Objective To screen for the effective attractants for cockroaches, and to investigate the feasibility of attractants combined with spraying insecticides in improving the effectiveness of cockroach prevention and control.Methods The small container trapping method was used to determine the attractability of citral, terpinen-4-ol, and HT-1 phenol to Blattella germanica; the topical application method was used to determine the synergistic activity of citral, terpinen-4-ol, and HT-1 phenol on ethofenprox against B. germanica; a simulation laboratory was used to investigate the effect of the attractants combined with ethofenprox in attracting and killing B. germanica. The Duncan test is used to analyze the differences in the attractability of different compounds to German cockroaches.Results Citral, terpinen-4-ol, and HT-1 phenol had marked attractability to B. germanica, with a relative attraction rate increased by 16.73%, 12.33%, and 31.01%, respectively, at a concentration of 1.0%, while repellency was observed at a concentration of 5.0%. The synergistic rate of 2.5% citral, terpinen-4-ol, and HT-1 phenol to ethofenprox against B. germanica were 73.81%, 47.12%, and 40.90%, respectively. In the simulation laboratory, citral, terpinen-4-ol, and HT-1 phenol combined with ethofenprox increased the contact between the tested cockroaches and insecticide-impregnated paper, with a relative attraction rate increased by 22.22%, 7.26%, and 30.29%, respectively, and such combination also improved killing effect, with a synergistic rate of 72.51%, 67.01%, and 39.93%, respectively.Conclusion Botanical attractants act as a synergist by inducing pests to contact with insecticides and can reduce the use of chemical insecticides while improving killing effect, which provides a new technical approach for the prevention and control of pests.