Among the most familiar and traditionally popular pest control products are all kinds of cockroach powders - they are easy to use, most of them are inexpensive and in practice, when used correctly, they really show high efficiency.
One of the first representatives of powdered insecticides was dust (DDT, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) - the older generation remembers it well, since dust is widely used not only in agriculture, but also in everyday life, to fight cockroaches, domestic ants and even lice. And the remedy was really lethal, at least DDT mowed down the cockroaches cleanly (only the drug often led to poisoning of the residents themselves, since it was very toxic).
Below in the photo is the same legendary dust, which is no longer available for sale today:
Boric acid (the so-called boric powder) has also found wide application from cockroaches: its mixture with egg yolk is a classic folk recipe for cockroaches, which is still used today, and not without success.
Meanwhile, progress has not stood still, and today a large number of other cockroach powders have appeared on the market, no less effective, but at the same time much safer to handle than dust, and acting in lower concentrations than boron powder. Interestingly, among the people, almost any powder from insects is still often called dust, although, of course, modern remedies no longer have anything to do with DDT, and the active substances in them are completely different (we will talk about them a little later).
So, let's see what insecticidal powders are most popular today for killing cockroaches, and also try to figure out how to use such products correctly in order to get the maximum effect and forget about pests in the house for a long time.
And let's start, perhaps, with the exotic - with the so-called "tire powder" - its specificity is that many have heard about its extremely high effectiveness against cockroaches, but they have absolutely no idea what kind of substance it is, where to buy it, and indeed why some call it tire powder and others call it cable...
Tire powder from cockroaches (aka thiuram, aka cable powder)
Perhaps the first (and most important) thing you should know here: the tire or cable powder used from cockroaches is the common name for technical thiuram (tetramethylthiuram disulfide, aka Thiuram D, Thiram or TMTD). The main application of this chemical is in the rubber industry, where thiuram is used as a vulcanization accelerator.
Actually, for the reason that thiuram is used to produce rubber, it is commonly called tire or cable powder.
On a note
Thus, tire powder is by no means a powdered tire from a car, as is sometimes thought. Thiuram is an individual chemical substance, and is a white or gray crystalline powder, almost odorless.
Fungicidal properties were found in thiuram - methods have been developed for using this substance in the fight against fungi, as well as for baiting rodents.
In addition, tire powder has insecticidal properties and, in particular, helps get rid of cockroaches, and, judging by the reviews, the tool works much more efficiently than even the old time-tested boric acid. Meanwhile, cable powder is not widely used by insect control specialists (disinsectors).
Another nuance of using thiuram is that it is difficult to buy. It is not sold in the markets and in ordinary hardware stores. Tiuram is sometimes used in tire shops, as well as tire factories - this is where you can try to find and buy this powder. It can also be purchased:
- in online stores as a chemical reagent;
- in small packaging as "Cable Powder";
- in packages of 1 kg called "Tiram".
Review
“There was an experience of using thiuram. Chemistry is terrible, 30 years ago, parents poisoned cockroaches with them. They say that then they walked right along the placers of these reptiles, crunching under their feet. But then it was not sold anywhere, my father worked at a tire factory and was able to get it. And now there is no such possibility, therefore I am looking for where this powder can be bought. It’s painfully good, after all the worthless dichlorvos, brownie gels, combat traps and other store nonsense, I rely only on him ... "
Pavel, Novosibirsk
It should be borne in mind that thiuram is toxic to humans and domestic animals. Therefore, even if you manage to get this “tire powder” somewhere, it must be used carefully at home, excluding the possibility of contact with it by children and pets.
Thiuram has a so-called intestinal poisoning effect on cockroaches, that is, a cockroach must eat a substance in order to be poisoned. In this respect, the substance is in many ways similar to boric acid, which, unlike modern insecticides, also does not have a contact poisoning effect, but exerts its poisoning effect only when eaten by an insect.
good old boric acid
Boric acid (otherwise called boric powder) is a much more popular and well-known cockroach remedy than thiuram. It is very toxic to most insects, and if used correctly, it can be used to get cockroaches out of the house in just 2 weeks.
Boric acid as an insecticide can be used in two ways:
- The powder is poured in paths where cockroaches are likely to run over it, or a small bait (bread, egg, onion) is simply placed in the middle of the heaps of boric acid. The bottom line is to get the cockroaches to get dirty in boron powder. When insects begin to clean their paws and antennae, they will certainly swallow a few grains of the product;
- Or boron powder is added to the food bait, and the cockroaches simply eat it. Traditionally, the recipes for such baits involve mixing boric acid with a boiled egg (yolk), with mashed potatoes, with dough, but, in principle, you can knead the powder into anything that cockroaches will eat. Balls roll from the resulting mixture, which are then laid out in different places in the apartment. Gradually, cockroaches find them, willingly eat and poison themselves.
And further: Good old Karbofos poisons cockroaches with a bang - watch our video ...
Review
“My mother and I poisoned cockroaches with boric acid. They got us incredibly! We bought 4 bags of 10 grams at the pharmacy, they cost 40 rubles each. Hard-boiled two eggs and thoroughly mixed the powder of boric acid with the yolks. Then small balls were rolled up, they were laid out in different places in the kitchen, especially under the sink, where these creatures constantly crawl. Cockroaches just pounced on this treat, it seemed that they were munching on the whole kitchen. Somewhere in 5 days they became much less, they began to poison themselves. Boric acid is a slow-acting poison for them. Then they swept the corpses for a few more days, and now everything is clean, even from the neighbors they don’t come.”
Svetlana, Moscow
Boric acid is good for its wide availability, complete lack of odor and relative safety for humans (moderately toxic, rarely causes allergic reactions, it was even used to disinfect wounds before). You can buy it in almost any pharmacy.
On a note
Instead of boric acid for baiting cockroaches, you can just as well use borax (the sodium salt of boric acid, which is also a white crystalline powder).
Another important point that not everyone takes into account when using boric acid in practice: there should not be easily accessible sources of water in the room for at least some time, since cockroaches poisoned by boric acid can drink, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of the method.
Insecticide powder Ecokiller (based on diatomite)
Generally speaking, Ecokiller stands somewhat apart from most other insecticidal powders due to the specific mechanism of action on insects. While other powders cause cockroach poisoning in one way or another, Ecokiller works in a completely different way.
The basis of the drug is a specially processed diatomaceous earth, also called mountain flour - a cream-colored mineral powder, the particles of which have a strongly pronounced abrasive effect (consist mainly of silicon dioxide) and at the same time have high absorbent properties (in particular, they are actively able to absorb moisture from the outside). The contact of a cockroach with the powder of the Ecokiller drug leads to damage to the protective layer on the outer integument of the insect's body (cuticle) and, as a result, a rapid loss of fluid by its body.And since the cockroach cannot get rid of the powder adhering to its body, it has practically no chance of surviving.
The photo below shows what diatomite particles look like under a microscope:
As practice shows, if you use Ecokiller according to the instructions, then you can get rid of cockroaches in about 2-3 weeks, and even in the most neglected cases, when the apartment is literally teeming with pests, as well as in those difficult situations when the cockroach population has resistance to " chemistry" (permethrin, karbofos, etc.)
On a note
The Ecokiller drug is also notable for the fact that it allows you to fight insects that do not eat any baits at all. In particular, just like cockroaches, Ecokiller powder can poison bedbugs and fleas that feed only on blood, it can also be used to kill moths and pests in the garden.
In general, almost any effective insecticidal powder is quite versatile, and its scope is not limited to cockroach control.
It is also important that Ecokiller, unlike preparations based on traditional insecticides, is highly safe for people and pets. Physically, it is somewhat similar to chalk - it is so inert that even if a cat or a child accidentally gets dirty in it, this will not have any consequences for their health (which cannot be said about preparations based on pyrethroids and organophosphate insecticides).
Remedy for cockroaches Frontline M
Belarusian-made Frontline M powder is a typical insecticidal nerve agent.As active ingredients, the drug contains fipronil and methoprene - two substances that have an acute contact and intestinal effect on cockroaches.
If an insect runs over the powder, or the agent enters the digestive tract (whether when cleaning the paws or eating the bait with Frontline), the active substances enter the body, lead to poisoning and rapid death of the insect.
On a note
Frontline M and powders similar to it are often called dusts in everyday life, as well as powders or powders. As noted above, these drugs have nothing to do with true dust (DDT).
Powder Phenaksin
The composition of Phenaksin includes the insecticide fenvalerate and the boric acid already mentioned above. Due to this, the drug has both a nerve-paralytic and an acute intestinal effect on insects.
The powder is inexpensive, a package of 125 grams of Phenaksin costs about 40 rubles, and one such bag is enough to persecute cockroaches in a room of about 30 square meters. m.
The preparation is used, first of all, in places where cockroaches accumulate, as well as on the paths of their possible movement. In particular, cracks in the walls and floor, cracks along baseboards, holes at the entry points of water, heating and sewer pipes to the apartment, as well as the back walls of furniture (especially in the kitchen) are treated with powder.
Important
For the destruction of cockroaches, it is Phenaksin, and not Phenaksin-Plus, that is used. The second drug is not a powder, but special granules used in agriculture to destroy the bear.
Review
“We tried, probably, a dozen different means ... Somehow the Regent helped, but not for long.About six months ago, we managed to more or less get rid of cockroaches when we bought some Chinese powder, but now we don’t have it, relatives buy it only in Moscow. In our panel house, cockroaches live everywhere, they walk around the apartment, as if on a boulevard. Recently they etched with Phenaksin, several weeks have already passed after that, so far it is clean, not a single new cockroach. The bad thing is that the powder stinks a lot, it is advisable to scatter it when you leave somewhere ... "
Alena, Irkutsk
Insecticides Super Fas and Fas Double
Despite the similar names, these funds have a different composition:
- The drug Super Fas contains the insecticides thiamethoxam (4%) and zeta-cypermethrin (1%) as an active ingredient. It is sold both as a water-soluble powder and as tablets;
- In Fas-Double, the active ingredients are zeta-cypermethrin, es-fenvalerate and piperonyl butoxide. Release form - powder from light gray to light brown.
Super Fas is used to prepare a 1% solution, followed by its application in places of accumulation and movement of cockroaches (consumption rate 50-100 ml per square meter). Fas-Double is used directly in the form of a powder - in the fight against cockroaches, a consumption rate of 2 grams per square meter of area is used.
At the same time, the effect of both drugs on cockroaches is approximately the same: the components of the preparations, when they enter the body of an insect, lead to disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, paralysis and imminent death.Both drugs have a contact and intestinal toxic effect.
The price of Super Fas powder is approximately 80 rubles per 10 gram package. A bag of Fas-Double for 125 grams costs about 70 rubles.
Review
“We have drunks below the bottom neighbors, they constantly cockroaches in droves. Before that, we lived with cockroaches for 5 years, there was nowhere to go. What they just didn’t try, and all sorts of traps, and crayons, and sprayers. And only two years ago they found the right remedy. Fas powder helped us - a very effective remedy, it is also used for Colorado potato beetles. We managed 100%, for almost 2 years we don’t remember cockroaches. They processed the whole apartment with Face, then they did a little repair. No more cockroaches!”
Ira, Moscow
Dust from cockroaches Chisty Dom
Powdered insecticide Chisty Dom contains two highly effective insecticides that have a nerve-paralytic effect on cockroaches - tetramethrin and cypermethrin.
Dost Chisty Dom is applied in the same way as similar products, and if the instructions for use are followed, then the result appears after a couple of days and is quite pronounced (many dead cockroaches on the floor). The drug allows you to get rid of not only cockroaches, but also domestic ants, wood lice, fleas, silverfish, and with some diligence - even bed bugs.
Powder Feverfew
Feverfew is another specific powder used to control cockroaches. It is interesting because it consists of dried and crushed flowers of Dalmatian chamomile, a flower that contains natural insecticides from the pyrethrin class. It was pyrethrins that were used to control insects until the industry established the production of their synthetic analogues - pyrethroids.
The second name for pyrethrum powder is Persian powder.
It is believed that synthetic pyrethroids are more effective as insecticides than pyrethrins, that is, they have a more pronounced nerve-paralytic effect on insects. At the same time, pyrethrins are safer for humans and pets, and therefore Pyrethrum powder is used not only against cockroaches in residential areas, but also to fight, for example, with lice, ticks and fleas in cats and dogs.
The price of Pyrethrum powder is about 500 rubles per pack of 300 grams.
General rules for the use of insecticidal powders in the fight against cockroaches
The vast majority of commercially available insecticidal powders are largely similar in their composition and effect on cockroaches: for example, Halek, Biotsifen, Zeleny Dom and some others not mentioned above contain all the same pyrethroids and poison cockroaches due to contact and intestinal action.
When buying this or that product, it is important not to confuse ready-to-use powders with powders intended for dissolution in water - the latter are much more concentrated, somewhat more difficult to use and are used to disinfect the premises by spraying the prepared solution. Such water-soluble powders include the above-mentioned drug Super Fas, as well as Tarax, Spark, Atlant, Super Attack and some others.
Be that as it may, before using any insecticidal agent, you should definitely read the instructions for using the drug and follow basic safety rules (for example, use a respirator and rubber gloves when working).
On a note
Specialists of SES and private pest control services often combine different types of products - for example, they spray a preparation prepared from an emulsion concentrate, and in addition they also apply powdered insecticide treatment (this is especially true when treating basements from fleas). Competent combination of several drugs gives a more pronounced and lasting effect than the use of any one drug.
In general, the purpose of applying powdered insecticides is to get cockroaches to run over the scattered powder. This is achieved in two ways:
- The powder is simply poured where cockroaches regularly and often visit, in the expectation that the insects themselves will get dirty in the product;
- Or cockroaches are attracted to a special tray or box of powder.
The first method is simpler, although it is usually undesirable to use it in rooms where children and pets live and where there is a risk of spreading the product throughout the apartment. For maximum effect, the powder is sprinkled near the trash can, around the sink, along the baseboards, behind the stove (this is a favorite place for cockroaches) and behind the refrigerator. The longer the product stays here, the more cockroaches will get dirty in it.
As for special powder trays (a kind of bait stations), they are usually used like this:
- A suitable box is taken with small holes through which only cockroaches can get inside - this limits access to pet poison;
- Inside such a box, an insecticidal powder is poured in a thin layer, a bait is placed on it - a piece of apple, sausage, onion, bread, oatmeal, banana;
- The entire structure (and preferably several structures at once) is installed where cockroaches are most likely to find it;
- Attracted by the smell of the bait, cockroaches (as well as ants, silverfish and wood lice) run over the powder, get dirty in it and soon die.
Practice shows that closed boxes with insecticidal powder inside are much safer for the sanitary condition of the room than just poison scattered in the corners of the apartment.
If you have ever used this or that powdered cockroach killer, be sure to share your experience by leaving a review at the bottom of this page.
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The front double did not help at all, there were more cockroaches, they began to climb out even during the day.
Globol, cable powder did not help. Poisoned with dichlorvos and boric acid. To no avail 🙁 Just animals.