The Deadliest Weapons For Killing Cockroaches

Not All Cockroach-Busting Weapons Are Created Equal

Sep 24, 2009 Frances Suselo

While practically anything near you can be used to whack the disgusting insects, there are a few points that should be kept in mind.

Granted, there are many things lying around the house that can be used to flatten a cockroach and send it to insect hell. But which anti-roach weapon is the most effective of all? As mentioned in a previous article, roaches do not only look disgusting, they also smell bad and spread diseases.

Here is a list of some of the most common weapons in the house, along with a short description of the effectiveness of each:

Rolled-up Magazine or Newspaper

  • Advantages: rolled-up reading materials sure are handy for killing roaches since every house has at least a few of them lying around. What's more, at least one can feel good about reusing/recycling all those papers that came from massacred trees.
  • Disadvantages: while magazines or newspapers might be easy to grab, you will actually lose precious time trying to roll the weapon into a desired shape. By the time you locate the weapon and achieve its deadly form, the blasted pest is escaped already. Besides, what if you actually want to read the said newspaper or magazine again? It will be covered with smelly roach blood after usage, thus forcing you to simply get rid of it.

Slippers

  • Advantages: if one are the kind of person who wears house slippers, perhaps just one slipper can be the weapon of choice. The fact that the weapons are in such close proximity makes them very convenient. House slippers are also light and easy to maneuver.
  • Disadvantages: house slippers' reach is not very long, therefore this means that one needs to get quite close to the offending cockroach in order to squash it. If you are the timid kind, this might not be your ideal weapon. Besides, even if you succeed in killing the roach, the bottom of your slipper will be contaminated with roach guts. This will leave you with two choices: either wash the weapon (very unpleasant and tedious) or simply throw it away (wasteful, since you will also need to throw out the other pair).

Anti-Bug Spray

  • Advantages: this is the perfect weapon for wimps, since an anti-bug spray provides an attack from a distance.
  • Disadvantages: cockroaches are among the toughest creatures on the face of the Earth, so often, just a one-time spray is not sufficient to completely knock them out. In fact, some species are so hardy that they will not even be stunned by the spray; they will simply shrug it off and escape. What's more, sprays are not environmentally friendly and tend to be smelly. Sensitive humans might pass out from the vapors instead.

Poison

  • Advantages: if you are the type who likes to torture creatures slowly and painfully, poison is for you. Poison is also cheap (most supermarkets sell them) and easy to use. Simply leave the poison container wherever you think a cockroach might pass by, and earn the peace of mind that the vermin will meet its Maker.
  • Disadvantages: the poison that is so effective in killing the roach is a double-edge sword, as it can also harm other beings in the house, such as young children and pets.

Acid Solution

  • Advantages: it is such a joy to see the repugnant insect squirming in pain! Acid solution is the weapon of choice of any sadist.
  • Disadvantages: the cockroach needs to be stunned into a state of immobility first before acid can be poured on it, so this method takes more steps than the others. What's more, while it is pleasurable to watch the roach writhe, cleaning up afterwards will not be so much fun, as the acid solution practically melts the cockroach's internal organs. It will take a strong mind and an iron stomach to take care of the gooey mess.

Fly Swatter

  • Advantages: this is the ideal coackroach-killing weapon. A fly swatter is cheap, easy to grab, reach-increasing, light, and highly maveuverable. To make it even more effective, always leave the fly swatter at the same spot in the house. This way, the next time a roach dares to show its disgusting self to you, you won't have to lose precious time looking for the weapon, since you already know where the weapon is. With a fly swatter, you also won't have to get too close to the vermin.
  • Disadvantages: the only advantage of a fly swatter might be the washing that has to be done after the killing. However, washing a fly swatter is less burdensome than washing a slipper because a fly awatter is made of plastic, thus making it easier to clean. Besides, a fly swatter is not worn on the person; it will just lay undisturbed in a specific location until the time comes for it to be taken out of its dormancy.

After taking all points into consideration, the fly swatter emerges victorious in the continuing battle against cockroaches. What's more, a fly swatter is a 2-in-1 value for your money, since it is actually capable of killing another pesky insect: the fly.

The copyright of the article The Deadliest Weapons For Killing Cockroaches in Home Management is owned by Frances Suselo. Permission to republish The Deadliest Weapons For Killing Cockroaches in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Comments

Oct 10, 2009 11:20 AM
Yuen Kit Mun :
The standard bug spray that I get from the grocery shop works fine. It takes a few minutes to work, which is why some people might think that the cockroach just shrugs it off (especially if it runs off and dies in a corner somewhere).

One short squirt and a direct hit is all that it takes. I even used a can of air freshener once in desperation (out of bug spray). Worked too, just a squirt and it ran off and went belly up after a few minutes.
Oct 10, 2009 11:49 PM
Frances Suselo :
Hi,

Thank you for your comment in defense of the bug spray (tee-hee!). Perhaps that is why I've always thought the spray is not very effective, since I don't follow the cockroach around to check whether or not it will really die after I spray it. Whenever I see a roach, I get this urge to kill it ON THE SPOT, since it will give me some peace of mind. Besides, if it drops dead somewhere in the house a few minutes later, doesn't that mean I'll have to look for it to throw it away? Who knows where that wretched bug will end up, right?
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