait stations over, the formula won’t stain your flooring or carpeting.
You should also know that a single pack contains six bait stations with 0.45oz of the formula each. One of the main reasons why it is so efficient doesn’t lie in the ingredients, but in the texture of the bait. Being a water-based formula, it attracts roaches on two fronts - by offering them a promise of sustenance and hydration.
Each gel tube of the Vendetta Roach Gel Bait contains roughly one ounce of the formula. A single tube should be more than enough for treating one room, provided that you don’t use it somewhere like your garage, outdoor kitchen, or any other area where excessive humidity may be an issue.
There are two ways you can use this gel. You can apply it under the sink, near cabinets, and other places you’ve seen high roach activity. You can also get some commercial bait stations or make your own bait stations out of some cardboard boxes. Make sure you keep them covered, so that your pets or kids can’t reach the bait.
The main active ingredient in this gel is Abamectin B1. This compound, even though it’s often used in drugs designed to eliminate parasites in pets, is also a popular active ingredient in wide spectrum insecticides. It doesn’t kill on contact or too quick, thus letting the roaches spread it from one to another. Also, it targets these pests during all growth cycles.
Don’t worry because this is not the type of motel that roaches will have fun staying in. The Black Flag Roach Motel is an innovative solution for roach infestations. Due to the effective bait of this glue trap, all kinds of roaches are attracted to it.
The amount of bait is sufficient to provide you residual control for four months after setting up the trap. What’s also cool is that you won’t have to deal with the dead roaches in various cracks and crevices of your house. The roaches will remain hidden and dead inside the trap.
I also recommend using this trap if you’re dealing with more than just roaches. The glue trap is effective against spiders, water bugs, crickets, and many other types of pests. It should even hold up against small scorpions.
The only issue is that it won’t kill already lain cockroach eggs. You may want to use a spray to kill those after you’ve dealt with the infestation. Don’t use the spray at the same time as the traps. Some insecticides may cause roaches to act erratically and mess with their senses, potentially sending them off the trail of the bait.
The Rockwell Labs Invict Gold may not be the cheapest cockroach bait, but it is highly efficient and very easy to use. It also acts in a very interesting way. The formula can kill roaches in less than 20 minutes. This means that you can treat the infestation fairly quickly compared to many other similar broadcasting insecticides.
Now, you may be wondering how is there enough time to transfer the poison to other roaches. The answer lies in the droppings. Even being in close proximity to the carcasses of the poisoned roaches and their droppings should be enough to kill a roach.
Rockwell Labs also opted for food-grade attractants as inert ingredients in order to make their formula wide spectrum. Finally, I should mention that the Invict Gold gel bait doesn’t contain allergens. This makes it a lot safer to use inside your family home.
This bait comes in four 1oz tubes and will likely be enough to treat all the rooms in your house. It won’t be too useful for outdoor applications, but it will work wonders indoors. And, even though the formula contains multiple active ingredients, it’s not as toxic for animals or humans as you may think.
The active ingredients in the Maxforce FC Roach Control bait are found in very low concentrations. On top of that, none are particularly toxic to mammals. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should let your pets eat the bait or let your kids play with it.
Although this gel comes in four individual tubes and is not accompanied by bait stations, you could always make your own bait stations. Use something small, covered, and with a few entry points. Alternatively, you could simply apply the gel inside the cracks in the wall, underneath the sink, inside cabinets, and pretty much anywhere else where you can keep it hidden from your kids and pets.
The Harris Roach Tablets offer an interesting alternative to liquid and gel baits, both of which can often stain your flooring. These tablets are highly concentrated and rely on the killing efficiency of the boric acid, which is found in tablets in a 40% concentration.
The tablets also contain a patented bait formula that’s highly attractive to roaches. It works similar to most gel and liquid baits, meaning the roaches will carry the bait back into their nests and spread the insecticide among the populace. The poison is very potent ant it will target roaches at all growth stages.
Now, one tablet is not enough to kill an entire nest, but each pack of the Harris Roach Tablets contains at least 145 of these little bad boys. That should be enough to treat at least 12 rooms, or a couple of homes.
You can also use the tablets outdoors if you live in a dry climate. Other strong features include being odorless and non-staining.
Pet and Child Safety
There are two ways to ensure the safety of kids and pets when dealing with a roach infestation. First of all, you should make sure that the bait comes with well-built bait stations, meaning that they should be covered.
If the bait is in liquid form, you should make sure that the bait stations have a heavy and stable base. This should make them harder to tip over.
Another thing you can do to ensure the safety of your kids and pets is to use roach bait made from natural ingredients. There are quite a few natural options out there and they’re often used to bait and trap roaches instead of killing them on contact.
If you do decide to get a chemical compound to bait and kill roaches, read the list of ingredients. Crosscheck them against the list of chemicals that are not harmful to mammals. This may not make the bait completely safe but it may minimize any potential damage it may do.
Type of Bait
While I usually prefer my roach bait, and any other bait for that matter, in the gel form, there are alternatives too.
Liquid baits are useful because they’re known to be more appealing to roaches.
Tablets are also nice, but they’re not particularly useful outside since they can easily degrade in humid environments even if they’re completely covered.
It all depends on what you can afford and how worried you are about making a mess. The biggest advantage of tablets is that they never stain. On the other hand, some liquid baits and gels can stain and may even have a potent odor.
Using Traps
Killing roaches is easy, given the variety of formulas available on the market. However, you can’t anticipate where the poisoned roaches will eventually flip over and die.
So, if you’re worried about your pets eating the dead pests or if you don’t want to get down on your knees and pick off dead roaches from under the kitchen counter, here’s an interesting alternative you might want to consider.
A glue trap can be very efficient in disposing of adult roaches, as well as other pests. And, if it is designed well enough, the roaches will not be able to escape it. This means that all the dead roaches will pile up inside the trap. Just make sure you get at least two or three traps to have sufficient room for all the troublemakers.
Keep Your House Clean
Using the right type of bait is very important and, as you can see, there are plenty of options to choose from. This article offers a wide variety of choices, for every budget, and any household condition.
It is time to stop postponing treating your roach infestation. Hang up the call to the exterminator and clean your house without toxic fumes and without having to pay for an overnight stay at a hotel.