How to Attract Cockroaches

Co-authored by Kevin Carrillo

While cockroaches are most commonly thought of as pests, roaches can also help recycle organic material and nourish growing plants.^{[1]
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Research source} You may choose to bring them into your garden to help your plants grow, want them around to help break down your compost, or just want to help your kids catch some roaches to keep as pets. Whatever your reason for wanting cockroaches, attracting them is actually pretty easy. Just provide them with food, water, and shelter, and these insects will show up in hordes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Food

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Leave meats and bones out. That rotisserie chicken carcass left over from dinner last night makes perfect roach bait. Leave out scraps of meat or bones that haven’t been picked clean in the areas where you want to attract roaches.^{[2]
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- Remember that meat will rot, which will produce both strong smells and bacteria. Do not place it in areas where pets or children will be able to access it, and keep it out of spaces where the odor may become offensive.
- Place scraps in isolated areas such as cabinets, garages, or other spaces where it will be easy to round up your roaches.
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Sprinkle sugar where you want roaches. Cockroaches are particularly attracted to sugars and starches. Sprinkling some sugar around is a fast and easy way to get roaches where you want them.^{[3]
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- A trail of sugar can be particularly helpful when you’re looking to bring roaches through an extended path, such as along the length of a garden or lawn.
- If you are looking to keep a roach problem under control, throw away any packages of sugar where you’ve found roaches. Be sure to seal any new packages in airtight containers.
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Set out fruit rinds, peels, and cores.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Kevin Carrillo
Pest Control Specialist
Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.} Fruits are a natural source of sugar, and can be just as helpful in attracting roaches as the kitchen staple. Use fruit scraps such as rinds, peels, cores, and other discarded bits to attract roaches.^{[5]
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- If you are looking to bring roaches into your yard or another outdoor space, you can bury fruit scraps just below the topsoil. This will attract roaches but keep decaying matter hidden from pets, children, and neighbors.
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Use grease cans to attract roaches. The can you fill with your extra bacon grease and frying oil is fantastic roach food. Set out open grease cans in the area where you want roaches. As a bonus, the cans can double as a temporary housing environment for your insects.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Attracting Roaches with Household Material

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Compost your garbage. Composting garbage brings together lots of things roaches love, including food scraps and organic non-food materials like paper. Build a compost pile or use a composting bin to break down your trash into roach-attracting mulch.^{[7]
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- Composting means committing to regular pile maintenance, including turning and watering. Composting is subsequently the best choice for when you want to attract roaches every season or over an extended period of time.
- You can use the mulch from your compost pile to attract roaches to other areas, as well. Add mulch to your garden or organics waste bin to bring in the roaches.
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Leave the lid to your trash can open if you don’t want to compost. If maintaining a compost pile isn’t for you, try keeping the lid off your garbage can. This leaves your garbage exposed. The scent will attract the roaches, and the feast of food scraps will keep them in the area for as long as supplies last.^{[8]
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Keep old cardboard scraps together. Cardboard is another household material that roaches love.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Kevin Carrillo
Pest Control Specialist
Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.} Store old boxes, packaging supplies, and other cardboard material together. If you can, keep the cardboard in a damp space. This will make it especially appealing to roaches and other insects.^{[10]
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- Pizza boxes can be especially useful for attracting roaches, as these make use of both cardboard and food scents.
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Check local book binders for cockroaches. Roaches have been known to be attracted to book bindings for the starches. Check in the areas around local book binders or book binding supplies stores for roaches that you can relocate to your desired area.^{[11]
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- Use humane roach traps to keep your roaches alive and contained until you are ready to relocate them.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Maintaining a Roach-Friendly Environment

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Provide them with shelter. Roaches are attracted to areas where they can hide. Provide your roaches with shelter such as cardboard tubes and boxes. If you are keeping them in a terrarium, get rock shelters and other hiding areas from the fish and small pets sections of the pet store.^{[12]
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- If you opt to keep your roaches in a terrarium, get them a strong plastic or glass space that is at least 6 times bigger than the area your roaches occupy. It should have very small air holes, as roaches can escape from even thin slits in their tanks.
- Place moist soil at the bottom of the tank, and provide them with hiding places made from tree bark, flat stones, and chunks of wood. Egg cartons and small cardboard pieces also make good hiding places.^{[13]
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Keep the space warm. Cockroaches do best in warm, damp environments. While an average room temperature of about 70° F (21.1° C) is suitable for daily activity, a temperature of about 80° F (26.7° C) is necessary if you want them to reproduce.^{[14]
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- While cockroaches are hardy, cold, dry weather can cause difficulty for some species. Use a heat lamp in the cold winter months to help keep your roaches warm.
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Make sure your roaches have constant water access. Cockroaches seek out moist places, so it is essential that they have access to water.^{[15]
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Expert Source

Kevin Carrillo
Pest Control Specialist
Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.} If you are keeping your roaches in a pet habitat, make sure they have a dish of clean, fresh water available at all times. Change the water daily to keep it fresh. You may also want to use a humidifier during dry months to help keep your roaches happy and healthy.^{[16]
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- If you are trying to attract roaches to outdoor spaces like lawns, be sure to water them regularly to keep them moist.
4
Supply plenty of food. Food doesn’t just attract roaches, it keeps them around. Supply your roaches with plenty of food including scraps of meat, fruit, and vegetables. If you are keeping your roaches as pets, you may be able to find specialty roach pet food at your local pet store. Make sure there is some food available to them at all times. Change out old food on a weekly basis.^{[17]
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- The amount of food you need to supply will depend upon the number of roaches you have and their species. Read the packaging recommendations to assess the correct amount of food for your habitat.

Warnings

Leaving scraps, trash, sugar, and other organic material around can also attract other scavengers including insects, rodents, and animals like raccoons, possums, and coyotes. There isn't much you can do to attract roaches but keep away other predators, so exercise caution when you check your scraps.

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