Borax might be one of the most popular solutions to kill roaches in your home, but do you know how it works and the best way to use it?
Don’t worry, you are not alone. Millions of households around the United States have a roach infestation. Considering how persistent and resilient this pest is, it’s not surprising that new and improved ways to deal with them are always created.
But, one ingredient is almost always present - Borax. Wondering how to use Borax to kill roaches?
Let's get into details and discover the best way to use Borax against roaches and add a couple of tips and tricks from professionals to end the cockroach infestation faster.
What Is Borax?
Borax is a natural mineral powder that’s often found in various household items such as cleaning solutions and laundry detergent and is often used in pest management. Although Borax and Boric acid are not the same, they are equally effective on roaches, bed bugs, silverfish, and other pests.
Borax to kill roaches is considered a safer option compared to a lot of harsh pesticides on the market, but even this ingredient needs to be used according to instructions and kept away from pets and children. It might be natural and relatively harmless, but it’s dangerous if ingested or inhaled, so keep that in mind while getting rid of roaches.
How Does Borax Kill Roaches?
Boric acid as a mineral kills roaches and other pests that come in contact with it by dehydrating them. Roaches are very resilient and thrive in almost all circumstances, but they easily dehydrate and they are omnivores - two very important reasons why Borax is so effective on them.
Roaches will eat anything to survive, including other roaches, so using their appetite against them is a good idea. Once the roach ingests the Borax mixed with any other food it will dry them out from the inside and kill all roaches within a few days.
Does Borax kill roaches instantly? Borax, however, is not an instant roach killer so you might have to wait sometime and reapply your solution for the best results.
On the other hand, experts like Coby Schal, Ph.D. from North Carolina State University found in their research: “Results showed that boric acid was more effective than sodium tetraborate or disodium octaborate tetrahydrate and that aqueous solutions containing mixtures of 0.5-2% boric acid and any of several inexpensive sugars, including fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose as a phagostimulant, at molar concentrations of 0.05-1.0, can provide rapid and effective kill of German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.).”
5 Ways to Use Borax for Roaches
Now that we are familiar with the roach killing and natural solution we can focus more on how to use the Borax for roaches. Keep in mind that Borax needs to be applied a few times and you need to monitor the lures and traps so no children or small pets come in contact with it.
Here are a couple of suggestions for Borax mixtures that provide the best results:
1. Borax and Sugar
Mixing Borax and sugar is one of the easiest and fastest ways to create a powerful lure that will kill roaches in your home. Simply add equal parts of sugar and Borax to a container and sprinkle in infested areas.
For easier and more precise application you can use powder dusters with long nozzles and sprinkle the deadly mixture that way. The roaches will be attracted to sugar and eat the Borax mixed in, resulting in easy and fast pest management.
2. Baking Soda and Borax
A lot of people use baking soda and Borax together to fight the roaches more efficiently, and the truth is it’s working but the ingredients could work separately also. Baking soda might potentially kill more roaches, but the lures with Borax in it are far more effective.
3. Borax and Peanut Butter
Peanut butter sprinkled with Borax is a perfect and easy solution to make a roach-killing lure. Roaches will eat almost anything they find and delicious peanut butter might be a treat they are looking for.
Keep in mind that this solution can be a bit messy to clean up, so use small plastic containers and easily remove them as needed.
4. Borax and Egg Yolk
Just like peanut butter the raw egg yolk with added Borax will lure in and kill all the roaches that eat it. It’s not the most elegant solution, as the egg is runny, and will get spoiled quite fast, but if there are a lot of roaches in your home they will eat the lure in a couple of hours.
5. Borax and Cocoa Powder
Borax in a powder form and mixed with other powder ingredients is one of the best ways to kill roaches. This way the Borax is not diluted by liquid and the roaches will eat every last bit of it from their feet while they clean up after the meal.
Mixing Borax and cocoa powder is an easy and effective solution to combat roaches in your home, just keep in mind that you shouldn’t sprinkle it on kitchen counters and the Borax should never come in contact with your food.
Alternatives for Borax to Get Rid of Roaches
While we agree that Borax is a great solution for killing roaches, there are a few more ways to deal with pest infestations. Borax is less harmful than some other pesticides on the market, but it’s far from safe if you have small children and pets.
So, with this idea in mind you should also consider:
Roach Glue Traps
Sticky roach traps are one of the best and easiest ways to eliminate roaches from your home. The traps have a durable and very strong adhesive that will capture all the roaches that come into contact with it.
It’s a versatile solution that will reduce the number of roaches in your home, and additionally, it’s easy to set up and completely safe for your family and pets. The sticky traps are also amazing monitoring tools that can help you assess the severity of the infestation and the effectiveness of other methods you might be using.
Diatomaceous Earth Powder
If you are looking for a perfect alternative for Borax and Boric acid you should use Diatomaceous earth powder or DE powder. This natural and mineral-based powder is even more effective at dehydrating the pests you might have in your home, and it’s far less harmful than Borax.
Use the duster with the nozzle to apply to areas where the roaches hang out the most, and be sure to reapply the powder from time to time. It’s a great solution if you have other pests in your home such as silverfish or bed bugs, as it’s effective on all bugs that come in contact with it.
Call Professional Exterminators
Dealing with roach infestations is challenging, and considering they can carry bacteria and pathogens on their feet it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology found in roach research that “About a quarter of the microorganisms isolated from cockroaches are food-borne pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhi, Rotavirus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptosporidium parvum.”
So, if you are concerned about the severity of the infestation in your home or you want to deal with it faster it’s a good idea to rely on professional pest exterminators. Their teams have the right tools, methods, and years of experience needed for detailed inspection, evaluation of the severity of the infestation, and the best solution for your home and budget.
