How to Get Rid of Waterbugs - Health Beauty Aid

Unpleasant household pests–surely the most common are water bugs. The large cockroach-like critters are more disgusting and difficult to kill. They mainly come into your house in the summer from street drains. But there are some easy solutions to eliminate them from your house. Here are some important remedies that will be very helpful to get rid of water bugs and will make your life easier, comfortable and problem free.

15 Effective Methods on How to Get Rid of Waterbugs

1. Clean Your Home

To get rid of water bugs, first, you have to clean your house properly. Before cleaning your house, put on some lovely music; it will refresh your mind. Then take some cleaning tools like a sponge, white towels, squeegee, bucket, vacuum, spray bottle, and so on. With the help of these cleaning tools, clean the house properly so that there will be no water bugs.

Make it a regular habit to clean the entire floor at least twice a week. Also, clean the floor of the kitchen four times a week at least.
Make sure you throw out all your collected garbage every day. This is necessary because keeping trash overnight will send out a glowing invitation to many different types of insects and pests, including the water bugs.
Keep the sink in your kitchen very clean. Make sure you clean all the dirty dishes before you turn in. If that is not possible, you should fill the sink with some dishwashing liquid or powder mixed with clean water. Let the dirty dishes soak in the water until you are ready to wash them.
Moisture is a potent way to send an invitation to water bugs. Therefore, it is important that you keep your bathroom floors, laundry room and kitchen nicely clean and dry.

2. Keep Your Surroundings Clean

It is not only the insides of your home that you have to take care of. You have to look after the surroundings and the outside of your house just as efficiently. If you have a nice garden outside, always keep it clean of debris. Remember that plants, stacks of leaves and pieces of wood can shelter a variety of insects and pests. Also, make sure that the drain outside of your home is always clear and that no leaves or other debris are affecting its flow.

3. Use Vinegar

Vinegar can be an effective remedy to get rid of water bugs. Try to pour vinegar in your house or your washroom as it will work well. Vinegar is a rich source of antibacterial properties, so it helps to tackle any bacteria caused by water bugs effectively. Vinegar also has characteristics which help to kill water bugs, preventing them from multiplying in number.

Recommended Directions:

Take 300 ml of liquid vinegar. The higher the concentration, the better the effect.
Pour the vinegar into an empty spray bottle. If the bottle is bigger, you can add more vinegar than 300 ml.
Close the lid tightly and then spray a bit to check if it works.
Spray it over the place where water bugs are located. Do not mop away the excess.
Do it two times every day.

4. Cucumber Peel

Cucumber peel is an effective way to get rid of water bugs. The cucumber peel mainly keeps away cockroaches from your house. So, we suggest you try this remedy as it is easily found and doesn’t cost too much.

Recommended Directions:

Cut a fresh cucumber and remove the peel.
Place the peel pieces in different places around your house, especially wherever water and moisture are present
Change the cucumber peel every three days.

5. Catnip

Catnip mainly belongs to the mint family and is a useful remedy to get rid of water bugs. You can also make a spray of catnip and use it in the corners of your house. This natural solution to get rid of water bugs will work in the same way as bay leaves. The water bugs cannot tolerate the aroma of catnip leaves. Its presence all over your home will help to squash away the water bugs entirely.

Recommended Directions:

Boil 40 grams of catnip leaves into two cups of water.
After 20 minutes, strain this mixture with a strainer.
Fill up a spray bottle with the catnip water. Spray it thoroughly around doorways, window sills, in vents and all other places where waterbugs might come from or infest.
Apply it three times a day to get rid of the water bugs.

6. Soda Bottle Traps

Another great remedy to get rid of water bugs is soda bottle traps. You can make this soda bottle trap in your home. To make this, first cut the top part of the bottle and remove its cap. After that, reverse its position so that it looks like a funnel. Then pour a solution of water and soap into the bottle. The cockroaches will slowly move into the bottle and peek into the soap solution.

7. Cayenne, Garlic and Onion

These three ingredients are very useful to get rid of water bugs. Water bugs hate pepper. So, to make a spray from these three ingredients, follow these steps.

Ingredients You Will Need:

3 cups water
One peeled onion
Two peeled garlic cloves
One tsp of cayenne pepper
Spray bottle

Recommended Directions:

Take 3 cups of water and boil them properly
Then include cayenne pepper, crushed garlic and crushed onion.
After boiling, let them cool.
Then pour them into a spray bottle and apply it to the corners of your home/rooms.

8. Hair Spray

Many of us don’t know that hair spray can also be used as a great remedy to get rid of water bugs. Use this spray carefully so that cockroaches are not able to escape. Whenever you see water bugs, apply your hairspray on them.

9. Baking Soda and Sugar

Make a solution of baking soda and sugar in a clean container. Place it in the kitchen and other areas of your home. The water bugs will get down into the container to eat the sugar, and the baking soda will kill them. Sprinkling an even mixture of powdered sugar and baking soda has been one of the most efficient solutions to water bugs infestations. To attract these insects, a thin lining of this mixture should be used. A reaction is going to take place through their legs, thereby killing the bugs.

Recommended Directions:

Take equal amounts of powdered sugar and baking soda. We recommend 100 gm.
Mix them well and pour into a little container.
Identify the areas where you think the bugs may be present or infest.
When you have found the area, sprinkle a thin layer of this mixture all over the target area.

10. Pandan Leaves

Pandan leaves are mainly considered as a scented herb which is widely used in Asian cooking. They can also be used as a great remedy to get rid of water bugs. To avoid the problem, cut pandan leaves and place them all around your house. It also keeps your house germ-free. Try to change the pandan leaves regularly or when they get dry.

11. Soap Solution

Detergent soap solution is another effective remedy to get rid of water bugs. You can make this solution with a good amount of water and detergent soap. Then pour them into a spray bottle and directly spray on the water bugs.

Water bugs need to swim to the water surface to breathe. Using a detergent soap solution changes the surface tension of water, preventing water bugs from coming to the surface and taking away the water bubbles underwater. As a result, they will drown. If you use this in your swimming pool, it will not be harmful. Dishwashing and detergent soap biodegrades and has a balanced pH. Your pool filtration would take them out of the pool.

Recommended Directions:

Take three tablespoons of liquid dish detergent and pour into an empty spray bottle.
Fill up the remaining portion of the bottle with water and shake well.
Spray the liquid wherever you find infected water puddles. Also, spray the solution along the sides of your swimming pool.
Wait for a few hours. By that time, the bugs will have drowned and also washed away by your pool’s filtration system. Then some brushing and using a vacuum cleaner will clean away the dead algae.
Repeat this process three times a week until the problem abates.

12. Cooking Oil

Yes, you can get rid of water bugs with cooking oil. Cooking oil never mixes with water, which is why it can separate water bugs. Bugs will begin to die and then float to the surface of the water. If bugs are moved to the bucket containing the oil, the bugs will react to the presence of oxygen, heat and oil which will help to kill the bugs. Otherwise, they would have multiplied by reproducing in larger numbers, increasing the problem.

Recommended Directions:

Pour the oil in the area in which water bugs are present and need to be removed or killed.
Using a net, pull out the water bugs from these places and move them into a bucket with more cooking oil.
Cover this bucket with its lid.
Do not lift the lid off the bucket for an entire day.
Repeat this method whenever needed.

13. Hot Water

Water bugs cannot bear hot temperatures, mainly because their external protective shell breaks down easily. Hence, as the quantity of water bugs rises, increasing the quantity of water and the boiling time for maximum benefit is necessary. Moreover, hot water helps to clean the area as well, which might be affected by fungus or dirt. These are the primary reasons for the proliferation of water bugs in your home. This is going to solve the water bug problem efficiently.

Recommended Directions:

Take a pot and pour some tap water into it.
Place it on a stove and bring the water to a boil.
Pour the hot water into a heat-resistant jug or flask. Otherwise, you might scald your hand.
Take the utensil off and directly pour the boiling water over the area.
Repeat this twice a day for quick relief from the water bugs problem.

14. Place Food Inside the Refrigerator

Try to place all food in the refrigerator. If it’s not possible, place any food in large, clean containers.

15. Alcohol

Alcohol will help you to dry out the entire area where water bugs are located. When excessively sprayed, water bugs and their eggs are going to get dry, causing them to die in droves. Remember that when the bugs are killed off, make sure to repeat the method once again, since the eggs might pop out by accident, causing more water bugs to breed all over the area. This is going to be the quickest remedy for getting rid of water bugs.

Recommended Directions:

Pour about 400 ml of alcohol into an empty spray bottle.
Add some water to dilute it.
Close the lid of the bottle and spray a little to test.
Spray the alcohol all over the affected area.
Now, let the alcohol do its work.
Do it once a day.

These are the most useful homemade remedies to get rid of water bugs. If these don’t work properly, get help from professional pest controllers. They will give you the best idea about this serious problem.