Cuban Cockroach Control: How To Get Rid of Cuban Cockroaches

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

When you picture cockroaches, most of the time, they appear to be dark brown or black, but there is a type of roach that is a brightly colored green. Known as the Cuban cockroach, this roach is becoming a rising problem in the Southeastern United States. 

The Cuban cockroach, as its name clearly indicates, is originally from Cuba but has been steadily traveling North and has made its way to the United States, where it has been seen between the states of Texas and Florida. Cuban cockroaches are also known as the Banana cockroach because it is believed that these insects made their way to U.S. soil by being accidentally shipped with containers of ripening green bananas that they blended in with.

Cuban cockroaches have wings and like to fly a lot more than other cockroach species. Also, unlike other species of cockroaches, the Cuban cockroach is attracted to light and can be easily spotted flying next to light fixtures and lamps. Cuban cockroaches prefer to live outdoors and not breed indoors, but they may wander in by the allure of food, particularly sweets. They are likelier to infest gardens than homes and feast on fruits and leaves.

If you have Cuban cockroaches in or around your home, our DIY treatment guide below can help eliminate that problem. It includes our expert advice and high-quality cockroach control products.

Identification

Before using pesticide treatments, you must ensure you're dealing with Cuban cockroaches. Misidentifying your target pest can lead to using the wrong treatment products, which will be ineffective and waste time and money. Here is a list of characteristics of Cuban cockroaches so you will know what they look like for easy identification.

• Adult Cuban cockroaches are between 0.75 inches and an inch long and are light green. Males are more slender and have a yellowish underside, while females are darker colored and have wider bodies.
• Despite their much smaller, shorter legs, some people may misidentify these creatures as grasshoppers. 
• Cuban cockroach nymphs look very different from adults, usually being colored brown or black.
• Cuban cockroaches also have wings and can fly very well, so if you see a green cockroach flying, there's a great chance it's the Cuban cockroach.

Use the image and description above to help you correctly identify the cockroach you are encountering as a Cuban cockroach. If you are unsure, contact us, and we will help you determine the problem.

Inspection

Once Cuban cockroaches have been adequately identified, you can proceed with an inspection to observe their active sites. It would be best to observe how severe an infestation of Cuban cockroaches is present.

Where To Inspect

Since most Cuban cockroaches are primarily found outdoors, this is where you will conduct your inspection. Search your yard for debris, leaf litter, logs, rocks, stones, woodpiles, flower beds, and general clutter. They also feed on fruits and might be found close to fruit-bearing trees. Though rare, Cuban cockroaches will only invade structures if they detect sugary substances inside when there are no food sources outside.

What To Look For

You're looking for Cuban cockroaches. They are lime green in color, about 3/4 or more prominent. Cuban cockroaches are primarily nocturnal and will take shelter in the yard, near yard debris, leaf litter, logs, rocks, stones, flower beds, bushes, and all the places mentioned above. These pests attract light at night from areas like your porch or other light fixtures around your property. Once you have seen and confirmed a population of Cuban cockroaches, it is time to begin treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Cuban 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 treat Cuban cockroach infestations, we recommend applying Supreme IT Insecticide as a perimeter barrier around your home and property to kill and repel them from the area. We also recommend applying Ficam Insect Bait for cockroaches on your lawn and garden areas.

Step 1: Barrier Treatment with Supreme IT

Supreme IT is a powerful Bifenthrin-based insecticide that will create a barrier or perimeter treatment around your structure to prevent Cuban cockroaches from coming close to your property. It also has a residual or (long-term effect) that will last for up to 90 days.

Determine how much Supreme IT you will need to mix by calculating the square footage of the exterior of your home and yard. Find the square footage by measuring the treatment area length and width in feet, then multiply them together (length x width = square footage). 

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

Perform a barrier treatment by spraying 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. Once the adult Cuban Cockroach has come into contact with the chemical solution, it will die within one hour.

If you are worried about infiltration in your home, you can also use Supreme IT to treat indoor cracks and crevices, such as under the fridge, along baseboards, etc.

Step 2: Ficam Bait Placement

Ficam Insect Bait mimics food that will entice cockroaches with a meal but ultimately kill them after they ingest it. It is also weatherproof and great for applying indoors if you have an indoor infestation.

Ficam can be applied by hand or by using a hand-held spreader. Perform a perimeter treatment, but instead of applying it around the foundation of your structure, you will create a perimeter 10 feet away (or further away) from the structure with the Ficam.

Since Supreme IT is a repellent that will drive away roaches, the application will force the roaches to return from your house, where the Ficam will be waiting for them to consume. Do not place the Ficam insect bait where you applied Supreme IT, because the roaches will be repelled and will not come in contact with the bait. So, place your Ficam application 10 feet away or further from your Supreme IT application.

We recommend spreading the Ficam Insect Bait directly from the container or with a small cup. To apply directly from the container, open the container and remove the seal.

Hold the container about 4 to 5 inches from the ground, shake the product out in a 2 to 4 feet wide band, and apply at the rate of 6 ounces per 100 square feet. Also apply in flower beds, mulch beds, around trees, and near leaf litter and yard debris. Ficam Insect Bait is weather—and moisture-resistant and will continue to control treated areas for up to 30 days, even after normal rainfall.

Prevention

Once you have treated the area for Cuban cockroaches, they should no longer be congregating around your property, but you can implement some preventative measures to ensure they don't return.

• Start by removing their harborage areas, including yard debris, woodpiles, logs, rocks, stones, leaf litter, and general clutter that can provide Cuban cockroaches with hiding places. Mow your lawn often and keep your backyard well-groomed. 
• Because Cuban cockroaches are attracted to lights outside, switching to yellow "bug bulbs" will discourage them from approaching your property. 
• Finally, periodic applications of Supreme IT Insecticide and Ficam Insect Bait every three months will ensure that you won't see a Cuban cockroach again in your home or yard.

Key Takeaways

What are Cuban Cockroaches?

• Cuban cockroaches are light-green-colored flying cockroaches that are rising in residential properties.

How to Get Rid of Cuban Cockroaches

• To get rid of Cuban cockroaches, we recommend an application of Supreme IT Insecticide and Ficam Insect Bait. 

Preventing Cuban Cockroach Reinfestation

• Reduce yard debris and leaf litter and switch to non-fluorescent bug bulb lights around the home to prevent future Cuban cockroach infestations.