The AIPM Blog

How Cockroach Bait Stations Work

Written by Paul Townsend | Apr 4, 2023 10:38:00 PM

Are you afraid to turn on the lights at night? As soon as the lights turn off, from the shadows appear those horrible cockroaches, like little villains in an old black and white film. The tiny crumbs you accidentally left behind from dinner suddenly become the main dish featured at their new Cockroach Nightclub. Spring is one of the top seasons for crickets, ants, bees, pincher bugs, silverfish and spider activity. But how can you stop roaches as they start invading your home? It’s time to break out the bait station and take back your night.

There are multiple types of bait stations. The most common come with an outer plastic container, the actual station, which helps keep children and pets from reaching the poison or insects within it. The station is designed so that only cockroaches and insects the same size can enter and take the bait. Some trap the cockroach inside while others allow the cockroach to take the bait back to their nest. With all of your choices for cockroach pest control on the market, the bait stations are the safest to use around your family. No matter which one you choose though, it is advisable to keep any bait station far from the reach of children and pets.

Choosing The Right Cockroach Bait Station

There are multiple types of bait stations on the market. Oftentimes the only real difference in them is the manufacturer and their mix of bait and pesticides. Some of the more common bait stations are:

  • Discs
  • Hotels/Traps
  • Sticky paper 

Disc Bait Stations

These are one of the more common and are the easiest to use. They come in multiple sizes from a few inches wide to the size of your hand. The smaller sizes are perfect for placing under furniture or in closets without being too noticeable. The larger stations are great to use in the garage or the front or backyard. Cockroaches enter the bait trap and nibble a little of the bait. Then cockroaches take it back to their nests to share. Typically it’s nice to share, but in this case, sharing is deadly. Nice for you, but not so nice for the unsuspecting cockroaches. Ah… too bad.

The poison within a cockroach bait station is typically low in toxicity but should be kept away from children and pets. When placing bait stations, cockroaches tend to follow close to the walls, so consider placing them in the corners of your rooms for the best result.

Cockroach Traps or Cockroach Hotels

Roach hotels are cockroaches worst nightmare. A cockroach is lured inside the trap by the tantalizing smell of something delicious. All of the sudden there’s no way out. As tricky and smart as a cockroach is, they can’t break free of these types of traps. One by one, cockroaches follow their friends inside to see if they can get a piece of whatever smells good, only to find out that they too can’t escape.

The upside of this trap is you don’t have to use any poisons. The bait is whatever you choose to use inside. The trap is reusable, so you don’t have to keep buying more bait traps, like the bait stations or sticky traps. The downside is you have to kill the cockroaches yourself once they’re trapped inside, or you can keep them inside until they are dead.

This particular trap might be a healthier option since you don’t have to use pesticides if you don’t want but keep in mind cockroaches are one of the main carriers of Salmonella, Shigella, and Cryptosporidium parvum bacteria that cause diarrheal diseases. Although the cockroaches are contained, you still want to keep these traps far from the reach of children and pets just to be on the safe side.

Sticky Traps

Sticky traps are used for all types of pest control issues. Sticky traps are a little more cumbersome to use. When using these types of traps, be sure to keep them far out of the reach of children, pets… and feet, definitely feet. Once they catch you, you’re stuck. The upside is anything that crosses one also becomes hopelessly stuck, so they’re also great for any other pests that drop by your home uninvited. They are environmentally safe, so you don’t have to worry about any poisons.

Conclusion

All three stations are good options. Choosing one depends on your situation. Yet if cockroaches are just too disgusting to deal with on your own, then you might want to consider calling a residential pest control professional. The professionals at AIPM know how to send your cockroaches packing. Their expert team of exterminators can remove all of your unwanted pests and vermin without you having to worry. Don’t let cockroaches drive you buggy, call AIPM and schedule an appointment today. Don’t forget to request a free estimate today!