Continue with your delusions, people, you’ll keep me (and Cecil) in business for a long time.
Boric acid is the best way to deal with roaches, bar none. In fact, the active ingredient in the baiting gels I use professionally is…orthoboric acid.
Sprays can be effective, but there are a couple catches.
First, they usually contain a flushing agent, which irritates the roaches and causes them to scatter. Unless you’re prepared to treat every single crack and crevice in your abode with spray, any roaches that survive will take up residence in an untreated area and continue to plague you.
Second, roaches have the charming habit of dropping an egg case (if they’re carrying one) when they are hit with spray. Thus, with sprays and “bombs” (Great snakes, chunda21, what were you thinking?!) you may not see any roaches for a while, but since egg cases hatch in about 30 days, you will be seeing more of your little friends presently.
Since roaches must eat, baits are extremely effective, if they are placed properly. Cecil neglected to mention the undersides of the countertops. These cracks and crevices are where roaches hide, congregate, fornicate, etc. Another added bonus of baits is the fact that roaches are cannibalistic, and will eat a dead roach if they come across one. If the roach was killed with boric acid bait, well, you figure it out.
Treating the areas mentioned, as well as increasing sanitation to reduce competitive food sources, will work well if done on a regular basis. Check for the following re sanitation: covered garbage pail, not leaving dirty dishes and crumbs around, not letting grease accumulate on countertops, walls, range hoods, etc. Ninety percent of effective pest control is good sanitation.
If you have a habit of collecting paper or plastic bags in a cabinet, get rid of them. Roaches love to hide in that stuff. Find a better way to store your bags if you feel you must, and keep them out of dark places, like in the sink cabinet.
Baits are the best method, and should be applied judiciously to cracks and crevices, not, to paraphrase the master, “a foot deep.” I assume he was being facetious. Pets and children are not likely to be exposed to baiting gel or powder that is in a crack on the underside of the kitchen sink.
Remember, when using pesticides, two things come into play, toxicity and hazard. Toxicity is what it is, and even the most skillful application cannot change it. Hazard is entirely in the hands of the applicator, and can be reduced or eliminated with judicious application methods.
