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Roaches can be a real nuisance, especially if they’ve claimed an inaccessible part of your house as their home, and getting rid of them for good can be a lot harder than simply stepping on any that pass by. You need something that can kill them off permanently and drive out any that survive, which rarely works with a brute-force approach.
Roach killer is one of the best ways to do this, but there are so many brands and types that it can be challenging to know which one you’re supposed to be using – they can come in different shapes, sizes, and even forms, and there’s no guarantee that two brands will work in the same way. Below are ten different types of roach killer that we’ve picked out, as well as the reasons that they seem to stand out from other brands on the market.
Related: Weed Killers in Review.
View the Best Roach Killer, Below.
Combat Max Roach Killing Bait
Hot Shot Ultra Liquid Roach Bait
Rockwell Invict German Roach Gel Bait
MDXconcepts Organic Home Pest Control Spray
HARRIS Boric Acid Roach and Silverfish Killer Powder
BRISON Ultrasonic Plug in Device
Raid Ant & Roach Killer
Safer Brand Diatomaceous Insect Killer
Ortho Wand Home Defense Insect Killer
1. Combat Max Roach Killing Bait
This roach bait is able to kill entire nests of roaches in only a few hours and can drive them away for up to a year if they don't kill the entire group. Each piece of bait can simply be placed down near to a group of roaches, who'll take the bait right back to their nest, allowing it to kill an entire swarm of roaches with no extra effort needed!
The food used in the bait is designed to attract even the smallest roaches, so you won’t need to worry about a handful surviving and growing up to repopulate the nest.
This bait is able to take out entire nests of roaches in just a few days at most, making it a great way to clear out a room without needing to fumigate the entire building.
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Attracts roaches of all sizes.
Doesn’t need any extra chemicals to work.
Comes with covered bait stations to protect children.
2. Advion Cockroach Gel Bait
This gel-based bait is able to deal with a vast range of different roach species, including those that you'll typically only find in a specific country or climate. It's designed to attract as many roaches as possible, including bait-averse types, and can target both large and small roaches with equal efficiency.
Not only that, but it's able to last for up to two years, ensuring that no new cockroach nests will be able to move in until it’s completely worn off.
This gel is great for killing large groups of cockroaches, especially if you don’t know which type they are or can’t identify them yourself.
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Affects almost all known types of roach.
Can attract roaches directly.
Simple gel that’s easy to apply and carry without taking up extra space.
Can be used both indoors and outdoors.
4 x 30g Tubes
3. Hot Shot Ultra Liquid Roach Bait
This liquid bait is able to kill not only the living roaches but also destroy the eggs they're carrying to ensure that they don't reproduce later on. It acts as a mixture of food and water, enticing roaches to come and feed on it over other sources of sustenance, making it much more likely for them to fall for the bait and spread it among their nests.
Its non-stain formula prevents it from leaving any marks on the floor, and you can place it right next to roach nests without needing to worry about it being exposed to young children or pets thanks to its capsule-style container.
This bait’s liquid form makes it more attractive to roaches than regular solid bait, making it stronger for dealing with bigger families and nests.
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Incredibly good at drawing out roaches.
Destroys eggs to prevent the population from rebuilding.
Doesn’t leave any stains or mess.
Contained in bait stations.
Liquid bait that’s more effective on individual roaches.
4. Rockwell Invict German Roach Gel Bait
This gel bait is fast-acting, killing roaches as soon as twenty minutes after they consume it. It’s designed to spread throughout the population of a roach nest, with each dead roach and set of droppings spreading it further and killing more roaches.
The attractants used in the formula are able to draw in roaches much faster than other baits and minimize the change of bait aversion in most common roach types. It doesn’t use any common food allergens, either, so it won’t irritate anybody in the same room as the bait once it’s set up.
This gel can quickly and easily spread through a roach nest without affecting your day-to-day life, making it a great “fire and forget” solution.
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Spreads through roach populations easily.
Doesn’t irritate anybody with allergies.
Can act as a secondary killer through bodies and droppings.
Starts killing roaches quickly.
Easy to use container.
4 x 35g Tubes
5. MDXconcepts Organic Home Pest Control Spray
This spray-based insecticide is able to get rid of more than just roaches, killing a wide range of different household pests and unwanted insect nests without using any toxic compounds and formulas. It’s fast-acting, long-lasting and safe to use around pets, so you can clear out roach infestations and destroy nests without needing to quarantine entire rooms of your house.
Rather than using a chemical-based insecticide, this organic spray is based on a mixture of various essential oils and vinegar, making it harmless against anything it’s not designed to kill. This also means that you don’t need to worry about it reacting with water or other cleaning agents and chemicals.
This spray is incredibly effective and surprisingly safe, making it an excellent tool for family homes and pet-filled areas that have large roach infestations or constantly-returning nests.
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Doesn’t react with other chemicals or surfaces.
Is safe to use around pets and children.
Works on more than just roaches.
Can be sprayed into small nooks and hard-to-reach areas.
6. HARRIS Boric Acid Roach and Silverfish Killer Powder
This boric acid-based roach-killing powder is easy to use and strong enough to kill off whole roach infestations, giving you a way to quickly kill off household pests for weeks at a time with a single application.
The formula uses a powerful lure that’s able to draw out hidden or bait-averse insects, and it can cling to individual roaches before killing them to help spread it through nests and colonies, killing each roach in contact with it within three days. Since it’s a powder, you can easily leave small piles of it in hard-to-reach areas, or even spray it directly into a visible nest.
This powder is excellent for killing off groups of roaches quickly and easily, and can spread through entire nests if you use it correctly.
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Spreads between roaches easily.
Easy to use and apply.
Strong lure for hidden roaches.
Can be used in awkward spots.
7. BRISON Ultrasonic Plug in Device
This ultrasonic plug repels roaches in a range of up to 1100 square feet, forcing them to leave the area and preventing any new nests from forming while it’s turned on. It operates at a high frequency, so it shouldn’t disturb you with a constant droning noise, but will still be loud enough to irritate and upset any insects that try to invade your home.
Since it doesn’t kill them directly, you can combine it with other methods to eliminate roach families away from their original nest, meaning that you won’t have to clean up their bodies or block up the area so that they can’t leave.
While it doesn't technically kill roaches, this Ultrasonic tool is excellent for getting rid of them or drawing them out into the open, and can work really well alongside lethal powders or baits.
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Non-lethal unless combined with other roach killers.
Extremely easy to use.
Covers a wide area, even through walls.
Completely safe for your family to be around.
Only needs power to work – doesn’t have to be refilled or reset.
8. Raid Ant & Roach Killer
This contact-based spray is designed to kill a wide range of bugs on contact, letting you eliminate them instantly instead of having to wait for a conventional poison to kick in. It can last for up to four weeks on non-washed surfaces, giving you a way to stop roaches from settling in an area again, and the simple spray can design can be used to cover hard-to-reach areas with a quick blast of poison.
he formula of this spray doesn't leave any apparent chemical odor or smell, but it's still lemon-scented to help you keep track of where you've used it, making it safer to use around guests who wouldn't otherwise know.
Although simple, this spray is an excellent mixture of killing and area denial, stopping roaches from returning to an area you've used it in for over a month per spray.
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Easy to apply, even in tight spaces or awkward corners.
Prevents roaches from returning for up to four weeks.
2 x 1.5 oz Can
9. Safer Brand Diatomaceous Insect Killer
This earth-based powder is excellent for killing insects both indoors and outdoors, using a mixture of natural chemicals that they can't build up any kind of resistance or defense against. This means that you can use it over and over again without any loss of efficiency, and it will always kill roaches in up to two days after they come into contact with it, even if you scatter it around a garden or paved path.
The powder is completely safe for humans to touch, but uses very small sharp edges that slice upon a roach’s body on contact, and dehydrates their insides if they try to eat it, allowing it to kill them regardless of whether they consume it or not.
This powers is perfectly safe for humans but extremely lethal to small bugs, making it an excellent tool for killing roaches without having to set up traps or lay bait.
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Kills roaches in two different ways for greater efficiency.
Can’t be stopped by natural resistances.
Completely safe for humans to touch.
Can be used both indoors and outdoors.
10. Ortho Wand Home Defense Insect Killer
This simple insect killer is designed to kill all common household pests without leaving any stains, odors, or wet patches after use. It also doubles as a barrier that stops roaches from crossing it, which can be an excellent deterrent for known entry points or hiding places that they keep finding a way to reach.
Indoors, these barriers can last for up to a year, while outdoor ones can still achieve a respectable three months. It can work really well alongside other deterrents, since you can lay a barrier around their nest and pressure them to leave, forcing them to poison themselves as they try to get away.
This liquid barrier is an excellent tool for blocking off entry points for new pests and laying unavoidable traps for nests that you can’t kill directly.
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Creates long-lasting insect-killing barriers.
Can be used to kill individual insects.
Works well both indoors and outdoors.
Doesn’t leave any stains or smells behind.
Extremely easy to use.
Roach Killer Buyer’s Guide
Buying a roach killer can be a tricky job if you’re not sure what to look for, especially if you still haven’t identified how many roaches there are or whether they’ve set up a proper nest yet. Not everything will work well in every situation, so it’s important to know what you’ll need before you decide to make a purchase.
Not all roach killer will be safe to use in a normal home environment, especially one with pets and young children. Not everything that’s poisonous to roaches is harmful to humans, but there are still some chemicals and chemical mixtures that can be extremely dangerous if they’re ingested or touched with bare skin.
It’s important to check safety labels when you’re buying a mixture you are not familiar with, since some might only be dangerous in very specific situations – for example, some might only be toxic if combined with water, whereas others could stick to your skin but not be harmful unless you accidentally eat any.
There are some methods that don’t use any harmful chemicals at all, usually roach killers that are specifically designed to kill or deter insects and no other – these are less common, but aren’t generally more expensive or difficult to use, so it usually comes down to which type you are more comfortable using in your home.
Deterring insects and breaking up roach nests can sometimes be more effective than trying to kill them, especially if it’s a deep infestation that won’t die out easily. However, deterrence won’t actually deal with any roaches or insects that don’t leave, so most people prefer to combine methods if they are dealing with large nests that keep rebuilding after every attempt to get rid of them.
A lot of chemical solutions can be used as a way to deter the insects or force them to leave their nests since they’ll sometimes leave behind a residue or some lingering powder that can stop roaches from returning to their original home. However, there are also some deterrents that are designed to create barriers on entry points, stopping insects from getting into your home and making it impossible for them to leave without dying.
Killing them is much more useful in the short-term since a strong enough roach killer will spread through a single nest and kill off the entire group of insects in a short amount of time, which can sometimes be enough to stop them from returning for long periods of time.
Some roach killers will double as baits, which are supposed to make the roaches poison themselves by eating the powder or poisoned food without realizing that they’re going to spread it with the rest of the nest. Others are meant to be less obvious and will poison or wound the roaches on contact. These are both viable ways to get rid of a roach nest, but they function in different ways, and they both need the roaches to do certain things for them to work properly.
However, with poisons, you can spray them directly onto any nests or colonies you find, which might help get rid of them in the short-term. Baits are often shared with the entire group, meaning that they can be a useful way to kill roaches in a slower, more controlled manner.
It’s entirely possible to use both at once, but tainting the bait with a powerful spray can kill roaches before they get a chance to share it with the rest of their nest, making them much less effective overall than if you simply used bait on its own. There’s also the issue of pets and children coming into contact with them – both types can be dangerous if you don’t take the proper precautions, especially if you need to place the bait in a very visible spot.
How does Roach killer Work?
Roach killers can be made of a wide range of different compounds and formulas, but the idea behind them is simple – they’re a poison that attracts roaches and spreads through their nests, either killing them all individually or killing enough to drive them away from the area.
The simplest roach killers are just a poison that contains ingredients roaches like to eat, which they’ll mistake for food and share with the rest of their nest. More complex versions might turn the roaches’ feces into more poison, infect their water supply, or even spread from the dead bodies of other roaches.
How Do I Get Rid of Roaches?
Getting rid of a nest of roaches can be tricky, and it might take more than just bait to kill them off for good. The best way to expose them properly is to remove the things the nest needs to sustain itself – water, food, hiding spots and (if possible) the nest itself. You can’t just lay bait down anywhere: you need to force them to use it as food, which might involve some careful planning to slowly eliminate their other options.
You can also physically kill them too with insecticides and spray-based poisons, which can linger in an area and stop them from repopulating their original nest. Some people find this worrying since it can harm pets and children if not used correctly, but it can help clear up any roaches left after you’ve used other methods.
How Do I Get Rid of Roaches Naturally?
If you don’t want to use toxic chemicals to kill roaches, you’ll be more limited in how you can kill them quickly, but there are still a few methods that you can use to get rid of them for good. One of the simplest is cleaning – roaches can only survive if they’ve got a consistent amount of food, so limiting how much they’ll have available by cleaning properly will stop them from reproducing.
Sealing up potential nest spots and water leaks will stop them from having anything to drink, and will trap them in places where food isn’t easy to get hold of. If they’re still hanging on, you can also mix your own roach killer using sugar and another non-toxic acid or chemical, like boric acid. Soap can also work since it suffocates the roaches if it’s sprayed on their skin.
Drowning roaches also an effective method, so putting bait in a container of water that they can’t climb out of can deal with surviving stragglers and lone roaches.
Roaches hate losing access to water sources, so cutting them off and setting up your own poisoned source for them can be an effective way to kill a nest.
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