What are cockroaches afraid of and how to fight them

There are several thousand species of cockroaches in the world, but not all of them are synanthropic insects, i.e. coexisting alongside a person. They are one of the most ancient creatures on Earth and can live in countries with a very hot to moderate climate, perhaps not meeting the inhabitants of the North Pole.

It is difficult to even say what cockroaches are afraid of. After all, these insects survived even dinosaurs, almost without changing their appearance, and in the modern world they can survive at the level of radiation exposure, ten times more than a person can bear.

In European countries live mainly black and red species. These insects have an organism well adapted to the parasitic way of life: thanks to the flattened form they can penetrate the smallest crevices, several pairs of legs allow them to run very quickly, they can exist for almost a month without food and about a week without water, besides, they are unusually fertile.

Even one cockroach seen indoors is an indication that all his family lives somewhere nearby, as they live in colonies. In addition, each individual leaves behind a smelling trail, so that others can easily find it.

Cockroaches are so common in the modern world and so firmly entered our lives that many people have a real fear when meeting with them, which is scientifically called blatofobiya (fear of cockroaches). Like other phobias, it is most often the result of a great fright in childhood.

A scary film or a violent negative reaction of close people to these insects or their own traumatic experience lays the foundation for why some people are afraid of cockroaches in adulthood.

Strong blattophobia has to be treated by professional psychotherapeutic methods, for example, using hypnosis. Neuro-linguistic programming also effectively helps to stop being afraid of cockroaches. Fear of cockroaches, from this point of view, is a manifestation of certain models created by man himself, but at the same time not working too well.With the help of various techniques, these models are changed so that blattophobia began to recede and eventually disappeared completely.

Although cockroaches are associated with dirt and waste, they can appear in an apartment where cleanliness is maintained. On his paws, a nasty guest can carry dangerous bacteria and helminth eggs, which is especially dangerous when there are young children in the house pulling everything in their mouths. Chitin covers discarded during the molting period and various excretions of these insects can cause allergies up to asthmatic attacks. Moving inside household appliances or in an electrical outlet, cockroaches can cause short circuits. All these factors make people get rid of unwanted neighbors as soon as possible.

 

We fight with cockroaches folk methods

In an apartment, cockroaches prefer to live close to water sources (leaking pipes, sewage drains) and food. The ideal place to combine both conditions is the kitchen. True, in the afternoon the insect in the kitchen is rarely found (except for very dirty houses), from which it follows a logical conclusion that cockroaches are afraid of light.

In addition, and when turned on at night the lamp they quickly scatter.In fact, you need to understand why cockroaches are afraid of light sources. Like many other living creatures, these insects lead a more active life at night, hiding during the day in various crevices. At night, the sudden turning on of the lamp, accompanied by the steps of the person, signals the cockroaches that the danger is near, and causes them to quickly flee from such a place.

• Among the traditional means of combating these parasites, the most popular (excluding room slippers) is boric acid powder rolled into some food product, for example, into a dough or boiled potatoes. The advantage of this method is its absolute harmlessness to humans. And the main disadvantage is that the remedy acts rather slowly, and for extermination of cockroaches they must come in direct contact with the product, so eggs that are already laid somewhere behind the baseboard can continue to develop. Carried out wet cleaning eliminates all efforts aimed at the destruction of these insects.
• Another way to get rid of cockroaches, which had been forgotten almost a little, was in Rus' forcing rooms.The method is quite effective, because they do not tolerate cold, and specifically, frost, but it is unlikely that anyone would risk leaving the city apartment open in the dead of frost even for the destruction of these parasites.
• There is an opinion that cockroaches are afraid of the smell of ammonia, and therefore it is worth adding it to the water for washing floors. It is difficult to say what effect this method will have on cockroaches, since there is hardly a woman who wants to inhale the scent of ammonia while washing the floors, not to mention the fact that during this procedure you must first open the vial with the agent and pour it into water.
• Of other popular methods are quite effective. for scaring cockroaches smells and aromatic oils of some plants, for example, cedar, eucalyptus, red elderberry. You can use them in oil burners, or spread them with a sprinkler in the kitchen.
• Also cockroaches are afraid of smells of herbs: mint, anise. The disadvantages include the fact that these flavors do not destroy the already existing cockroaches.

 

Impact on cockroaches with industrial preparations

For a long time, chemists tried to determine what smells cockroaches are afraid of, and use this in industrial developments.The chemical method today is the most effective way to get rid of various insects in the house. The most common insecticides in the form of aerosols, gels, crayons and traps with poison.

Cockroach repellent in the form of a usual chalk or pencil like “Masha”, based on the nerve-paralytic effect, is quite common. It cannot be said that it has a powerful effect, but can prevent the spread of insects with their average and small numbers.

Insecticides in aerosol form have a fast action and ease of use. On the other hand, they have practically no aftereffect on the remaining cockroaches, and poisonous fumes can also cause harm to humans and penetrate through the ventilation system into other dwellings of an apartment building.

The well-known aerosol Dichlorvos has a wide range of applications, but today there are more effective and at the same time relatively safe for humans insecticides based on pyrethroids. Thus, the substance neopin is low toxic to warm-blooded animals, but when applied to various surfaces, it causes anxiety in cockroaches, forcing them to run out of shelters and die.

In addition to the insecticide itself, the composition of Global-type gels includes a fatty base to prevent rapid drying, food flavorings (attractants) to attract insects to smell and some excipients. Such gels are easy to use, they do not have a pronounced toxic effect on humans, because they are based on the intestinal-contact effects on insects when they eat their products.

One of the most convenient and safe forms of insecticides are poison traps. As attractants can be used sunflower oil, honey, synthetic flavors. Special industrial buildings with a sticky coating for cockroaches are quite popular among people, but using traps with beer or other food products and greased edges usually has a small effect in their destruction.

 

Consequences of the use of insecticides in a residential area.

When the goal is the complete extermination of cockroaches in the house, the owners have the main question: what are they most afraid of? At the same time they often try to use any chemical means for getting rid of insects.

But it is worth remembering that the highly active chemicals contained in insecticides can affect not only insects, but also the health of the person himself, especially during direct contact with them.

Poisonous fumes can lead to a weakening of the immune system and the development of new or exacerbation of chronic diseases. The use of aerosol and gel forms of insecticides is especially dangerous if there are small children or pets in the house that can accidentally eat the poison intended for insects. Since the mass of a pet is usually small, there is an increased likelihood of problems with its health after an increased fight cockroaches.

 

Preventing the appearance of cockroaches in the house

Even after getting rid of uninvited guests to prevent their new visits, you must follow some simple rules. It is necessary to seal up all the cracks and cracks through which nasty insects can penetrate the house, and to treat these cracks with boric acid powder or insecticide fine. In addition, there should be a fine mesh on the vents. At night, it is imperative to dry the surface of the bathroom and kitchen sink, to water the indoor plants in the morning,rather than overnight, fix dripping taps and leaking pipes, preventing the cockroaches from accessing water.

All food products that are outside the refrigerator should be stored in tightly screwed cans or resealable bags, so that food smells are not left. Cabinets and trash can should be regularly cleaned with detergents, try to get rid of food waste regularly.

And if everything is done correctly, the cockroaches are unlikely to consider your home a suitable home for themselves.

 

Why sometimes can not cope with cockroaches in the apartment

 

An interesting way to get rid of cockroaches in the apartment