American Cockroaches Control: How To Get Rid of American Cockroaches

This page is a general American cockroach control guide. Using the products and methods suggested, you will get control of American cockroaches. Follow this guide and use the recommended products; we guarantee 100% control of American cockroaches.

German cockroaches may be one of the most annoying and troublesome pests, but the American cockroach makes homeowners jump up on their couches and reach for their brooms. While not as prolific as the German cockroach, American cockroaches can become a problem in households with their large size, which can be startling for most.

American cockroaches typically live outdoors and prefer warm, damp areas like gardens and trees. They like to eat leaves, tiny wood particles, algae, and other smaller insects outdoors. When they venture indoors, they search for water or food and often travel to bathrooms, kitchens, or basements to seek nourishment and shelter.

American cockroaches carry diseases and pose health hazards to humans. Their foraging habits can transmit bacteria and viruses that can result in food poisoning and diarrhea. Their droppings and skin shells can also cause allergic reactions in some people.

If you have had a problem with American cockroaches trespassing on your property, Solutions Pest and Lawn has everything you need to eliminate and keep them out.

Identification

Before proceeding with treatment, you must ensure you're dealing with American cockroaches. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment methods, which can waste your time and money. Below are some facts and traits about American cockroaches to easily identify their appearance.

• The American cockroach is also commonly called the palmetto bug or water bug.
• They are reddish-brown and can reach lengths of 1.5 inches and bigger. Both female and male American cockroaches have wings and the ability to fly, but they only do so in rare cases.
• The female American roach lays egg capsules containing around 16 eggs in warm and humid areas. When the eggs hatch, nymph roaches emerge from the capsule, shed their skins, and go looking for food.

Use the image and description above to help you properly identify an American cockroach. If you aren't totally sure about the cockroach pest you have, contact us, and we will help you properly identify the pest.

Inspection

Once you are certain that you are dealing with American cockroaches, you need to know the areas where they are infesting. During the inspection, you will focus on finding these problem areas.

American cockroaches come inside homes when weather conditions outside become harsh, such as after heavy rainfall. They are constantly looking for food, water, and shelter; if the weather outside is inhospitable, they will travel indoors.

Where To Inspect

Search in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and attics. In the kitchens and bathrooms, look inside cabinets, shelves, pantries, drawers, and under sinks (where plumbing penetrates walls).

Search outside in the yard near yard debris such as leaf litter, woodpiles, logs, rocks, and stones, and any place that might provide harborage.

What To Look For

You're looking for signs of American cockroach activity. This includes cockroach droppings (that look like black pepper), which may be left behind in cabinets, drawers, shelves, under and behind appliances, and even under beds and furniture.

You should also search for egg cases (or oothecae) in these places. Cockroaches are nocturnal and typically active at night, so inspect your bathroom and kitchen areas at nighttime to see if cockroaches are scattering around.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed American cockroach activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels, follow the application instructions on these labels, and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to stay safe.

To get rid of American cockroaches, start with proper sanitation of your home to eliminate food and water sources to which the cockroaches may have access.

Once that is done, we recommend a combination of bait such as Apex Cockroach Bait and Ficam Insect bait applied indoors. Outdoors, you should apply Supreme IT Insecticide to form a barrier that will keep cockroaches out, along with an exterior application of Ficam.

Step 1: Sanitize Your Home

American cockroaches are in your home because they want food, water, and shelter. If you remove these comforts, they may leave on their own.

Clean your home, particularly your kitchen. Make sure to wipe and sweep away crumbs and grease and take out the trash. Remove sources of water by keeping areas such as your kitchen sink totally dry and fixing any plumbing leaks so that there isn't moisture around for cockroaches to enjoy.

Step 2: Indoor Baiting with Ficam and Apex Bait

Now, you're ready to apply treatment indoors. You will use Apex Roach Gel Bait and Ficam.

Apex Roach Gel Bait is a powerful bait that mimics food and attracts roaches, which will be affected. Because it works slowly, they are infected with the insecticide and carry it back to the nest, where the whole population of roaches is affected.

Ficam is a granular bait that you spread using a handheld spreader or by hand. It should be used in the attic and basements.

Apex Roach Gel Bait

With Apex Cockroach Gel Bait, it is important to be thorough in step one, as this aids in the bait's effectiveness. 

Apply a pea-sized drop of the gel bait every 12 to 18 inches apart. Place it in cabinets, shelves, drawers, cracks, and crevices, and around plumbing entry points. You can also place it around and behind appliances. You can even use a business card to place a pea-sized drop under appliances. 

Apex is a bait that you want the roaches to feed on and carry back to the nest. Do not disturb or kill the roaches you find feeding on the product and do not use cleaning supplies, cleaning chemicals, or other insecticides in the areas where you have placed Apex Gel Bait. The chemicals in household cleaners will actually deter the cockroaches from taking the bait. Wait five days for the product to take effect.

Ficam Insect Bait

Use Ficam in your attics, crawl spaces, and basements. This water-resistant, dry bait is better suited for treatment areas that are not necessarily climate and moisture-controlled.

Calculate the square footage of the area to be treated to know how much product you need. To find the square footage, measure the treatment area's length and width in feet, then multiply them together (length x width = square footage.)

Apply at a rate of 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

Make sure to apply in attics, basements, and crawl spaces where you have noticed feces or droppings or seen American cockroaches.

Step 3: Outdoor Treatment With Supreme IT and Ficam

Since most American cockroaches are found outdoors, you must make a protective insecticide barrier to keep them from sneaking indoors.

Supreme IT is a powerful insecticide that repels and kills American cockroaches that try to get inside your property. It also has a residual (or long-term) effect that lasts for up to 90 days.

Supreme IT

Supreme IT can be mixed at a rate of 1 oz. per 1 gallon of water to treat 1,000 square feet.

You will do a barrier treatment. To do this, spray 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure, making sure to also spray windows, garage doors, doors, eaves, soffits, cracks and crevices, and electrical/plumbing penetrations.

Do not let people or pets enter areas treated until completely dry.

Ficam Insect Bait

Apply by creating a perimeter barrier around your structure about 10 feet away from your application of Supreme IT (this is important since Supreme IT is a repellent, the roaches will be repelled will travel away and out from the structure where Ficam will be waiting).

Apply by creating a band of 2 to 4 feet and apply at the rate of 6 ounces per 100 square feet.

You can also apply Ficam around trees, in flower beds, in mulched areas, and near woodpiles.

Prevention

After you have eliminated the presence of American cockroaches, you will want to place preventative measures to keep a pest from re-infestation.

• Start by sealing cracks and crevices inside and outside your property. Use caulk to seal and close off all these openings, slits, cracks, and crevices found both inside and outside your structure.
• This will prevent roaches from traveling inside and outside your property. After the treatment is done, remember to maintain a regular cleaning schedule.
• Regularly vacuum, mop, and clean dishes. Take out the garbage daily, and do not leave pet food and water bowls out in the open or overnight. Do your best to eliminate water sources around your property.
• Leave the sinks completely dry at night, and fix or repair leaky faucets or faulty plumbing. In the yard, get rid of yard debris, leaf litter, woodpiles, logs, rocks, and general clutter that can create harborage areas for American cockroaches.
• Finally, spray Supreme IT every 90 days around the perimeter of your property to maintain a protective barrier that will repel roaches.

Key Takeaways

What Are American Cockroaches?

• American cockroaches are large-sized cockroaches that can infest homes by coming up drains or sneaking into the open when weather conditions are harsh.
• American cockroaches, also known as palmetto bugs, love to lurk in unsanitary, moist places. They carry pathogens that may cause illnesses like diarrhea, vomiting, allergies, asthma, etc.

How To Get Rid of Palmetto Bugs or American Cockroaches in Your Home

• To get rid of American cockroaches, we recommend applying Apex Cockroach Gel Bait and Ficam Insect Bait indoors and treating your yard with Supreme IT Insecticide and Ficam Bait outdoor.

Preventing American Cockroach Reinfestation

• Prevent future American cockroach infestations by maintaining cleanliness around the home, sealing up points of entry, and applying Supreme IT preventatively quarterly.