Cockroach Remedy #1: Borax balls

INGREDIENTS

METHOD
• Peel onion skin, trim top and bottom
• Finely mince onion, combine with flour and borax, sugar and milk
• Form into small pellets
• Allow the pellets to dry
• Place in known cockroach hangouts, e.g., warm and moist places (behind fridges and near hot water heaters)

* Borax is a natural occurring mineral salt, However, it is poisonous when swallowed, and so if you have children and/or pets, carefully place the pellets well out of the reach of children and/or pets.

Cockroach Remedy #2: Container traps
Grease the rim and top 2 cm of a container (round margarine containers work well), with butter/margarine. Place a banana peel inside and leave overnight in an infested area. Cockroaches will crawl in but can't get out due to the grease.

Cockroach Remedy #3: Get 'em drunk
Soak a rag in beer and place in a shallow dish overnight in an infested area. In the morning you can dispose of the drunken cockroaches and silverfish.

Cockroach Remedy #4: A variation on #1
Mix together equal parts of borax (see note on borax above) and sugar and place in old jar lids wherever cockroaches are a problem, will last up to one year.

Cockroach Remedy #5: Blow 'em up
Mix 2/3 cup of mashed boiled potato (mashed in its own juice) with 1/3 cup of baking powder, roll into marble-sized balls and place in cupboards. Cockroaches will eat the balls and gas will build up in their guts from the baking powder/potato mix. Because cockroaches can't burp, their stomachs explode and they die. (For some, this remedy may be traumatic. However, allowing cockroaches to starve to death for as long as a week inside cardboard cockroach traps could arguably be seen as worse.)

Cockroach Remedy #6: A variation on #5
Take a thick slice of raw potato and sprinkle it with borax. Slide under fridge. Replace when potato dries out.

The cooler months are ideal to begin a cockroach detox of the home. Prevention is the best line of defence. But if cockroaches are still problem after you've tried the prevention tips below, try the remedies.

PREVENTION
• Keep the kitchen clean; don't leave food scraps and crumbs lying around; mop up excess water; keep all food stored away in sealed containers; use garbage cans with a tight lid, and vacuum regularly.
• Screen windows and doors, seal entry points such as cracks and crevices along skirting boards, wall shelves, cupboards, around pipes, sinks, bathroom fixtures, in between kitchen cabinets, pipes, doors, and windows with steel wool, cement, putty or silicone caulk. Any water leaks, such as dripping taps, should also be repaired.
• Ensure all cupboards and other dark places are thoroughly dry.
• To repel cockroaches, wipe benches, floors, shelves, cupboards, drawers, bin, etc with a mixture of 100ml water to 10 drops of eucalyptus oil. Wipe straight eucalyptus oil around drain holes and external door frames.
• Place cucumber peelings and/or bay leaves in cupboards where cockroaches are a problem. Replace when dried out.

MORE INFO
Much of the above information is sourced from the website of the Fig Tree Community Garden in Newcastle. Click here to go the webpage on Integrated Pest Control.
Rid Pest Control Click here.

ROACH TRIVIA
• The favourite food of the cockroach is the glue on envelopes, glue bindings at the backs of books and the glue on the back of postage stamps.
• A cockroach can hold its breath for up to 40 minutes.
• Cockroaches rest for about three-quarters of each day.
• Young cockroaches only need a crack about 0.5mm wide to crawl through. Adult males can squeeze into a space of 1.6mm.
• A cockroach can live up to a month without its head.
• Most species come from tropical countries and therefore need to be kept at a minimum of 25°C to survive.
• The world's largest roach (from South America) is 15cm long and has a 30cm wingspan.
• Cockroaches can run up to 3km/hr (0.8 m/s).
• There are estimated to be 4000-5000 species of cockroaches worldwide. Of these, only 25-30 are considered pests. Some, such as the Giant Burrowing Cockroach, which are slow moving, are sometimes kept as pets.
• Crushed cockroaches can be applied to a stinging wound to help relieve the pain.
(Trivia courtesy of http://www.funfacts.com.au/cockroach-facts/)