How to Trap Cockroaches

Getting rid of cockroaches is not an easy task once they are infested. Smashing cockroaches one by one may not seem like a good way – or inhumane – and you probably want to solve the problem without getting your hands dirty. Cockroach traps can be a great alternative to insecticidal sprays and are less expensive than hiring a cockroach extermination service. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Cockroach trap with cloth tape

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Try making a tape trap. The materials used in this method are quite simple: you only need bait to attract cockroaches and tape to keep them in the trap. This type of trap is hard to move once set, but it’s a simple trick, and you can get great results with little effort.

Buy sticky traps if you want. You can find traps at garden supply stores or ask a pest control service. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Buy a roll of fabric tape. Make sure the tape is new and tacky; Otherwise, the cockroaches may struggle to escape. You can use other types of tape instead of cloth tape, but remember that they should have good adhesion. Scotch tape or paper tape is not suitable; Cockroach traps need to be able to hold cockroaches until you can handle them.

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Choose bait. Anything that smells sweet or greasy will work. People usually use onions as bait, but you can use anything that smells good. A small piece of freshly peeled banana peel, a piece of overripe fruit or a piece of bread can all be used. ^{[3] X Research Source} If you notice that cockroaches in your home are particularly fond of a certain food, use that food as bait.

If you want to kill cockroaches on the spot, you can buy a gel bait that contains active ingredients that are toxic to insects. However, this bait is not always attractive to cockroaches, so may not be as effective as a tape trap. ^{[4] X Research Resources} Contact your garden store or pest control center to find baits.
Use only a small amount of bait. If you let the bait stick out over the edge of the tape, the cockroaches won’t have any incentive to get inside and get stuck. You should cut onions, fruits or other foods into small pieces that are still enough to attract cockroaches.

Trap cockroaches with jars

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Try a cockroach trap in a jar. This method is safe for children and pets, and is easier to move than duct tape. Look for a 1-quart jar with a very short neck, such as a jar of mayonnaise or spaghetti sauce.

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Make a path for the cockroaches to crawl into the jar. Wrap paper tape over the entire outside of the jar (adhesive side sticks to the jar), to create friction for the cockroaches to climb up the wall of the jar. You can also place the jar next to a slope to make it easier for cockroaches to get inside.

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Lubricate the inside of the vial. Apply a layer of Vaseline cream on the inner wall of the vial, at least a 10 cm length from the mouth of the bottle. Thus, the cockroaches will not be able to climb out of the jar because there is no friction to cling. You can mix Vaseline cream with bait to kill cockroaches when they eat the bait. Remember that gel bait dries out easily, so a little Vaseline cream will help keep the bait moist while the cockroaches get caught in the trap.

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Place the bait in the trap. Put some strong-smelling food on the bottom of the jar to attract cockroaches. A piece of banana peel or overripe fruit will do the trick. Many people like to use onion slices. Remember that the bait should not be too big, or the cockroaches can use it to crawl out of the jar!

Try pouring enough beer or red wine into the jar to drown the cockroaches. Fruit juices, soft drinks and sugar water also work. These sweet smelling drinks will attract cockroaches and keep them from escaping forever. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Trapping. You should put the jar in places where cockroaches are infested, remember to leave space around the wall so that the cockroaches can crawl into the jar and get trapped.

Try placing the jars in enclosed places like closets, garages, or closed corners. The sweet smell of bait will attract hungry cockroaches to crawl into the trap.

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Empty the cockroach trap. Set up the cockroach trap overnight or a few days until you have caught quite a few cockroaches. You can pour boiling water into the jar to kill any surviving cockroaches, then pour it down the toilet or into the compost bin. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Reset traps to deal with cockroaches thoroughly. Re-apply the Vaseline in the vial, re-insert a new bait and repeat the roach trap process if necessary.

Cockroach trap in a bottle

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Try a cockroach trap with a bottle of red wine. First, find an almost empty bottle of wine. The shape of the bottle is very important (the bottle should be tall, cylindrical, narrow neck, etc.), as this will prevent cockroaches from crawling out of the jar. Any bottle that is tall and has a narrow neck will work. There should still be some wine left in the bottle, about a few spoons. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

If the wine is not sweet, you should put in the bottle ¼ teaspoon of sugar and shake well.
If you don’t want to drink alcohol, you can try sugar water with a piece of fruit. Use boiling water to cool to prevent mold before the solution takes effect.

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Brush a little cooking oil inside the mouth of the bottle. The cooking oil will flow down and lubricate the bottle wall until the bottom of the bottle.

You can also use a bottle brush or a long-handled brush to brush the Vaseline inside the bottle, just below the neck of the bottle. So the cockroaches when falling into the bottle will not have the adhesion to climb up.

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Trapping. Place the bottle where you’ve seen cockroaches: near a compost pile or a dark corner of the kitchen, for example. Set traps for at least one night. It can take several days for the solution to ferment enough to attract cockroaches.

Cockroaches will be attracted to the sweet smell of wine or beer. They will crawl up the top of the bottle, slip on the oil, fall to the bottom of the bottle and be unable to climb back up.
Consider creating a “path” with wine on the side of the bottle from the bottom of the bottle up to the top of the bottle. Cockroaches will be lured into the trap in the hope that there is something more attractive inside.

Advice

If you don’t have onions, you can use peanut butter or anything sweet.
Once the cockroaches are trapped, you can use a vacuum cleaner to suck the cockroaches off the tape or throw the tape away.
Consider making your home less attractive to cockroaches. If the indoor environment is still favorable for cockroaches, then killing cockroaches will only create space for new cockroaches to quickly take their place. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Cockroaches do not necessarily die when sucked in by a vacuum cleaner – they will lay eggs in it and your house will have more cockroaches.

Warning

The tape may dry out.
Keep the tape away from children and pets.

Things you need

Super sticky tape
Foods with strong odors (like onions) or wine
Dark location where cockroaches often congregate

Steps