How To Kill Roaches And Get Rid Of A Home Cockroach Infestation
I have a little secret to share. Well it’s not really a secret so much as it’s a phobia that I’ve held since I was a little kid. Here’s the secret – I am deathly afraid of household insects, but in particular – cockroaches. There, I’ve said it – the cat’s out of the bag – go ahead and laugh, but it’s not funny (maybe just a little bit). Funny or not, it’s something that makes my heart beat fast, makes my pupils dilate like saucers, and summons forth caveman like instincts to grab the nearest bunny slipper or rolled up U.S. News and World Report magazine for some self-preservation-inspired bug pounding.
The mere sight of the creepy crawly legs and wiggling antennas of the common household cockroach jetting out from dark corners and scampering across bathroom counters and kitchen floors utterly freaks me out. While I don’t instantly jump onto chairs, call my mommy, or scream at the top of my lungs like a little girl, I do become visibly startled and immediately shift into fight mode whenever I encounter a lost spider or resident evil roach in my apartment. I’m sure you PETA fanatics out there may be turned off by my disdain and opposition to the plight of roaches and other household vermin, but I don’t care. Roaches and insects have no place in my home and I’ll do whatever it takes to eradicate the pests. I’ve had too many unfortunate experiences and bad memories of living with roaches during my student years.
Fortunately, I’m currently at a place and time in my life where my financial means now permit me to live in a nicer home far away from roach, rat, and vermin infestation that used to plague the ghetto row houses and low cost apartment rentals where I used to live as a college and graduate student. It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with the nuisance of roaches or had to arm myself with high caliber anti-roach weaponry to fight off the onslaught of the mighty cockroach horde. But sometimes, scenes on TV and real life will remind me of how things used to be. Right now there’s a really fascinating but disgusting show on the Discovery Channel called the Verminators that I absolutely love to watch. The reality TV show follows a crack team of household pest exterminators as they go from problem home to another, wiping out severe rat, roach, ant, maggot, spider, and even pigeon infestations. The reason I love the show is the gleeful delight and absolute warlike approach the personalities on the show exhibit towards their determination to kill off all resident bugs that infest the homes of their desperate clients. The exterminator pros show no mercy and go full out with their armament of sprays, powders, and oxygen masks to combat the invaders. One time they even brought out an actual gun to take out a mega-rat that was hiding in someone’s attic. The show, while visually horrendous, brings me back to my graduate school days when I faced a massive roach infestation of my own.
My Failed Battle Against The Impressive Roach Army That Resulted In Eventual Retreat and Surrender
Until recently, I’ve always had a roach problem wherever I lived. Even though I consider myself relatively clean when it comes keeping my home tidy, roaches always seemed to invade my home. Probably the biggest reason for that was the fact that much of my early life was spent as a financially frugal student. As I was primarily supported by my overseas-living parents during my early years, I made a conscientious decision to live in apartments and neighborhoods that were affordable, to help lessen the financial burden on my parents who had several tuitions and living expenses to pay for. But as a result of my cost saving measures, every place I’ve lived at was infested with vermin of all types – from rats to roaches. As indicated above, it wasn’t until my recent later years in my late 20’s that I’ve been able to move on up the financial ladder to higher class, vermin-free housing.
Probably the absolute worst out-of-control infestation experience occurred during my post law school years when I was still struggling to settle down with my fledgling law career and build a sustainable living. To keep expenses low and save money, I decided to move into a quiet garden apartment community in a suburb of Maryland. The commute was great, proximity to grocery stores was excellent, and the price seemed too good to be true – it was. Months into my lease, the nightmare began. While I maintained a clean apartment, washing my dishes after every meal and storing away all food products into air tight containers, I kept noticing the appearance of roaches. At first it was just one or two encounters a week. I squished the roaches with my shoe and flushed them down the toilet each time and hoped they would go away, but they never did. They simply started appearing in greater and greater numbers. It got to the point where everytime I turned on my bathroom light, I would see two or three small roaches hanging around the ceiling area or visibly trying to scurry into a wall corner. Each time I got chills and sweated profusely at the sight of the nightmarish invaders. Eventually, their presence spread from the bathroom and into the kitchen, and eventually into the living room. In time I started seeing them during the day as well, a warning sign that I had a serious problem. Roaches are biologically night animals. If you see one during the day, it likely indicates that you have a serious infestation as overcrowding under cabinets and refrigerators probably has forced them out into the open. For each single roach you see in the open, it probably represents hundreds more hiding behind your drywall or between your floorboards.
At the time I was busy with work so I had little time to deal with my apartment management and forcefully compel them to eliminate the pests. But in response to a few calls and complaints, my apartment complex hired an exterminator, but the roach baits they set forth were ineffective. Eventually I simply went full out and took matters into my own hands. I headed to Home Depot to arm myself with all that consumer bug fighting technology had to offer. I purchased every single roach bait, egg stopper, roach gels, boric acid powder, and roach spray brand I could find – everything from MaxForce to Raid. I probably purchased more roach motel traps and roach gel bait devices than I needed, but I was determined to eliminate their presence from my home forever. All in all, I probably had more than 60 individual roach bait traps for a small apartment that was only about 700 square feet in all. I lined all corners and walls with multiple roach baits, and inserted gel bait poisons into all cabinet cracks and wall corners. I also dusted hard to reach areas with a layer of boric acid, a white powder that is not grossly toxic to humans or most pets like cats, dogs, and birds, but is supposedly deadly towards insects as it eats away their hard shell skin thereby dehydrating them to death. However, while I started seeing piles of upside down roaches everywhere, indications that my baits were working, the onslaught kept coming. Everyday I would see dead roaches everywhere, but new live ones seemed to keep taking their places, gnawing on the dead roach carcasses for nourishment.
Even my poor pet parrot was not immune to the onslaught. Even though he was never physically harmed, his cage was also slowly invaded by the swarming roaches. To protect my pet parrot to the best of my ability, I made sure to keep his cage clean at all times and placed his cage on a plastic lawn furniture table in my living room. I lined the bottom of the plastic table with a thick coat of boric acid powder to ensure that the only way that roaches could invade the cage was by walking through the white powder of insect death. However, day in and day out, I would look at my parrot’s bedding liner to find that the roaches had determinedly strolled through the boric acid powder and made their way into the bottom liner of his cage to seek out food products. When I pulled out the cage’s poop tray to clean it one time, I freaked out when more than 15 roaches scurried out from the plate and began crawling the walls, heading to the ceiling to escape like some horror movie. The nightmarish sight sent deathly chills down my back, made me sweat in horror, and even caused me to bleat out a few uncontrollable expletives. Although upon inspection, the bird cage invading roaches were covered with boric acid powder from head to toe, the resilient suckers simply refused to die. While most online commentators generally cheer the beneficial roach killing abilities of boric acid powder, I must point out that the effects are often slow and unpredictable.
Although I was incredibly busy with my job at the time, I eventually found time to storm into my apartment complex manager’s office to demand that they hire a competent exterminator to fix this emergency situation. Eventually the management relented and hired a more expensive crew to come in and flush the roaches out. The professionals came in with their roach pesticide sprays and laid down lines of defensive deadly roach pesticide trails designed to kill roaches on contact that trample onto them. Then they used a special roach flushing agent to spray into floorboard cracks and underneath appliances to flush out the roach colonies into the open so that they would walk onto the pesticide laden floors. It worked for a while – as there was a huge spike in dead roach bodies as the flushed out roach families were annihilated. But even with professional baits laid out to control the outbreak, the efforts were ultimately futile. The roaches continued to crawl around my dishes, hide in my television set, relax in my stove, and even find their way into my fridge of all places. The final straw was when friends came over to visit me and one of them sat down on my sofa only to stand up moments later with a squished roach on her butt.
Eventually, I shifted into lawyer mode and sent a very threatening legal letter to my landlord demanding that I be fully released from my apartment lease obligations, citing the management’s violation and breach of our contract to keep the premises a safe and reasonably livable place. There was simply nothing else I could do. After talking with the exterminator, I learned that I was fighting a losing cause. Because my discount apartment complex was so old and populated by lower income families that had a habit of illegally stuffing multiple families into one apartment meant for only one, sanitation and cleanliness were major problems. Even though I kept my own apartment clean, massive roach infestations in the adjacent apartments were causing them to spill over into my unit. At the end, I was released from my lease and left my ghetto apartment in a hurry. Ultimately, I had to pay substantially more in monthly rent to live at a new, clean, and higher class apartment complex free of roaches and vermin. My rent soared from $800 a month at my old place to more than $1475 for the new place. While it’s a lot more money, I don’t regret a single thing about my decision to pay more in rent. Freedom from roach infestations is definitely worth the heavier financial price. Saving money is great, but having that extra few hundred in my account isn’t worth the sheer torment of living with roaches invading your life completely and taking over your sanity.
Roach Infestations Are Bad For Your Health and Must Be Eliminated Quickly (Easier Said Than Done)
So other than the scare factor, why are cockroaches and the infestation that they bring to our homes so bad for you and I? First of all, it should be noted that not all insects are inherently bad. Some bugs like spiders and millipedes actually serve useful ecological purposes. Without their presence, our human existence would be inundated with out of control growth populations of pesky critters of all sorts. Most of these utilitarian insects help to control general insect population by building webs to trap, eat, and kill off other insects, helping to keep a lid on spiraling population growth. While I’m generally afraid of insects and roaches in particular, there are bugs that I have friendly, harmonious relationships with. When I see insects like lady bugs or even cicadas, I don’t mind picking them up with my bare fingers to inspect them. I see them as friendly insects that help the environment, so I’m not automatically afraid of them. Roaches of all breeds on the other hand are a different story – they are simply vile. While cockroaches live all around the world and come in all shapes and sizes, the breeds I’m most adverse to are the classic American and German cockroach. These two breeds are the most common roach pests found in American homes.
Roaches are the ultimate scavengers and harbingers of disease, germs, and insect fecal wastes. They have no qualms about walking through through poo or other disgusting solids and liquids. Their bodies frequently carry around all sorts of germs and potential infection spreading agents. One huge problem that they cause for inhabitants of homes that they infect is the creation of roach dust that they build up and leave behind. Roach dust is made up of decayed roach body parts and droppings that become airborne, infecting our breathing and embedding itself onto our hairs, clothes, and furniture. Roach dust is a powerful asthmatic agent that has the potential to trigger significant asthma attacks in sensitive people.
Cockroaches will consume almost anything organic and even somethings otherwise inorganic. They’ll chew threw paper, cloth, oils, bodily wastes, and any type of food or liquid product you leave behind. These little evil cannibals will even snack on the dead bodies of their fellow roach comrades they come across. Nothing is off limits when it comes to their diets. In their never ending pursuit for food, roaches often follow the footsteps of humans into homes and stay close to sources of water and food – which is why they are often found in bathrooms, kitchens, and places where food is plentiful (like near your dog or cat’s food bowl).
The one singular thing that makes them so terrible and deserving of a spot in the Bible as an Old Testament plague is the fact they breed insanely fast and are nearly impossible to get rid of. Female roaches can lay up to 40 eggs at a time, laying up to a 400 evil babies in a lifetime. Their lifespan is a year long and adult roaches can go for a month without food, and even up to an hour without oxygen. They can live off of virtually anything. Even the organic glue compound found on the back of stamps or the nourishment of your dead skin flakes can sustain them for weeks.
Cockroaches are also very difficult to kill. Not only do they run like Olympic track stars, their bodies are extremely well adapted to fend off damage. Because their breathing system is made up of tubes on their bodies called trachea, they can continue to live even after their heads or limbs are chopped off – talk about walking zombies. Also, have you tried to chase down a roach with your shoe before? It’s nearly impossible. It’s like playing whack a mole on steroids as they dart around so fast, it’s scary. They are able to quickly scurry into wall corners and flatten their bodies to avoid your newspaper punishment. They are also primarily nocturnal, preferring to come out at night. When they do, they are very stealthy and experts at staying hidden, invading your cabinets, sinks, toothbrushes, and your food stocks right under your nose. At the mere presence of light, they often smartly run for cover, unlike their more stupid cousin bugs that often sit there, succumbing to flattening attacks by humans.
How Do I Get Rid Of A Mild Cockroach Infestation, and Kill Roaches Using Roach Bait and Roach Traps?
The following words of advice are only suitable for those of you who have mild roach outbreaks in your home. If you only see a lone roach wandering around your home once every year, you probably don’t have an infestation as it probably piggybacked into your home via a plastic grocery bag or something like that. However, if you are seeing them every few days, particular during the daytime when they are supposed to be in hiding, you may have a serious problem. If professional treatment and baiting are powerless, your only recourse may be to move out of your home completely like I did and not look back (if that option is available to you). Some things in life are lost causes. In serious infestations, the roaches probably have spread throughout all apartment buildings or all parts of your house. They’ve probably inhabited your base walls and have set up massive colonies of roach eggs and roach nurseries that are nearly impossible to eliminate completely. Remember, a single female roach once impregnated can continue to lay eggs throughout her entire life, spawning hundreds of hatchlings from just a single individual.
If the roach outbreak is not so dire where moving out is demanded, hiring a professional exterminator might due the trick. Professional exterminators have legal access to much more powerful roach flushing agents and pesticides to kill those little critters. For those who have children and pets in the home and are leery about using toxic pesticides, professional exterminators also have access to potent roach baits and gels that are less toxic for humans and pets. They work by slowly poisoning roaches. Laced with attractive smells to entice a roach, the victim eats the bait and ingests the delayed action poison that will ultimately kill it. When it travels back into the wall boards, it brings some of the poisoned food with it to share with others. In time, roach baits can kill off entire roach populations if the problem has not completely spiraled out of control.
In my opinion, cockroach bombs and roach foggers should be avoided. Not only are they extremely toxic to humans and pets, but their limitations are very well documented and observed. The irritants do drive away roaches temporarily, but they are not effective in killing the populations completely. The roaches will simply run for cover and hide until the toxic plumes have faded. As soon as you move back into your home after the roach bomb has done its work, they will come back out to play. Also, don’t waste your money on those pointless electronic pest control repellent scams that you see on TV all the time. Supposedly, simply by plugging the electronic pest control repellent device into your electrical outlet and activating it, the system emits an ultra high frequency wave that irritates and drives away pests like roaches and rodents. These devices are supposed to be safe for both humans and pets. However, they’re pure junk and scams in my opinion. Both rats and roaches are extremely durable and hardy animals, conditioned to survive even nuclear devastations if it ever came down to it, so neither of them is likely going to be stopped by some pointless frequency wave. To get rid of them, you’re going to have to resort to good old fashioned roach food deprivation and chemical warfare. Ditch the expensive electronic pest control repellent devices and don’t waste your money.
For those of you with mild roach infestations, here are some home remedies and homemade solutions to help you kill them, exterminate their colonies, and keep your home free of pesky cockroaches. Much of your efforts will be spent targeting notorious problem areas like the kitchen and bathroom.
Household Solutions To Get Rid Of A Mild To Manageable Roach Problem:
1) Eliminate the Roaches’ Source Of Food, Water, Shelter, and Entry – Unless you live in a shared apartment complex that allows roaches to travel freely from one unit until into another, keeping your home clean is the most effective way to get rid of roaches. Cockroaches invade our homes usually to seek out food and water. Wash your dishes immediately after every meal and wipe down kitchen counters frequently, as roaches like to snack on greases and food oils. Vacuum your carpet and wipe down your hardwood floors and tiles as often as you can to ensure no food or liquid particles remain to feed the roaches. Fix leaky faucets as well as they offer roaches a free tasty source of water to drink from. If you have pets like cats, dogs, or even birds, clean the pet living areas frequently and make sure their food bowls are washed and cleaned after use. Dog food sacks are frequently targets of roaches – always seal them in special airtight containers. Also, make sure there are no open canisters of food or liquids anywhere in your home. Roaches can sniff them out and they will find them. Practice throwing out your trash bags on a daily basis. Trash cans contain all sorts of attractive aromas for roaches. Eliminate this prevalent food source if you can.
Finding out how they are getting into your home is easier said than done. Oftentimes roaches found their way into your home via air vents, front doors, or even cracks outside of your home. Oftentimes, telltale signs like roach droppings – tiny brown pellets of slime, indicate the presence of roaches. Frequently, professional help is needed to help you pinpoint the entry way. Finding out where they are living in your home exactly is also difficult without expert help. But once you locate how they enter your home and where they congregate, a liberal application of roach pesticide spray along the access points will provide long lasting walkways of doom for these roaches.
2) Use Non Toxic Boric Acid Or Diatomaceous Earth - While I’ve personally had limited success with using boric acid or even diatomaceous earth powder to control roach populations, perhaps you’ll have more success than I. Borate powders are generally non toxic to humans, pets, and children although you obviously shouldn’t intentionally ingest them. Despite prolonged exposure, my parrot, my friend’s cat, and myself managed to remain perfectly healthy in the presence of boric dusted rooms. However, these powders are supposedly toxic and deadly against insects. As insects like roaches come into contact with the powder, the powder sticks onto their outer shell, causing gradual roach death. The downside is that boric acid powder kills very slowly and sometimes it may take days before the acid takes effect. But the plus side is that the compound can remain effective for years if the powder remains dry. Boric acid powders also allow you to dust in areas where the roaches are likely to hide and where humans and pets are less likely to come in contact with – such as in the crevices behind your kitchen appliances and spaces underneath your refrigerator.
Boric acid can be purchased at local retail hardware stores and most drug stores. They usually come in a squeeze bottle with a narrow spout that allows easy dusting once cut. Retail boric acid powder is usually white although some brands color the product light blue so you can see the product better. The key is to dust in areas where roaches are likely to walk through. Roach behavior usually dictates that they prefer to walk along edges where their bodies are in constant contact with some type of wall. Thus, remember to dust the boric acid under your stove and refrigerator, along wall edges, around door frames and open spaces inside of cabinets, sinks, and shelves.
Another product that is used by some is a form of illegal insecticide commonly called “Chinese Chalk”, because of their sale in many Chinatown locations. However the sale and purchase of Chinese Chalk is illegal due to the many child related poisonings attributed to the product’s resemblance to common classroom chalk. Supposedly, one can use the chalk to draw lines of kill zones on the ground to poison any roach or ant that walks across it. It probably works the same way as boric acid, but with substantially greater toxicity and health danger to humans. I don’t recommend using it – it’s illegal anyway.
3) Use Roach Traps, Roach Bait, and Roach Gels – Roach baits in all forms contain a combination of poison chemical and attractive food lures to entice roaches to eat them. They are actually quite effective if used in large quantities in strategic indoor locations where it’s dark and moist. Like boric acid powder, they both kill slowly. However, this slow killing power is actually the most effective form of mild roach infestation control because it allows the poison to be ingested and taken by the roach into the roach lair to kill the population at its source.
The baits can come in the form of a little plastic roach bait station (roach motel) or they can come in gel syringe form. The plastic roach baits are easier to set and tend to last longer in duration, but I think they are slightly less effective than roach gel baits. Gel baits are very effective but they tend to dry out quicker, not to mention the gels are messier and harder to clean up. The gels also need to be re-applied every few weeks for maximum effect. Roach gels should be lightly applied in corners, on plumping fixtures, on interior cabinet edge corners, and under appliances where it’s usually dark. Remember not to combine roach bait and roach gels with instant killing pesticide sprays. The objective with baits is not to kill them instantly, but to allow one infected roach to spread the poison love to others. Popular retail roach bait brands include MaxForce, Combat, and Raid. I don’t have any preferences or recommendations because they’re all about the same in terms of effectiveness. Try buying all three and using them all simultaneously if you have the money to do so – their poison chemical compositions differ somewhat.
4) Use Roach Insecticide Sprays – These aerosol powered spray cans contain a lethal dose of bug killing liquids. By spraying the roach insecticide chemicals along hidden baseboard floors and on dark and hidden areas underneath and inside cabinets where roaches frequent, you provide tremendous roach killing power on contact. The insecticide sprays contain a chemical that instantly starts to kill the roaches on contact should one wander across a sprayed area. While it’s great to know that it’s lights out for any roach that crosses its path, the sprays do not provide much residual or long lasting roach control. Only roach baits can target the roach nests and hit the source of the spawning problem. However, back when I had a heavy roach problem, I always kept a few bottles around at the ready. Chasing a fast running roach is much easier with a roach spray. It beats having to swing wildly like a drunkard with a shoe or newspaper.
5) Use Water Jars (Vegas Roach Jars) - Another common household remedy to combat mild roach problems is the use of a so-called Las Vegas roach trap jar. It’s called that because the practice was recently popularized by a Las Vegas news report of its effectiveness in catching roaches. While I’ve never tried it out, the concept sounds rather interesting. The Vegas cockroach trap consists of a glass jar filled with coffee grounds (as bait), and a little bit of water that is placed against a wall. It is important that the roach jar trap is placed against a wall because roaches prefer to travel along edges where their bodies can maintain constant contact with a wall. Some people like to place Scotch masking tape on the outside of the jar to give the roach more traction. However, once they fall into the jar, the slippery glass surface prevents them from being able to climb out. Supposedly, cockroaches are attracted to these water jars. This type of homemade anti-roach remedy if effective, is a wonderful alternative to using toxic insecticides and baits. But frankly, I’m not fully convinced the technique actually works.
I’m sure everyone has their own secrets and methods to killing roaches. Feel free to share your ideas.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:10 am
This is a very informative report, not very promising since I do have an infestation and do not have the money for better housing. I will try all your ideas but when I first moved in it was a roach once ina blue moon, now its like I see them in the day. One day I killed twelve! So its a little scary. Again I will try everything. Do you think caulking cracks in the wall will help also?
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Wow. Now I’m scared of roaches too. I always was, but I’m quite creeped out now. We had some problems with them when I worked for property management. The exterminator managed to find the source and seal it off, but he explained that they’d always be looking for ways in, since the sewers were full of the lil buggers during the late summer/early fall period. Ick.
July 27th, 2008 at 7:26 am
I also want you to know something I found out from a long time ago living in Coconut Grove, Florida. A small box of “Harris Roach Tablets” has let me live roach free for over twenty five years!!!!!
July 31st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Don’t let roaches ruin your lives….fight back with a vengeance or run for your lives by moving out if you can. Although tiny, they are incredibly resilient little suckers to squash I must admit.
Roaches have truly been around since the dawn of time. I remember reading somewhere about how scientists discovered the dead remains of fossilized cockroaches in the cave dwellings of ancient cavemen. They’ve been with us since the beginning and will probably be there at the very end, forever snacking on our food like the evil little free loaders they are.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am
As the author did, I currently I live in a low income apartment building (in Chicago) and have been here for over a year. The area is up and coming as they say – but not MY building. Anyway I have not moved yet because financially – I can’t.
Until recently, about 3 weeks ago, I saw ONE roach and completely freaked out of course as I knew there was a problem – you see one then there are MANY more. I saw another one that same week. Right away I tried to determine where they where coming in, it appears under the kitchen sink. So I went out and got those gel traps and put them everywhere in the kitchen. Scrubbed the hell out of the kitchen – I was clean but got even cleaner, lysol, ajax, bleach – the works.
So this week, Monday – I saw 3 alive in the kitchen. Tuesday, 2 alive and one dead in the kitchen. I wanted faster results so I went and got Boric Acid (my new best friend). I applied liberally along the base of the floor behind the sink under the stove refrigerator and in the cabinets. I also leave the light on and point a fan at the kitchen floor, I read someone when we come by them they feel the air and then scamper away. I am trying everything to prevent them spilling over into the rest of my place considering it is only a studio!
Wednesday, saw one in the kitchen. Thursday saw none in the kitchen and 2 alive in the Bathroom (crap!) where I had one gel trap and no Boric Acid, they where both on there last leg, since they where frozen in place when I hit the light on. I became discouraged. I immediatly applied some Boric Acid along the edge of the floor under the sink and toliet.
Now we come to today – Friday, I woke up and discovered one dead, on the floor in the kitchen none in the bathroom. Apparently, I am doing well at killing them upon entering my unit but obviously this is a no win battle as they are thriving elsewhere and just spilling into my space.
The landlord apparently is not sending any help until August 23rd! Which is insane considering how quickly they breed. I have tried researching my rights as a tenant in this situation and thus far have been unsucessful finding anything for IL. I want to withhold the upcoming rent and use that towards a new place but not sure if I can.
All in all – this sucks and once you see them, live in an apartment building and know others are not taking precaution as you are – you just have to move.
To the author – thank you for sharing your story, you did mention your in the legal practice, if there is any information you can share with me and my rights – please do!
Thanks and good luck to everyone!
August 4th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Oh my GOD. I’m so horrified…
I’ve seen a single dead roach (my cats have been catching and killing them) each day for three days…. this is all on the event of all of my downstairs neighbors moving away…. not for roaches, as far as i can tell– one across the country, and the other evicted. Now it’s just me on the top floor and a guy in the sublevel floor of a brownstone. And they’re coming. I’m not sure what to do… i’m a server, so i’m away long hours while my cats are home in need of their food, and I don’t know how they’ll cope if I don’t leave it out for them to eat. Unfortunately, the roaches are being fed too. I feed the cats wet AND dry food… has anyone heard of dry food being less likely to attract those evil demons? Or does it not even matter?
August 4th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Natalie,
I sympathize and totally understand the agony you’re going through. The sight of a single roach scampering across my apartment floor in the past was enough to send shivers down my back.
If you have to leave pet food out, dry food is best. I had to defend my bird’s cage from the roaches as well. I don’t think the roaches were after my bird’s dry bird food, but rather were attracted to his moist poop piles. Roaches prefer moist food products, but frankly, they’ll eat anything that’s remotely edible.
As for coming up with a clever way to prevent roaches from getting into the cat food bowls until you can properly deal with the roach problem, try putting the cat food bowls on a slightly elevated table or platform were your cats can jump up to. Spray or line the foot of the table or platform legs with roach spray or boric acid powder. Many of these sprays offer residual killing power against roaches that walk over them.
I baby sat my friend’s cat for a while and I know for a fact that cats are not affected by the spray or boric acid powder so long as you don’t get the chemical compounds directly into their food bowls.
I’m impressed your cats actually chase and kill the roaches. When I babysat my friend’s cat, she merely enjoyed chasing them and whacking them with her paw as a form of entertainment. She didn’t do much damage though as roach bodies are very resilient.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I live in Miami, Fl, where roaches seem to be pretty much unavoidable. Never had much of a problem until this summer. I seem to catch one in the kitchen or in the bathroom every 2-3 nights now. Just an hour ago one hopped on my bed, it was freaky. They are usually in the kitchen, sometimes the bathroom, but rarely do they get as far as a bedroom.
I’ve never seen more than one at a time though, and always at night, which gives me some hope that some serious boric acid use will yield good results.
August 9th, 2008 at 6:04 am
What can be done legally. The management here won’t do squat about the problem. They gave me some of those little traps and one of those electrical plug in devices but it like throwing firecrackers at a tank. Im using the boric acid but I don’t know how effective it is as I still see them. Damn things got into my coffee pot, my microwave, even my refigorator. One of my neighbors complained about it and told me she would get a 60 day notice if she kept complaining about it. I scour the microwave before and after every use but they still get in. This is probably a stupid question but I should probably stop using it shouldn’t I? I threw the coffee pot out, I scoured the ‘fridge and turned it up so high almost everything freezes and I don’t seem them in there anymore except a occasional dead juvinile (probably froze to death, ha ha) I lost my job two months ago so Im going to get evicted but I want these Aholes in management to be subject to legal action. Can you help with any suggestions. Im so freeked out by these damn things I have nightmares that they’ll simply move with me where ever I go. One of the damn things just crawled by the keyboard as I am typing this now!!! Sweet Jesus, can someone help me???
August 10th, 2008 at 5:12 am
I read through the post with one eye shut as the mere sight of them in the posts’ photos is too much for me. This post is very informative. I usually call a professional once a year and buy my peace and quiet.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Baits are the best way to go. Avert is one. Not cheap But, if you are persistant, they will pick it up and take it into the wall void. Put it out in three or four of the same spots. Write down their location. Put it out every three or four days.. until it is not disturbed.. Avert was developed in the housing projects of Chicago.. Most pest sprays are worthless.. Also a growth regulator like Gentrol can Be Very effective.. Good Luck..
August 12th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Thanks for the super-informative article. We seem to be battling something of this sort right now. Ugh…I can attest for the water jar method b/c when we leave a bowl outside and water gets in, we find several floating roaches the next morning. I just put down borax last night. So, the battle is on!
August 13th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I have seen a drastic improvement with the methods I mentioned in my last post on August 1st. I now will only see ONE every week or week and half which is way better than before considering I am in an apartment building and of course can not control what others do.
Seeing as the Boric Acid must stay dry to be effective – when I clean I do not mop by the border, only once a week I will and than of course lay down a new Acid border. I also used some drywall mix and covered all openings by the plumbing that I could find and reach.
August 18th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Will definately give everything ago. Staying over at my grandparents house for college, and the kitchen is COMPLETELY infested with those. Hundreds, upon hundreds.
You think thats diguisting, what about have the weekly family dinner and the while the pots are sitting on the stove, roaches are crawling on the lid.
Yuck, yuck and double yuck.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I was visiting Asia a while back and staying at a friend’s relative’s house. The house was in the countryside so they had sort of a roach and bug problem. But apparently none were around because the population was kept in check by all the geckos (yes, as in the GEICO gecko) that crawled the walls. The gecko lizards were actually pretty cute and quite friendly. With suction cup legs, they scurried across walls, snacking on tasty roaches and other vile bugs. I guess it’s a trade-off between having roaches on your walls and counter tops, or having geckos.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Great zot, woman! Your little band was even more colorful than my collection of pet cockroaches, who came with the “luxury” apartment I rented one year. Little guys were acrobats, sooooo cute… They’d perform elegant backflips off the cabinetry onto the kitchen counters.
While boric acid will work eventually (and temporarily…more will come to take their place), the best bet is roach traps. They’re far and away better than any other solution. A housekeeper who lived in an even more “luxurious” apartment than mine clued me in. I tried them, and before long the place was acrobat-free. They didn’t come back, either.
Couple of years ago I read that those traps have decimated the population of roaches in North America. That’s one bit of environmental disruption I can live with.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
So, I have a typical scenario… Brooklyn apt – 6 dwellings. Didn’t see a problem when I first moved in.. I started to see some here and there — when the man across the whole died )the clean out his infested apartment, but did not care for the rest of the building. I got that under control for almost a year… seeing some herer and but recently more are appearing.
I was told it was the firsts floor apt. That they were dirty. Then I discovered a huge hole beneath their apartment and a huge leak decending from the hole. I informed my landlady of this and she said roaches don’t like water… that its the tenants fault. She wants us to bomb our apt’s- all but the couple who have a newborn….
I began my own war to prevent an infestation for when my neighbor bombs only to discover that I too was infested..
I have sealed holes with combat platinumn gel, used boric acid, bay leaves, and quick kill as well as source kill baits in the kitchen and bath. They are hidden in the half walls and cupboards and short of ripping them out I don’t know what to do with that.
I have put baits in the basement near the leak and boric acid and traps all throughout our hallways.
In my bedroom I used a repellent in the cracks of the baseboards and flooring.
I threw away all small appliances.
I sealed up all foods even unopened cans in ziploc bags. I also wiped them down before sealing.
My landlady wants us to bomb and I suspect doesn’t want to take on the responsibility of having a professional come to take care of the hole buliding… she blames that on us, the tenants…saying she can’t make people bomb or exterminate and we all have to be home at the same time and she cant tell us to do that either.
I am seeing less roaches, mostly smaller ones. I am trying to clean as I go, but now I am seeing their excrement left on the dishes that I washed… I have been doing this for 4 days…
Does it sound promising?
I do not want to bomb, it sounds futile and even more work.
And I am doing what and exterminator would at this point?
I have also put bay leaves around (repels) and cleaned with an orange oil based spray (kills them)
Thanks for reading and the advice and good luck!
August 20th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
So, just wanted to give an update–i found the entry point at the gas connection behind my stove, squirted MASSIVE amounts of boric acid powder in there and filled in the gap… covered my whole apartment in the stuff… set combat traps EVERYWHERE, and i haven’t seen one since!
thanks!
August 25th, 2008 at 11:27 am
We have hired a local person to come around and spray for roaches. I have lived in my home now for going on 10 years and I have seen a very occasional bug here and there but nothing like what I see now. We were having the bigger ones and I think the the bug man has been effective in the way of killing the big ones…but we see the middle sized ones all the time and in my laundry room and in my kitchen floor alot in the daytime, I go around whacking them with my two trusty fly swatters I have hanging on my door. I wonder if he keeps spraying his stuff and I get some boric acid and some roach motels and some of the gel stuff if it will be effective enough to get rid of them I hate bugs of any kind but especially roach bugs they make everything feel nasty and you have to wash everything a million times to make sure its clean before you use it, and also I think they are living under my fridge, is there a way you can lean it back or will that tear it up or something…? Help- some advice on getting rid of them would be helpful I’m going to try all this stuff that I have read about I hope it works…
August 28th, 2008 at 12:22 am
When we moved in our lil old house we saw one or two roaches here and there, told our landlord about it and he said to buy bombs, if need be he would buy them. We told him that we thought it would be better to just get an exterminator, but he refused. We bombed and put down some roach motels ( my mom swears by them), that worked for a few months, it kept them down. But we have a dog and three kids, its hard not to keep food and water down for her and to pick up every last crumb the kids drop. It wasnt long before we started seeing more and more. We’ve tried everything you can buy at a store! They even started to get on the bed!!! Found out they got into our boxed springs, so we threw out our bed and got a new one. We now have an exterminator coming (for three months now). We thought it helped the first time he came, but it wasnt long and the population was back up. So we told the guy and he sprayed some different stuff each time he came.
I got rid of half of our clothes, dishes we dont use, some of the toys, papers, anything they could hide in and THEY ARE STILL HERE!!! The real problem is that since the exterminator has been spraying and putting gel out the roaches have mutated!!! They look like lil monsters, some w/ missing wings, some w/ extra body parts some w/ only 3 legs, some of them look like roaches and crickets bred!!! They are scarry looking. We move in cuz it was a cute lil house that we could aford while I was still going to school, but I just finished and we are getting ready to move, how do I keep them from coming with us? I’m at my wits end help!!! Thanks for all of the ideas everyone shared. Sorry for everyones bug problem, but its nice to know other people are fighting the never ending battle too. I’ll be sure to try the few ideas I hadn’t heard of before, and good luck to everyone.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:34 am
I live in a suburban area of Rialto California. Weve seen a few roaches about a year ago, but ever since seven months ago we havent seen even one. But just a few minuites before 12:30 in the morning, I saw another one. The upside(i think) is that I managed to capture it and now it’s trapped in a small cup on my computer table. I went to wikipedia for a little information and Ive figured out its a female. It just happens to have an egg sack attatched to it. What should I do with it now??
August 28th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Rue,
Hmm…interesting…I’ve never noticed one dragging around an egg sac before… however…
On behalf of all roach haters out there, I humbly ask you to take the roach outside and put it out of its misery by squishing it pronto….you may want to squirt some roach insecticide spray to neurologically kill what is left. The spray should be able to kill off the eggs as well.
Yes, I exhibit no mercy when it comes to those pesky critters… if I could use a flame thrower to torch them out of my home I would..
August 31st, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I have a similar issue as Natalie. I just adopted 3 kittens. I teach and am away all day (from 7:00AM until 6:30PM) and need to leave food out for the growing babies.
My last place had roaches and I’m deathly afraid of getting them here. I have professionals come every quarter to treat the outside (and sometimes the inside). Am I “safe” leaving a small amount of dry food out for the kittens to snack on during the day?
I am careful to wash their bowls after they finish their wet food so there is no residue in them for any length of time.
What do you guys think?
September 5th, 2008 at 4:45 am
To all with a problem alike. They are quick to come back. One sure thing is you don’t have to be dirty, poor or lazy to get the little bastards. Boric acid and Diatomaceous Earth will help tremendously. If you don not have kids use the chalk. It may be illegal but you can get in on the internet. Between those three things you can virtually eliminate them.
Don’t waist your money on any pesticides from the store. They are weak and will not work. The stupid electric thing you plug in, nope, won’t work.
Water in a jar, yes it does work but you have to wait for them to find it and comitt suicide. By the time they find it and take a swim they would have produced many more.
Powder and caulk is the only way to go
September 9th, 2008 at 12:23 am
We put out boric acid when we moved in to our new home about five years ago which did work pretty well, but I have concerns about using it. There are some areas of our home (bathroom and dining room) that are carpeted and I don’t like to vaccum the boric acid for fear of aerosolizing the acid.
But, like Debbie (posted on July 31) the Harris Roach Tablets work wonders. I live in the south and we have some big fat flying roaches, yet these tablets are amazing. I have lived in an old historic house that was practially falling all around me and these tablets have really taken care of our roach problem. The best part is the first night that we put them out, the roaches loved them soo much that they actually pushed the tablets out from under the refridgerator and the oven.
My only complaint is that these tablets don’t seem to work on the really small “German” roaches.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
My husband and I have tried all of these methods including the food reduction and cleanliness regimes. we have used traps, baits, boric acid, raid, combat, foggers and bombs and none of these products work.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:30 am
I, myself, is checking this website because I have just killed 3 roaches. It’s midnight here, and that’s where they come out in search for food. I sprayed down 3 roaches with my home-made dish washing detergent + water. It also works well with soap + water. Basically, i sprayed the roach intensively, trying to hit its head. After a while, around a minute or 2, the roach wud eventually die, suffocating. The detergent/soap water blocks the roaches breathing paths and suffocates them. Use this if you don’t have an insectiside at home/near you, or if you simply dont want the smell of insectiside all over your room.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
The Las Vegas roach trap works…I use outside my house on all the corners. And I have to empty them often. I have them anywhere a roach may be able to gt inside…I have no rouches in my house or in my yard! I live in Las Vegas
October 18th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
What is wrong with you sadistic people!!!!! And what’s wrong with being a PETA supporter! I know you people don’t think roaches are people, but they are creatures too…same as any socalled household pests….mice, insects, they are all creatures that should be respected.
Instead of killing them with sprays, foggers, or talking about suffocating them with soap suds why not try some type of live trap….I’ve seen them before…
Live and let live!!!
October 19th, 2008 at 4:16 am
I am an animal lover as well. But i completly disagree with you. they carry germs that get in your food and on your dishes. and can be harmfull to someone with asma. Believe it or not my cat has severe asma. she is the world to me. and i feel just as bad for her as i do myself for having to live with these utterly discusting creatures. but all the pesticides and roach dust is causing her to go into asma attacks. i cant afford to leave and i just signed a year lease. i dont know what to do.i have to get rid of them but in fear that she might have more attacks i have stopped my treatment and am at a loss on what to do. ??????? so i say kill the little bastards!!! im down with live and let live but what about my loved cat that is suffering because all of this. i want every roach in the world to die an agonizing death for the problems they cause !!!!!
October 20th, 2008 at 7:32 am
The dish soap and water DOES wonders. My wife has been using the dish soap and water in a spray bottle and gives them a 20 second treatment and Wallah! VERY CLEAN & DEAD ROACH!!!!
October 20th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Sorry animal lover but protesting for roaches is taking it a bit too far, really it is..
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
wow i’m so glad (sort of) that other people have the problem as well. ;_;. i just moved into an apartment with my boyfriend (my first place) a few weeks ago. it’s a low-income place but it’s really nice and clean (supposedly). our’s has new paint and carpet. about a week after moving in, they started to warm up to us and showed themselves. average size i guess. i only saw 1 in the kitchen and then the next day another in the guest bathroom(i’ve still only seen them in thsoe 2 places *knocks on wood*). of course, i freak out. thank gawd my boyfriend is here to take care of them because i would just cowar in the corner in fetal position and cry myself to sleep. or sleep in my car. my friends at work tell me it’s the complex’s responsibility so i call and tell them. they leave me a few bombs by my door and tell me what to do and also they will be sending a guy to do pesticide in the next couple days. after bombing, i come home from work and it’s ok. that night i come to he kitchen and there it is. a roach. next day he comes. the day after, while my boyfriend is at work, i go to the kitchen and low and behold.. babies. i had the raid out and started spraying the ones i saw until i realized this was an infestation. THEN i see a pink gecko lizard thing in the sink and i scream and run away to the bedroom. i didn’t know what it was at the time, i could have been hallucinating from raid fumes. i go to his work (publix) to pick up raid bombs and bait traps. set them off and leave (for 4+ hours) had to kill time but luckily it was a saturday night =] and he was closing and went to a game arcade after. the next night i saw another one! normal sized.. and more babies yesterday. someone came again to flush this time today and let me tell you it STINKS!! i’m not sure what flushing means or how it’s different then regular pesticide but i hope this works. we have the baits out still but i need to get that powder. i’m frustrated we’re probably the only ones doing what we’re supposed to be doing and our neighbors could be breeding them!! my first place.. and scarred from this.
October 25th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Hello! I’ve had a similar problem with roaches but I’ve eliminated all of them which was amazing because I tired everything and none of them seemed to be working. I came across this site named pestmall.com and they helped me tremendously. Their instructions were very simple and easy to understand. Dupont Advion Roach Gel works! It actually works and it works GREAT!
I applied the Dupont Advion Roach Gel on the corners of the kitchen, in the cracks of appliances (refrigerators, microwaves, stove fans, etc.), under counters, cabinets, and sinks, and other small openings where cockroaches can enter.
Also just because you treat the inside of your home doesn’t mean that roaches can still come into your home. So I treated the outside as well. Demon WP was amazing for outside application! I used Demon WP and sprayed it using a hand sprayer around the foundation of my home and around utility pipes where roaches might come into my home.
Believe me, from my experience, I never thought I could be free of roaches but it happened. Pestmall.com was a TREMENDOUS help to me because they give really simple directions for the application and made it easy to understand. They really did help me alot! Go check them out if you want to be roach free!
October 31st, 2008 at 9:16 pm
That’s a great story. Thanks for sharing about your phobia and experiences. And you’re right about electronic pest control devices not doing a thing for the roaches. They don’t seem to care at all as they just prance right in front of the device without batting a feeler.
The best treatment I found for the big “flying ace bomber” species of roaches is Combat large roach bait stations in the GOLD BOX. Why the Gold Box? Because it is satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Combat always had a decent product but when they came out with the gold box with the satisfaction guarantee I was convinced it would work. No company in their right mind would want their customers returning bait stations after those nasty critters and their friends dined there. I gave them a try and have been recommending them ever since. Many other crawling bugs will also dine there so you often will see varieties dead in the near vicinity of that picnic spot. I don’t ever buy the little combat traps because the flying ace bombers won’t fit in there so I get the big traps and it is so effective that even with a colony of them, you will see less and less within a very short amount of time, and then gone.
I think however that Combat has even outdone itself by making their fabulous feast formula too quick kill for its own good. I don’t think too many of the roaches are even making it back to the nest to feed the little ones and so it seems to be taking longer to eliminate the colony. That’s unfortunate and I may talk to the company about it. It used to be that you would not even see them dead in the house, because they would die out of sight. When you’d see another roach months later, you knew it was time to get new bait stations. Lately in the homes I’ve declared battlezones in, I come in after a couple of days and see the ace bombers upside down, and some are even half comatose but yet still seem to be running wildly on their backs if you know what I mean. Ugh! Too quick kill is not allowing the nest to be easily fed and destroyed as easily as it did before.
I always keep handy one or two cans of spray and the only one I use is: Fragrence free Raid. Wow, fragrence free, how’s that! Finally. For all the people who can’t stand the smells of pesticide, and they chew you out if you even think of spraying a chemical within a mile of them, and then there are people who have phobia’s like Ray and myself who require ammunition to be always at hand, . . . now nobody can tell that you sprayed at all. Fragrance free, what genius. My Mom’s husband has a pest control company and yet I often see flying ace bombers come in for a landing at their house and they have not had the pleasure of dining on poison yet so they are agressive. But at my house, they are always on their backs, thank you very much.
If you have plenty roaches, make sure you get more boxes so you can get them under control. I put them at every entry point inside and outside so they are welcome to bring their friends to my patio to share their last meal. That way we can control the travelers of the neighborhood also. I live in Hawaii so you can imagine with all the palm trees that my phobia has been a real problem. And I scream too.
I’ll end with a funny story. I was at a friend’s house one night renovating a gas range on their patio and using black spray paint so we had to be outside of course. His ex wife was inside the house and he lived in a separate unit he made for himself off the main house. She tolerated him but that’s how they lived. He kept telling me to keep the noise down so she doesn’t get upset that I’m there. Then out of nowhere came the hugest bug I had ever seen and it was totally hauling butt faster than I had realized they could go. I didn’t know what it was because it was huge and long and just horribly huge and fast. It looked bigger than a centipede really. I jumped on the bench and was screaming my head off, and it was about 10:00 Pm. The ex wife came out and was so angry at who was screaming from their property. She ended up totally hating me, not just for spending time with her ex husband but because my fear of roaches was a loud one. I was so freaked out by the size of the creature that my addrenaline got the better of me. When we got a good look at the creature, it turned out to be two huge ace bomber cockroaches doing their sex thing, trying to make more of the same. Yuck! I never ever saw anything like that before. That impression it made in my mind still lingers to this day. It was dark and my friend let them get away so that took care of my fun for that evening. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Good luck in your own battles of the bugs. My heart goes out to all you brave fighters.
Try the Gold Box Combat if you need a sure fire cure. It does work.
Aloha, Gabrielle
November 9th, 2008 at 11:48 am
KILL ‘EM ALL!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Whee can I buy this Boric acid from????
November 13th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Down with the roaches!!!
Dora Renee’ Wilkerson
November 15th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Natashia,
Boric acid can be purchased from home supply stores like Home Depot, Lowes, or Ace Hardware. The white/bluish compound usually comes in a rubber squirt bottle…like the mustard or ketchup bottles you find at restaurants. After cutting off the plastic tip, you use the plastic squeeze bottle to poof out boric acid powder into cracks and crevices to slowly kill off those pesky roaches.
There’s a picture of a boric acid bottle in this blog post btw.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I live in an apartment that was built in the 70’s and there are 4 apartments in one complex. I have a very bad roach problem like I see them in the daytime and when I’m eating they are not the least bit afraid to walk right up to my plate(it’s bad). They really creep me out I put all of my chip bags and cereal into 2 plastic bags and tie it up tight , and they still get in. I know drink my coke straight from the 2 liter bottle so that there isn’t a chance one can get in. when I open the cabinets in my kitchen they fall down on me. I’ve even found them in my sons playpen and on his walker. I clean alot and put out traps and stuff nothing works..I told the landlord and he said he was gonna send somebody but that was 1 month ago. I have to knock at least 1 roach off of my toilet seat before using the bathroom everytime. I don’t have the money to move and nothing works. I have like no money for any traps or anything for that matter..I’m worried for my 1 yr. old son’s health..please help me I live in arkansas can someone tell me if there is a law or something that could help me.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Hi Destiny,
Since your landlord said he would do it and never did it yet, I would call him again and tell him you are asking him a second time but now it is an urgency. Tell him over the last month they have multiplied and they are out of control. It may have been an oversight on his part so there is no need to be angry since you do need him for a place to live. However, I would demand nicely that he take care of it immediately.
Here is what I would tell him. Your child is at risk of illness from it as your child is very young and vulnerable since kids put everything in their mouths. If he does get sick then you will send him the bills from the medical services that will be required at that time. Heavens forbid it would come to that. So tell him due to the urgency of the matter, if he doesn’t send an exterminator out right away that you will have no choice but to report it to the State health Dept.
I actually just called the state health department where I am to inspect a unit infestation at a high rise building that doesn’t do any pest control. They came out within a week of my call and did an inspection and they became involved. I’m sure that between the risk of your child’s health, and the reality of it becoming an issue where he will have to deal with the state health department rather than you as his tenant, it should shake him into action. If it doesn’t, then call the health department and follow thru with the inspection. The risk of monetary loss to him of your son’s medical bills and going up against state for a health violation is way greater than the money it will cost to exterminate.
Good luck. Let me know what happens.
gabrielle
November 30th, 2008 at 2:08 am
I found this site to be very encouraging as far as trying different things to get rid of roaches. I’m absolutely terrified of those nasty creatures. I saw one tonight on my carpet and I went nuts! I’ve used various products in the past and have spent a small fortune on them, but nothing seems to last very long. The roaches are back with a vengence. I too lived in the far east. I think that’s where my fear of roaches came from. The roaches were the size of the back of my hand. At first, I thought a bird was flying through my house, but it was a gigantic roach!!! I just ordered the Harris Roach Tablets……. at least it’s a start. If for some reason they don’t work as well as what has been stated in some of these reviews, I’ll try something else. There have been a lot of good suggestions. Perhaps Combat in the gold box that Gabrielle suggested will be my next investment.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 am
Crap! I traded a huge bird cage for 2 smaller bird cages that are all made out of iron with this lady that bought some birds from me and we have never had any roach problems until the night she brought these cages into my home. Now I am seeing these little bitty I am guessing roaches all over the damn cage during the day. There were some holes around the frame of the cage in the corners and I am guessing again that they must be inside the frame of it. I am setting it outside as we speak…I do have an exterminator that comes out monthly to make sure any spiders and other bugs we see from time to time are taken care of…I am wondering if it is going to work on killing any of these. Somebody please help….I am totally freaking out now. How long should it sut outside before I can bring it back in and will they leave the cage once it is in the cold and there is no food in it?
December 5th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
The way it really is that if you see one or two Roahes in your home, there is anoter hunderts hidden in the area. Cupboards, inside walls…….
Don’t think that the roaches you see are the only ones. Best way to get rid of them is to use a “roach bomb”, and the next day use surface spray. To do it right you’ll need to drill couple of hole in the wal and spray a lot in there. Repeat this in three months and you’ll be right.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
We have infestation of biblical proportions – got some “HEavy duty spray” which seems to bath the roach – after 3 hrs in test bottle, still running! Is there something that roaches really love to eat – want to try the glass bottle trick but need to attract them – will be trying 1:100 chlorpirifos mix later this week when I’m off work.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Deon,
Many of those who swear by the glass container trick add coffee grounds with water to create a tasty mixture for roaches. Whether the so-called Vegas glass jar technique actually works or not is up for debate. I’ve never actually verified as to whether it really works or not. However, I’m inclined to think it may. I doubt it’ll actually get rid of the roach problem entirely, but it may trap and kill off a few pesky critters.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:34 am
HAve tried it – will check – hitting the all out offensiveon the buggers today – chloprifos, spray & chalk, borax, glass jar, extensive clean up, contact spray – its stange how some sprays just glans off our fiends with no effect! We have the German guys in all forms and sizes. Must be vigilant to keep this up for 3 weeks
Its gonna be hard but I can’t have roaches sharing christmas with me – just would’t be right!
December 8th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Hey Deon,
You go dude! Rock their stickin world.
Let me know what you conclude to work the best. I can honestly say I will not entertain the glass jar concept since I would contributing to noise pollution most likely, but I would be interested in knowing what spray or chemical actually destroys them without a doubt, on contact, promptly, no raising up from the dead action . . . you know what I mean?
Thanks and keep up the good work?
yeah for sure. Can’t have them around at Christmas.
did I say happy holidays to you yet?
Happy Holidays and here’s to a bug free holiday! gabrielle
December 13th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I have been dealing with Roaches for four years. My mother in law has them so severe that when u walk into her house they fall onto you from the door frame. I don’t go to her house but she comes to see my kids often and She has to be bring them with her. When my husband and I got together four years ago it was just one bug in our apartment. Ok Whatever I killed it got traps. Not a problem. We moved to the apartment upstairs because it was beautiful and all utilities paid. They got kinda bad. We used traps and spray. We moved into a house last year and they got EVEN WORSE! WE DID EVERYTHING! I would hear them walking around on papers on my desk and on my headboard. My little brother in law…he had one that was PREGNANT crawl in his ear at his house…not mine but his….I AM TERRIFIED OF THIS HAPPENING TO ME OR MY BABIES!!! I sleep with a pillow over my head. My children they sleep in the bed with me so I’m scared for them too.
I bought a house in May…We did everything we could to be sooo preventive. We sprayed everything, cleaned everything, got rid of my headboard. I have Longaberger Baskets…They are so expensive and beautiful and my grandmother bought them for me and Roaches have been using them ask a nesting hole and they are covered in Roach crap. I have found them in my coffee table and dinning room table we have recently been using Raid Spray that kills them instantly…The reason I am on here now is because I sprayed the wall and indirectly on a wall plug in the othernight behind my bed and I am not joking 100s of them started falling out of the wall socket…I started to cry and my husband did his best to comfort me but its sad when my kids tell me to kill the buggie mommy kill it. I have woken up to them crawling on my legs, or face and I am so terrified I have nearly swallowed one. I clean and do everything I can, but I have you know like everyone wooden cabinets and dressers and etc and I can’t get rid of my Box springs like that one person did I’m not RICH! I’m in school my husband is disabled and I am so deeply embarrassed. I live in a high class neighborhood. My house is surrounded by 100 and 200 thousand dollar homes. Its embarrassing enough his mother doesn’t take care of her house. I refuse to let her bring anything to my house at all…but dammit she kept putting toys in my car and I have freakin ROACHES IN MY CAR!!!!!!!!!! How is that possible??
I planned on Calling Terminex. Are they any good? I am gonna spend about $300 at least for this and I am not made of money…Please tell me if its worth it? I just have to deal with this until January. Its also embarrassing to have people come to your new house at Thanksgiving and Roaches are on you’re dinning room table and they are falling into the food. I sprayed the wood panneling in my kitches and my floor was littered with dead roaches. I’m ripping it down after Christmas. I haven’t yet because of there being a hole where someone didn’t fix the dry wall after filling in an arch way. (My house has tons of arch ways. don’t know why though)
Someone please help me I am so distraught I don’t sleep at night anymore I got over this for a while after we bought our new home but its happening again, there was one on my damn pillow a little bit ago and now I can’t sleep its 9:20am and I have only slept 30 minutes and its about time my kids get up…please someone HELP!
December 13th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Here’s another way to treat roaches and bugs.
and for Jeni, your problem sounds scary and you might want to try this. I heard about it the other day but never tried it. It’s way cheaper than termanix and it’s safe and natural and non toxic. You can look it up on line and even purchase it on line if you want. It’s called Diatomaceous Earth. It’s fossilized remains of fresh water diatoms that kills household bugs fast. It’s a powder and people will swear by it. Totally safe to humans and pets too.
Good luck and let me know if anyone has experienced this product.
thanks, gabrielle
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Jeni:
Got your cockroach battle-cry ready?
- You’re going to have to place all your “nick-nacks” and other non-essential items in large plastic bags, making SURE there is no point-of-entry or exit for air. The above article states that these *#$%! ’s can survive for a month without oxygen, so that means all that stuff will have to be sealed for two months or so.
- Seal entrances with caulking and/or dry wall mix
- Roach traps, but as the author and some other people have suggested, use them simultaneously
- “Vegas” Roach Jars cited above, especially in your darker corners
- “Harris Roach Tablets” Debbie cited above (I just did an internet search and they appear to be relatively easy to find and the price seems to be quite conservative, especially in comparison to the $$$ you are wanting to shell out for an exterminator who may not be able to do anything for you anyways).
- Seems like Borax all along floor boards and in cabinets works well in conjunction with the above, too
Have you tried any of these yet?
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
What about all of the suggestions started simultaneously, with continued use and with no end to any of it, especially for those in apartment buildings?
Has anyone done it all and they have grown immune to everything?
December 27th, 2008 at 4:41 am
this website was obviously not published for me but as i sit up at 330 in the morning it feels like it is.
a month ago, moved into a new place, started a new job, realized my new dream apt had f—-ing roaches.
did some research, and since it is an apt building, didnt want to do the exterminator fogger thingie (due to just making the roaches run and hide and then come back) but rather chose the whole igr/pyrenthoid stuff. come to find out, some roaches are particularly resistent to a lot of pesticides, incl pyrenthoids. (sp?)
my father ended up calling the dept of health and found out the # for an entemologist and also some good things to note:
no. 1–if your landlord if dicking you around, and you arent getting results, it is a health hazard and they need reported. reported once -letter in mail-report twice-inspection of every unit, every building..check with dept of health to find out state specific.
#2 if you do happen to call the dept of health-and dont worry-your landlord wont get in trouble if you call, your father calls, whatever, you need a formal complaint X2 in my state to do a damn bit of good-ask for their entemologist’s number-it’s a frigging specialist at your fingertips (dial pad)..
#3google online entemology sites-more useful, prof info
i know my boyfriend is annoyed i am so passionate about this, but we DID spend christmas with the jerks and i am ready to live my life without them. They ARE a horrid health hazard, i dont care if some people can live with them, they are intolerable to me-and if this is the same site-in no way shape or form are they like house animals-they are horrid beast pests that deserve to die anyway possible..
getting back to the subject at hand
1. clean like hell everything, yes, put everything away, sealed, etc-i still need to get the spray foam, the steel wool, more caulking..more boric acid..i think i may open the light sockets and puff boric acid in there (breaker off, if approp) and then caulk or silicone around the light socket
2. put out a combination of different types of chemicals-say-two one month, two different the next month–
roaches inherit resistence to sprays; it is passed on down through the generations -so it’s important not tokeep using more of the same thing
3. so like, first month-use boric acid and a spray..then wait..put out roach traps, record the date you put them out, wait a few days, and see how many…the purpose of this is to find out-a-what kind of problem you have b-where the roaches are mainly populating and c-tracking your progress-c-in addition-if you have a landlord-keep track of this crap-i am not as well as i should or else i might go crazy with one more thing but if all your stuff is ruined and you have evidence that you spoke to your landlord and recorded all this data this and that then small claims court you can sue for up to 8000 ..i am not a proponent of suing but if all your shit is ruined then im sorry someone has to be held liable..
i know that i wanted to move as soon as i found out, but in moving, we might just take them with us. my guess is wait 6 mo, 1 yr and if you, me, dont see any, i can move, if i so desire. otherwise-tread lightly..
4. combat, avert do appear to be insecticides that roaches are not very resistent to-again, rotate-a couple one month-i am told that different chemicals attack different parts of their system and the idea is to overload all systems! system overload! also-each month you do that-clean everything new-grease, dirt, make the insecticides less effective..
by no means am i done with the bastards.i wish i could say i was.i met a landlord in the hardware store who said he once had them in his building and it took vigilance-6 mo-and they were gone. it has been a tiresome month for me, but i just keep reminding myself that–this, too, shall pass..
blessings of clean, happy, bug free homes!
December 27th, 2008 at 4:48 am
havent grown immune to everything but you need to rotate what you use, caulk up everything, clean, be vigilant, i understand it can take months. contact dept of health and find out an entemologist’s number-i call the dude now once a week or so with questions..also, everyone in building has to be on same page. if you have one slob then it can be hard to get rid of them because the sloppy person is giving them what they need-and then the roaches are traveling to other parts just to expand their horizons. pressure a landlord to do inspections of all apts at nights-not just looking for roaches and their evidence (brown-black poo that looks like varied size pepper on toilet seats, dishes, sinks, etc etc), but also looking at how they live-are they the college party fraternity?
i dont know.my question is if they live in plants.-ie.can they just live in plants and not come out? i have many plants, but i have let already a few die because i am so freaked out and i wonder if i should throw the rest out..
thanks and blessings for roach free dwellings..
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Hi Fellow Roach Sufferers,
A long time ago I washed my floors with a good dose of bleach and was surprised to see a few roaches belly up a couple of days after. Even more surprising was when I left some duct tape sticky side up on the floor near the refrigerator and after found a roach stuck on it, which was later joined by three others. They couldn’t get off of it. Ick. ‘Bout time to pull those tricks out of the bag again. Sigh.
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:46 am
mo:
They will eat anything, so I’m guessing plants are fair game, especially if the rest of the home is spotless and there’s nothing else for them to feed off of. If they’ll eat decaying flesh and *hit, they’ll eat plants, too is my guess. I have no scientific evidence for that – just using deductive reasoning.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I am very terrified of these nasty things. I live roach HELL I am telling you. My complex is a majority hispanic which is not a problem, my husband is hispanic. The thing that gets me is cleanliness. I keep my apartment clean Well my nasty dirty gross neighbors moved, I live on the trird floor. Well since then I have been seeing one at least every few hours. I started like a month ago. I cant take it I start to panic and freak out it has actually put me into a panic attack. I called my mom this morning histarically crying and she thought something was wrong with me, well no I seen one in my bathroom UGG I am done I want to throw up knowing they are here. I am going to try the water in a jar and the baking soda. I will let you all know
January 6th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Nanotechnology should finally help us win the war against these vile critters. nano technology could be programmed to kill every last bug it fines in your house even your walls.
Ohh I say in about 30 or 40 years the roach problem will be solved so we can evict these pest back to the wild where they belong.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Kenneth,
I’m thinking….they need to modify and miniaturize the Roomba or Scooba vacuum robot to hunt down roaches and other pesky critters.
However, I don’t think the roach problem can ever be solved. Even after the end of mankind, and even if we’ve somehow stupidly nuked ourselves to oblivion in some nuclear war, the roaches will still reign supreme, forever rummaging through our leftovers and I suppose…. our carcasses.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I hate roaches! Not because they creep me out, but bc they disgust me. I have tried everything, Boric powders, cleaning, professionals, closing every crack and I’m still seeing them every once in a while in my house.
I’m hoping to never see one again in my house and if that day comes I will let everyone know how I did it.
January 27th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Hi, i was reading all these horible stuff of this ugly discusting creatures, And my opinion is that i wish i could find something to get rid of them ,i’ve tried everything and nothing works for me .I live in a trailer home in alanta georgia and i have six kids,you can imagine .I Would do anything to receive an anwer to get rid of this roaches, please if you have a good remedy for this creatures please let me know.
January 31st, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I’m glad a stumbled upon this article today. I have yet to see a roach in my house, but I goto bed early and wake up in the daylight. My roomate however, told me this morning that when got home from work last night he saw one in the bathroom upstairs (freaked me out a little, it’s right next to my bedroom). He then told me that he was pretty sure he’s seen them in the kitchen before too…
He said, “I hope this doesn’t freak you out, but I thought I’d tell you because you know there’s probably a lot more”
Well – little did he know that yes….I am now a little freaked out (I don’t like any insect sharing my living space – spiders, centipedes, earwigs, beetles and always have a can of Raid Spider Blaster in the house)….I will definitely be hitting up the hardware stores today for whatever will kill these guys before we end up with a much bigger problem on our hands….
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Everyone please remember what Mo so intelligently suggested and reminded those that have these vile creatures sharing occupancy – CALL THE DEPT. OF HEALTH in your area! Keep calling them until someone comes out and actually takes care of the problem! With your diligence and theirs, a roach infestation CAN be cured with intolerance and action!!! It may take months, but you must remember to stay committed using the ammo discussed above.
GOD SPEED!
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
(P.S. If you don’t have time to read all entries and comments, please reflect back on Dec. 23, 08 where I summarized the techniques that were found to be effective by readers here.)
February 10th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I just moved to an apartment in Silver Spring,MD about 1 month ago. On the day I moved in, I saw a roach on the kitchen counter (note–no food was in the apt at all). I had the rental office fog the entire apt. Then, Monday of this week, about 4 weeks after the kitchen siting, I saw 3 tiny ones on my bedroom wall near the ceiling, above my bed at about 8pm. I killed all 3. By this time, I had put boric acid down in all crevices and corners of the apt…under sinks, etc…closets are next. Combat gel traps are under the sinks, in the closets, and in corners. I haven’t even unpacked all of my boxes and suitcases yet!! Tonight, at about 8:30pm, I saw a bigger one on the wall, again near the ceiling, in my living room. I sprayed some Raid on it and it died. Then, I proceeded to spray Raid on the vents, which for some reason are all in the ceiling. I also sprayed the remaining Raid I had where the ceiling meets the wall.
I didn’t have roaches where I used to live, and I didn’t grow up with roaches. All of my non canned food is in cannisters; boxes and snacks are in Ziploc bags. I do think that roaches persist in multi unit developments with common walls, and where people are not clean (often times you will find this situation in multi unit, lower income areas, but not when folks are clean!)
I’ll be moving this year to buy a new house. I may have to demand to be let out of my lease, should the roaches continue. All of the recommendations have been very helpful. I have the maintenance coming to fog tomorrow, and the exterminator is putting gel down a week later (mgmt office requires 1 week in between). Query: what can I put on the WALLS and in the ceiling vents?? I think it’s my neighbor upstairs (4-5 people live there iin one apt.)
Thanks!!!!
February 10th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Melissa,
Do you happen to live near the intersection of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue? The ghetto apartment complex where I used to live and where I had my worst roach experiences was located there.
If you indeed live there, get out while you still can! The roaches are simply unstoppable!
February 11th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
My suggestion for people is to-get an exterminator. If you cant afford it, again, get your landlord to-if he/she wont, call the dept of health. If you see even one back, try notifying your landlord, if they do nothing, repeat above steps. Yes, roaches are a huge pain in the ass. We have been here 2 1/2 months and I havent seen one for a week but I am not convinced they are gone. Therefore, the exterminator is coming back this sat (v-day: how romantic
I think if one signs up for extended contracts they are cheaper than just constantly calling the exterminator..
anyway..
exterminators should have a guarantee, however, the situation is complicated when living in an apt complex. for instance, we had an exterminator who sprayed once-we continued to see roaches-he came back and sprayed-i continued to see them-so one angry night got drunk and f—ing sprayed in all cracks, crevices, put out bait everywhere. saw two since then, and that was three weeks ago.
again, exterminate. be persistent. have a professional, seal up what you can-the more thorough the better.boric acid works-as does diatamaceous earth-food grade kind. buy it at the hardware store/garden supply.. the thing with both boric acid and diatam..is that roaches will avoid it much like a big snow pile (or so i have read) so it needs to be puffed so lightly that it is barely visible. a cna at work also told me that boric acid and powdered sugar mixed together works (because then they are drawn to it, as opposed to around it)..anyway..
i dont think they are immune to everything..
just do rotate what you use. try to be as tidy as possible. have covered with tight lid garbage can, keep all pet food in covered lidded bins (target, lowe’s)…the other thing i have read is that roaches do not like natural oils therefore i bought dr bronner’s, which i enjoy washing my hair with from time to time, and put dr bronner’s in bottles around any sink so that when i wash my hands, i use it, and wipe the bubbles everywhere. i dont know how effective, if at all, but from what i have read-they avoid essential oils and dr bronner has essential oils in it. i also filled a squirt bottle with it and sprayed all my furniture, all around my apt..again, i dont know how i effective, but i am willing to do anything. i finally have read they dont like bay leaves so i have put bay leaves in all my plants (because as they can most def feed on the plants i think they largely stay around water, as that it more essential to them than food) and moth balls behind my fridge.
never get up! never give in! roaches drive me insane! keep up the good fight and you will win!
March 7th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
has anyone tryed riddexx the one you plug in to the wall ??
If so does it work??
March 7th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Jennifer
Those, anti roach plugin devices absolutely do not work. They are completely useless and a complete waste of money. If they truly worked, the miraculous devices would instantly put all of the cockroach repellent sprays and pest control businesses out of commission – but obviously that hasn’t been the case.
They’re scams and gimmicks at best – it’s better to stay clear and save your money.
March 8th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Thats what I figured but I used one for about three weeks now and Ive seen less of them,
I’m sick and tired and I can’t stand these things any more, I’m gonna move. How do I move and not bring them with me??
March 9th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Jennifer,
It’s not easy. Roaches have a way of latching onto furniture and household appliances. When I finally managed to escape from my former cockroach infested apartment, I brought a few with me. Thankfully, most of the roaches were already dead and the live ones that hitch hiked in my old TV set, kitchen appliances, and pots & pans were not the breeding type.
Move out if you can. It’s oftentimes a losing and un-winnable battle. The indestructible cockroaches will always win. There’s a reason why the only living animal left on Earth in the animated movie Wall-E happened to be a roach.
March 10th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
If I only find a roach here and there outside during the daytime, do you think I’m okay? I’ve never found one, or any trace of one inside my home… but on occassion I will find one roaming around my front yard. I’m really freaked. My skin is crawling. Please help!
March 11th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Kellie,
If you only find a stray roach roaming the grounds during the daytime, you probably are okay for now. However, I wonder if what you saw was actually some other insect. Cockroaches don’t usually roam around in broad daylight. Maybe it was a cricket?
March 19th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
It definitely was not a cricket, that much I know… It was reddish brown and actually on its back. I thought to myself, “Oh good! My insecticide is working.” (I use the high grade stuff. So then a few hours later, I went back out to check on the bugger and it was GONE! I looked everywhere to see if the wind blew the little guy, but nothing! I did take a mental note that there were some landscapers doing some major work across the street where the sewer line is. I’m hoping he was disrupted and roamed to my place. In the past year, I’ve seen maybe one to three in broad daylight… usually when something is happening outside or I’m out spraying the grounds. I freak out though. I’m a self-proclaimed expert on ridding my home of crickets, so you’ll have to take my word for it… it was not a cricket. Maybe another type of reddish-brown critter?
March 25th, 2009 at 10:03 am
My husband and I moved to a new apartment this past Saturday. The day we moved in he saw 3 roaches crawling out of the garbage disposal. He called the office, which in turn called maintenance, then said exterminators were coming on Tuesday and they would have them stop by. Needless to say they never came. We’ve never, ever had a roach problem before. We have been finding them in the kitchen and bathrooms, and now they are coming into the bedroom we use as an office. I killed one on the wall last night. I was on the computer looking for ways to combat them and was reading this site when one scurried across the keyboard tray. I totally freaked! I was up half the night worried about this. We just signed a one-year lease and I am ready to move now and we haven’t even been here one week! I told my husband all the information I found and we are willing to do our part. I am going to make a personal appearance at the office this morning and demand to have an exterminator come today. Either the roaches go or we do!
March 27th, 2009 at 9:59 am
sir
i want the medisines(names) to kill cockroaches
April 25th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Aaaaaah! I saw the biggest bug ever in my room, I don’t even know if it was a roach or what. I heard his scratching noise near my bed, so I tried to ignore it, I was beginning to get a little nervous so I shifted around and made a couple of noises to warn whatever was out there to stay away. Finally, I flicked my light on and this huge black thing appears out of now where and starts running like crazy around the walls of my room, I’m kind of horror struck at this stage so I just sat on my bed. I climbed off my bed and carefully checked my feet it runs out from under my TV and heads towards the opposite wall and I hear this click noise and this horrible screeching noise. It must have hit a wall and flipped over and I pray its still there, I decided to go get Dad the exterminator in my house, (don’t judge me, I’m only 13!) but its 11:00pm and he looked so peaceful sleeping there, so it is now midnight and I am now camping out in the living room. I feel like a coward but I cannot sleep in my room tonight, I have to get up at 06:30 and I am hearing a couple of noises caused by the air conditioning making me jump every 5 seconds. Help!
April 26th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Rianne,
Don’t worry…no one will judge you here. I’m sure many of us have similar, and somewhat distraughtly funny insect horror stories!
I’m in my 20’s and a guy, and I still get as startled and alarmed as a little girl whenever I see anything that resembles a cockroach patrolling my apartment. Yes, I’m a tough guy for most things in life…except bugs. They scare the bejeezes out of me. All sorts of crazy expletives fly out of my mouth when I see a roach on the loose.
But the fact your bug friend there actually made an audible scratching noise is somewhat disturbing. He was either a cricket, bee, mouse, or a VERY big cockroach. I hope you catch that little (or big) sucker and squish him good.
April 26th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I live in Taiwan. It’s a pretty modern city living here in Taipei but we have a bad cockroach problem in many of the older dwellings. Many of the smaller and older houses and buildings, especially those located near eateries and local restaurants have a bit of a roach pest issue. The cockroaches are a nasty problem in many places but I’ve noticed people starting to deal with them in pretty creative ways. As geckos, the little Geico auto insurance lizards, are abundant in supply in the rural south of Taiwan, some creative home owners have been capturing them and releasing them into urban areas with roach, mosquito and insect problems. Geckos love to chase down and snack on insects so it’s a win win proposition. Not sure if they are fast enough to chase down those speedy roaches as they are used mostly to combat flies and mosquitoes however…
But they are actually pretty cute and harmless to humans. The only problem is that they have a tendency to scurry out from random places, scaring unsuspecting people as they run for cover when the lights are turned on. Geckos can be our friends! ^__^
I think people got the idea when the government here started to dump insect eating fish into areas that had free standing water to combat the growing mosquito pest problem. Some abandoned buildings had a tendency to develop small pools of water inside that allowed insects and mosquitoes to breed and multiply. Putting fish into these little pools helped to control the pest population as fish love to eat insects
May 1st, 2009 at 5:53 am
But roach-eating geckos and lizards sound like a fascinating idea…not sure people would like or fully embrace the idea of another set of animals scurrying around the house or apartment though. How do you handle the situation if the geckos start breeding uncontrollably and start showing up in your cupboards or furniture?
May 6th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Let me say that first off I had an infestation that was mostly due to a neighbor with lots of pets. She started having an exterminator over 3 times a week, I saw them in my grass and on my drive way coming from their old home. Every time they came I saw bugs in my home. We bought about 30 cans of bug spray. Our infestation over the course of a year or two became WHack. My pet food like you guys became invaded. They started to come out in the day and they were in my fish filter and behind them. They also was flooding my kitchen and started to get into my lovely refrigerator. I had a glass of wine I left on my night stand only to find 40 dead roaches in it in the morning. I got SO tired of waking up and seeing roaches on my living room cieling. I was also getting sick from Roach Spray Raid. LEMON Scented, Original, Country, and unscented need I say more. That was a Year ago, and I AM ROACH FREE!
WHAT DID I DO:
GOT RID OF THE ROACH SPRAY and FOGGERS they tant the other products you use. Think of the long term effects not just the immediate results; I THOUGHT LIKE A ROACH. I GOT THE WORKS I SPENT $300, I got Baits in RAID and COMBAT flavor. I put on in each cabinet and drawer in the kitchen and Bathroom. I put them also on my kitchen counter and under the fridge, stove, behind the toilet, in the medicine cabinet, anywhere a roach would go. LOOK for dark places. On your book shelf. Waited 2 weeks, little results. Then I got “COMBAT PLATINUM”, Harris Roach Tablets, Diatomacious Earth, Some PROFESSIONAL Roach Spray thank goodness for friends, and A Growth Stunt. Honestly didn’t have to use the Growth stunt or the Roach Spray right away. I put the Combat Platinum every where and I mean everywhere I Saw a roach. EVERYWHERE, get a few of these. Watch the heavy spots, get some sticky traps to track progress. Dead roaches within hours, only gross thing is you should leave the dead roaches around, Roaches are not social creatures and won’t take food to their nest, they poison others by dying. Other roaches will eat a wounded, dying or dead roach, each dead or dying roach will kill approximately 45-60 other roaches so let the poision do it’s job, gross but effective, push comes to shove sweep them into the corner and leave them for a week then sweep them up.
Yet a few weeks later there were 90% of no adults yet I started to see the babies; uh oh. So this part was way messy but SO worth it, I sprinkled DE all over my house, I used a make up brush applied it under the stove all over my counters all over the bathroom floor in the cat food *they can eat it and it is good for deworming, all over my home boarders outside the entry points of my home and yes it looked dusty but I watched the roaches die within 30 seconds, the babies, the adults took a little longer but they died within 10 minutes on contact. At this same time I also put 3 oz of Harris Roach Tablets all over my home, under the stove, fridge, in the corners in the drawers, under all electrical appliances *do this with all the other treatments as well*. All I have to say is with time and constant application of all this for about 3 months; I am Roach FREE! No roaches. I am so happy. I bought the other stuff to keep the roach supply gone. It is very important on application to clean out your cabinets and dust them with DE, put the tablets down, put the Platinum Gel in the cracks as well under the drawers. IF YOUR INFESTATION IS REALLY BAD the GROWTH regenerator is needed to stop their reproduction. I couldn’t afford to pay the Exterminator $500 bucks to come four times out of the year. If your willing to be consistent and live in a house ( I am not sure for apartments) then it is doable. I have four kids, two cats and alot of fish. It is something that could be done. The professional spray is sprayed every 3 months and is a barrier. I also use the DE as a barrier. Email me for any advice it is broken up put together for contact: J J a m i a H @ Verizon.net
May 12th, 2009 at 2:16 am
so….we are supposed to move soon and the home has a roach problem. the owners are asking us to hold off until they are gone obviously. but how long does something like that take? I saw the home right before the first of the month and they have been treating now for almost a month. they have pest control service that comes once a week, they have also been using raid and traps. i have been there a few times since and have seen them everytime, one time a live one and 2 times dead ones? i know there was water damage in the kitchen and the bottoms of the cabinets have visible water staining. so i guess my question is how long does something like this take to get rid of? i have no idea how bad it is, but i am guessing it must be pretty bad if they are still present almost a month later.
we were supposed to move in on the 15th but thats not going to happen, so we have pushed back to the first of june. do you think it will be safe? the home is vacant and they are treating, what i would think to be agressive.
another question, do you think we should seal the cracks between the cabinets and the walls? my concern is will they live in the walls and start coming out ther places, plugs, ceiling ducts etc?
thanks in adavance
May 13th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I just saw this big a** roach in my house, i mean it scared me s***less. It was really shiny and almost as big as my hand. I was scared for my life *shivers*, what should i do? Im pretty sure there are more,ewwwwww
May 13th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I saw a biga** roach in the house, ewwww. IT was as big as my freaking hand!!!!!!!!! and it was brown and shiny. Im pretty sure there are more. I tried to squishh it, but i swear, it ran like 60 miles an hour, wtf do i do? Any help would be welcome
May 13th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
oh wow, now there are two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, this is great -_-
May 16th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
omg..this site helped me out sooo much..you guuys rock!!!!!
May 21st, 2009 at 5:33 am
Some very useful info for me on this site thanks to everyone….. I’m now in full flow of freaking out finding this truly vile creatures in my house. Im not in the US but an ex-pat in Asia, who is not used to them at all. Putting all info on finding out about them came accross this site. I have seen 4 in the last two weeks and one dying this morning in the living room, so now put out baits (but dont want to kill the Gekos) and will get some boric acid. Sprayed early on today, hence the dying one so hopefully there will not be too many more(????) looked like a German roach, did not want to look too close, but now off to search for anything else and check everything that I poss can, thanks again for all the info its been a great help to me and really hope we all win the battle!!!!!!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:38 am
Try Hot Shot Ultra Liquid Roach Bait. It work better than anything I used in awhile to kill those annoying roaches. I had Orkin coming to my house spraying every two weeks but the roaches still wouldn’t go away. Combact gel use to work for awhile but but is no longer effective for me. You can get the hot shot liquid roach bait for like 4 bucks for a box of six but of course you will need more than one box if your roach problem is serious. That may be too expensive for some if you have to buy several boxes but it was worth every penny for me.
June 4th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I have a serious roach problem. I find them in the kitchen mostly especially late at night when I turn on the lights I find them scurrying everywhere, especially around the sink where there is water. i am cinvinced that the Vegas trap might work, but I need some more specific directions. How big should the jar be? How much coffee ground must I put in the jar (half full, 3/4 full?) and how much water (should the water be floating above the coffee or should it be like a muddy consistency)?
HELP anyone!
June 5th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Meenas,
I sympathize with your cockroach problem! As for the Vegas jar trap, I’m not entirely sure it actually works but some people out there have suggested that it does.
But if you want to get more info about how to set it up – check out this news link and view the video clip.
I don’t think it matters all that much how much coffee grounds to add – but just enough to attract the hungry roaches. I would personally add enough water to make the mixture mushy but not so much that the water actually floats above the coffee. I think the coffee aroma and perhaps ground flavor need to be exposed to the air so that the roaches can actually detect it and become attracted to it.
As for jar size, I would recommend something like the glass jar image I used in this post. Scroll up to take a look. It shouldn’t be so large that the roaches have to climb a long distance to reach, but should be tall enough so that once they’ve fallen in, they can’t escape.
Let me know if it actually works. I’m extremely curious!
June 11th, 2009 at 3:38 am
The terrible legacy countinues. I just moved into a cheap apartment on the first floor in Ca. and the roachs here have an army ! I’ve been here for a month just renting out a room in a 2 bedroom place and it is hell. The pest are cralwing all over the place day and night, all over the kithen counter, the bathroom, even my room. They basically eat and sleep with me! I can’t stand it! I cant really sleep, even having all food sealed dosnt feel safe, I’ve been killing em left and right and tried the traps and major cleaning.
After reading about all these stories I can say yeah it’s normal to have a few or unavoidable to live in any state without them lol but It can’t be normal to put up with the billions that must be living in my intire complex! I think my best bet other then barly sleeping and trying to posin em is to just move out, they win this round but I will have to work and search harder for a better home, I’m not exactly happy or fine with creatures crawling on everything like my roomate is, I’ve been in cleaner places outdoors.
June 11th, 2009 at 6:11 am
I just have to say to Animal Lover: listen to entomologist Douglas Emlen on Fresh Air. Roaches have absolutely no biological merit. They are ultimately harmful to humans.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103775784
June 11th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
To all of my fellow roach haters – Unite
I live in a very old house in Sunflower, Alabama – and not there are no sunflowers! Yesterday I was taking my dad to dialysis and as soon as I got him in his wheelchair and wheeled him into the center – guess who showed up- a couple of my boarders scurried across the floor. embarrased is not the word I would use to discribe myside. I was @#!@#! embarrased. I have been fighting the battle of roaches, spiders, mosquitos and fire ants. I have the orkin man come out once a month. I live about 75 miles from the place and they have designated once a month for my area. I guess the city dwellers take up the rest of the month. I have used raid, gel, and powder. None of them work fast enough for me. I clean everyday – since we live in the country it is very dusty. I am about ready to start shooting them, but they don’t make enough bullets. To the person who gave us pestmall.com I am going there. But I just had to stop and share and tell you all how I have enjoyed reading your post. To the lady who has sympathy for these disgusting, foul, and damned disrespectful creatures, you are welcome to all I have now and in the future, just tell me where to send them.
June 11th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I live in a small country called Serbia and i just started Philosophy studies at University of Belgrade. I couldn’t be happier until i found some roaches at my apartment. They are really annoying and their number is increasing every day. I’m really short with cash, i can hardly pay off this apartment…and I’m not even thinking of moving out because that’s just too expansive for me…. I just need a tip on how to get rid of them good so i can peacefully continue my studies?
P.S. Because i live in Serbia, most of the things you recommend can’t be bought in my country so…help me anyway you can, and best luck too all of you there
June 11th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Alex,
Looks like the cockroaches have gone international! First step probably is to try using aggressive roach bait and roach gels…particularly for light infestations they work. But if your building is infected to the core, baits won’t do much to alleviate the problem.
How are the roaches in Europe? I have heard from my friends in East Asia that the roaches there are more intimidating as they can actually fly (well glide from one side of the room to the other). Roaches that can run on the floor and scurry into cracks and crannys at lightening speed is one thing, but when they start going airborne…it’s time to move! I hope the European roaches are less talented…
June 12th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Thanks for the tips Raymond, i already bought Raid spray and tomorrow I’m going for boric acid. And answer to your question is yes, these roaches can glide! Even the big ones (i think they are called American roaches, I’ve seen them in my apartment too, a few of them) can fly a bit, and small ones do that more often. I think that I’ll try for now to get rid off them myself, but if situation is gets radical, my methods will be more radical too! I’ll call exterminators, because my apartment is small and it probably won’t be too expensive… Again thanks for the tip and good luck to all of you!
June 12th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Apparently you all seem to think I am completely wrong when I say that all animals, both big and small deserve to be protected from wanton killing and unnecessary suffering. It really makes me wonder how much thought you folks have put into how incredibly complex and resilient these little guys are and how it’s indeed possible to humanely control and limit them as opposed to just killing them…which is just futile because more will just arrive later and try to settle the score.
How about actually cleaning up the human pig-sties (your apartments, condos, and houses) that are creating these favorable environments that naturally lure the interest of cockroaches. These fellow roaches and insects are merely doing what comes natural to them as animals – which is to seek out food and shelter. Eliminate the food and water source from your home and they will no longer inhabit your home – I assure you.
As PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) wisely notes: “Cockroaches have been given a bad reputation in our society,” but actually, “They are gentle, complex animals.”
Well I hope you all feel guilty for waging chemical warfare against your little brother and sister the cockroach now. It’s a life that you are snuffing out when you stomp or spray. The way they flip and struggle in great excruciating pain and agony when you spray them with nerve toxins to kill them is tearfully sad – a testimony to the unlimited brutality of mankind. You all make me sick to my stomach!!
June 12th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Dear Animal Lover,
you are no doubt taking the piss….
June 12th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
……sorry I do not live in a human pig stie that you so eloquently put it. Sure that other posters do not neither.
Im quite sure if you had these awful problems with these vile roaches you would think again, weather it be by stomping (which by the way if you had learned anything here is not really a very good idea) spraying throwing a bomb on them, gas, acid or any other means, to ged rid of them.
Crawling all over kitchens and indeed in beds, make me sick to my stomach and I really feel for people here, so dont judge, Animal Lover, so go to the PETA page and have a rant there and grow up!
June 12th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Animal Lover Please, Everyone knows roaches live in clean and dirty places. Fortunately I don’t need extra pet nor does the majority of people. Get off your high horse and go start saving the darn roaches by going from home to home to bag them up and take them to your house. I have been ROACH Free for about a year and you know what! IT FEELS GREAT! IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN, I WOULD! I didn’t ask for them and I inherited someone elses BROWN COUSINS, I have enough family, so ALL ROACH LOATHERS READY AIM FIRE! —-> sprays the roaches at the neighbors house! LOL
June 12th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Animal Lover you have got to be kidding me. Insects and vermin are vectors for diseases. Now, I don’t know about you but I certainly don’t want to be exposed to the next plague and if I can, I will eradicate them from my domicile. Unfortunately I can only control what goes on in my apartment and have no control over how some of the other swine choose to live in their own sties. I had roaches in this apartment the day I moved in and they certainly didn’t come from me, so they had to have migrated from other apartments and so help me PETA if I see anymore I will not hesitate to exterminate them into oblivion.
If you are so bored that you are more concerned over these little buggers writhing in pain from the effects of pesticides than you are with the health and welfare of your fellow man, then you need to find yourself a more fulfilling hobby.
June 13th, 2009 at 7:57 am
animal lover, how did you even find yourself on this page?
June 13th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Animal lover, you don’t understand one simple thing. I’m a student, i have a sick father and a mother that’s working 10 hours every day so i can continue my philosophy studies. I have to many problems in my life right now so roaches are just one more that i need to take care off. I know that roaches are here because of us, but if our mistakes brought them here, we need to correct them and this time and they will go away (one way or another). So please don’t lecture me or anybody else how should we take care of our homes, and PETA should do something that can truly improve our lives, like building dog shelters or something like that that can actually help animals and in the same time improve our lives. Now, if you excuse me, i got some bugs to get rid off…
June 13th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Animal Lover… the cost of my house will never compare to the money that you will make in your lifetime. Next time you want to say the things you do, think about it first. I doubt anyone on here lives in the kind of housing nor wants to live in the kind of housing you think they do. I’m starting to think you are the leader of these nasty cockroaches invading our homes. It’s none of your business to be on here with your so-called animal rights. How about our peace rights from you? Can we get rid of you with boric acid too?
To everyone else. I applaud you for the efforts you are all trying to make in erasing these nasty creatures from your home and thus sharing your successes and failures to help out the rest of us. I support the ones that are on here trying to find some way to not harm ourselves, our children and our pets like I am!
June 13th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I just recently moved into an apartment, and within a month started seeing many roaches. I’ve talked to the manager and all they did was have someone put the gel in certain spots. I’ve also set fogging poison, and just put in roach motels and sprayed the outside of my apartment. I also have recently found out that many other tenants have roaches as well but won’t speak up. This means the WHOLE place is infested. Does anyone know about any tenant laws I can use to get the owners to fix the problem? No one else will speak up and I can’t afford to move again.
June 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I am currently living in an old complex in Gainesville, FL and over the past few months cockroaches have invaded my apartment. I’ve seen a couple of the American cockroaches in the past year but the big problem was the German ones. They took up residence in my cabinets, bookcase, printer, dresser, closets, and microwave. They destroyed my bookcase and a number of my books. And like a lot of people with cockroaches, I am very neat person. I didn’t understand why roaches had invaded my apartment. As soon as the sun went down they came out to play on my dining room table and my kitchen counters. I talked to other tenants and all have said they have roaches too. I thought it would be hopeless getting rid of them. I went online looking for some way to at least control them. I knew about the roach baits but I also read a couple of reviews about Raid egg stoppers. I figured why not. They’re not that expensive to buy. I am a graduate student so I don’t have a lot of money but the box of baits and egg stoppers are about $8. About 3 weeks ago I bought about 40 baits and I have 6 egg stoppers. I put the baits in my closets, in corners, in cabinets, in my dresser drawers, and even one near my printer on the dining room table. I put the egg stoppers in the kitchen and wherever the roaches seemed to be coming from. Luckily, I was going on vacation for the week after I put out the stuff so I didn’t have to deal them. When I got back there was a substantial reduction in the roach population. Instead of killing 10-15 a day, I am squishing 2 or 3 every other day. I also see fewer during the day. The egg stoppers work by sterilizing the roaches. I don’t know if I’ll be completely roach free but I feel better knowing their numbers are reduced. Raid says that it will take 1-3 weeks for a substantial reduction in roach populations so it’s not a quick thing.
I keep things very clean in my apartment which is something you must do to help alleviate the problem. When I go to bed at night I seal up my cats’ food dish. The cats don’t like it but roaches sometimes crawled around in their food. I wash and dry dishes immediately after use. I seal up all food containers. I am trying to make the cockroaches feel as uncomfortable as they have made me feel. Unfortunately, I have had to throw out my microwave and printer (thankfully both are cheap) because of the smell the roaches made.
I don’t know if this will work for everyone but I hope it will help some people. One major thing I’ve found is that you have to be careful not to contaminate the roach baits. If you get cleaners or mop water or bug spray on the baits they will become ineffective. I’ve heard of people using roach spray and baits together and then wonder why they don’t work. Don’t do this; roaches won’t want to eat roach-sprayed food. And as gross as this sounds, if you see a roach leaving a bait don’t kill it. That roach is going to bring that poison back to the nest. If you kill it the bait won’t help you. I hope this will help with getting rid of the roaches or at least mild infestations.
June 14th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
One more thing. I did ask the property manager to spray the apartment. The pest control guy came in and sprayed for twenty seconds and then left. This did absolutely nothing. Luckily I’m moving in August but I am thinking about contacting the department of health as the property manager has not taken care of the problem. Since this is an old apartment building there are many cracks in the walls. I have seen roaches running these cracks in the hallways and sometimes there are dead roaches lying on the hallway floors. I would think just caulking the cracks would work. I’m not sure if I have enough grounds for contacting the state. Any opinions/advice?
June 14th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
DIYPestcontrol.com
IGR – GENTROL is a growth regulator, if you have a mild to heavy infestation this is a must. Diatomecious Earth, Boric Acid, DEMON WP, COMBAT Platnium GEL not baits. These are the things that helped me get ROACH FREE FOR OVER A YEAR NOW. I also used bay leaves in my cabinets, and wiped my counters down with vinegar. We are roach free and you could be too! it takes time patience, and consistancy. I put it everywhere in the garbage bottoms, in between the fridge, stove, dishwasher and microwave, under the fridge, stove, dishwasher and microwave, Some nights I dusted the DE on the floor for a few days. I also took special attention to my bathroom and Kitchen. Place DE under your electronics. GET RID OF ALL RAID, COMBAT, HOT SHOT and what ever name spray from your local stores. they weaken all the recommended aids and sometimes makes them totally absolete.
June 19th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I have lived in this apartment for a year now. We are about to sign a new lease however, the apartment behind us and my landlords apartment have been seeing what they think are roaches. I haven’t seen one of these ugly ass bugs, or even a spider in my apartment. Me and my boyfriend are hesitant on signing that new lease though because I don’t want these nasty ass things attaching to my furniture or appliances. Everyone that lives here is clean, so noone knows how they got here to start with! The landlord is having an exterminator come and spray all apartments but that isn’t good enough for me! Please help me by letting me know your opinion on what I should do! Thanks alot!
June 25th, 2009 at 10:40 am
We never had roaches until my husband decided to bring an old game console into our house (which was from his sisters’ who had german cockroaches-the worst kind). TO COMPLETELY RID yourself of roaches, buy a gecko or some lizards. I got this idea from another website, and I haven’t seen any roaches since (was about 8 months ago). Living in the country, we didn’t need to buy anything because the lizards slipped inside all on their own. What would you rather see on your walls, wiggly lizards or these creepy crawly dirt bags?
June 25th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
We are in the process of buying our first home after a year of looking and 5 of us living in a 1 bedroom (clean bug free apartment). I have never experienced roaches before yesterday. We moved into the apt to save money while looking for a home to buy, we didn’t think it would take so long to find one. We have since had a new baby too. Anyway we have finally found our dream home and put an offer in April 2009. It’s in our price range and has enough room for all of us. Since it’s a short sale the process takes forever. The owner of the home was renting the place out. She has accepted our offer and now Chase bank has to do the same for it to be ours. I’m told by the agent that Chase is going to accept our offer any day now.
Since the tenants that were living there have finally moved out, we wanted to see what condition they left the house in. Let me tell you they were not the neatest people. We were pleasantly surprised that the home was in tact and “clean”. Except for one thing. . . . . ROACHES!!!! EVERYWHERE!!!! Mind you, we went to see the house yesterday in the day time and they were just hanging out having a great time.
Roaches of all sizes – huge ones, baby ones. They were on the walls, carpet . . . . lots of dead ones in the bathrooms and seen some in the bedrooms as well.
We never seen any when we looked at the house before this.
We had planned on before moving in to replace all the carpet in the house and remove the wood paneling from the one bedroom that has it. One of the living rooms has laminate floor. I wonder if there could be roaches under the floor too?
All the appliances were going to replaced before move in as well as they were not in working order and just looked bad. We had planned on working on the house before moving in anyway and staying in our apt while we fix it up. We estimated 3 -4 weeks to do this.
I am willing to pay an exterminator to come out and kill all the critters every week until move in.
I DO NOT want to ever see one roach when we move in. EVER!!
But to someone who has never had to deal with these nasty things, it looks like an infestation. I mean they really were every where.
I’m seriously having second thoughts now on whether to pull out on our dream home. I’m crying thinking about this because you have no idea how long it’s taken us to get to this point. Our dream is within reach but I know that neither of us would be willing to live in a home with roaches. It grosses me out, I couldn’t stop scratching yesterday after leaving the house. I immediately stripped and washed our clothes that we had on. I have a new baby and small kids.
IF YOU THINK THE PROBLEM CAN BE TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE WE MOVE IN THEN I WOULD LOVE TO BUY OUR HOME. BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE STUCK WITH A HOME WE WONT LIVE IN. WE WOULD EVEN BE WILLING TO STILL RENT OUR APT WHILE THE HOME IS BEING TREATED TO ENSURE THEY ALL GET KILLED. BUT HOW REALISTIC IS IT THAT WE CAN GET RID OF THEM.
HELP!!!!
You can contact me also at rsandoval @thatsmybank.com
June 26th, 2009 at 5:49 am
It is 4:39 in the morning and I have just finished reading every word on every post on this page. I live in an apartment and have just started to have a “problem”. It wasnt all that bad…we saw a few,bought some traps,and all was well for a while…well…we all know how the story goes…saw a few not too long ago…bought some traps, and now there is 40 BILLION!!!! Yea!!! That wont freak your girlfriend out when she sees them all over the stove and in the cabinets in the kitchen!!!(sarcasm noted) Anyway, it shall rain fire from the pits of hell on them from NOW ON!!!!hahaha! Its just gross and not something to put up with. I have read every post and have made a list of my own based on info found here….
gold box combat
Diatomaceous Earth
IGR – GENTROL
Oh yea……animal lover jackhole…..that was some of the funniest stuff ive ever heard anyone actually say…..you should be a stand up comedian….oh,roaches have souls….BAHhahahahahha
From Texas,
Phillip
June 26th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Moving out would be a wonderful option if we didn’t already own a decent home and land. The problem is that they moved with us over five years ago. They nestled in our appliances and get right on breeding in the upgraded home. When you add a tight assed husband who won’t pay for professionals to come out, you end up with a uncontrollable infestation. I literally cry over this. Seriously! I can’t have guests over because I’m too embarrassed that they’ll see a roach (or five) (or ten). What is really scary is that I’m seeing babies by the hundreds on a weekly basis. Go in the kitchen in the middle of the night, and you just get sick. I can’t move out. We are here for life. Well, unless I resort to divorce…
June 26th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
ABBY DOn’t even think about moving – please read what we all have done to get rid of our issues and try them, your husband is cheap, but what ever cash YOU get or get from him and get http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/roach-control-kit-p-1059.html the kit #2 for roaches. $70, get some Diatomaceous Earth $20, Harris Roach Tablets $15, get some sticky traps for roaches so you can monitor your progress $2. Don’t for get your spray container for needed mix $20 walmart. $127 you can be roach free! Be persistant, very Persistant. Please read my comments about what I did so I don’t repeat the same information. Please One To many let us know if it helped your situation and anyone else, we would love to hear. Good Luck!
July 1st, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I have been in my apartment for going on 2 years. The person who stayed here before me left the apartment severly infested. The Manangement told me that it took over 3 months to clean and spray the apartment. I still see infected roaches..(skin is rolled, and takes too much to squash). Then too my horror, my 2 year old twins like to chase and catch them and bring them to me…ewwwww…. It make me wonder what they do with them when I am not around. I have done the cleaning with bleach lysol… Steamed my carpets powdered every area of my house for a week and then returned to clean again…. hate raid because it is only a temporary solution. Bombs don’t work… It is like they are laughing at me and I have made it to the point that I want to move… But concidering I am a single parent with Two sets of twins, no job prospects in the near future and no help from outside sources…. Someone please give me something else to work with!!!!!
July 1st, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Amber,
Wow…I’m actually impressed and somewhat amused! Your two year old twins must be future track stars in training if they’re quick and nimble enough to chase down a speedy cockroach! Those roaches are generally lightening fast.
As for getting rid of roaches, cockroach bail and gels are the one things that really work I feel…however, at some point it’s a losing battle. If the infestation is so bad that they’re breeding and multiplying faster than the baits can kill them, it’s impossible to win the struggle. This is particularly the case if the infestation is coming from your neighbor’s apartment. Sure, you can clean and scrub your place all you want till the place is spick and span, but if they’re originating from a neighbor’s room, you’ll never get to the source of the problem. Perhaps you need to ask Management to spray your neighbors’ apartments as well…
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:35 am
IGR Gentrol will stop their reproduction; I don’t ever believe there is a never ending battle. Just need to find out what works!