Ant & roach spray swap to Bait stations

Why make the swap

• Why switch to bait stations

  Bait stations hold a small dose of insecticide inside a closed case, and pests carry it back to the nest instead of it being misted over your kitchen.

• What's the concern with ant & roach spray

  Sprays and foggers coat counters and floors that kids and pets touch. After bug bombs, kitchen pesticide residues rose a median 85-fold, and roach numbers didn’t drop. A review of 16 studies found children exposed to indoor insecticides had 47% higher odds of leukemia. That’s a link, not the cause. Baits are insecticides too, but they keep the dose in a closed case.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Baits are still pesticides. Place stations where children and pets can’t reach or chew them (not in an under-sink cabinet a toddler can open), read and follow the label, and throw away cracked stations. Set them along the pests’ trail, and skip sprays nearby so the pests carry the bait home. The stations are plastic; there’s no plastic-free bait station yet.

• Sources (2)

  1. 16-study meta-analysis: kids' indoor insecticide exposure linked to leukemia (OR 1.47) and lymphoma (Chen 2015) (opens in a new tab)
  2. Bug bombs left heavy kitchen residues and didn't cut roaches; similarly priced baits did (DeVries 2019) (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.