No one likes having roaches in their home. These pesky pests are synonymous with filth, can spread various diseases, and even trigger asthma.
Usually, the first signs of a roach infestation lead people to try toxic chemicals to exterminate these disease-harboring insects. However, toxic chemicals can be dangerous, especially if you have pets or children. To avoid this, some people try to use natural cockroach-repellent options.
If you see a roach in your home and suspect there could be more, you can use the humble bay leaf and regular sanitation to repel them.
Keep reading this article to learn more about using bay leaves for roaches.
Can Fresh Bay Leaves Kill Roaches?
No, fresh bay leaf can’t kill roaches. However, bay leaves repel roaches.
Roaches hate bay leaves, but even when they eat them, they won’t die because it doesn’t have toxic components for killing roaches. Roaches only hate the smell bay leaves emit and will avoid it.
However, you can only use bay leaves to kill roaches if you crush them, place them in a container with a lid and suffocate the roaches with the vapor from the fresh bay leaves.
Crushed bay leaves release terpineol acetate, allylveratrol, and cineole. These compounds can only kill roaches if exposed to them in an airtight area. Because it would be impossible to trap all the roaches in your home and suffocate them, using bay leaves isn’t an effective way to kill cockroaches.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Overnight with Fast Home Remedies
Is It Safe to Use Bay Leaves for Roaches?
Yes, it is safe to use bay leaves for roaches. You can safely use them to repel cockroaches and other insects in your home.
Bay leaves are not poisonous to pets or humans. But you should always cut them into small pieces because they’re a choking hazard to pets. These leaves have a slippery surface and can accidentally slide into your pet’s throat.
Therefore, don’t throw the whole leaves everywhere in your home—instead, target areas where roaches hide and place a few leaves there.
You can also place a few leaves under your pillow to prevent roaches from climbing on your bed.
Read More: What Does a Roach Nest Look Like? How to Find and Get Rid of One
Using Bay Leaves to Repel Roaches
Using bay leaves to repel cockroaches is easy. There are a few ways you can repel roaches using bay leaves including:
-
- Grow bay laurel trees
-
- Spread 6 to 10 bay leaves around areas where you may have spotted roaches
-
- Sprinkle bay leaves under cracks, the garbage can, the sink, in crevices, and behind the fridge
-
- Fill a bowl or open container with bay leaves and place them where needed
-
- Change the leaves every 7 to 14 days until you cannot see any roaches
-
- For better results, don’t use leaves that are withered or too wet
-
- You can also use bay leaves for roaches by burning them. Cockroaches and many other bugs are repelled by smoke
Both fresh and dry bay leaves can repel cockroaches. However, fresh leaves have a higher repelling potential than dry ones.
While dry bay leaves can retain their fragrance for a year, fresh ones have a more bitter aroma that can last for a long time.
Keep Your Home, Kitchen, and Dining Room Clean
Unfortunately, just placing bay leaves for roaches to repel roaches won’t work. Particularly in the kitchen, you’ll need to take other measures to get rid of roaches. Roaches are almost always desperate for food, and you may not repel them if you don’t clean up promptly after meals or after having a snack.
Remember to sweep the floor, wash dirty dishes, wipe the counters, and put away meal-prep foods.
Bay Leaf Herbal Alternatives to Repel Roaches
If you have seen a roach in your house, chances are that there may be more. While you can use bay leaves to repel them, you can also use any of the following natural repellent alternatives:
-
- Catnip: You can use catnip to repel roaches. Therefore, consider growing this roach-repelling herb inside your home to control roaches.
-
- Cucumber: When you place cucumber slices around areas where roaches frequent, they can help repel cockroaches. Crushed cucumber contains compounds that can repel roaches.
-
- Mint: This is a great spice that will freshen up your home and help repel roaches. Look for places they hide, and place mint leaves or peppermint oil to make roaches run and not want to come back.
-
- Lemons: Cockroaches hate the smell of lemon and other citrus smells and will stay away from them. To use lemon to repel roaches, cut a lemon open and squeeze the juice onto surfaces where you’ve seen roaches.
-
- Garlic: Garlic is a detestable natural repellent for roaches. Cockroaches find the smell of garlic to be unpleasant. To get rid of these pesky pests, place a few cloves in places where roaches frequent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Bay Leaves Get Rid of Cockroaches?
Yes, bay leaves can help you get rid of cockroaches by repelling them. However, the scent from bay leaves isn’t strong enough to completely eliminate roaches.
For a comprehensive approach, check out our guide, “How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches.”
How Do You Use Bay Leaf to Get Rid of Roaches?
You can use bay leaf to get rid of roaches by putting them in your home. Usually, you’ll have to scatter bay leaves in areas of your home where you might have seen a roach. Remember to also scatter bay leaves in other areas where roaches frequent.
What Smell Keeps Roaches Away?
There are a few smells that keep roaches away, including minty smells, citronella oil, pine, and citrus smells.
Read More: Does Pine Sol Attract or Kill Roaches
