Lal baig ka ilaj: how to get rid of cockroaches in the kitchen
Where lal baig hide, what keeps them coming, what you can do yourself, and why gel works better than spray in a kitchen.
Switch on the kitchen light at night and see them run? Lal baig (cockroaches) hide in warm, damp gaps by day and come out to feed when the house is quiet. If you see one in the daytime, there are usually many more hiding.
Lal baig kahan chhupte hain? Where they hide
- Under the sink, around the pipes and drain.
- Cabinet hinges and corners, especially near the stove.
- Behind and under the fridge, microwave and oven, where the motor keeps it warm.
- Bathroom drains and the gaps around the shower trap.
- Cracks in tiles and the gap behind the skirting.
What keeps them coming
Cockroaches need food, water and somewhere to hide.
- Grease on the stove, the wall behind it and the exhaust hood.
- Crumbs in drawers, under appliances and along the counter edge.
- Dirty dishes left overnight.
- Leaking taps and a wet sink area.
- Cardboard boxes and newspaper piles, which they love to breed in.
What you can do yourself
- Clean grease every day from the stove and the wall behind it, and wipe crumbs off counters before bed.
- Don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight.
- Keep food in closed containers, including sugar and pet food.
- Fix leaks and dry the sink area at night.
- Cover drains at night in the kitchen and bathroom.
- Seal cracks in tiles and around pipes with filler.
- Get rid of cardboard boxes you don’t need.
Spray ya gel? Why gel works better in a kitchen
Sprays kill the cockroaches you hit, but most of the colony is hidden deep in gaps the spray never reaches. Sprays also smell, and many people end up spraying near food and plates.
Gel bait is placed in tiny dots inside the gaps where cockroaches feed. They eat it and carry it back to the nest, so it reaches the ones you never see. It has almost no smell, and nobody needs to leave home.
One tip if you are booking a gel treatment: don’t spray anything yourself for 3 days before. Spray keeps cockroaches away from the gel. You may see more cockroaches for a day or two after the visit. That is the gel drawing them out, and it settles within a week.
When to call us
If you are cleaning every night and still see them, they are breeding somewhere you can’t reach. Book a gel treatment for your kitchen and bathrooms: most activity stops within 7–10 days, with free re-service for 60 days.
