How to poison cockroaches with boric acid

Products containing boric acid to kill cockroaches are popular folk methods of pest control. If boric acid is used correctly, the drug is effective and non-toxic to people.

There are many recipes with boric acid. Boric acid is mixed with bread, sugar, flour, eggs and other products. So, how to poison cockroaches using boric acid.

Boric acid with flour and powdered sugar

Ingredients: 4 bags of boric acid, flour, powdered sugar, raw yolk.

Method of preparation: Mix all ingredients until smooth. If the mixture turns out to be thick, dilute it with water, so the volume of the bait will increase. Make cakes or balls and place them in problem areas where you see cockroaches.

The recipe is similar to sugar balls, but here it is not sugar that is used, but powdered sugar; flour is rarely added to add viscosity.

Drug safety

Boric acid does not irritate the skin of the hands and does not leave chemical burns on them. This product is used to bait cockroaches, even if there are children or pets in the house. The acid poses little danger and was previously used as a disinfectant, but has since been replaced by other means. Basic caution must be exercised when working with the chemical.

Children under 3 years of age are prohibited from coming into contact with boric acid. Contact with the product should be avoided by women expecting a child, nursing mothers, people predisposed to allergic skin diseases, and those with kidney disease.

If animals get to the bait, nothing bad will happen to them, but it is better to exclude such a situation and remove the product away from children and animals. The powder may cause an allergic reaction. If acid enters the body, the following symptoms may appear:

headache;
nausea;
vomit

Acid powder is less dangerous than other chemicals for baiting pests, and therefore is often used for urgent treatment of premises. What are the properties of the substance?

Boric acid against cockroaches with water

A poison recipe with boric acid is effective not only in powder form, but also in the form of a liquid solution. Use liquid solution or beads based on conditions.

What does boric acid based liquid bait mean? This is when boric acid powder is dissolved in water with the addition of vanillin or regular sugar. You can use beer, sweet syrup and other liquid that will attract pests. Drinkers are especially effective at night if you place them where cockroaches usually go to drink (in the sink, in the toilet, under pipes, in a cupboard with dishes, etc.). How to poison cockroaches with boric acid in liquid form? For 100 milliliters of water you will need 50 grams of boric acid powder. Mix water with sugar, honey or use another aromatic liquid. It is important to limit cockroaches' access to clean water. It is necessary to turn off the taps, remove the kettle and any containers with water, wipe the sink and close the drain.

Now that you know how to poison cockroaches in an apartment with boric acid, you can choose one of the recipes and use it at your own discretion.

The mechanism of action of boric acid on cockroaches

The areas of application of boric acid are varied:

agronomic industry.
Cosmetology.
Medicine (as an antiseptic or as a means to combat fungal infection).
Etc.

To understand whether boric acid will help against cockroaches, you need to understand how it works.

The mechanism of insect damage is as follows:

When it enters the esophagus, the acid corrodes its walls.
If the prepared bait is eaten by a male, he is completely sterilized.
In the case of females, the acid attacks their ovaries.

Lethal outcome is achieved through dehydration of the cockroach.

Please note: the death of insects occurs 10-12 days after they eat the poison. This scatter in time is due to the cumulative efficiency of boric acid.

The impact on cockroaches can be not only intestinal, but also contact. In the latter case, the poison gets into the spiracles and onto the chitinous covers. In terms of effectiveness, this method is significantly inferior to the above.

Prevention measures

It is important to understand that one-time placement of edible baits does not guarantee complete destruction of insects in a short time. Systematic processing and compliance with conditions that prevent the reappearance of Prussians is needed. Here are some tips:

Observe proportions when making baits and use the most attractive products for cockroaches. The main goal is the food attractiveness of the bait for insects;
get rid of other possible sources of food for insects (crumbs and leftover food on the table and surfaces, open trash containers, cat food, unwashed dishes in the public domain);
cockroaches are attracted to water and moisture, make sure that you exclude all sources of water in the apartment;
block “escape routes” - ventilation holes, cracks in the floor, drains (if you cannot completely close the holes, install a fine mesh);
periodically treat the entire living area for preventive purposes. Even if there are no insects, this minimizes the likelihood of them migrating from neighbors.

It is easier to fight cockroaches in a private house than in an apartment - the area is isolated, and it will be difficult for annoying insects to safely change their place of residence. Another thing is apartment buildings. Often, after treatment, cockroaches simply abandon their nests and migrate to their neighbors. That is why it is necessary to close all communication passages, even if you do not have problems with cockroaches.

Efficiency and disadvantages

Although many people use boric acid to prepare poisonous solutions and other “treats” for cockroaches, it is most effective to kill them with the product in powder form. And it's very easy to do.

The substance is scattered in those parts of the apartment where insects live or where they can run:

surfaces near baseboards;
under kitchen cabinets and cabinets;
under the sink or next to the bathtub.

The shell is especially attractive to cockroaches . There is something here that they cannot live without - water.

As soon as the parasite runs over the powder with boric acid, the product remains on its paws, then it enters the insect’s body and gradually leads to death. By the way, such products as Dohlox and Regent work on the same principle.

Among the advantages of this tool, it is worth noting its availability and cost-effectiveness. A sachet weighing 10 grams is enough to destroy thousands of parasites. Although, in practice, more poison is often consumed, since it often goes unnoticed by parasites.

Unlike special crayons, traps and gels, only those Prussians who were in direct contact with the powder can be poisoned. The powder is not poured in large heaps, but in modest portions, as if they were spilling flour or sugar. Otherwise, cockroaches will avoid the poison. Among the obvious disadvantages, it can be noted that using boric acid is useless to fight cockroach eggs .

To get rid of eggs, more effective methods are needed, such as Get liquid concentrates.

IMPORTANT! There are cases when acid is powerless in the fight against insects. This is due to the fact that it is used quite often, which causes the cockroaches to become addicted.

Cockroaches are excellent opportunists, despite the fact that they enter homes in different ways and not all species can fly, all “Stasiks” without exception masterfully adapt to any conditions and reproduce very quickly, with a high survival rate.

It is worth noting that boric acid can help cope with other insects in the house. The use of this product in the fight against ants is very effective.

Safety and precautions

Although boric acid is sold over the counter without a prescription, the substance can still affect human health if it enters the digestive tract, lungs, or blood. To prevent the negative effects of poison on the body, follow the following recommendations:

Avoid getting acid vapors into your respiratory system by protecting them with a respirator or a cotton-gauze bandage.
When preparing baits, be sure to wear rubber gloves.
Keep pure poison and prepared traps out of the reach of children and pets.

Dangerous or not?

The substance can be safely used to bait cockroaches in an apartment. If the poison is kept in an open but inaccessible place, it will not affect your well-being in any way. If a pet eats poisoned bait, nothing bad will happen, but it’s better not to allow such things to happen.

However, it is not recommended to prepare poisoned baits:

pregnant and lactating women;
people suffering from allergies or skin diseases, as well as kidney failure.

Boric acid is an effective and inexpensive remedy used in the fight against cockroaches. It can be used in its pure form, and you can also prepare a wide variety of simple baits. Before use, be sure to read the safety precautions and prepare the area properly.

Properties of boric acid, effect of the drug on insects

Boric acid is a crystalline powder, poorly soluble in water, odorless. The white grains are similar to scales. The product can melt and change its composition at a temperature of 170 degrees. The substance is found in the mineral sassolin, found in the Middle East and Mediterranean. More information about the substance is on Wikipedia.

In the pharmacy, the product is sold in alcoholic form, diluted with water, or in powder form. A solution of acid in 70% ethyl alcohol is called boric alcohol. It has a pungent odor. Alcohol is not the best option for pest control. The specific smell scares insects, so they do not touch the bait. The powder is completely invisible to cockroaches. The method of dealing with them is based on this. Pests carry it to their shelter on their paws or eat it with food.

Boric acid is a strong poison for cockroaches. Pests are unpretentious in food, and this factor can be used when baiting Prussians. Once in the insect’s digestive tract, the acid affects the pest’s nervous system through the blood, causing severe irritation of the nerve endings. If the dose exceeds the permissible level, paralysis occurs in the pests and they die from suffocation.

Cockroaches that come into contact with the powder can become poisoned. Particles of the product will stick to the paws of cockroaches after the pests run through the powder. Returning to the shelter, the insects will begin to clean their legs and swallow the powder. To poison 1 insect, 2-3 mg of powder is enough. A sachet sold in pharmacies, weighing 10 g, is enough to kill 1000 parasites.

As practice shows , the toxic substance is consumed in larger quantities. Part of the product goes unnoticed by the cockroaches and is wasted. For boric acid to be effective, the insects must ingest as much of the powder as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare attractive baits for them.

Boric acid in combination with other insecticides

Fighting cockroaches with boric acid has some subtleties. For example, what can poisoned baits be combined with or is it better to use the powder as an independent remedy?

It is not recommended to use sprays and aerosols with acute contact action together with poisoned baits.

Any contact agent will quickly kill insects, and in the case of baits, a domino effect is necessary. It is necessary for the infected cockroach to return to the nest and spread the poison among its relatives. Thus, one infected cockroach can poison a dozen others. In addition, aerosols and sprays can repel insects from baits with their specific smell.

Boric acid is effective as an independent remedy in the fight against cockroaches. If you want to combine it with other insecticides, you need to know that most chemicals are organic, while boric acid is an inorganic substance. When used together, the drug may lose its insecticidal properties or structure (sedimentation, disintegration, separation).

Similar insecticides that have an intestinal effect are compatible with boric acid. In this case, the active ingredients of the drug are fipronil, hydramethylnon, diflubenzuron, pyrethroids that do not contain a cyclopropane ring, fenthion. These are “Insectogel”, “Anti-cockroach-gel” and other products that we described in detail in the article “How to choose a remedy for cockroaches with boric acid”.

Boric acid, potatoes and yolk

A very effective remedy for cockroaches. Potatoes, yolk, boric acid - its main components - simple ingredients, found in every home.

First you need to boil one egg and potatoes. Then peel the finished products and grind them into puree. Equal proportions of boric acid and yolk should be observed. Mix the resulting mass with a tablespoon of boric acid, and then form into balls. Place the finished bait in the corners and do not forget about a dry surface throughout the kitchen.

Precautionary measures

In general, the substance does not fully correspond to the universal concept of acid. Under the influence of boric acid, there are no chemical burns on the body. However, certain precautions must be taken when using the product.

The use of such poison is allowed even when children and pets are present in the room. Boric acid is not as dangerous when compared with Karbofos and Executioner, and for some time it was used as an antiseptic. Although in some cases, when using the substance, an allergy appears.

The drug, in comparison with specialized insecticidal products for protection against cockroaches, practically does not harm children, however, children under 3 years of age should not come into contact with it. If a cat or dog eats “bait” with boron powder, death does not occur, however, it is recommended to avoid such a situation.

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Contact with the drug should be avoided during pregnancy and lactation, as well as people suffering from kidney failure, skin ailments of inflammatory etiology in the acute stage. If the powder gets inside, the development of vomiting, headaches, and rashes is observed. Do not forget that when choosing a drug to exterminate parasites in a residential area, you first need to think about the safety of the people living in it. Proven, harmless, fragrance-free insecticides are Global and Forsyth gel preparations.

Poison recipes

To prepare a cockroach repellent, you must use only powdered boric acid. Alcohol solutions are not suitable for this purpose.

The easiest way is to sprinkle the powder in thin paths near water and sewer pipes, sinks, and cabinets. The powder will stick to the legs of insects, they will inhale it, but this way the product will not show all its insecticidal properties. It is more reliable and efficient to make baits. Poison with boric acid is made by adding various products to it.

Boric acid balls with egg

Most often, boric acid and egg are used to prepare poison for harmful insects. The mixture turns out viscous, so you can roll it into balls and use them against cockroaches. To make the bait more attractive, you can make balls from boric acid and other ingredients, which we will discuss below.

With boiled yolk

The recipe for cockroaches with boric acid and egg is the simplest. Only the yolk of boiled eggs is used - cockroaches are attracted to the bright color. Next, the cooking process itself is as follows:

In a deep plate, mash the yolk with a fork.
Add boric acid. About 20 g of powder is added to one yolk.
Add vanillin or vanilla sugar to enhance the attractive effect.
Stir thoroughly. If the mass turns out to be too dry, you can dilute it with raw protein or plain water (but the first option is still preferable).
Roll the resulting mass into balls.

With boiled and raw yolk

To prepare poison, you can use not only boiled, but also raw yolk. Its quantity should be such that the mass does not spread. To do this, take one raw egg yolk for 3 boiled egg yolks. For this amount of yolks you need to add 80-90 g of boric acid powder.

Preparation

With vegetable oil and yolk

To get rid of cockroaches using boric acid and vegetable oil, you need to prepare a mixture only from boiled yolk, otherwise the mass will turn out to be too liquid.

Cooking method:

Using a fork, thoroughly mash the yolk.
Add powder at the rate of 40 g of boric acid per 1 yolk.
Stir and add sunflower oil - 1 tsp.
Roll into balls with a diameter of more than 1-2 cm.

With potatoes

For large areas you will need a lot of bait. To increase its quantity, you can prepare a mass with yolks and potatoes. The recipe for making cockroach poison is also very simple:

Boil potatoes with skins. The quantity of potatoes should be determined in advance based on the desired amount of the final product.
Boil hard-boiled eggs. For one medium-sized potato you need one egg.
Mash the peeled potatoes and yolks with a fork.
Add 40-50 g of boric acid powder (per potato).
If the mass is too dry, you can dilute it to the desired consistency with kefir.

With minced meat

To prepare poison with boric acid, you can also use minced meat. First you need to prepare it for use - wrap it in paper napkins and let it stand for half an hour to remove excess moisture.

Then mix the minced meat with a raw egg and boric acid powder. For 100 grams of minced meat, you need to take at least 50-70 g of powder and about 20-40 g of protein - it glues the mass together better. All that remains is to make the balls. Their diameter should not exceed 1 cm.

With bread

The easiest and cheapest way to prepare poison for cockroaches is with bread. Only crumb is suitable for this. First, the bread is kneaded with boric acid, and if the mass is too dry, a little water or raw protein is added. The size of the formed balls can be larger than from other products - about 2...2.5 cm in diameter.

With flour

Rolling balls is not at all necessary: you can poison cockroaches with boric acid, using flour as the second ingredient. To do this, mix both components, taking 2 times more flour than powder. The finished mixture is poured in a thin layer onto sheets of paper and laid out in places where insects like to be.

Liquid bait with sugar

The simplest folk remedy for cockroaches is a mixture of boron powder (about 50 g) and one raw egg yolk. Add 2-3 tbsp to the mixture. sugar and stir until until it becomes homogeneous. If the consistency of boric acid and sugar is too liquid, add a little flour; if, on the contrary, it is dry, stir it with water.

Ready bait

Next, you need to pour the product into low containers - saucers or jar lids, and place them in those places in the apartment where insects are most often found.

With sunflower oil

Most of all, Prussians are attracted to sunflower oil. It is best to take unrefined one for this - it has a strong aroma.

On a note! Instead of sunflower oil, you can use sesame oil.

Any product is suitable for preparing bait - porridge, puree, etc. Next, the product is crushed with a blender, boron powder is added, and oil is used as a gluing component.

Disadvantages of the substance

So, we found out that boric acid and cockroach yolk are a very effective and fairly cheap method of fighting cockroaches. But there are also some nuances here.

For a fatal outcome, a sufficient amount of acid must accumulate in the cockroach’s body. In terms of time, this can take from 1 to 3 weeks, and this is a considerable period of time.

The obvious disadvantage of the substance is that it has absolutely no effect on insect eggs. To combat them, more powerful means are needed, such as liquid concentrates.

In addition, if you compare boric acid and crayons or gels, only individuals who have had direct contact with the powder can become poisoned. Do not forget that the insect will avoid the poison if it is poured in too large piles.

In addition, there are cases where the drug turned out to be completely ineffective due to frequent use. Cockroaches quickly get used to and adapt to the poison.

Despite its recognized effectiveness, the substance helps in about half of the cases.

Prevention of new infection

If you managed to remove pests from your apartment, it is not a fact that they will not return again. This is especially true for situations where mustachioed neighbors live in the next room. To prevent the re-infestation of cockroaches, the following recommendations should be followed:

In a place where communications are concentrated, it is sometimes advisable to do prophylaxis using boron powder. Periodically lay out fresh bait from a mixture of acid and chicken yolk. Keep your home tidy and clean.