Roaches love kitchens – it’s a great place to find food!

But just because roaches are scuttling around in your kitchen doesn’t mean they’re there for the coffee.

In fact, coffee kills roaches!

80 Million Pounds of Proof

How do we know this? Well, we provide integrated pest management for some of the largest coffee production facilities in the US. There are absolutely no roach problems in these facilities. Where most warehouses would attract at least a few, these locations are always totally free of this bug.

If roaches don’t like 80+ million pounds of coffee, they certainly don’t like the bag or jar on your counter.

Roaches are repelled by ground coffee. In fact, putting some ground coffee down in the corners or windowsills of your kitchen can actually help keep them insects away.

Nature’s Roach Poison

One problem for roaches is the acidity in coffee grounds, which can kill them if ingested. If you choose to use coffee in your fight against roaches, be sure to focus on places where they come in and out of the kitchen. This is the most likely place to expose them to the toxins that will kill them, and also keeps your whole house from smelling like old coffee.

The second reason coffee repels roaches is because of the chemical makeup of caffeine. Studies have shown that part of caffeine’s makeup is actually toxic to roaches, killing them nearly immediately. Combined with the harmful acidity, this is clear evidence for the idea that roaches are not after your coffee, and in fact, it will poison them!

So Why Do You See Roaches by the Coffee?

So, if we know that roaches hate coffee so much, why do you always see roaches by the coffee pot when you flip on the light?

Most of the time, the reason you see roaches by your coffee is because they are attracted to things that are stored by the coffee. Creamer, sugar, and other food items that have been left out are delicious for roaches.

So delicious that they’re willing to get near that poisonous coffee to snack on more desirable treats.

In in our experience, creamer and sugar are the two biggest culprits. Putting these ingredients away, and being sure to clean up any spills immediately will help get rid of roaches naturally.

Roaches are not in need of warm shelter or other materials – their entire purpose in life is to eat. So if you take away their food, they’ll soon head elsewhere.

Not Working Fast Enough?

If you’ve ditched the creamer and sugar but you still see roaches invading your coffee zone, the next thing to do is give us a call. We have decades of experience getting rid of pests and are more than happy to help you assess the problem, and tackle the right solution.