Suppose today is your graduation party, and you wake up to a roach attack on your kitchen or backyard. Definitely a nightmare, no? Of course, it’s impossible to get rid of all of them within a few hours, but luckily, a bed bug spray might help you reduce their population.
Although bed bug sprays are specially designed to kill fleas and bed bugs, they may work on cockroaches.
For instance, the Raid Bed Bug Spray consists of powerful chemicals, pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, that target the central nervous system (CNS) of insects, including the roaches. Thus, stopping them before they take over your entire home.
Let’s learn more about the sources of roaches, the effectiveness of bed bug sprays, and the correct way of using the product on these pests.
What Are the Main Causes of Roach Infestations?
First things first, let’s discover where these irritating creatures come from. Generally, cockroaches enter your home searching for four primary things: food, warmth, water, or shelter.
The leading causes of roaches infestation include:
- Litter
- Dirty dishes
- Excess moisture
- Crumbs on carpet
- Pet food left open
- Leftover meals in cans or containers
- Cardboard
When roaches enter your home, they find warm, humid hiding spaces with adequate food and water sources to build their home. These spots could be kitchens, bathrooms, refrigerator’s backside, under furniture, or cracks in the walls or floors.
Can Bed Bugs and Roaches Coexist?
Yes, bed bugs and roaches coexist in your home. However, it’s unlikely to find them living in the same spot. That’s because cockroaches don’t prefer living in bedrooms as they can’t have an adequate supply of food and water there.
On the other hand, bed bugs feed on human blood to fulfill their nutritional needs. So, they are more likely to infest areas where people are usually present, such as beds.
Thus, simply put, bed bugs and roaches can coexist in your home; however, they are less likely to live in the same place.
Can Bed Bug Spray Kill Roaches?
Surprisingly, bed bug sprays can help you kill roaches. As discussed above, Raid Bed Bug Spray consists of a combination of pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide that kills several insects and cockroaches.
The brand claims that their bed bug spray has around 0.25% of pyrethrins and 1.01% of piperonyl butoxide, which is enough to affect the roaches.
The downside is that the Raid Bed Bug Spray may not kill cockroaches’ eggs. That’s mainly because these eggs have a shell, called an ootheca, that prevents the chemicals from entering.
So, you can kill the cockroaches roaming around in your home with this bug spray but can’t suppress their growth at the early stages of infestation.
Hot Shot Bed Bug Spray is another bed bug spray that may help you kill cockroaches. This product contains a combination of pyrethrin, permethrin, imiprothrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin that can instantly kill pests and bed bugs, including roaches.
While using this product, you need to spray it directly on the roaches to get better results. If you spray it at different spots of your home, it won’t work as the formula loses its power once it’s dried.
Unfortunately, like Raid Bug Spray, Hot Shot Bed Bug Spray might not help you with a huge roach infestation and won’t terminate the ootheca of the pests’ eggs. So, they can’t be the replacement of a roach killer spray.
You can find a range of anti-roach sprays on the market. Raid and Hot Shot both offer products specially formulated to kill roaches, such as Raid Ant & Roach Killer and Hot Shot Ant & Roach Killer.
How to Use Bed Bug Spray on Roaches Correctly?
When you go to your nearest store, you may find several types and formulations of bed bug sprays resting on the shelves. So, which one to pick?
Usually, people prefer using aerosol sprays as they are easy to use. You can spray them directly on the roaches or in your entire home to eradicate all the chances of them popping out from unknown places.
Remember that spraying on the roaches is the only way to kill them; otherwise, you may not get your desired results. Just seal all the entries of your home, and spray an adequate amount of the product in all the cracks, under furniture, kitchens, and bathrooms.
However, you must cover the utensils and left-over foods in your kitchen before doing so. In addition, don’t forget to protect your pets and kids from inhaling the fumes of the bed bug spray.
If you want to achieve more effective and instant results, you can combine your newly-bought bed bug spray with a roach trap. A quality roach trap comes with glue that attracts roaches to go near it and get stuck. This way, you can easily spray on the trapped roaches instead of running after them all over your home.
Make sure to use the spray two or more times to eliminate the entire roach infestations from every corner of your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that people tired of roach infestations ask:
How to Prevent Roaches From Entering My Home?
You can prevent roaches from entering your home by sealing the cracks, disposing of garbage and left-over food as soon as possible, and recycling used boxes and paper. Limiting your eating spaces can also help you prevent pests infestations.
Does Bed Bug Spray Suppress the Growth of Roaches?
Bed bug sprays can’t suppress the growth of roaches. However, these products can help you kill them before their population gets out of your hands.
What Are Other Ways to Get Rid of Roaches?
Some other ways of getting rid of roaches include:
- Combine boric acid with flour, sugar, and water and make a dough. Then, put the dough in the entry points and other suspected areas to get rid of roaches.
- Use roach baits or traps.
- Spray liquid concentrates in the high-roach traffic areas.
- Consult a professional roaches terminator.
The Bottom Line
Roaches can attack your home when you least expect it. A sudden infestation can spoil all your fun. The best way to avoid roach infestations is to keep your home clean, seal the entry points, and dispose of the leftover foods.
However, if these pests make their way to your life anyway, you can use a bed bug spray as the first line of defense. These products contain powerful active ingredients that can kill roaches. Yet, they’re not effective at killing roaches’ eggs; hence, you can’t suppress their population from growing.
Thus, the easiest solution is using an anti-roach spray directly on these pests — of course, if the product is available at your home. If it’s not, bed bug sprays are the way to go!