Hi folks,
I’m hoping to get some clarity because I’m pretty frustrated at this point. About a week ago, I applied boric acid around my apartment after noticing large roaches, especially at night. I followed common advice — light dusting, focused on baseboards, behind appliances, and cracks.
Fast forward seven days, and I’m still seeing big roaches wandering around like nothing changed. I expected maybe some stragglers, but this feels discouraging.
You’re not crazy, boric acid is slow acting. A week isn’t much, especially with larger roaches. I didn’t see real improvement until closer to the 2–3 week mark, and even then it wasn’t instant.
One thing to keep in mind is that seeing more roaches after treatment can happen at first. They get flushed out of hiding. It’s gross, but not always a bad sign.
Also depends on how heavy the infestation was. If they’ve been there a long time, boric acid alone might not be enough. It’s more of a long-term pressure than a knockout.
I had a similar situation and realized later they were coming from a wall void shared with another unit. Boric acid helped, but it didn’t stop new ones from migrating in.
Quick question, are these German roaches or the big outdoor-looking ones? That makes a huge difference in expectations.
@CleanButCursed That’s exactly what I was going to ask. The big ones usually aren’t nesting deep inside like Germans do. They wander in, so control can be hit or miss.
In my place, boric acid worked better as a maintenance thing, not a cure. Once the numbers dropped, it helped keep them down, but something else had to do the heavy lifting first.
@UrbanTenant21 Same experience here. First week felt pointless, then suddenly sightings dropped off fast around week two. Patience is hard when you’re grossed out, though.
If there’s moisture or food sources nearby (leaky sink, pet bowls, trash area), roaches will keep pushing through treatments. Fixing those helped me more than anything.
@HomeFixMark If you’re still seeing the same number after a couple more weeks, I’d assume there’s either an entry issue or the treatment isn’t reaching where they’re hiding. One method rarely solves it alone.