Killing the Roaches Yourself

• If roaches are spotted in your home, an immediate and effective way of killing them is by stamping on them. Keep a slipper or rolled-up newspaper handy and kill the roaches you see by squashing them; this will lower the roach population in the affected area. While this makes a bit of a mess, it does remove the offending roach immediately. Another method is to directly spray the roach with soapy water; this will kill them too. However, these methods are not very effective at destroying a roach infestation because you can only kill the ones that you see, and eggs that have already been laid will continue to hatch.
  
  

Starving the Roaches

• Roaches cannot survive without food and water, so do not give them access to any. A clean and tidy home will help do this, but also keeping trash secured outside will stop them eating your waste food. Keep fresh food in secure containers while in cupboards, and do not leave food out for long periods of time. The area beneath the refrigerator and oven should be cleaned regularly because there is often a buildup of food debris and grease in these areas.
  
  

Removing the Water Supply

• More importantly than starving roaches, ensure there are no supplies of water for them in your home. According to a report published by the University of Florida, roaches can live for two weeks without food and water, but if only water is available, they can survive up to 42 days. Drips from leaking pipes are commonly used by roaches as a water supply because they often go unnoticed for some time by humans. Under the sink is a favorite place for roaches to find moisture, so check for spots of water, and keep the area dry. If you have pets, dispose of water from the drinking bowl once the animal has finished.
  
  

Roach Traps and Natural Predators

• Apart from starving roaches of food and water or physically killing them yourself, an effective way to kill them is setting nontoxic roach traps around your home. One type of trap works by using an adhesive that stops the roach from moving once inside. Roaches also have a large number of natural predators. Lizards, birds, mice, toads, and frogs will all eat roaches. Introducing these animals into your home is not a recommended method of killing roaches, but elimination of these creatures around your home may result in an increase of roaches around your house.