Spray

• Used in both home and industrial applications, several types of pest and roach repellent are available in spray form. These sprays are applied, sometimes directly, to an infestation and sometimes to areas around the home, and create a protective perimeter that poisons and kills roaches and other pests within the perimeter and wards off pests outside. Other sprays are used on bedding, furniture and even pets and people. These sprays are designed for smaller pests such as fleas and ticks, which can be carried into the home on human hosts and deposited in carpets, beds and clothing.
  
  

Traps

• For larger insects and small mammal pests, traps are sometimes more effective. Instead of strictly repelling insects, traps keep them from important areas in the home by attracting them to a focal point, then disabling them or killing them. Sticky traps are small pads that have an aroma that attracts mice and rats and then keep them secured via glue. Roach motels are small boxes that emit the smell of food. Once the roach checks in, it is poisoned by a toxin. Some pest traps do not kill the pest immediately, but instead coat it with a transmittable poison. This poison spreads back to the main group, while preventing the animals from associating the trap with death.
  
  

Powder

• Another type of popular pest repellent is in powder form. This may come in the form of flea dip for pets, or borax laid down on carpets. Either way, the effect of powder is similar to spray pesticides, killing any immediately present pests, preventing any larvae and eggs from hatching, and providing an inhospitable environment that new populations do not want to infest.
  
  

Guards

• One of the most effective long-term deterrents against pets is to have animals that feed on pests near or in the house. Snakes and lizards thrive on insects, mice and other small rodents, as do owls and other birds of prey. Predators will control local populations and convince some higher-order pests such as rodents to stay away.