How To Know Roach Bait Is Working

Cockroaches are a nasty problem in your home, especially if they are persistent and rapidly multiplying German cockroaches. As frustrating as cockroaches are to deal with, there are ways to get rid of them effectively, and one of the best ways to do so is by applying cockroach bait.

While the death of the entire cockroach population due to the bait is an ideal scenario, some people who use roach bait are disappointed to see more cockroach sightings soon after application and wonder if the bait is even working.

This page will discuss cockroach baiting and how you can tell if your cockroach bait is working to address the infestation.

The Cockroach Baiting Process

It's important to understand the process of cockroach baits and how they work before you can detect if an application is working. A bait like Apex Cockroach Gel Bait contains 11 food-grade attractants mixed with an active ingredient called imidacloprid, demonstrating greater effectiveness against infesting cockroaches.

Applying bait after a detailed cleanup of your home eliminates competing food sources and offers cockroaches a palatable, attractive meal to enjoy and spread to others. Eventually, the insecticide infects the entire population, causing them to die. 

Cockroach Baiting Tips

After baiting, monitoring the activity and frequency of cockroach sightings is important. You will notice that your baiting is effective when you see fewer roaches over time. Cockroach gel baits are slow-acting baits designed so cockroaches can live long enough to return to their nesting site and share the bait with others. For this reason, you must be patient and give the bait time to be picked up by the cockroaches.

Sometimes, cockroach activity may appear to increase after baiting, but this is normal because you are leaving a palatable food source out. Combined with proper IPM (cleaning up, sealing cracks and crevices with caulk, etc.), you are disrupting the environment.

When wondering if the bait application is working, it is best to consider the baseline and ask yourself a few questions:

• How many roaches were you seeing before you baited?
• How many are you seeing several days later?
• How many are you seeing 2 weeks later?

If you see activity is decreasing, then you know it is working. If you see a rise or almost no change, you need to check the areas where you have set the bait to see if the bait is being consumed. If they are, you will need to replenish those sites.

If they are not, you need to place the bait in a different area since the area where you initially put the bait is not a popular gathering site when cockroaches are looking for food.

Before long, you should see a reduction in live roaches or even sightings of dead cockroaches turned onto their backs because the bait killed them. Don't immediately sweep up or discard those dead bodies right away, however, as live cockroaches may come by to eat the bodies of fallen roaches and have the bait transferred to them.

Patience and persistence are key when applying bait; eventually, it will pay off by making your home free of cockroaches.