Roaches! Help!

[lookmomchickens]

I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex... every time someone moves in/out or the temps reach over 100* the roaches come out...tons of roaches... they are EVERYWHERE!! We haven't seen any tree roaches, just the small ones.. ::shudder:: Before I had Ike, I would have the apartment sprayed by the designated "pest control" guy.. I told them that I had two cats and that they couldn't spray if the chemical they used was going to hurt them. They reassured me that it wouldn't and to this day it hasn't affected them. I do NOT want any chemicals sprayed in my house anymore, especially with Ike.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get rid of them? I'm desperate.. they really creep me out and are just plain nasty..

[Jackie in Tampa]

so much rain here...the ants are marching in and the BIGGEST palmetto bugs I have ever seen! How are they getting in my house...no doors or windows are open...they are two and two and half inches big!...They are stealing the dog kibble.:soapbox
managing to keep the skeeters outside and most of the flies, but the P Bugs are major issue and I will DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK..
I am going to google BORAX and see how dangerous that is...
my mother put capfuls of boric acid in the back corner of kitchen cabinets all my life and no bugs.....but how toxic is boric acid???
Geez, they are resilent to anything safe...because we keep uping the pesticides...grrr... and they get stronger!
Mine Palmetto bugs are big enough to shoot with a BB gun and I am tempted, and a damn good shot!:rotfl hate to miss and hit the refridgerator though!:rotfl
Palmetto War-fare!:soapbox

[lookmomchickens]

Lol!!! Jackie, I told my maintenance guys that if they hear a loud "boom" not to worry... it's just me shooting the roaches off of the ceiling!!! :rotfl

I was wondering about Borax as well.. We use Mule Team Borax to treat Abbey's MANGE...

What about Sevin Dust?

[Bravo]

First thing I came up with, from http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Roaches :


Find out if you have cockroaches. Cockroaches (see picture) are generally medium-sized insects, although in some parts of the world they can get quite large. They have spiny legs and long antennae. If you see even one roach, you've undoubtedly got a lot more. The problem is they generally hide during the day, so you may need to look for them at night with a flashlight. Even if you can't find any of the insects, check cupboards and pantries for their droppings -- tiny brown slime stains or pellets.
Try to figure out where they're coming from. If you see cockroaches, try to follow them to figure out where they go. This is easier said than done, however, so you might need to do a little sleuthing. Check all around the house for cracks and holes through which roaches may enter. Roaches often enter through drains or vents, so you can't seal up everything.
Kill the roaches. There are a variety of do-it-yourself options for killing cockroaches. Some of the more well regarded of these are listed below. Try one at a time, or try them all.

Dust with boric acid, flour and cocoa (1 part acid, 2 parts flour and 1 part cocoa). Try P.F. Harris Roach tablets. They contain boric acid and a lure. While still dangerous for kids and pets, this product is not as toxic as many insecticides, and the roaches aren't repelled by it so they drag it home and feed it to their hatchlings. Dust a fine coat in cupboards, under sinks, around toilets and any cracks, corners or hollow spaces. Avoid breathing the powder; like any acid, it can irritate the lungs.
Use an insecticide spray. Get some insecticide that is labeled for use against cockroaches, and spray wherever cockroaches may be hiding or entering the house, including along walls, in cracks, and in vents. Keep pets out of the way when you are spraying, and follow all safety instructions on the product's label.


Cockroach bait
Use cockroach bait. Cockroach bait is either housed in a childproof case or applied as a gel and contains a slow-working poison mixed in with an attractive (for cockroaches) food. The roaches eat the poison and bring it back to the nest, where it eventually kills all the roaches. Place the bait in an area where you know cockroaches will encounter it.
Use cockroach traps. Cockroach traps lure cockroaches in and then trap them with an adhesive. Get several of these, and place them wherever cockroaches are known to frequent.
Use water jars. A simple and effective homemade way to lure and trap roaches is with a jar placed next to a wall, allowing the roaches to get in, but not escape. Any bait can be placed in the jar, including coffee grounds and water, but it also works with just plain water in drier climates.
Apply a liquid concentrate. Liquid concentrates, once the exclusive domain of professional exterminators, are now being made for use by the public. The concentrate is a poison or deterrent chemical that is diluted with water and then sprayed, wiped, or mopped onto just about any surface. Concentrates can be particularly effective providing protection against re-infestation, as they usually deter roaches for 1-2 weeks or more.
Get professional grade pesticides. Don't go to the local home improvement store, all the stuff they sell there is weak. Search the web for it. Get something with Cypermerthrin, perhaps Demon WP or something along those lines. The will kill live bugs, as well as provide a residual effect for three months. Spray it around the perimeter of your home and in places like your basement. The bugs won't be back. The downside is that this will kill all bugs, even ones that eat roaches, like spiders and millipedes. But if you have lots of roaches, you probably don't care.
Use a simple solution of soap and water. This, to some, is the easiest thing to do. Just make a light solution of soap (bath soap is fine) and water. You can splash this, spray this or just throw this on the roach. Just a little water will do , even 2 or 3 drops can kill, if used effectively. Ensure that it makes contact with the roaches head and lower abdomen (its belly if you can turn the roach over). The roach will run or try to run, but will suddenly stop and die or be almost dead in one minute. It is best to throw it out as soon as possible, as it may revive. This happens because the roach breathes through its skin. The soapy water forms a thin film on the breathing pores, and effectively blocks them (surface tension), causing the roach to suffocate to death or to near death, although it could recover if the water dries up or has not touched a large percentage of its body. Try this and you will have amazing results for free.
Prevent re-infestation. A clean house is key to keeping cockroaches away.

Keep the kitchen clean. Clean up crumbs and spills promptly, and generally keep the area clean. Pay special attention to range tops, as cockroaches love grease.
Put food away. Keep food containers sealed, and don't leave food out for extended periods -- don't even leave dirty dishes overnight.
Empty trash regularly, and keep trash away from the house.
Fix dripping faucets or leaks. Cockroaches are attracted to water.
Put naphthalene balls on corners. Roaches hate their smell.
Prevent bugs from coming up the drain. If you believe that the cockroaches are coming up your drains, pour regular, cheap bleach down the drains before leaving the house in the morning. For a stronger solution, mix 1 part borax with 3 parts bleach.
Move logs and other debris away from the outside of the house. Cockroaches love piles of wood and other convenient hiding places, and as the weather turns colder, they'll migrate inside the house to keep warm.
Seal cracks in exterior walls. Keep roaches out of the house by blocking their entrance.
Seal cracks everywhere you can inside your house. This takes time, but the payoff is great, because you eliminate most of their favorite hiding/breeding places. You'll need a lot of caulking, so use the big tubes with a caulking gun. Fill every crack inside every cabinet; fill the cracks on both sides of floor, door, and window moldings; fill all openings around pipes in bathrooms and kitchens. This makes a big difference and makes the whole house feel cleaner.
Use a professional product. You can find many professional products online. Professional baits, glue traps with pheromones, and professional sprays are far more effective then products bought at a local home store. Cy-Kick CS is a micro-encapsulated product that is very effective against roaches.
Call a professional. If the above methods don't work, call a pest-control expert. Exterminators are licensed to use stronger chemicals and to apply chemicals more widely, and they can do so while keeping your family safe.


[edit]Tips
Cockroaches breed incredibly quickly. Take action to get rid of them immediately, or you could find yourself with a major infestation on your hands.
Want to avoid harmful chemicals? Many traps allow you to do so, as do a wide variety of natural pest control products, ranging from boric acid to eucalyptus oil to coffee grounds. Try P.F. Harris Roach Tablets. They contain boric acid and a lure. Do some research to find out more about these options, and try them out. They may not work for all infestations, but you should be able to at least control the roach population, and most don't cost nearly as much as chemicals.
Baits and traps are most effective if placed in several areas, particularly near known roach paths or where droppings are present. Try not to disturb the area too much by cleaning, or the roaches may reroute their trips.
Clean up dog and cat feces in the yard, as cockroaches may eat it or may simply track it through the house, contaminating the home interior.
Don't accumulate clutter. They will nest in anything from paper to clothing. This includes the garage, attic, or basement. There is no limit.
If you see at least one during the daylight or after switching on the lights, this means you have a problem. Fix it as soon as possible or you will have an extra guest at your next dinner party.
Stepping on a female cockroach can spread eggs with your shoe, because pregnant females eggs are protected beneath their tough exoskeleton, and smashing a cockroach will spread those, especially if you track the residue onto carpeted areas or around your house.
If you do smash a cockroach be sure to thoroughly clean the surface around the bug and dispose of or thoroughly clean whatever you killed it with. To dispose of dead cockroaches, flush them down the toilet so it's out of your house.
Don't think that tossing it in the trash can is enough. The eggs can still hatch, and little roaches grow very fast.
If you're cheap (or just lazy) and live in a small apartment, you can also use everyday plastic grocery bags as an easy and inexpensive alternative to caulking. Simply find cracks and openings along floors, walls, and baseboards where the little buggers might be getting in, and stuff one or two bags along each opening to effectively "seal" it. If this doesn't convince the roaches to find another apartment to invade, it should at least limit the area through which they can enter your space. Use the opportunity to apply other methods of killing and trapping with greater results.
:get_em :get_em :get_em

[Jackie in Tampa]

Lol!!! Jackie, I told my maintenance guys that if they hear a loud "boom" not to worry... it's just me shooting the roaches off of the ceiling!!! :rotfl

I was wondering about Borax as well.. We use Mule Team Borax to treat Abbey's MANGE...

What about Sevin Dust?
Lots of peeps say to use sevin Dust 5%...Muffin also said she uses sevin dust!
My bee keeper said same thing...safe for wild life, but will kill my bees if I want them dead...but I do not want the bees dead. I rehome the hives to friends, although a big job and sometimes a nightmare, we do not killl anything but bugs here and only the pesty crappy ones! We Love our black snakes:thumbsup ! They help with the rats!:thumbsup
We brought lizards inside thinking they may catch and eat the Palmettos, however it will be a wrestling match...they are almost as big as the lizards!:eek:
holes in the ceiling may lead to leaks...jmo!:rotfl

[lookmomchickens]

...my skin is crawling. EWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Maybe I should just move out...

[Jackie in Tampa]

...my skin is crawling. EWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Maybe I should just move out...
well bomb your stuff first, as they will move with you! :osnap :soapbox

[Anne]

Interesting to read about the flour and coco with the Borax Acid. We always mixed Borax Acid with powder sugar for use in the house. Small caps in closed cabinets away from pets is good. The roach gel in the syringe is good for under heavy appliances where pets can't go.:thinking :thinking :thinking

[FLUFFYTAILNUT]

:::shuddering:::: doing :: sissy :: screaming :: dance ::: wiping:: skin ::all over::: Goose :: bumps ::

Jessica...
How..terrible...I think I might..sleep with one eye open..for fear..they might toss you out when your not expecting it... :eek:
R~

[Buddy'sMom]

If you haven't already looked at this thread (fleas) you should -- lots of good info and many of the items would be good for both, I think: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18147

Good luck ... I agree roaches are creepy. Had them in an apt in Chicago years ago. I think it's the startle factor, partly -- I used to keep a shoe nearby at all times to clobber them with :D

:grouphug :grouphug

[FLUFFYTAILNUT]

:::shuddering:::: doing :: sissy :: screaming :: dance ::: wiping:: skin ::all over::: Goose :: bumps ::

Jessica...
How..terrible...I think I might..sleep with one eye open..for fear..they might toss you out when your not expecting it... :eek:
R~
I forgot to mention...
I picked one up by the front door..it was on it's back..I THOUGHT it was..dead...
Well...I thought wrong..it started wriggling...and I nearly passed out...all those leg's...ugh........... ::goose :: bumps :::

[Jackie in Tampa]

If you haven't already looked at this thread (fleas) you should -- lots of good info and many of the items would be good for both, I think: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18147

Good luck ... I agree roaches are creepy. Had them in an apt in Chicago years ago. I think it's the startle factor, partly -- I used to keep a shoe nearby at all times to clobber them with :D

:grouphug :grouphug
sounds the same as stepping on pecan...BIG CRACK sound...yuck yuck!
Fred will not touch, seriously, he will crack them, but not remove and clean the aftermath...team work:osnap ...grosses me out too!:osnap

I put blue tape backwards on the cage legs and bottoms {stickyside out} so the ants cannot get in cages...:dono
i refuse to bring in tree frogs and toads, I must draw the line somewhere!:tilt

[Jackie in Tampa]

Environment
Toxic Free NC Tip of the Week: Roaches

I had my crawlspace insulated and sealed a couple months ago. The good news is that I’ll have much lower energy bills this winter, and my crawlspace is now pretty inhospitable to pests like rodents, termites and other insects. The bad news is that some cockroaches migrated north from my now-inhospitable crawlspace into my kitchen. Gross! I tried just keeping the kitchen really clean for a while, but I was still getting cockroaches scuttling across my counter the way they do…..ugh. So, a couple weeks ago I mixed up some roach balls according to a recipe Toxic Free NC has been recommending for years, and its working beautifully!

Toxic-Free Borax Roach Balls
1 cup borax powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup minced onion
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 - 2 Tbsp. water
Make a paste of the ingredients and roll into little balls. Put 2 or 3 balls in each of several sandwich baggies and leave them open. Put a baggie on its side in any out-of-the-way spot where roaches are likely to find it, like in the back of cabinets or underneath appliances. The roaches will eat some of the borax mixture and carry it home to their nests, where they will feed it to their friends, and they’ll all end up dead. Borax is safe to handle, though inhaling it in large amounts can irritate the respiratory tract, so be careful when you’re mixing it up. Because it is not a nerve poison, roaches will never become resistant to borax roach balls!
I found this and I will try!
20 MuleTeam Borax sounds like my kinda thing...vintage stuff!:D
Under my fridge and washer, maybe dishwasher too!
Sq safe areas! fingers crossed.
weird thing...I see 5 and kill three...the next night I see5 again...they are not diminishing at all!
BTW, they are big enough to steal the fridge!
Popeye roaches:soapbox

[Selene Diana Ortiz]

well bomb your stuff first, as they will move with you! :osnap :soapbox

God, I just noticed how strangers I've met have different lives and stories I will or not have. Isn't it crazy how this site will probably dead in the next few years? All these sites and forums will probably mean nothing and be forgotten like the rest. It's amazing how times have changed and how society has grown through the decades. This post was here since early 2000s and now 2023. This person I'm responding to won't probably even notice that I'm here. And I'm just repeating myself at this point in my message... HHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

[Charley Chuckles]

God, I just noticed how strangers I've met have different lives and stories I will or not have. Isn't it crazy how this site will probably dead in the next few years? All these sites and forums will probably mean nothing and be forgotten like the rest. It's amazing how times have changed and how society has grown through the decades. This post was here since early 2000s and now 2023. This person I'm responding to won't probably even notice that I'm here. And I'm just repeating myself at this point in my message... HHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

Say WHAT??? 🤔 🤷
Nice to see you here and believe me we WILL be here for many many more moons to come to help squirrels and the people who love them 👍

[island rehabber]

Ditto that! We've been here for 18 years and are still going strong. The reason is the wonderful people on here who love squirrels and just want to help the people who love them too.
:Love_Icon:squirrel1

[TomahawkFlyers]

Hi Selene. Your post, at first, was a head scratcher for me. On reflection, it seems that perhaps you are mind-gazing, dallying with thoughts about the impermanence and uncertainty of life. That you wonder and speculate about such things is a good sign that our civilization will continue on for some time. Curiosity leads to questions, and questions lead the motivated to find answers. Best wishes for a successful quest.

As you move through your life, you will learn how correct you are about some things and how mistaken you will be about others. Yes, gatherings of people come and go. In some cases, though, gatherings become communities. When communities are built around a common cause, they sometimes become institutions. Institutions are hardy things - some go on for decades and longer. Our community is well on its way to becoming an institution. When working on behalf of animals, we are a tenacious bunch. Members come, go, and come again. Over time, we lose old friends, gain new ones, and, when the time comes, each of us bids a final farewell. Our community, though, carries on. It has become stronger than any one of us because it is all of us - past, present, and future.

I hope that life finds you belonging to communities as purposeful and as strong as ours. Your sense of impermanence will, by virtue of belonging, become one of permanence. You'll know, first hand, what it is like to be able to turn to and contribute to an institution you just know will be there tomorrow and beyond. It is an essential part of thriving as a human. I hope you come back and get to know us and what we're about. It would be terrific to count you among us.

Jamie

[Snicker Bar]

Amen!

In fact, this group has led me (edit- the squirrels led me first ) to more than just helpful folks here. It’s led me to the most meaningful friendships I’ve ever had in my life. Friendships worth driving hundreds of miles for. Risking border crossings for! Some I’ve never seen face to face; but we talk as though known for years . One thankfully, just 30 min away. Another has crossed over, (Hrt) ; but I still read her personal, encouraging words (nothing to do with squirrels ) that are forever stored in my messages and heart .

[Chirps]

I'm finding it funny (not funny haha, but funny as in interesting and thought provoking) that a thread that was started about dealing with bugs years ago has been resurrected and morphed into one of deep philosophical observations about hope and purpose and being a part of something larger than oneself.

[TubeDriver]

I expect we will be here an additional 18 years if not more! :w00t An addendum to the use of Borax for roaches, please note that it is toxic to most animals and should only used if the user is aware of the dangers and the appropriate methods for the safe use of this chemical.

[TomahawkFlyers]

Chirps! This is what roaches inspire! At least no one has come up with a recipe ...:crazy


I'm finding it funny (not funny haha, but funny as in interesting and thought provoking) that a thread that was started about dealing with bugs years ago has been resurrected and morphed into one of deep philosophical observations about hope and purpose and being a part of something larger than oneself.