If you have bugs that look like cockroaches, but are slightly larger and half an inch wide, and they’re mostly staying outside, you may have water bugs. Water bugs can be a problem if they get indoors, and that’s what you want to avoid. We’ll talk about water bugs, different products for getting rid of them, and the best approach for getting rid of them.
What are Water Bugs?
Water bugs are like cockroaches, but much larger and at least 3.8 cm long, as opposed to common house cockroaches that are half an inch wide and smaller. There are three species of water bugs:
- Oriental cockroaches
- American cockroaches
- Smoky brown cockroaches
Unlike traditional cockroaches, they usually stay outside. Sometimes they come inside, and that should be avoided.
How Do you Get Rid of Water Bugs?
The supplies we suggest can help you remove them. Water bug infestations can be problematic. They multiply and spread fast. The same things that kill and prevent cockroaches will kill and prevent water bugs.
How to Kill Water Bugs
Does Anything Kill Water Bugs Immediately?
Most of the treatments we’ll talk about are slow acting. Can they be killed instantly? Squashing them often doesn’t work because they have hard, flexible exoskeletons.
Chemical pesticides kill them on contact. Spray these products into cracks and crevices after diluting with water.
Suggested Products for Water Bug Problems
If you have a small water bug infestation, try using glue traps to find their hiding spots and kill them quickly. Glue traps measure cockroach infestations and provide supplemental control.
BASF PT P.I Contact Insecticide
P.I. sprays pyrethrin to kill water bugs. Use it in addition to other treatments. It’s not cheap, but it’s better than anything off the shelf.
Home Treatments for Serious Infestations
Rockwell Labs CimeXa Dust Insecticide
CimeXa treats cracks and crevices effectively. For best results, use it with Advion Gel Bait and Gentrol IGR.
Harris Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster
Using a duster is the best way to apply dusts like CimeXa. You can use it with CimeXa, Delta Dust, and other recommended dusts.
Syngenta Advion Cockroach Gel Bait
Advion first poisons the roaches, then kills them. Use CimeXa Insecticidal Dust and Gentrol IGR together for best results.
Gentrol Point Source IGR
Gentrol is an insect growth regulator (IGR) that inhibits roach reproduction. It works best with Advion Gel Bait and CimeXa Dust.
To Kill Them Outdoors Before They Can Get Inside
Bayer Polyzone Suspend Insecticide
This insecticide prevents roaches from entering. It requires a separate sprayer and is best used with granular outdoor bait.
Chapin 1 Gallon Multi-Purpose Sprayer
You need a sprayer for liquid pesticides. We recommend this pump sprayer.
InTice Perimeter Insect Control Granules
InTice kills roaches outside, in attics, and in garages. With Bayer Suspend and Delta Dust crack and crevice treatments, you can protect your entire house.
Delta Dust Insecticide Dust
Delta Dust is a waterproof crack and crevice treatment for high-moisture areas like attics, exterior walls, and plumbing pipes. No sales in Maryland, and only to licensed applicators in New York.
Getting Rid of Water Bugs Naturally
Water bugs can be killed naturally. Start with these approaches if you’re doing it yourself.
Diatomaceous Earth: Fast but Not Instant
Water bugs respond well to Diatomaceous earth (DE). It is all-natural and safe to use around children and pets, but make sure not to inhale, and it is effective.
Hardware stores sell DE, and it’s easy to mix and use. Some products even include a duster to simplify things.
When using DE dust, make sure the water bugs eat it, or at least walk through it. You can mix it with powdered sugar to attract the bugs to it, and spray a thin layer in different parts of the house.
Alternatively, you can sprinkle it on the grass or mulch to form a moat against water bugs.
Although DE doesn’t kill instantly, it works faster than baits, which have delayed effects.
Will Baking Soda Work?
Baking Soda can work. As water bugs walk through it, it can fatally dehydrate them. However, it doesn’t work as well as gel baits or chemical pesticides specifically designed to kill them.
Boric Acid: A Natural Pest Killer
Boric acid is an effective pest control product for water bugs as well. Bugs are poisoned by it, but pets and children are not.
Boric acid doesn’t bait, so you’ll have to mix it with something to attract bugs. Sugar is good for this.
Simply sprinkle a little of the mixture thinly where you think the water bugs are. If you use too much, bugs might not want to walk through it.
What’s the best approach?
The best way to get rid of water bugs is to eliminate the whole colony as quickly as possible. Gel baits are the best at doing this.
How to Keep Water Bugs Out
Water bugs hate dry areas. Their ideal home is damp, dark, and hidden, with lots of water nearby. Do not let them win! If your home is not a good target, they’ll go somewhere else. Follow these tips, target those areas, and you’ll see results in no time:
- Fix leaks, eliminate damp areas, and fix any areas where water collects before water bugs do.
- Ventilate storage rooms – Humidity and dampness are ideal conditions for water bugs to lay their eggs.
- Regularly change the garbage and clean the dishes. If you leave dirty dishes out overnight, you’re making it easy for water bugs to eat.
- Close entry points. Find out how water bugs enter your home. Look for holes, cracks, and crevices in exterior walls and your foundation that could be allowing water bugs in. Look for gaps that a water bug could crawl through.
Even though water bugs have a less-threatening name, they’re still cockroaches. Infestations are more likely to develop the longer they’re in your house. If that happens, you’ll need a pest control company right away. We hope this guide has answered the question of how to get rid of water bugs.