Roach Motel

Roach Motel is a brand of a device designed to catch es. Although the term is the subject of a registration by the insect control brand, the phrase roach motel has come to be used as a reference to all traps that use a  or other form of  to lure cockroaches into a compartment in which a sticky substance causes them to become trapped. Introduced in late 1976 in response to the success of 's roach trap, the Roach Motel quickly became a successful entrant in the industry. By 1979, reported, "On the strength of its whimsical packaging and an aggressive ad campaign, the Roach Motel now dominates the market, outselling the closest competition by as much as three to one in some cities."

Early versions of the Roach Motels used food-based bait, but later designs incorporated s. The widely known of the Roach Motel was, "Roaches check in, but they don't check out!" The phrase also has been applied to information technology systems such as, which readily capture transactions data but make it difficult for organizations to access, report and analyze the data stored in the system.

Black Flag also marketed a related insect trap, the "Flyport," designed to deal with unwanted flying insects like, with the tagline, "Lots of arrivals, but no departures!" It was less successful than the Roach Motel.

"Roach Motel" is United States federal trademark No. 1,059,314, for which Black Flag claims a date of earliest use of May 7, 1976.