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Does cockroach gel work?

Does cockroach gel work?

Dealing with a cockroach infestation is nothing short of a nightmare. It can make you stay awake at night and dread everything. During this time of distress, you will look for many ways to get rid of cockroaches. A lot of these options may lead you to cockroach gel baits. If you are not sure if it works or not, do not worry as you are not the only one. It is a common question and we will address it to clear all confusions and misconceptions. This can then aid you in deciding if you want to use it as a cockroach control method or not.

What is gel bait?

Gel baits contain a lot of insecticides and pesticides that help to eliminate cockroaches. The gel bait appears as some type of a food source to the cockroach to help reel it in. When the cockroach consumes the gel bait, it gets infected with the insecticides which then leads to its death.

dead American cockroach

Application

This gel can be applied quite easily. Just place the small dots of this gel in places that are most frequently visited by cockroaches. You can find these areas in the house by noticing where cockroach feces or shed skin is usually spotted. These indications clearly show where cockroaches live the most.

Cannot confine cockroaches

Another reason why foggers do not work is that all the cockroaches need to be confined to one room for it to kill all the roaches and this is not possible. Cockroaches hide in places that are dark and difficult to find. You can never gather all the cockroaches in a room and then attempt to fog them so that they can be killed. This method will fall flat on its face.

Does it work?

Now, let us discuss the elephant in the room and see if gel bait is effective or not.

Alternatives

As mentioned above, cockroach foggers are ineffective and dangerous, to say the least. They do not eliminate the problem but rather create other issues. Cockroach foggers do not address the root cause of the infestation and are not worth the trouble. There are some other alternatives that you can use instead of this to solve the cockroach issue.

Low effectiveness

Gel baits can have low effectiveness as cockroaches can sometimes not approach the gel bait. This hesitation can be because of selectiveness that cockroaches show which involves resistance towards the chemicals found in gel baits. Placing the gel bait is not a guarantee of cockroaches consuming it. Not only this but sometimes these baits are not placed strategically which does not affect any cockroach at all.

applying roach gel

Time-consuming

Gel baits are made of gel and dry out when exposed to the air for long hours. The old gel bait usually dries out which does not appeal to cockroaches hence, it needs to be replaced with fresh new gel bait. All of this requires excessive time and commitment. Additionally, it has been reported that using the same gel bait consistently can deter cockroaches. They begin to avoid it and instead opt for better food sources.

Dangerous

Gel bait is infused with insecticides that aim to kill the cockroaches. It is filled with toxic ingredients that need to be kept away from children and pets at all times. Gel baits are highly dangerous and pose a constant threat.

Possible solutions

Using gel baits may not be ideal in a household with children and pets. It is a risk that one should not take. You can, however, opt for other possible solutions which include using traps, boric acid, or hiring a professional pest exterminator to make your house pest-free again. You can also try some control measures even after your house is cleaned up such as covering your food, cleaning up properly, and checking regularly to avoid any roast infestation.