Roaches are a common pest found across the globe. These insects are resilient and can reside, eat and breed in your home without your knowledge.
Roach feces have a protein that can trigger an asthma attack, particularly in children. Besides, after scurrying in the sewers, trash bins, and leach fields, roaches will get into your food and contaminate it.
Fortunately, you can eliminate these pesky pests and prevent any future invasion. An excellent solution is tea tree oil. Besides having health advantages, it can help you kill roaches in your home.
Keep reading this guide to learn how to use tea tree oil to kill and repel roaches.
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Benefits of Using Tea Tree Oils For Roaches
Tea tree oil, just like any other essential oil, is easy to buy and is safer than most pesticides used to get rid of roaches. Besides, it’s all-natural, and you can apply it with a spray bottle in tough-to-reach places where roaches like to hide.
Tea Tree Oil Toxicity For Pets
Tea tree oil might be safe for humans and good at eliminating roaches. However, it contains several types of elements called terpenes. These chemicals give tea tree oil its effectiveness against fungi and bacteria.
Terpenes are quickly absorbed into the body, whether applied topically or consumed orally. Given the grooming tendencies of pets, particularly cats, the toxicity hazard associated with tea tree oil is enormous.
How Can Tea Tree Oil Prevent Roach Infestation?
Tea tree oil can prevent roach infestation through its strong smell. Cockroaches will avoid the smell since they hate it. This can prevent some from entering your home.
However, tea tree oil is not effective at preventing large infestations as you need to spray a lot to kill even one roach. However, it is an excellent option if you don’t have a large cockroach infestation but just have a few in your home. Spray the tea tree oil immediately if you see one or two roaches scurrying. However, if your home is already infested, you must combine tea tree oil with other essential oils to kill roaches.
Using Tea Tree Oil For Roaches
Roaches are by far the most resilient creatures. Therefore, even the tiniest baby roach could indicate an infestation that needs instant action. That said, eliminating them using essential oil will require a practical, multi-pronged tactic to get better results.
There are two ways to use essential oil as a natural cockroach deterrent. You can prepare a tea tree essential oil spray or use cotton balls.
Preparing a Tea Tree Oil Spray
Depending on the degree of roach infestation in your home, you can prepare various tea tree oil sprays. When using these sprays, you have a couple of options.
You can spray it directly onto cockroaches that you see in order to kill them. However, this is usually difficult as you need to spray a lot of liquid to actually kill the roaches.
As an alternative, you can spray their nest (soak it) and let it sit for 30 minutes. This will cause them to leave the nest, which you can then dispose of.
Finally, a tea tree oil spray is effective as a preventative measure. Spray the oil in areas you have seen cockroaches to prevent them from returning.
Method 1: Tea Tree Roach Spray Bottle
You can mix tea tree oil with water if you have a minor roach infestation. You will need:
- A cup of water
- A quarter cup of tea tree oil
Make sure the spray content is mixed well before applying it.
Method 2: Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Oil Spray
Eucalyptus has a pleasant scent. However, it can confuse roaches. This oil is powerful, so mixing it with water and tea tree oils makes it more effective in eliminating roaches. To make this spray, you will need:
- A cup of water
- A quarter cup of eucalyptus oil
- A quarter cup of tea tree essential oil
Combine these three and mix well before applying to areas with roach activity. Also, try as much as possible to spray on the roaches.
Method 3: Tea Tree Oil, Salt, and Vinegar Spray
White vinegar is known for its powerful scent, and you can use it to repel roaches. To make this spray, you will need:
- A cup of water
- A tablespoon of salt
- A quarter cup of tea tree oil
- A quarter cup of white vinegar
Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle before applying the mix to the affected areas.
Using Cotton Balls
For this method, you will need:
- Cotton balls
- 3 ounces of water
- A few drops of tea tree essential oil
Mix the ingredients and soak the cotton balls in it. Next, place the balls in places you have noticed roach activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use Tea Tree Oil to Repel Roaches?
Yes, you can use tea tree oil to repel roaches. In addition to being an antiseptic, tea tree oil has been proven to be effective at repelling roaches. Besides roaches, it can repel other insects like lice, bed bugs, mosquitoes, ticks, bees, spiders, and ants.
Will Tea Tree Oil Kill Cockroaches?
Yes, tea tree oil will kill cockroaches. It is very effective when it comes to roach elimination. However, to get better results, you have to use a lot of this essential oil. Also, make sure you spray directly on them.
You can increase the efficiency of tea tree oil for roaches by mixing it with peppermint oil.
Which Are the Best Essential Oils to Kill Roaches Instantly?
The best essential oils to kill roaches instantly are peppermint, cedar, cypress essential oil, oregano oil, and catnip oil. Many other essential oils can be used to kill cockroaches quickly. However, these have proven to be the most effective.
What Smells Do Roaches Love?
Cockroaches love sweet smells. So, anything sugary, like cookies, sweet fruits, and chocolate, can draw them to your house.
Cockroaches hate the smell of essential oils like lavender, oregano tea tree, peppermint oil, and citrus.
Use Tea Tree Oil To Eliminate Roaches
Cockroaches are insect pests that can be hard to eliminate. They enter, hide and scurry in the dark corners of your home. They can also contaminate your food and are a health risk for people with asthma.
For these reasons, use tea tree oil to deter cockroaches and prevent an infestation. To eliminate them, you can combine tea tree oil with peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, white vinegar, and salt.