Cockroaches can’t maintain their body temperatures within limits because they are cold-blooded organisms. Therefore, roaches can not survive temperatures above 132 and below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the temperature needs to be maintained at the point for more than 5 minutes before they pass out.
Hot water with a temperature above 132 degrees Fahrenheit kills cockroaches. This is because hot water disrupts microcellular functions and destroys the exoskeleton (Reference). Greater the temperature of hot water sooner, the roaches will die. Therefore, boiling water will instantaneously kill roaches, whereas moderately hot water takes time.
Hot water is dangerous and has the ability to scald skin on immediate contact. Therefore, using hot water to kill roaches is risky. Moreover, hot water needs to be in direct contact with roaches to kill them.
Tired of cockroaches? Invest in only these products and follow the guide to eliminate roaches!
Use these products, and you will be roach free in less than a week.
1. Advion Cockroach Gel Bait (Review)
2. Gentrol IGR Point Source (Review)
Other Products to try:
1. Combat Roach Traps (Easy than gel baits)
2. Hot Shot Foggers (To kill in masses – 95%)
3. Pet Safe Killers (Uses Essential Oils)
4. Ortho Defence Outdoor Roach Killer (Prevent Roaches)
How hot water kills Roaches?
A moderate increase in temperature increases the living organism’s metabolism and respiration (Reference).
As mentioned in the blog’s introduction, insects, including roaches, can’t maintain their body temperatures within limits. Therefore, a high temperature dramatically affects the critical function of the body.
At high temperatures, the Cellular function of the roach’s body starts to disrupt, including mitochondrial, enzymatic, and hormonal functions.
Once the temperature is kept above the critical level, the cellular injury is irreversible, and cells start to die, killing roaches (Reference).
Therefore, hot water kills roaches by disrupting cellular function.
Do you know some might use alcohol to kill roaches! Learn here why not to use it.
How to Kill Roaches using hot water?
You can kill roaches immediately with boiling water; lower the temperature more time it will take to kill roaches. However, boiling water is not risk-free and must be used with caution. A better and recommended way to kill roaches is using baits. Cockroach chalk is also a type of bait used to kill roaches.
Follow these steps to kill roaches with hot water,
Step 1: Identify hazards
Before using hot water, you must realize the hazards associated with its use. Use heat-resistant safety gloves and keep children and pets away.
Step 2: Identify roach’s nest
You need to kill roaches all at once. Therefore identifying cockroach nests is essential. Look around furniture, curtains, and fridge to locate cockroach nest.
Step 3: Heat water near to boiling
As mentioned above, the hotter the temperature of the water, the better it will kill roaches. Therefore, heat water to the boiling point before killing roaches.
Step 4: Immediately throw hot water at once.
Hot water needs to be thrown all at once to transfer maximum heat. Do not spray hot water as it will lose heat instantaneously without killing roaches. You may need to repeat this step to attain maximum results.
Step 5: Clean the mess
Once you have successfully killed roaches, it’s time to clean the mess. Use the disinfectant solution to kill bacteria and viruses associated with roaches as hot water will not kill them.
Alternatively, if you don’t want any mess, you can use a steam gun to kill roaches.
Additional Read!
