Alexandra Ramirez
We spent 30 days testing and researching over 12 different kinds of roach killer and found that effectiveness, ease of application, and reputation were the most important factors for consumers who were shopping for roach killer. Advion Cockroach Gel Bait scored high marks above all the other roach killer products and is our overall top pick. Advion provides consumers with a strong, effective means of getting rid of these pests that really works. Advion works by combining a non-repellant active ingredient along with a high-consumption bait matrix. This combination is irresistible to cockroaches so even tough populations are controlled and eliminated quickly.
1. Advion
Best Overall Roach Killer
5/5 Product Rating
Advion cockroach gel bait offers highly effective control in a single product. The bait arenas are made with specially designed entry holes so the bait can attract and target small and large cockroaches.
Cockroaches will not be able to resist the exceptionally effective combination of highly-consumable bait along with a non-repellent, potent active ingredient that draws roaches to it like crazy. Even your toughest roach infestations will be controlled and eliminated quickly.
Species that this roach killer is effective include German, Asian, Australian, Brown, Oriental, American, Smoky-Brown, and Brown-banded cockroaches. This gel bait roach killer can be used in commercial and residential areas.
Advion is effective indoors and out and can be used in crevices in virtually any areas in your home, garage, vehicles, and any commercial places as well. Do not treat areas that can be accessed easily by pets and children.
– Sarah Lytle
2. HARRIS
Best Overall Roach Killer – Runner Up
4.8/5 Product Rating
If you are looking for an effective, easy-to-use roach killer, you will find satisfaction with HARRIS Boric Acid roach killer.
This long lasting killer is effective on palmetto bugs, silverfish, cockroaches, and water bugs for weeks after it is applied. The only requirement is that it needs to be kept dry.
The fast acting powder will kill roaches that come in contact with it within 72 hours. The extended straw makes application of the powder easy and fast even in harder to reach areas.
One of the benefits of this effective boric acid is that it contains food grade lure which will draw the cockroaches out of their hiding places.
HARRIS Boric Acid roach killer is made in the United States and has been registered with the EPA for use in homes and around people and pets. Application is simple; just create a barrier that cockroaches have to crawl through using the applicator, along baseboards, behind appliances, and in cracks where you have noticed roaches.
– Sarah Lytle
3. Combat
4.5/5 Product Rating
Combat is a well-known name in roach killers and has created this roach killing bait that is designed for large roaches, palmetto bugs, and waterbugs. The powerful insecticide used in these baits is Hydramethylnon, an effective, long-lasting formula that will produce results.
These no mess baits are easy to use and need no activation. All you have to do is place them around the home wherever you have seen roaches and you’re done while they get to work killing these pests night and day.
The best places to put them include behind toilets, under your sinks, behind appliances, and other out of the way places. They will attract and kill the roaches that you have seen and the ones you don’t see as well. The roaches take the bait back to the nest and it will kill the nest too. The baits are child resistant for added safety. You receive 8 large baits in each box.
– Sarah Lytle
Roach Killer Buying Guide
There are several different kinds of roach killer on the market that you can use to combat these awful pests. Below we have listed the most common roach killers along with some information about each type so you can determine which one or ones you want to try.
1. Cockroach Traps
Cockroach traps are great for finding where the roaches are hiding. You can use the traps as a way to measure the effectiveness of other products you’re using as well. These types of traps are covered with a sticky adhesive on the surface that will capture the roaches as they crawl across it. It usually takes a day or two for the roaches to die once they are stuck to the trap.
Benefits of Cockroach Traps
Using cockroach traps is a good way to discover how bad the problem is and where the roaches are congregating. If you find a large number of roaches stuck to the trap in one place in your home that is a good indication that there are nests close by. If you have a small amount of roaches in your home, roach traps work well. If you are dealing with a larger problem you will need to either add another method or find something stronger and more effective.
Disadvantages of Roach Traps
One of the biggest disadvantages of roach traps is that if you have a larger infestation of roaches they are pretty useless. Roaches can overwhelm the trap or even escape from it to go on and continue multiplying. Another disadvantage is that they are much higher maintenance than some of the other roach killing methods because you have to keep replacing them with a fresh trap. The traps also don’t kill the roaches instantly, which disturbs some people.
2. Cockroach Baits
Cockroach baits are different from traps in many ways. They contain an insecticide that features a delayed-action and have some method of attractant that will lure the roaches into the bait. Once inside the bait the roaches will eat the bait and then take it back to their nest where they share it with the other roaches there.
The bait will kill the roaches that initially eat it and take it back to the nest and once there, it will kill the nest too. Roach baits are a very effective way of controlling an infestation of roaches and are very popular with consumers.
There are several types of roach baits that you can choose including granules, gel baits, and bait stations. Place the stations in certain places around your home where you have seen roaches. There are some roach baits that use gel attractants that are irresistible to roaches. You will find that gels are much more effective for cracks and crevices and will act as a poison and a seal. Granules are much larger and are better suited to treat the outside of your home.
Roach baits can be used indoors and outdoors but they are much more effective inside where you can put them where you see the most roaches.
Benefits of Roach Baits
One of the best things about roach baits is that they are consistent in how they work. They work over a period of time to control the infestation and eliminate the roaches from the nest out. This is a great way to stop them from multiplying, kill the majority of them, and stop them from coming back. Roach baits work best when they are used in combination with other roach killers.
Disadvantages to Roach Baits
There will not be any kind of instant gratification when you use roach baits but within a few days you should start to see some improvement. Roach baits work gradually and in a decided domino effect. The more roaches that eat the bait the more insecticide is taken and spread around to other roaches in the nests.
If the baits are not placed near the infestations they will not be effective. Placement will be determined by where the roaches are but if you combine them with roach traps above you should be able to narrow down their location significantly.
3. Roach Sprays
There are two types of roach sprays on the market; residual sprays that will leave a film of the active insecticide on the surfaces you have sprayed or the non-residual kind that kills on contact. Both sprays are effective for using around your home to kill roaches you see on contact. They can also stop roaches from coming inside your home from the outside.
The best treatment for getting rid of roaches involves using residual and non-residual sprays together. The residual spray will create a barrier of insecticide for the roaches to crawl across. You will use the kill-on-contact spray to flush them out of where they are hiding. Roaches will more than likely scatter from the spray fumes and go right across the residual spray effectively killing the ones that the contact spray didn’t get because they ran.
Benefits of Roach Spray
Roach sprays are a good tool to use in conjunction with other roach killing methods because they are limited when used alone. Sprays also don’t have the chemicals that disrupt the reproductive system the way IGRs do. (More on those later)
When using roach spray, don’t spray on the baits that you have placed around. Spray the crevices and cracks with a residual spray and then put the baits down. Not only will the roaches crawl through the residual chemicals they will eat the bait and take it back to the nest as well. It is a good one-two punch for combating roaches. Sprays do have a chemical odor that can be bothersome and the spray can stain furniture if you’re not careful. You should not spray around children or pets or leave the cans where they can get them.
One of the best things about roach sprays is that they kill on contact. Many people use roach sprays as their first line of defense because they kill right away. Just understand that sprays don’t work alone so you will not be able to get rid of the roaches by just using sprays by themselves. Teaming them with baits and traps and even IGRs will get rid of even the biggest infestations.
Disadvantages of Roach Sprays
Roaches have a fast reproduction rate so remember that spraying alone may kill groups at a time but you will never out kill their reproduction rates. They also hide well and sprays can’t get back behind the walls where a lot of roaches live and build nests. Sprays work much better as a barrier treatment.
4. IGRs – Insect Growth Regulators
IGRs are used to disrupt the reproductive systems of the roach population. It is kind of like roach birth control, disrupting the egg and larvae stages of the life cycle. IGRs are great when used in combination with other methods.
Benefits of IGRs
One of the best benefits to using IGRs is that because they disrupt the reproductive systems and cycle of the roaches, they will not continue to multiply. You should use IGRs along with traps, baits, and sprays for a total control and elimination of the roach population in your home.
Disadvantages of IGRs
IGRs are designed to eliminate the reproductive capabilities of roaches not kill the adults. They are not good for single battles against a roach problem so they will have to be used with other methods to be effective.
Conclusion
Roach problems are something no one likes dealing with but it is a very common problem especially in warmer regions like Florida, Georgia, and other warm climates.
Once you have a roach problem it can be a real battle to get rid of them if you do not use the right products to combat them. The purpose of this guide and the reviews of the top rated roach killers on the market are to attack the roach problem in your home and get rid of them.
The three top rated products we have featured above are all excellent quality roach killers that have proven track records for killing roaches and getting rid of infestations in your home. None of the products listed are meant to be used as a standalone method so keep in mind that for true roach control and elimination you will need to get more than one type of roach killer.
Most people opt for a combination of 2 or 3 methods such as bait, spray, and IGRs that will not only kill some on contact; they will stop reproduction and kill the hidden roaches as well. The information in the buying guide has gone through all four of the most common roach killing products so you can understand the difference between them and what they do to kill or control roaches.
Take this information to find the perfect combination of roach killer for your home and take care of those pests once and for all so you can rest easy that diseased insects are not crawling across your kitchen counters.
