Nobody likes roaches, but roaches are a common problem. How can you prevent a roach problem? If you do have roaches, how can you get rid of them? This publication contains information on these and other questions on how to prevent and control cockroaches more safely.

How to Prevent and Control a Roach Problem

Don't invite roaches into your home:

• Caulk, weatherstrip, and repair holes around water pipes, baseboards, doors and windows. This is important in apartments, where roaches can move from unit to unit along pipes.
• Put screens over windows, vents, floor drains and ducts. They can be roach highways and hideaways.
• Remove old boxes and papers. The fewer places roaches can hide, the better.
• Keep areas outside your home free of trash, wood piles and leaves.
• Use sticky (glue) traps to find areas where roaches may be hiding.

Don't feed roaches:

• Store food in sealed containers. Never leave food, crumbs or trash uncovered anywhere in your home. Do not leave uneaten pet food out overnight. If you must leave dirty dishes out overnight, put them in the sink and cover them with soapy water.
• Use a trash can with a tight lid. Avoid placing your trash can under the sink. Empty the trash can often. Put garbage in closed plastic bags.
• Rinse beverage and food containers before you recycle or throw them away.

Don't give roaches water:

• Fix leaky faucets and drains.

Safely and correctly use pesticides:

• Follow instructions on the pesticide label. If you have not used a stored pesticide recently, reread the label before use.

Tips for Using a Pesticide Yourself

After applying the tips in the checklist, if you decide to use a pesticide yourself, you will need to decide what pesticide to buy, where to buy it, and how to use it.

What Type of Pesticide Should You Buy?

In addition to following the tips in the checklist, you can buy pesticide sprays, dusts, baits and traps that will help you control roaches. Buy a pesticide only if it is in the original manufacturer's can, bottle or box. Make sure the container has a label that lists the pesticide's chemical name and ingredients and directions for use. The label should say the pesticide is for roach control.

bait station

Baits are low-risk pesticides and work well for roach control. If you use a roach bait, do not use a spray in the same area since the spray may repel the roaches and prevent the bait from doing its job.

A light dusting of boric acid (another low-risk pesticide) can be used behind and under appliances and sinks. Boric acid and other pesticides should be used only according to the label's instructions. Do not use boric acid for roach control if the container does not say it can be used for roach control.

Where Should You Buy Pesticides?

Always buy pesticides from stores (for example, garden supply stores, retail stores or grocery stores). Never buy pesticides from a flea market or from someone selling out of a car.

NEVER buy pesticides that are NOT in their original, labeled containers. If you see someone selling pesticides in unmarked containers or under suspicious conditions, call the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which regulates pesticide sales, at 800-641-3934 so they can protect you and your community from possible danger.

Follow Pesticide Label Instructions!

Unfortunately, people can hurt themselves, their families and their pets if they don't use pesticides properly. The label on the container will tell you how to use the product safely. Follow all instructions for protecting yourself and others. Avoid getting the pesticide on your skin and do not breathe in pesticide sprays or dusts.

Use pesticides in areas where roaches are most likely to be hiding, such as cracks in walls, baseboards and in cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom (after you've emptied the cabinets and cleaned them out). Also, apply pesticides behind the stove and refrigerator. DO NOT apply pesticides on hot surfaces or on areas where food is prepared, such as kitchen counter tops or in areas where children or pets can come into contact with them.

Before using a pesticide, remove food, dishes, silverware and children's toys from the area to be sprayed. Return these things to the sprayed areas and cabinets only when the instructions on the label say it is OK to do so. If any pesticide gets on these things, wash them before you use them or someone might get sick. If you feel you or other family members have a health problem because of pesticides, contact your doctor or local poison control center (for Illinois the telephone number is 800-942-5969).

If the pesticide needs to be mixed with water, the label will tell you how to mix it safely. Stronger is not better! If you add more pesticide to the water than the label says, the pesticide can hurt you and others. Do not mix pesticides together unless the label permits.

Store pesticides and other household chemicals out of children's reach. Read the label for the right way to throw away empty containers.

NEVER put pesticides in containers such as drink bottles, spray bottles or salt shakers to store, give away or sell. Some people have mistaken pesticides in other containers for something else and have poisoned themselves and others.

Tips for Hiring a Pest Control Company or Exterminator

You may decide to hire a pest control company instead of using pesticides yourself. All structural pest control companies are required by law to have a license from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This license is to make sure pest control companies know how to safely use chemicals to get rid of roaches and other structural pests. When you hire a pest control company, always ask for proof of its license. Also make sure that the company's license permits household pest control. Call the Illinois Department of Public Health if you have questions about, or problems with, a pest control company or someone who works for one.

Apply pesticides to cracks where roaches hide.

When an exterminator comes to your home, ALWAYS ask to see the exterminator's identification (ID). Check the ID to make sure the exterminator is working for a licensed company. This ID is not the same thing as a business card.

Get a receipt from the exterminator that has

• the exterminator's name; company name, address and telephone number;
• a list of pesticides used at your home; and
• a copy of each pesticide label.

These recommendations are provided only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. If any information in these recommendations disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be disregarded.

For More Information About Pest Control and Pesticides, Contact

Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Environmental Health
525 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, IL 62761
217-782-5830
TTY (hearing impaired use only) 800-547-0466

University of Illinois Extension
1401 St. Marys Rd.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-6650
TTY (hearing impaired use only) 217-244-6677

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Pesticides Program Section, DRT-8J
77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604-3590
312-886-7835

National Pesticide Information Center
800-858-7378

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Atlanta, Georgia
800-447-1544

Original publication was produced by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Publication Number 904-F-97-902, October 1997.

Last updated 3/06/00