# Killing bugs with soap **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 23, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710 "2004-09-23T16:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fanny\_May](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3be4f8/32.png) [@Fanny\_May](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fanny_May)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/1 "2004-09-23T16:53:26Z")
[Can you kill bugs by squirting them with Ivory soap? 13-Apr-1984](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_064.html) I think the soap does more than reduce surface tension to help them drown. Soap makes the lungs pucker up, the same as inhaling laundry detergent dries your nose and makes you sneeze. And bugs “inhale” a lot of their oxygen through their skin, since they have no red blood cells to ship it around the body. So they don’t have to get it in through the mouth, they can just walk on soap and start to “choke” from lack of oxygen. That’s how borax powder, boric acid, works (the most popular roach killer in the hardware store). And it’s also the main ingredient in many soaps. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/2 "2004-09-23T17:29:43Z")
> [@Fanny May](#): > > That’s how borax powder, boric acid, works (the most popular roach killer in the hardware store). [Not according to the Perfect Master](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_019.html) > [@](#): > > (1) The stuff gets on the waxy coating on the critter’s hide (or “exoskeleton”) and partially dissolves it, whereupon the cockroach dehydrates and croaks. > > (2) The borax acts as an abrasive, causing microscratches in said coating. Cockroach dehydrates, etc. Of course, he was talking about borax instead of boric acid, but another quote: > [@](#): > > A mixture containing borax, which for our purposes is equivalent to boric acid . . . RR ---
**Author:** ![Fanny\_May](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3be4f8/32.png) [@Fanny\_May](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fanny_May)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/3 "2004-09-23T21:10:58Z")
So he forgot something about roaches in the 9 months between answers? Sounds like he needs a better filing system! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/4 "2004-09-24T12:46:38Z")
FWIW, every book that I’ve read on non-toxic living has a recipe for insecticide made with liquid soap. Basically, it’s one tablespoon of soap and one pint of water in a spray bottle. Not only is this less toxic and greener than any insecticide, but the price savings alone makes it worth trying. ---
**Author:** ![fuzznuttz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d78d45/32.png) [@fuzznuttz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzznuttz)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/5 "2004-09-30T14:05:19Z")
When having problems w/ bees a coupla yrs ago, I consulted Google, found a site (I don’t recall it’s name), which had numerous suggestions by others on how to get rid of them effectively & cheaply. Most suggested a little soap in a pint/liter squirt bottle, observe where the nests are by following the critters from a distance & wait til they’re dormant (dusk or dawn). Blast the area w/ the squirter everyday for @ 2 weeks & they’re gone! Don’t go hog wild & try to get all the nests; just the ones which affect you most (doorways, windows, etc.). It has worked wonder fully for me these past 2 summers. Start early, @ late March/early April. Doesen’t hurt to reinforce those same areas occassionally. Just the other day I immobilized a fly in the house w/ a swat, dropped a bead of soap on 'im, & he was appendage up in an hour. Cheap & non-toxic. An aside to those who want to get rid of an exposed nest: follow the same procedure w/ a can of oven cleaner, which can be bought for a $1 at a ta…da…Dollar store. The foam will immobilize any bees on contact, but they take awhile to expire. Leave the nest alone!!! If you remove it, they will come back to that spot to build again. Once the nests dry, you could per- haps decorate it for the holidaze, send in a pic to Martha Stewart’s cell, & get pub- lished! Ahhh, the joys of home ownership. Good luck to all. -fuzznuttz ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/6 "2004-10-07T01:15:02Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > FWIW, every book that I’ve read on non-toxic living has a recipe for insecticide made with liquid soap. Basically, it’s one tablespoon of soap and one pint of water in a spray bottle. Not only is this less toxic and greener than any insecticide, but the price savings alone makes it worth trying. What kind of soap? Detergent, Dish soap? I’d like to try this. Jake ---
**Author:** ![fuzznuttz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d78d45/32.png) [@fuzznuttz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzznuttz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/7 "2004-10-07T13:42:05Z")
Any liquid detergent soap ought to work well. Go to a local dollar store first. No need to go gonzo w/ upplie. As others have said, “Works for me!” Good luck & keep us “posted”! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/8 "2004-10-07T13:54:00Z")
Right. Any soap or detergent will do. Even that bottle of dish detergent that you probably already have on the kitchen sink. The best thing about green cleaners is they can be used for more than one thing, but it doesn’t work in reverse–don’t try washing your dishes with Raid. To get rid of an anthill, heat a gallon of water, add a 1/2 cup of dish detergent, and pour. That will get rid of them suckers. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/9 "2004-10-10T08:11:56Z")
Fanny May insects don’t have lungs to pucker up. The only respiratory system they have is a series of fine tubes that run from the outside of the body through the insides. These vessels do contain oils that are designed to keep them water free so the air can readily diffuse through them, and it’s possible that the soapy water floods them, but that would not rapidly kill an insect since most can last several hours without oxygen. Nor do most insects inhale a lot of oxygen through their skins. Insect skin is impressively watertight, and hence airtight. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/10 "2004-10-10T14:27:08Z")
Water tight doesn’t equal airtight. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/11 "2004-10-15T11:35:03Z")
Watertight is so close to being airtight as to make no practical difference. I’m sure there are some odd instances where some elements of air can pass through a surface that is impermeable to water or vice versa but such instances would be of curiosity value only. Once you realise that water is a significant component of air and that air can only diffuse across wet membranes in biological systems you will realise why watertight – airtight. ---
**Author:** ![msweeney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@msweeney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msweeney)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/12 "2004-10-22T11:52:41Z")
I’ve also killed paper wasps and yellow jackets with window spray and other cleaners (409, etc). One spray of some of these and the bug curls up so tight it breaks its own back. Instant death. Mike in NH > [@Fanny May](#): > > [Can you kill bugs by squirting them with Ivory soap? 13-Apr-1984](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_064.html) > > I think the soap does more than reduce surface tension to help them drown. Soap makes the lungs pucker up, the same as inhaling laundry detergent dries your nose and makes you sneeze. > And bugs “inhale” a lot of their oxygen through their skin, since they have no red blood cells to ship it around the body. So they don’t have to get it in through the mouth, they can just walk on soap and start to “choke” from lack of oxygen. > > That’s how borax powder, boric acid, works (the most popular roach killer in the hardware store). And it’s also the main ingredient in many soaps. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/13 "2004-10-22T12:27:47Z")
While were on the subject of “green” killing, can someone tell me if they’ve had experience with fabric softener sheets as a mouse repellant? How about those sonar thingies that only rodents can hear…to annoy them the FUCK out of my house? We bought a new dishwasher eight months ago, and the mice ATE A HOLE THROUGH THE SUMP (the size of a silver dollar!). Needless to say, the water runs out all over my floor as fast as the machine fills. Aside from the fact that the repair is going to cost half of what I paid for the machine, I’m annoyed by these little bastards. We have cats who do a pretty good job of catching the measily meeces, so we can’t put poison down to kill the little suckers. Any help will be most appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/14 "2004-10-23T01:05:38Z")
> [@msweeney](#): > > I’ve also killed paper wasps and yellow jackets with window spray and other cleaners (409, etc). One spray of some of these and the bug curls up so tight it breaks its own back. Instant death. The ‘bug’ curls up tight because the manner of death causes the muscles to go tetanic, IOW the death causes the bug to curl up, bot the other way around… Insects don’t have a spine, and hence can’t break their back. They do have a nerve cord, but it’s located in their belly, unlike the human cord which is located on the back. So for an insect to break it’s central nerve cord like that it would in fact need to bend backwards, not forwards. > [@Kalhoun](#): > > How about those sonar thingies that only rodents can hear…to annoy them the FUCK out of my house? Well Klhoun this seems like the appropriate forum to point this out to you: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_068.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_068.html)😉 Basically there is no simple way to control mice. Poisons are best, but if you are absolutely unable to use poisons then you are really restricted to the use of traps. There are arrange of traps available that pose no risk to cats. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/15 "2004-10-24T17:10:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Insects don’t have a spine, and hence can’t break their back. Insects don’t have a spine, and therefore can’t break their _spine_. But they do have a back, and can break that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/16 "2004-10-24T22:52:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Insects don’t have a spine, and therefore can’t break their _spine_. But they do have a back, and can break that. Not without such gross trauma to the entire body that “breaking its back” becomes an understatement. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-bugs-with-soap/265710/17 "2004-10-25T08:43:39Z")
What JWK said. And added to that the term ‘break ones back’ refers to a break of the spinal cord or column, nothing else. It’s a specific term with a specific meaning. A person or other vertebrate with even major trauma to the dorsal surface is never described as having a broken back despite the fact that pedantically the back is indeed broken. It doesn’t matter if all the skin, muscles and tendons are torn through and the viscera are spilling out through the hole, if the spinal column is intact the term broken back is never used. The term broken back is reserved exclusively to refer to a break of the spinal chord/column, and will be used to refer to that even if there are no external injuries to the ‘back’ at all. Insects lack a spine and hence can never be said to have a broken back.