Photo: Photo-AC
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Here are the best ways to kill roaches, according to Japanese experts, and some ways to avoid

24 Comments
By Dale Roll, SoraNews24

When the weather gets hot and the air gets humid, our homes develop nice, damp, dark hiding spots perfect for the dreaded cockroach. After many leisurely cool months of cockroach-free life during fall, winter, and spring, it’s easy to become complacent, so when summer comes around, most of us have forgotten to stock up on roach killers like the frighteningly effective Gokiburi One Push Pro Plus. When one dashes out from underneath your washer and scares the daylights out of you, you have to fight back your panic and think fast to kill it (then remember to add roach killer to the list for the next time you go to the store).

Smacking them with the first thing you can find, vacuuming them up, blasting them with hot water, and spraying or dousing them with whatever solution you have on hand are all popular methods for killing cockroaches, at least in Japan. But are these methods actually effective? According to Earth, the biggest producer of insect repellant products in Japan, some are, and some aren’t.

Some people have concerns about killing cockroaches with a makeshift weapon like a fly swatter, slipper, or rolled-up newspaper, because they say it could spread bacteria or scatter the eggs a roach might be carrying. But according to the experts at Earth, as long as you don’t touch the roach with your bare hands, it’s a fine method for killing them.

Cockroaches carry their eggs in a type of egg pouch called an ootheca, which is covered in a hard shell, so, while it’s possible for the ootheca to fall from the body, it’s unlikely the eggs inside will scatter as a result. It’s easy to clean up a fallen ootheca, so you don’t have to worry about eggs lingering in your home.

However, because they’re in a protective pouch, insecticide won’t be effective against the eggs, so the best way to dispose of a dead cockroach is to put it in a plastic bag and crush it, or, if you can’t stomach that, double layer the plastic bags and put it in the burnable trash.

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Photo: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)

One thing you definitely shouldn’t do, however, is vacuum up your resident roach, dead or not. The roach may become dismembered inside the vacuum, which is unsanitary and can cause it to smell. Additionally, even if the roach dies inside the machine, any eggs it carries may still live. Young cockroaches that hatch from the eggs may be able to find a way out of a vacuum. I’m sure you don’t want to live that nightmare, so let’s agree it’s better to dispose of your roaches in other ways.

Of course, the most likely place you’re going to find a roach is in the bathroom, where you probably aren’t as inclined to use the vacuum anyway. In that case, is it better to drown it with hot water or dump some shampoo on it? According to the experts at Earth, cockroaches can be killed by water as hot as 60 degrees Celsius, so hot water is a viable weapon. However, you’d need a significant amount of water to get the job done, so it won’t be immediately effective, and you also run the risk of scalding yourself with that hot water, so it’s not the best method.

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Photo: Pakutaso

Body soap and shampoo can also be effective solutions, as they can block the roach’s spiracles, or the respiratory pores, and essentially cause the roach to suffocate. Such products also have surfactants in them, which eliminate the protective waxy outer coating of the roach’s shell. That waxy coating repels water and other particles from collecting on the roach’s body, which is why it’s so hard to drown them. But when the waxy coating is destroyed by a surfactant, the shell is unable to repel pollutants, which can block the spiracles all around the roach’s body. So even if it gets away, it probably won’t live long.

Typically, however, the nozzles of shampoo and soap bottles are not really conducive to aiming and spraying, so you could easily miss a roach, especially in the panic a roach’s appearance is likely to induce. The best option that you’ll probably have on hand in your bathroom is a bathroom cleaner. It performs the same function, also has surfactants, and has easy spray nozzles to aim and shoot.

▼ Alternatively, keeping a bottle of roach spray in the bathroom is also a good choice.

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Photo: Pakutaso

Now that you know how best to kill a roach, how do you get close enough to deal the death blow? Make sure to come at it from the front instead of the back, says Earth. Cockroaches have appendages on the backs of their bodies called cercus, which sense movement in the air, so they’ll run as soon as they sense you. However, roaches cannot run backwards, so you’ll have a better chance of hitting them with your weapon of choice if you approach from the front, terrifying as it may sound.

Once it’s dead, be careful when you’re getting ready to dispose of the roach. One thing to remember is that, even if it’s stopped moving, it may not be dead. Roaches faint, too. Be sure to operate with caution, lest it starts wriggling the instant you pick it up, and in your panic you throw it across the room.

Additionally, while cockroaches are not poisonous, they can carry harmful pathogenic bacteria, and their excrement and carcasses can cause allergic reactions. Be sure to safely and quickly dispose of the remains, using gloves when necessary. If you don’t want to touch it yourself, you can easily use tape to pick it up and dispose of it in a plastic bag without feeling its creepy-crawly legs or nasty jagged body.

Finally, you may find brown stains around your house, which are known as cockroach stains and result from the excrement discharged by roaches, and sometimes the stains will be accompanied by black or brown pellets one to three millimeters (.04 to .11 inches) in size. These are roach droppings. Roach droppings release a pheromone that attracts other roaches, and if left will cause even more problems for you. If you see any, make sure to use antibacterial alcohol solutions to clean them up right away.

▼ Regular cleaning is also key to preventing roaches

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Photo: Photo-AC

Now you know the most effective ways to kill roaches, according to experts. Of course, the best way to deal with cockroaches is to prevent them altogether.

Source: Weathernews via Livedoor News via My Game News Flash

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Japan’s “strongest roach killer” is frighteningly effective… We mean FRIGHTENINGLY effective

-- Keep cockroaches at bay with Japanese bug-hater’s clever, non-chemical idea

-- Cockroaches in Japan becoming 200 times more resistant to insecticide

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

24 Comments
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I use Raid “Roach Max” problem solved every single time.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I find that the bait type roach killers work quite well. I can't remember if the maker is Earth or Kincho. Probably some of each. But, some use the US brand Combat on their packaging.

I put a few of the large size ones in the kitchen and washroom, and in the crawlspace under house. (Under that storage bin in the kitchen floor that I don't know the Japanese word for.)

I also put the regular-sized dome-shaped ones in the toilet rooms and closets. And, a few of the gray outdoor types on the back porch, under the water heater, and under the aircon units.

I put fresh ones every year in the late Spring when it starts to get warm. Very effective. (I also use the ant versions in the yard/garden, when those guys pop up.)

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Wobot

My ex used to use a spray that froze them.

That freeze spray is very effective on centipedes, which laugh at our puny poisons.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I use Raid “Roach Max” problem solved every single time.

With that you can do cleaning at Mar-a-Lago, GOP and NRA..

lol..

-1 ( +10 / -11 )

My wife used to catch them live, wrap them in a paper towel, hold it next to my ear and squash them between her fingers. The sound is absolutely disgusting.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Sprinkle baking soda in the trash can. It absorbs smelly vapor.

Place mothballs in the closet and next to drains.

I never have to deal with roaches with these techniques.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

garypen Today | 08:45 am JST

"(Under that storage bin in the kitchen floor that I don't know the Japanese word for.)"

'yukashitashuno'...?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It’s only such difficult for them to get acceptance because they are quick, big, visible and look not cute but disgusting. If you would take a closer look what countless legions are walking on and crawling through your skin and body insides or in your bed at night, you would be even shocked more by quite a factor and then probably consider those roaches completely harmless and nearly healthy pet like accompany.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I use Raid “Roach Max” problem solved every single time.

With that you can do cleaning at Mar-a-Lago, GOP and NRA..

lol..

I wonder if Roach Max works against TokyoLiving...

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Combat and the sticky traps should do the trick. No need for the all the other measures mentioned.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Peanut butter(not cream) mixed with poison dabbed in strategic locations--under the toaster/stove, in any holes in the wall, near pipes and appliances and drippy water sources.

When I lived in an apartment in the US, an exterminator used this as his "secret weapon" after his spraying twice was ineffective. The roaches were gone in less than 3 days!

Supposedly the peanut butter masks the smell of the poison(sorry I don't know what kind of poison). A bit messy, but better than having roaches.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I wonder if Roach Max works against TokyoLiving...

Roach Max is not designed for rodents.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

My mother-in-law used to make hosan dango (boric acid dumplings?) and place them behind the refrigerator. She said they were effective. I forget the details, but something like a mix of flour, chopped onions and boric acid. But be careful if kids are around - they can be dangerous.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Disgusting I can't stand the sight of roaches!!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I spray the whole perimeter of my house with the spider killer spray. It is a bit expensive and you need to wear a face mask with filters on it because the stuff will make you really sick if you breath it, but we have no bugs all summer when we use it. Spray in March and again in early August and good to go. The only bug it doesn't seem to bother are ants and some bark elder beetles. Nothing kills those. If you ever want to see a black widow spider run faster than you ever imagined, spray some of that spider killer spray on a known black widow nest. I'll run like scary fast before it dies.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Also for some reason outdoor LED lighting deters bugs. I noticed a huge difference moving from a home with conventional outdoor lighting to our new home with LED lights.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

With that you can do cleaning at Mar-a-Lago, GOP and NRA..

lol..

Yo, get over your insecure Trump fetishes.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Roach Max is not designed for rodents.

I never mentioned or said anything about rodents, huh?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Strange to think that today we want nothing but to kill these hapless little annoyances and that in 10-20 years we may be farming them for food...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Roach Max is not designed for rodents.

Not sure it will kill some of the roaches I have encountered. In the southeastern US they can approach the size of a mouse.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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