The New York Times - We're bugging out

I cover bug-killing products for Wirecutter. So I’ve spent years talking to entomologists, testing products, and researching information on toxins and bug behavior. But it doesn’t take an expert to understand the impressive survival skills of the cockroach. After all, they didn’t survive hundreds of millions of years because they are easy to get rid of.

The best approach is to use a bait, which is a food mixed with a slow-acting poison. The roaches eat it and have time to spread it to others before eventually dying. There are a few different kinds of baits, and we have advice and recommendations for each.

There are also some well-marketed products that you should avoid. Kill-on-contact sprays are messy and labor intensive. Sticky pads—like the classic roach motel—won’t do much to eradicate an infestation. And bug bombs might even blow your house up. So, yeah, stay away from those.

Ultimately, there is no doubt that roaches are a tough opponent, but they’re not invulnerable. So while you won’t be able to eradicate them entirely from the planet (as much as you might want to), our hope is that with a few strategies and tested products, you should be able to at least get them out of your living space.

Wishing you the best of luck, but also don’t be discouraged if you get to a point where you end up calling a pro. Sometimes there are simply too many bugs to deal with on your own.

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The best roach killers→ 

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