Dear Merle

Compost piles can attrach roaches; they like the warm, humid environment of compost. In places with larger populations of roaches, e.g., urban areas or moist humid environments, e.g., Georgia, there is a higher chance of having roaches in your compost.  I am in SE Ohio, and I have never seen a roach in my garden or my compost, although I do have several other types of beetles.

While cockroaches aren’t often thought of as beneficial insects, they are recyclers and help break down compost. Without them and other recyclers, the breakdown required to make good mulch will halt. Therefore, I would not recommend treating your compost bin with anything – organic or otherwise. You run the risk of killing other, extremely beneficial recyclers.

Some people have found that treating compost with diatomaceous earth may help manage the roaches. Diatomaceous earth is composed of the broken silica (glass) shells of sea algae (diatoms). This material cuts the skin of soft bodied insects and causes them to dry out. It will not harm your compost. But, I would not think this would totally erradicate roaches.

So, I think the first question I would have is, does your neighborhood have an innate population of roaches? If not, you might want to try a small compost pile and see how it goes.

Another question, I would have is, could you tolerate a few roaches, or do you have a zero tolerance policy.  If the latter, I cannot think of a way to eliminate all roaches in compost without hurting the beneficials. However, in that case I would suggest shredding your leaves to create leaf mold instead of compost. Leaf mold doesn't get warm and attract as many insects.  Mostly you get worms. And, consider donating kitchen scraps to a friend to supplement their compost pile.

All the best, Roxanne