Short answer: yes. Cockroaches walk onto glue traps readily, and a well-placed trap will catch them. But the most useful thing a glue trap does against roaches isn't catching them — it's showing you where they live.

What glue traps are genuinely good at

Finding the problem. Roaches shelter in tight, warm, humid spaces near food and water. You rarely see that shelter; you see the occasional roach crossing a floor. Put several traps out, wait a few days, and the traps that fill fastest point straight at it. That's information you can't get any other way without pulling a kitchen apart.

Catching foragers. Roaches that leave shelter to find food follow predictable routes, and traps sitting on those routes catch them steadily.

Confirming you're done. Traps that stay empty for two weeks after treatment are reasonable evidence the population is actually gone rather than just quiet.

What they can't do on their own

A glue trap catches roaches that walk across it. It doesn't reach the ones sheltering behind a dishwasher or inside a wall void, and it doesn't affect egg cases. For a small or new problem, traps plus cleanup can be enough on their own. For an established population, treat traps as the monitoring layer rather than the whole plan.

Where to put them

Roaches hug walls and edges much the way mice do, so the placement logic is similar:

  • Under the sink, against the back wall of the cabinet.
  • Behind and beneath the refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher.
  • Near the water heater and any pipe penetrations.
  • In the corners of lower cabinets and the pantry.
  • Along the wall behind the trash can.

Flush against the wall matters. A trap sitting a few inches out in the open is a trap roaches will simply walk around.

Around pets and children

Extermanix glue traps fold into a covered box, which encloses the adhesive surface while leaving the entry points open at both ends. In kitchens with pets or small children that's the form to use — particularly under the sink and behind appliances, where a curious animal might reach.

Realistic expectations

Traps work best alongside the unglamorous work: wiping up crumbs and grease, fixing the drip under the sink, taking the trash out nightly, and sealing gaps where pipes enter the wall. Roaches stay for food and water. Take those away and the traps have far less competition.