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Cockroach how-to guide
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches at Home: An IPM Plan That Starts With Identification
Start by working out which cockroach you have, because UGA Extension’s advice differs for the small indoor German cockroach and the large roaches that live outdoors. Then follow EPA’s integrated pest management (IPM) steps: monitor, prevent, and choose the lowest-risk control that works.
Last reviewed October 19, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Step 1
Identify the cockroach first
UGA describes the German cockroach as an indoor pest that is never to rarely found outdoors except in extreme infestations, while the similar-looking Asian cockroach generally lives outdoors. American and smokybrown cockroaches are large roaches that live in outdoor harborage; UGA calls the smokybrown the most common cockroach in suburban Southern neighborhoods with mature hardwood trees. Knowing which one you have tells you whether to focus inside the kitchen and bathrooms or outside around the foundation.
Not sure? Compare them in Cockroaches in Georgia, the German Cockroach guide and the American Cockroach guide.
Step 2
Monitor before you treat
EPA’s IPM approach starts with setting an action threshold and with monitoring and identifying pests accurately, then prevention, then control chosen for both effectiveness and risk. For German cockroaches, UGA recommends pheromone-based sticky traps to highlight areas of activity. Place a few under sinks, behind appliances and in cabinets, check them every few days, and you will know where to focus and whether your work is helping.
Step 3
Cut off food, water and shelter
- Food: UGA calls general cleanliness during food preparation, storage and disposal the logical starting point.
- Water: UGA says excessive moisture lets many pests establish and persist; fix leaks and make sure there is no standing water or persistent wet spots next to the foundation or in the crawlspace.
- Clutter: clutter inside the home provides harborage and sometimes food (UGA).
- Outdoors: for large roaches, UGA lists treeholes, fallen limbs, leaf litter and mulch as harborage. Keep groundcovers at least 1.5 feet from foundation walls and limit mulch depth.
Step 4
Seal the ways in
UGA says structural harborages can be made unusable by sealing cracks, crevices and other entryways, and recommends door sweeps on all exterior doors and screens on all windows. Sealing matters most for the large outdoor roaches, which wander in from the yard.
Step 5
Use baits carefully, and skip the bug bombs
- Gel bait: for American, smokybrown and Oriental roaches, UGA advises multiple small dabs no larger than a pea; for German cockroaches, many small bait spots rather than a few large ones.
- Bait stations: place them on flat surfaces in corners and along wall edges. UGA notes a moderate to heavy infestation may need 12 to 15 stations in a standard home, and that adult large roaches may be too big for most station openings.
- Bug bombs: UGA says total-release aerosols are ineffective against German cockroaches and should not be used indoors.
- Labels: read and follow the product label for every bait or insecticide, and keep products away from children and pets.
Where DIY stops working
For severe German cockroach infestations, UGA’s guidance moves to spot treatment with an appropriately labeled residual spray inside the cracks and crevices where the roaches live. If your monitors keep catching cockroaches after several weeks of sanitation, sealing and baiting, or the infestation is spreading between rooms or units, that is the point to bring in a professional. See Cockroach Control in Atlanta.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do bug bombs work on cockroaches?
Not on German cockroaches. UGA says total-release aerosols are ineffective against them and should not be used indoors.
How many bait stations do I need?
It depends on the infestation. UGA says a moderate to heavy infestation may need 12 to 15 bait stations in a standard-sized home, placed in corners and along wall edges.
Why do I keep seeing big roaches near the door?
Large roaches such as American and smokybrown cockroaches live mostly in outdoor harborage like leaf litter, mulch and treeholes (UGA). Reducing that cover near the house and sealing doors with sweeps cuts down on the ones that wander in.
Where this information comes from
Sources
Facts about identification, biology and safety come from the sources below, retrieved on October 19, 2026. Publication or review dates are given where the source shows one.
- Cockroaches (order Blattaria), UGA Integrated Pest Management — by Dan Suiter, Brian Forschler, Lisa Ames and Richard Hoebeke; September 21, 2022
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles, US EPA — page updated July 22, 2026
Still seeing cockroaches?
Call Pest Control Atlanta and tell us which roach you are seeing and where.
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