Kill Palmetto Bugs Naturally

August 2nd, 2010 Posted in Ants & Roaches

What do you have in common with a brown anole lizard?

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Besides taking pleasure in absorbing Florida sun rays, you and a brown anole can also naturally kill a palmetto bug.

This article plans to discuss natural predators of palmetto bugs, while exploring non-chemical solutions for you to use in order to safely rid your home of this large pest.



Natural Predators of Palmetto Bugs

Thriving in moist and humid environments, palmetto bugs, also known as the American cockroach, generally live outdoors in areas with easy access to water and temperatures that range from 70°F – 85°F.

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While the palmetto bug enjoys a diet rich in decomposing plant matter, some reptiles love to eat the bug in their natural environment.

Why not check out a list of 3 creatures that kill palmetto bugs naturally?

1. Brown Anole
Native to Cuba and the Bahamas, this lizard has also been introduced elsewhere including the southern U.S.

Often found on the ground, the brown anole can run fast, jump many times it’s own length and can also climb straight up almost any surface at blinding speed.

Besides being territorial with other brown anoles, this southern lizard will eat:

  • Hatching green anoles
  • Spiders
  • Worms
  • Palmetto bugs
  • Slugs
  • Spiders
  • Other small vertebrates including reptiles


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Caution: If you are thinking about getting a pet brown anole to eat captured palmetto bugs in your home, please remember that although they are small, these lizards are incredibly active and curious, and thus need to be cared for in a relatively large terrarium with access to UVA and UVB rays.

2. Black Racer Snake
Growing 60 in. long, this fairly slender snake can be found throughout the eastern U.S. ranging from southern Maine to the Florida Keys.

Lurking near the edges of forests, fields and wetlands, the black racer snake enjoys a diet of lizards, snakes, birds, rodents, amphibians and insects (including palmetto bugs).

3. Tree Frog
By using their strong jaws and sometimes hands to force food down, many tree frogs feed on diets rich in palmetto bugs.

Besides cockroaches, a tree frog will also eat:

  • Spiders
  • Crickets
  • Lizards
  • Other Frogs

Tree frogs adjust well to human habitation, but their natural habitat is near ponds, creeks and trees.


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These creatures work to control pests in their natural environment, however even if palmetto bugs find a way into your home doesn’t mean you need to choose unnatural extermination methods.



Non-chemical Solutions


Growing approximately 1 1/2 inches long, palmetto bugs are the largest home-infesting species of cockroaches, and be caught running across the floor, or flying through the air.

roach door

When an infestation happens, don’t resort to chemicals that may harm your family or pets, and try these natural options:

  1. Fix leaking pipes
  2. Store rinsed recyclables, like cans and bottles, outside of home
  3. Drain sinks, because standing water attracts thirsty roaches
  4. Clean up excess and spilled food daily
  5. Remove crumbs from behind the stove and in cabinets
  6. Keep dishes washed
  7. Take trash out nightly in sealed containers

If your problem is too large, you can also use pesticides made with all-natural ingredients such as those that comprise products by EcoSMART.

EcoSMART Ant and Roach Killer will take out palmetto bugs by using patented technology that combines plant oils that target and block a key neurotransmitter receptor site found only in insects.

This way, you, your family and pets remain unharmed.

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So even though you don’t have scales or cold-blood, when you use EcoSMART, you’re being a natural predator to the scary looking palmetto bug.



joce

  1. 28 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!

  2. By Ahmber Burgess on Aug 4, 2010

    I live in a house in the middle of heavily wooded tree acres and I deal with all these pests. We have the lizards and the frogs and spiders that help out but they still come in uninvited. I hate using the caustic products from the store, like the traps and spray because my dogs chew on them sometimes. I used one of your products once and it worked very well. I tried to get more but the store I bought it at stopped carrying it.

  3. By Heather Morris on Aug 6, 2010

    I used to know someone who the brown anoles live free in her apartment to eat the bugs, I think I would just use the ECOSmart Ant&Roach Killer.

  4. By Jaydee on Sep 1, 2010

    I live near Palm Springs California and we have Palmetto Bug races every night along our wall in the back yard. It is disgusting! Also yesterday my husband was trying to clean out some planting areas and got attacked by ants, by the time he realized they were on him his hand was covered with them and he ended up with over 30 bites. If your products work as well as you say they do I know a whole group of people who would love to use them, but I am at the front of the line. Where do I get them?

  5. By Stephanie Chandrasekaran on Sep 12, 2010

    I love having these little guys outside our house here in Orlando, but they just aren’t the answer for INSIDE the house. The Palmetto Bugs seem worse than ever this year!!!

  6. By J. Jones on Oct 2, 2010

    We just moved here from another state so this is our first experience with the palmetto bugs. The lizards and frogs keep the bugs under control outside of the house but a few still find their way in once in a while. Would love to try you pet and family friendly EcoSmart product.

  7. By kevin newberry on Dec 18, 2010

    I live in Naples, fl. Have a cluster of palm trees that the palmettos seem to have taken over. I want to be able to enjoy (sit among) the trees, but don’t like sharing the roaches, yuck. I want to rid the area of these pests, but I am opposed to using chemicals in this particular area. I need to find some of this stuff, sounds like it may meet my needs. Fingers crossed

  8. By renee on Mar 12, 2011

    i have problem with lizards and frogs,when weather changes with palmetto bugs thay seem to increase i don’t like strong chemicals.i having use powder stuff works a while.i really would like to natural chemical that would would.
    thanks

    renee

  9. By Belinda Greschner on Mar 23, 2011

    I would love to try your products. I have heard that cats kill the Palmetto bugs, but I have 3 and they’re petrified of them. I have tried to find out how the enter, and I am stunned at how these huge creatures are getting into my apartment by way of small cracks and crevices. WOW. I’m from NY and our bugs are normal sized. These are mutants. My sons have tried every spray including perfumes, hair care sprays and they just seem invincible. I cant use poison products because of my cats, but I don’t want to live with these pests – unless they will pay part of the rent. Please Help!

  10. By Kat D on Mar 24, 2011

    okay…i have used lots of products.nothing is working.the boric acid did help a little bit.i live in SC they are only bad in the summer.this past winter we boxed up all our junk and took it to good will.the room is practically empty and they are still getting in our closet extension.i dont know what to do.last year we found one on our 4 year olds face while she was sleeping.of coarse we freaked out and cleaned twice as much.now we have a 5 month old baby.i wake up through the night to “check” to make sure there isnt a bug on their face:( i know the bug ment no harm but still it seems dangerous to me.summer is right around the corner again.HELP!!!

  11. By EcoSMART Kait on Mar 25, 2011

    Hi Kat D,

    If you’ve tried everything that the article suggests, I would recommend using EcoSMART Ant and Roach Killer. Good luck!

  12. By Diane H on Mar 30, 2011

    I used to live in SC and always thought it was odd that they all called roaches -palmetto bugs. Names don’t matter–they are awful!!! and can I say–very hard to me to step on–I couldn’t stand that squishy feeling under my foot! :)

  13. By Mary on May 25, 2011

    The Palmetto bugs are horrible in our house, thank you for the info.

  14. By susan degonzague on May 26, 2011

    I would like to try the ant and roach spray for palmetto bugs

  15. By N. Sullivan on Jun 4, 2011

    I live in Middle Georgia. These little tossers are a problem from Late May to the first of September. Yes they get in the house and yes they are annoying, but they are not the infestation problem that roaches in NYC and other places are. They’re just huge. Still, I hate the things and would gladly try your product. For me, it’s just the palmettos, not ants. There is a wee dog to consider.

  16. By V. MacBeth on Jun 4, 2011

    We have a raised ranch on a slab and they get in no matter what we do. The dog chews on the roach traps and they are too small to allow these large roaches into them anyway. We dare not spray with the dog around. Can we try some?

  17. By hariah on Jun 9, 2011

    Aloha sir or madam,
    does this product kills scales?????
    mahalo hariah

  18. By Allyn on Jul 19, 2011

    Suddenly I have quite a few palmetto bugs. My cats too will not go near them. I can’t use chemicals because of the cats. I would love to use the product

  19. By Benita Washington on Jul 31, 2011

    Which of your products I should use to kill carpet beetles

  20. By Benita Washington on Jul 31, 2011

    which of your products I should use to kill carpet beetles. Thank you.

  21. By Crystal on Aug 10, 2011

    I am in North Carolina in an apartment that was recently renovated. Since the renovation I become infested with palmetto bugs. I also found out I am allergic to them. I also found out they jump I have done every thing I could to try and get rid of the problem but since I have a 2 and a 3 year old so I cant use stong chemicals. I am so frustrated.

  22. By Charlene on Aug 10, 2011

    Ick! I just found a palmetto bug! Im worried there are more. Living in So. California, roaches have always been a big problem. Ive been looking for a kid/pet friendly alternate to the typical “raid” I also have a huge olive tree in my backyard which attracts spiders big time. Looking forward to trying your product. :)

  23. By Brandy Beevers on Aug 22, 2011

    I live in Memphis, TN and I am TERRIFIED of anything that looks like it could be a roach!! Just thinking of them makes my legs and arms itch! We moved into our apartment in November of last year and we immediately saw that there was a roach problem. It was the fairly small ones, but disgusting none-the-less. Well, we contacted the office and every Monday this guy comes and sprays the baseboards and leaves. Well, this seemed to cut the population by at least half since we no longer saw ANY roaches for months! We were TOO happy! Until a few months ago, all of a sudden every few days we were seeing a HUGE 1-2 inch roach! Needless to say I fall to pieces and want it dead. Only problem is my husband is allergic to the oils on the big ones’ skin. He breaks out in rashes and hives. So we had to get a friend to come and help us “get it”. It’s been horrible. The bug guy says that the big ones are merely “water bugs” and if they get in and can’t get water they die and are harmless blah blah blah, I don’t care, I want them gone! Now the little ones are starting to come back, even with the weekly spray! I’m scared of getting and bug sprays myself because I have 2 kittens (2 1/2 months old) and I don’t want to harm them. I’m exhausted trying to figure this out. Any help?????

  24. By Teri on Aug 24, 2011

    I’ve tried the Ant & Roach killer directly on roaches who’ve trespassed into our home and have had good results. I’m wondering if it is safe to spray in crevasses (between side of dishwasher and cabinet, etc.), and on wood veneer. The can doesn’t say. Thanks!

    -Would love to be a product tester-

  25. By Lyndee Russell on Sep 1, 2011

    I have always considered myself an INCREDIBLY clean individual, but since our move from Illinois to Florida, I am embarrassed by the number of Palmetto bugs that have come through my apartment. If this product does not harm humans or felines, count me in as I want my clean, bugfree home back!

  26. By ginger on Sep 3, 2011

    Hi… Has any one used the products in the veg garden? Haven’t seen a single post on it.
    I would like to know how this works for eatables.

  27. By marjorie klee on Sep 12, 2011

    I live in central FL and we have palmetto bugs ,etc, and I would love to try an eco-friendly product.

  28. By Shan Wright on Oct 4, 2011

    I recently moved into an apartment in Austin, Texas, and I am totally amazed at the roaches! No matter what I’ve tried, it’s not making much difference. My mother lived in a drafty wood floor house in the Texas panhandle & she never had roaches. She always kept bay leaves in the cabinets. I tried that & it had no effect at all. I Tried some of your competitors “natural” (which I doubt) roach spray, and it kills the ones it touches, but doesn’t stop the problem. Would your Home Pest Control product work for this? I found out that Walmart carries your products, so I’ll be there tonight!

  29. By Elena on Oct 5, 2011

    Hi, I need help…the palmeto bugs are taking over my house…I keep reading that they like to be around food, water, garbage around plumbing and kitchen areas…that it’s true but why they like to be in my closet??? they keep running around in my clothes, my shoes I just hate them…Help!!!

28 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers! (details)