Asian Cockroach Control: How To Get Rid of Asian Cockroaches

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

As their name suggests, Asian cockroaches may have originated from Asia (reportedly Japan). Still, these insects are becoming increasingly common in the United States, especially since they were first discovered in Florida in the 1980s.

Asian cockroaches prefer to live outdoors. They are reported to be regularly found around lawns or gardens on human properties, especially in shaded mulched or composted areas. It's usually by accident when they enter the house because they are attracted to our home lights at night. Asian cockroaches, like most cockroaches, will eat just about anything but particularly enjoy garden plants like flowers and vegetation, pet food laid outdoors, and even organic waste.

Asian cockroaches are notorious for breeding and multiplying rapidly, spreading germs, and carrying diseases that humans can contract if they contaminate food. If you have an Asian cockroach problem on your property, our DIY guide below provides expert advice and professional product recommendations to eliminate the infestation quickly and affordably.

Identification

Before you can carry out a treatment program, you must ensure you're specifically dealing with Asian cockroaches. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment products, wasting time and money. Below, we have shared some characteristics of Asian cockroaches for easy identification.

• Asian cockroaches are 0.5 to 1.25 inches long and can often be confused with German cockroaches because they look almost identical. However, Asian cockroaches are larger than German, lighter in brown coloration, and possess narrower, longer wings extending past their abdomen. German cockroach's wings will be shorter than their body and not extend past their abdomen like Asian cockroaches. Another major difference is that while German roaches have wings, they will not fly.
• They are light brown in color, oval in shape, and have two dark parallel lines that run down the pronotum, the part of the thorax behind the insect’s head.
• The female Asian cockroach produces four dark to reddish brown eggs called oothecae.
• Asian cockroach nymphs are wingless, dark brown, and pale along the margins of the abdomen. 

Use the image and description above to correctly identify Asian cockroaches on your property. If you are unsure and need assistance, contact us, and we will try to help you determine the problem.

Inspection

Once you are sure you are dealing with Asian cockroaches, you need to know where They will be found. During the inspection, you will focus on finding where these problem areas are most commonly located to determine where you must apply control.

Where To Inspect

Asian cockroaches mainly infest outdoor grassy area sites containing shade and moist environments. Sites like sewers, thick grassy areas, leaf litter, compost gardens, mulch, and underneath objects like stones, bricks, porches, firewood, and other general clutter are common examples. 

They can go indoors and stay near areas such as baseboards, lamps, lightened walls, televisions, basements, crawl spaces, under sinks, and floor drains. 

What To Look For

The best time to inspect your property for Asian roach activity is at night. Asian roaches are nocturnal and most active at night.

Both male and female Asian roaches are strong fliers and can fly up to 120 feet at a time. If disturbed, they may fly away to get away from you.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Asian cockroach activity, you can proceed with treatment. Remember to read all product labels, follow the application instructions on these labels, and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to stay safe.

It's rare to have an Asian cockroach infestation indoors, so the main focus will be treating outdoors via baiting and barrier treatment with Supreme IT and Ficam Insect Bait. 

Step 1: Reduce Food and Other Clutter

The first step to controlling Asian roaches is to remove potential food and water sources in and around your home.

Clean indoors to prevent indoor invasions, and clean up outside as well.

Rake away leaves and remove plant debris, trim away overgrown shrubbery and branches, and mow your lawn regularly to the grass’s preferred mowing height.

These will remove food and shelter and expose your lawn to more sunlight, encouraging water evaporation.

Step 2: Outdoor Barrier Treatment with Supreme IT Insecticide

Next, create an outdoor barrier application of Supreme IT.

Supreme IT is an effective residual insecticide that kills Asian cockroaches and repels them away from your structure. Its residual (or long-term) effect lasts up to 90 days.

Determine how much Supreme IT you will need by measuring the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure the treatment area's length and width in feet, then multiply them together (length x width = square footage).

This product will need to be mixed with water before application.

For residential treatment, you can mix and apply your Supreme IT in a handheld pump sprayer or a backpack sprayer.

For perimeter applications, mix Supreme IT at the labeled rate of 0.33 to 1 fl. oz. of product with 1 gallon of water to apply over a treatment area of up to 1,000 square feet.

Spray entry points like doors, windows, and other voids that Asian roaches can use to invade. Then, spray your structure’s outer perimeter 3 feet up the foundation and, at most, 10 feet out.

Do not let any people or pets around the treated areas until the product dries completely.

Labeled pests that come in contact with the product or its residual will have their nervous systems impacted and will die in several hours.

Step 3: Apply Ficam Insect Bait

Next, lay out an insecticide bait like Ficam. Ficam is a ready-to-use granular insecticide made with orthoboric acid. It is also moisture-resistant and perfect to apply outdoors. 

Open and hold the container about 4-5 inches above the ground and shake the product out in 2 to 4-foot bands around your treatment perimeter.

Keep in mind that this product should be applied about 10 feet away from your Supreme I/T application, as Supreme IT has repelling properties.

We also recommend you apply this product around trees, in flower beds, in mulch, and near wood piles.

Apply Ficam Insect Bait at the labeled rate of 2 to 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet of treatment area, or more simply, 3.2 to 6 ounces per 100 square feet.

Cockroaches that eat the bait will have their nervous systems impacted and will die within several hours.

Prevention

Once you have successfully eliminated Asian cockroaches, you will need to ensure they do not return. After treatment, you should work to discourage those flying pests from returning through preventative measures. 

• After controlling Asian roaches on your property, you can monitor for further activity by setting up glue traps around common pest entry points. We recommend you use Solutions Pro Glue Boards. Just peel off a trap’s paper seal and set it close to an entry point, out of reach of any children or pets. Its flat design allows you to put it discreetly underneath most furniture. Regularly check your glue traps to see when pest activity is rising. If you, a child, or a pet get stuck, you can use cooking oil to loosen the trap’s glue.
• Continue to clean up indoors and maintain your yard outdoors. Even the best products will be useless as long as roaches have easy access to food, water, and shelter.
• We also recommend you apply exclusion methods to block off potential pest entry points. Small openings can be stuffed with Stuffit Copper Mesh, while tighter cracks and crevices should be sealed with an expanding foam like Sealator Pro. Any damaged window, door, or weatherstripping screens should be repaired or replaced.
• Finally, keep up with preventive applications of your pesticide products. One application of Supreme I/T will last for up to 90 days, so we recommend quarterly applications to maintain protection year-round. Ficam Insect Bait can be applied for outdoor insect control every 4 to 6 weeks.

Key Takeaways

What are Asian Cockroaches?

• Asian cockroaches look similar to German cockroaches but can fly. They commonly infest properties outdoors and may occasionally venture indoors.

How to Get Rid of Asian Cockroaches

• Our top recommendations to eliminate Asian cockroaches are barrier treatments of Supreme IT and Ficam Insect Bait.

Preventing Asian Cockroach Reinfestation

• Clear yard debris, seal points of entry, and apply preventative treatments of Supreme IT Insecticide and Ficam Insect Bait to prevent future potential Asian cockroach infestations. Be sure to use the Solutions Pro Glue Boards to capture and detect indoor infestations.