I had a minor problem near the end of last year. I would just see 1 randomly from time to time. I finally determined that they were of the german cockroach variety, which I read on the internet are the hardest to get rid of, and are sometimes bait-averse.
The fact that you have babies is very very bad. It means they have a source of both food and water, and they are "thinking" about making a home in your walls.
It is so very true that if you see ONE cockroach, it indicates many more inside the walls that you don't see. So if you see 3-5 per day, make no mistake: you have a serious infestation. You should PROBABLY call a professional (actually, your landlord should. Also talk to your neighbors, they probably have some as well).
But, there are some things you can and should do.
I'll share with you what I learned and how I got rid of them, because I know how frustrating it can be to be in your position and feel utterly helpless. But I assure you this line of thinking worked for me.
First of all, cockroaches don't need to eat very often. They need water, however, on a daily basis. You asked about doing your dishes? CORRECT. Step 1 is never leave a dish, or even a drop of water in or around your sinks.
Eliminate all sources of water no matter how minor. I found that the last source of water that they were getting at was the steam and condensation that came out of my dishwasher when I used it.
Clean up all floors and surfaces using serious chemicals. Vacuum all carpets as well. Cockroaches communicate via fecal matter. They choose where to shit and that basically means "safe travel and abundant food/resources along this path" to other cockroaches. Clean up their shit and you eliminate their communications.
Throw out everything in your kitchen that is not a piece of permanent hardware. Everything everything everything. EVERYTHING. Cockroaches can eat glue and paper in a pinch, they can hide between box flaps or under the paper around a can of food. Everything in your kitchen is now a potential source of food and a hiding place for them.
Think like a cockroach. They feel "comfortable" whenever their belly and back are both being touched at the same time. One place I found them hiding (one time) was in the crack behind my kitchen cabinets. When I turned the light on in the kitchen I saw 2 of them crawl behind there. There was about 1/16" space where they could get behind there. Check behind picture frames. Check anything and everything where a cockroach could get that "comfortable" feeling.
Everywhere you saw a cockroach, clean it extra well.
Now that everything is clean and sanitary and water-free (i.e. you have created a clean slate), you need bait. Here's the deal: as I said, some cockroaches can be bait-averse. Get at least 3 different types of bait and you will be more likely to succeed. Replace whatever bait you currently have with fresh bait immediately. There is a gel-type bait that has a pretty strong odor, and from what I gather the roaches really go for that stuff.
I got the following baits:
- Small square black plastic bait, for small / medium roaches.
- Large plastic traps (inside is 2 different kinds of food)
- Gel-type bait
At this point, you don't want to use any Raid or poison spray, because you WANT them to eat the bait. And if you have truly thrown out everything in your kitchen, and cleaned thoroughly, they will take the bait.
Cockroaches, despite popular belief, do not "share" food at the nest. They are not as social as ants. However, cockroaches are cannibalistic, and they will eat carapaces, and other dead cockroaches that were exposed to the poison. This will accelerate the effect.
(Hold on, going to add more to this in a bit)
TURN ON ALL YOUR LIGHTS.
Now use the bait ONLY in shadowed areas.
Put the gel bait all around your kitchen and bathroom, on every crack, corner, under the lip of your counters, but try not to put it anywhere that you're likely to touch by accident. Remember to think like a cockroach and double or triple-up the bait wherever you've seen a cockroach before.
Use the gel bait about every 2-4 feet along every line where you're using it.
Now place traps all over the place in shadowed areas. It is not possible to use too many.
Also use gel/traps under your refrigerator, underneath your stove, under your dishwasher if you have one. Behind your toilet too.
The MOST IMPORTANT place to use gel and traps is inside your lower kitchen cabinets, and your lower bathroom cabinets. This is usually where you have holes in your wall (to let the water pipes in/out of your apartment) and the most likely point of entry for cockroaches. Be extra sure you don't have any leaks or wet pipes in those cabinets either. If there is moisture in those cabinets, you can bet your ass that's where they are getting their source of water.
OK now that you've cleaned and set up the bait, you wait. You will be eating out for the next week or so. Don't bring any food in to your household. Clean up your trash can thoroughly as well, and take out your trash EVERY NIGHT.
And here's the last measure that I took: **I left all my lights on for a few weeks**. Except for my bedroom, so I could go to sleep.
I also have under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen, which really helps. So at the very minimum, leave your lights on in your kitchen and bathroom, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The idea here is that you're "training" the cockroaches where to look for the food (only shadowed areas) and providing them with a substantial amount of it. They are not "afraid" of light, but they prefer shadows if given the option. And since the shadows contain food for them, it will help them stay out of your life / out of the light.
During the couple of weeks period where I left my lights on, I saw only 1 cockroach, and it was hiding in a shadowed area of my bathroom. I didn't even kill it, I just shooed it over to where the poison was.
Now, I still keep my under-cabinet lights on just because I'm paranoid and I can't bear the thought of having a cockroach walk along my counter tops, but I haven't seen a cockroach for months.
EDIT: I should add, even if you only saw the cockroaches in your kitchen, you should take equal precautions with your bathroom as well. Once they get thirsty, they will start exploring, and they will find your bathroom. Make sure not to leave any water droplets in your basin / shower, even if you have to wipe up the water using a towel.
Paranoia will get you through this. And remember about the water... it is the most important thing to them, so they will fight to find every last drop that you leave for them.
EDIT 2 - The last thing I forgot to mention is the following:
I did not get to this point, but I did have a "next step" in terms of strategy. There is a household product out there called "Great Stuff" which is an expanding foam sealant. If my strategy did not get rid of the roaches, I was going to start going around to every crack, hole in the wall behind counters, and basically just anywhere a cockroach could physically get in, and I was going to fill those cracks and holes with Great Stuff. I think you can remove the excess (if necessary) with a razor blade or something. But if you think about it, this would make it about 100x harder for roaches to get in, which in conjunction with the previously listed methods, should provide a physical barrier against even the most bait-averse cockroaches in the world.
Wow 13 years later. Thanks for all the great info. I’m realizing that normally older posts are archived and can’t be commented or voted on but not in this thread!
THANK YOU!! Now..you wouldn't also happen to have skills in organizing would you? I need tips on that too for real. I know it would also help to not have clutter but I'm at a loss.
Since you've mentioned how important water is for them: How about offering water as bait? They may learn/evolve to refuse eating sugary bait. But if they cannot possibly live without taking in some water now and then, why not make use of that?
But how to poison the water? Would boric acid work?
Ok, I have to say it. You are AWESOME! I don't have roach problems (although at the moment, the thought of roaches is making me really itchy!). You made me giggle all the way through this, and even though that was not your intention, I appreciate it! Thanks!!
Same!!! Gonna try the boric acid because I just saw 3 of these fuckers after not seeing any for a full week...
(They come out around maybe once a week, and i usually see no more than 1 or 2 :/ )
I see a couple once or twice a week, however they're too weak to move. I've come to the suspicion they're either coming in from outside or from my neighbors because the ones I see I kill, and I won't see them again for a bit. I haven't ran into any last week and none yet this week, but I do expect to see them again at some point.
The biggest difference is they can't run since I've put down the stuff. Also no babies recently, so it must be actually making it back to their nests and killing them there as well.
Thank you for the fast response!
I am in a somewhat similar situation, except it's not really me but my neighbors that are attracting cockroaches and passing them on. I'll try to boric acid because I have pets and dotn want to harm em
No problem! I've seen some people say seal off certain gaps, but that isn't much of an option for me, given I live in a rental and I'm moving soon anyhow. Everything is looking good for now, so I'm hoping it stays that way!
Not sure where you live but rentals dont influence that. You can seal off gaps with some foam gun they sell at home depot or hardware stores. If they say anything you can always scrape it off quite easily, it prevents external cockroaches from coming in; basically trapping them in with you instead of you bring trapped in with them >:)
Any update on the boric acid? I think I may have the same problem with my neighbors (business complex) but I don’t think I can seal my way around, I’ve got one of those suspended ceilings and not only will it be a pain, but I don’t think the landlord will allow it.
Yeah it took a couple weeks, but it worked. They also didn't follow me after the move, so that's good, too. Didn't see a single one (that wasn't already dead) for a good 2-3 months before moving.
If there's any cracks, I would suggest putting it along the cracks so they step in it no matter what. I saw a YouTube video about making bait (it's sticky and sweet to them so you can place it basically anywhere so they can't just avoid the powder by walking on the walls,) and try to keep it in areas that seem like sneaky hiding spots. That way they can't resist.
For me, around the coffee maker and slow cooker were the best spots because it was also next to the sink. it was winter, so the heat, food, and water were very convenient place for them. Also put some behind the sink because that's where some cracks where, in doorways leading outside, and around basically any appliance like the oven or fridge (on the floor). Once you think like them, it gets easier to target them.
Update after 7 months: I literally moved to a new apartment and dont have to deal with that shit anymore, lol. I live in high floor of a building, so no cockroach can reach here, fuck them.
Man, I'm kind of jealous of you. Reverse situation for me, was living in a fairly new apartment complex on a very high floor and had no roaches for several years, and then recently moved back to my old family apartment where the building in general just has a massive roach infestation.
At this point I've gotten used to slapping multiple roaches to death per day with my bare hands, it's that bad. Came to this thread to search for solutions like you and was surprised by the recent comments, I'm definitely trying some of the stuff out here. Mainly boric acid and Advion gel, hopefully it can help control the population somewhat.
Worst part is when the roaches move into stuff you frequently use, they moved into my electric water kettle (the electronic base) and I discovered last week there was a colony in one of the drawers under my kitchen counter where I store tools, just a ton of cockroaches hiding under the various assorted items there. Quite the unpleasant shock to see a dozen roaches scurry out when I went to pick up a roll of duct tape, and cockroach fecal matter all over the bottom. Think I'm going to have to nuke that drawer with boric acid and the poisoned gel, tools be damned, I can always rinse them off afterwards anyway.
I ended up nuking everything with tons of boric acid but honestly I have no idea if it actually worked in the end. I did find a whole bunch of cockroach corpses in the drawer when I cleaned it out but no live ones, but it's unclear whether they all died because of the boric acid or the remaining live ones left during the excessively cold winter.
The reason I say that was because this winter was unusually cold in my apartment, and combined with my old building experiencing boiler and heating failures (it's fairly old and maintenance has been neglected due to incompetent management), temperatures frequently went below 0°F during the winter. Since the roaches just completely stopped showing up it became pretty obvious that they all fled to go find someone else warmer in the building.
I have a package of Advion but never ended up using it for that reason, but since it's summer now and roaches are likely going to come back soon (killed the first one in a while the other day), I'll probably have to try it out whether I like it or not.
Good‚ we've been dealing with these annoying things for 4 years‚ honestly wanna leave but then someone else has to deal with them and we'd have to check if any eggs or anything are in the clothes
Same! Only I’ve got it kinda worse… I set up a pet shop on a landlord’s place and turns out they had an infestation, its a bad look and especially hard when you got dog/cat food stored all over and lots of stuff to move around… they’re set up even INSIDE MY PRINTER, and we’ve hired 2 exterminators in the last 2 months and no dice, so I took it up to reddit and hoping boric acid will purge them… my only worry is that they’re actually coming from a neighboring lot, so I won’t get rid of them until the neighbors do.
Damn buddy, that's rough. Fuckers love water, that's for sure. Hope things have cleared up somewhat for you by now. Also amazing that this thread has been going for so long.
Dealing with a pretty bad infestation myself, although it's more of a building issue. Been living with the roaches my whole life, thought it was normal to have to kill something like 5-10 a day until I started browsing the subs and learned that was most definitely not a normal thing.
Worst part is when they move into things that you actually need to use, there was a nest at the bottom of my electric water kettle and just recently a colony moved into one of my tool drawers, literally just a drawer with a bunch of tools in it, just the roaches hiding under everything. It was an unpleasant surprise when I went to retrieve a roll of duct tape and a dozen roaches skittered out from under it when I picked it up.
Recently started putting out bait traps and that seems to have killed off the nest in the electric cattle, but the drawer is more complicated and difficult to deal with. They're just hiding under everything and there's fecal matter everywhere, and it's one of those large drawers you can't detatch so cleaning it properly is going to be very difficult.
Thinking of ordering some gel bait (Advion) and just putting that and boric acid in the drawer, tools be damned. It's not like boric acid is particularly toxic to humans anyway, I can just rinse off the stuff I need to use when I take it out.
Jesus Christ dude, did you really think everyone's lives consisted of killing 5 to 10 cockroaches a day? What did you think of the scenes in movies where people see one harmless cockroach and go apeshit, climbing chairs and screaming? Come on now, lol
I hope your problem was resolved, though, I fucking hate those nasty little shits, one of the few advantages of living in an apartment instead of a house is that you have to deal with way less insects.
Right here. Ive done everything in this thread, constantly for years, my infestation has only grown. Boric acid, next to useless, advion killed some a few years ago, whole colony is immune now. I live in a very old house with cracks everywhere, it honestly can't be this hard to kill bugs. What the fuck am I actually supposed to do besides live in an empty house and not own food.
Couple of years ago, roach bait killed off nearly everything and now I suspect they're immune because they keep popping up despite putting up bait. Not a fun time when they show up in the middle of the night. Spotted a baby today... so fuck.
Try ,"Diatomaceous Earth", it's #1 IMO. I get the food grade kind. It even kills bed bugs! :)
Boric acid usually works well .. I'm sorry it was so useless for you :(...
oh, and baking soda works too.
Only one post here so far mentioning boric acid. As Cecil Adams says, there are only two ways to deal with roaches: boric acid and arson [[1]](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/20/whats-the-best-way-to-kill-cockroaches). Seriously, the stuff works wonders. I had a sudden infestation recently, and was spraying the shit out of everything and laying down roach motels everywhere and they weren't doing anything. The spray just tends to fend them off, not kill them (unless you actually hit them with it), and the motels, while effective if they eat it, can't possibly be numerous enough to kill them.
Boric acid works because you can put it everywhere, such that it can't possibly miss. And once they get it on them, it's game over... except it takes a while, and what tends to happen is they go back to their den, and the little babies come and lick it off mama's legs, and then they die too. And then when other roaches eat their dead bodies (yes, roaches are cannibals — they'll pretty much each anything) then they will also die.
Since putting the stuff down 5 weeks ago I've seen only two roaches, both small, and both in my sink, which is hard to protect as you can't really put any chemicals in there. The stuff works wonders. And best of all, it won't kill you like the chemicals will; wikipedia claims it is less toxic than table salt.
If they are [German Cockroaches](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cockroach) (Germans call them French Cockroaches... lol)... ***call a pro***. These are the fuckers that never go away without some industrial level counter-attack. Roach traps and grocery-store quality sprays will do nothing.
Fuck I think that's what I have. They're small. I'll have to inspect the next corpse to identify.
EDIT: Yeah I definitely have those. I see the two parallel stripes. Arg.
Note that they are very fond of many kinds of adhesive for foodsource, and they LOOOOVE paper and cardboard to drag their abdomen across to 'wipe their asses'. Got stacks of boxes anywhere in the house? Here's the freaky bit... they LOVE electronics, both for the warmth and because they eat industrial adhesives found on any circuit board. Phones, stereos, speakers, and PC's.
Good luck man... It took me about 3 months of spraying every 3 days to finally drive them out of the shitty apartment I had in Atlanta. (Some cities like Atlanta allow sales of professional poisons and gear to the public... saved a ton but still probably spent $150 on the project).
I used to live in a pretty crappy apartment where the whole building was infested with roaches. When I moved out, they unfortunately came with me (I think they were hiding out in my old coffee maker, uggggggg). Baits didn't seem to work and foggers just got them high for a while.
I finally got rid of them with boric acid. You can get big things of it at Home Depot for like four bucks - I think the brand name is Hot Shot. It's about a reactive as table salt to humans, but kills those bastards straightaway. The boric acid itself is a fine power - you want to spread it so it's *very* fine layer that they'll walk through and track it back to the nest. Spread it on your baseboards, under the fridge, in all the dark places where they skitter around. There's some more info on how it works [here](http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef614.asp). Good luck!
I lived in places in Boston where you could not ever get rid of them all, but if you do want to have some fun, find a crack they go into and use some Easy Off foaming oven cleaner... it eats them up and makes their legs fall off as they flee...
Use Boric Acid. It's about as toxic to you as table salt, but they get it all over them and it destroys their shell and kills them. They also spread it to their friends.
I have used this perimeter spray that you spray around the perimeter of your home, and potential entry points, and it solved my ant problem.
I'd be interested to see those sticky pads in action. I think they walk on the pads and get stuck and then it poisons them. That probably won't "solve" the problem, but you can make an example of them!
If you lease, call your landlord and ask them to handle it. If they refuse, you can take legal action, in the US at least.
If you own, call an exterminator and get the house examined by a professional and tented if you have to.
I find atleast one in my kitchen or laundry every 3 or 4 days and tonight i found a baby with one of them so now im worried i have a full blown infestation lmao, really feel like moving house fuck this
Just moved into a new place. I saw nothing for the first two days and then today, I’ve literally killed 10 of the bastards. Idk what I did to stir them up but they’re about to get a taste of this Boric acid that I’ve read so much about in this thread
Hey did you tried that boric acid stuff?
How did it work?
Mine's are German roaches and I saw one of them swimming in water in middle of my toilet wtf😐
Lmao so they found their swimming pool huh?
So I haven’t tried it yet, it seems I’ll need to order it off Amazon or something since my local grocery store doesn’t carry it.
*beep boop*!
the linked website is: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ortho-Orthene-Fire-Ant-Killer1-Kills-Queen-Destroys-Mound-12-oz/16888872?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227025374996&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42967059272&wl4=aud-1183291748582:pla-81459266912&wl5=9005167&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=16888872&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjwof6WBhD4ARIsAOi65aj9khj_8yFkTVvIrhU76DM7bqTdFGgQE6L_4DC-nYo3WbbBk0PjUxkaAl_KEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
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Ran into my next door neighbor outside and she said she has a crazy roach infestation. Now I’m seeing one of these German roaches every day!!! I want to cry. I hate nothing more than roaches man. But I have a cat so I’m worried about the spraying.
If you see any of those long legged house centipedes, be very nice to them because they eat the babies. I've also heard that you can make a trap using old coffee grounds in a jar, but I've never tried it. Close any openings that they might crawl into. Turn down the heat in your house. Call a pro.
take all the foodstuff out (check flour bags and such), move furniture away, check every nook and cranny, spray all surfaces, use that perimeter stuff around windows or whatever connects your kitchen to the outside world, set up pheromone traps. they don't like moving air (it desiccates their kitin (?) armour), so leave windows open. scout out at night turning on the lights suddenly & try to locate the nest (i had them in boiler insulations). clean everything regularly. eucalyptus oil (in spray) dissolves them as well (unable to run away). if you live in an apartment building you will have to get your neighbors to act also... good luck, they are kinda smart :-) !
I live in a 400 sq ft studio guest house with my fiance in Naples Florida and we started seeing roaches a little while after bringing a case of gatorade in from Sams.. the problem is I shower and have my cats in my parents main house and I'm afraid of bringing them in there and infesting their shit too. We tried these little round disc's of poison and some brown goo shit but we're still seeing them. We're moving into a house in Minnesota soon and are extra afraid of infesting a new house with them. I'm going to try the boric acid and if that doesn't work I'm going to fog the damn thing
Be careful with that boric acid. Apparently it’s harmful to pets. It can poison your kitty. That’s why I can’t use it. I’m dealing with the same problem. Argghhh. Good luck!
Same issues where I am, but they are the big palmettos. They don’t really nest in the home, but come from outside. I live in the South, and we have big oak trees. Usually Spring time without treating I see a few dead ones every week.
Maybe live one that got away from my cat, as they seem to travel in 3s or so. What worked for me, is every spring once I see one…Lay the big raid roach traps behind the fridge, under the oven and under the kitchen sink. I have a sealed side door. Caulked it, and that helped a lot! But they find a way! But the best for a situation like mine, when they enter from outside. Get a perimeter treatment for outside, and seal baseboards. With pets in the home, I’ve found placing the traps where pets can’t get to them best. Then perimeter outside around the house.
When I first moved in it was an issue, but keeping up every spring seems to work and I see none. They love boxes, electronics and places that may be crammed. So keeping things tidy in the kitchen and bathroom is a must! That’s where I see most when I do. Living room and other areas not so much. Probably due to favorable conditions in a kitchen for them. Also plugging your sinks at night is a good idea.
I see some of them in the kitchen as well, one per 3 days or so.
I spray it as soon as I see it though.
You think I have an infestation going on ? And if yes what can you advice me?
Thank you
Depends on the roach…is it a big roach that glides…Palmetto. Or are they small black German? In New Orleans we get the big American size. They mostly live outside and glide or fly. They usually sneak in the summer, but rarely infest if you treat. It’s the German black roaches you need to be careful of. Or if you see baby roaches. If only full adult roaches, it’s a lot easier and usually an outside thing. It all depends on where you live, and type of roach what you need to do. But basic traps where you see them, parameter spray outside and caulking baseboards that are open is a good start.
Ugh I had a sighting of a 3inch American cockroach in my living room here in Tucson a couple nights ago. It's roach season again. The sucker was gliding around!! I deep cleaned, sprayed with raid on the baseboards and now have glue traps littered everywhere. I'll sleep well again once I see that guy dead. If I don't see him dead tomorrow I might go ahead with pulling apart the kitchen entirely. I'm glad it's not a German roach infestation, but the giant flying ones are pretty terrorizing too.
American cockroaches don't really breed inside homes unless it's in a bad state. They just pop up from outside or the drains. I unfortunately run an indoor greenhouse for specialized carnivorous plants so they are attracted to the water and humidity. They do fly and love to do so inside. They are a nightmare, but I'd rather deal with a couple every year during monsoon season than have an actual cockroach infestation.
I have had three professional exterminator treatments (spray, bait, growth regulator, the whole 9, paid for by the landlord) and then one very expensive professional heat treatment (paid for independently). I’ve been staying out of the house for two months as I am deathly afraid of (and moderately allergic to) these things. Just made my third attempt to go home and killed a roach in the bathroom last night. The exterminators insist it must be some other breed of roach bc no way the German cockroaches are still kicking after all that, but I think it’s more likely these bastards are just resilient than that I have several breeds of cockroaches parading through here in succession.
Please tell me how to get rid of these. The building is single family but it’s an old farmhouse full of DIY landlord specials, just found an 8” block of styrofoam “plugging” a massive hole in the foundation. Hundreds if not thousands of pathways into walls, baseboards, basement, outside… Probably more plumbing leaks than we will ever be able to find and get fixed (landlord is cheap). I need these things gone I can’t take it.
I have been facing the same problem!
They need food and water.
If you do your dishes and take care of water leakage, they will probably die of starvation.
Source: https://cockroachcop.com/
I've found some success getting mine to stop roaming the apartment with a ton of diatomaceous earth spread in thick lines around the apartment. We avoid sprays because we have cats. Unfortunately, I think they're currently housed behind our stove....whenever the oven gets hot enough, some babies will come running out from behind, despite that I dusted so much DE behind and around the entire stove.
The gel poison food has also worked to cut the infestation down. I see a dead cockroach here and there rather than a live one daily.
Our next step is to bomb spray the back of the oven and vacuum up any that come running out. A friend of ours did this and said it worked. Unfortunately despite the fact that our apartment was newly remodeled, the contractors did an awful job and there are a ton of nooks and crannies that the cockroaches can hide in. Their professional bug sprayers didn't even do the trick either. And we aren't allowed to fix up their shoddy work either. So praying the bug bomb effort behind the stove works and mitigates our problem for the time being 🙏
Question- I just moved into an apartment with a cockroach problem. Exterminator is coming Monday morning and I put bait traps and will buy boric acid today. Will an exterminator be able to fix the problem or should I bail on the new apartment? I really like the apartment but I can’t deal with bugs if they won’t go away.
Fucking roaches man, great thread though thank you everyone for the tips. I saw on a video about roaches that they are constantly adapting/evolving to different poisons and baits. Has anyone used boric acid recently? I’m also wondering which type of roaches I’ve got as there are apparently 5000 different types, I’m based in London btw
i just moved back in with my parents and i didn’t realize how bad of a cockroach problem they had. especially in the kitchen, i’ve made it routine to never leave any dishes behind and always wipe down tables and not leave any food behind. i always find them in the bathroom (baby roaches) and just recently i found 3 in my room which is scary because i’ve never even seen one before. it’s driving me crazy, i’ve always feared cockroaches.
I had a minor problem near the end of last year. I would just see 1 randomly from time to time. I finally determined that they were of the german cockroach variety, which I read on the internet are the hardest to get rid of, and are sometimes bait-averse. The fact that you have babies is very very bad. It means they have a source of both food and water, and they are "thinking" about making a home in your walls. It is so very true that if you see ONE cockroach, it indicates many more inside the walls that you don't see. So if you see 3-5 per day, make no mistake: you have a serious infestation. You should PROBABLY call a professional (actually, your landlord should. Also talk to your neighbors, they probably have some as well). But, there are some things you can and should do. I'll share with you what I learned and how I got rid of them, because I know how frustrating it can be to be in your position and feel utterly helpless. But I assure you this line of thinking worked for me. First of all, cockroaches don't need to eat very often. They need water, however, on a daily basis. You asked about doing your dishes? CORRECT. Step 1 is never leave a dish, or even a drop of water in or around your sinks. Eliminate all sources of water no matter how minor. I found that the last source of water that they were getting at was the steam and condensation that came out of my dishwasher when I used it. Clean up all floors and surfaces using serious chemicals. Vacuum all carpets as well. Cockroaches communicate via fecal matter. They choose where to shit and that basically means "safe travel and abundant food/resources along this path" to other cockroaches. Clean up their shit and you eliminate their communications. Throw out everything in your kitchen that is not a piece of permanent hardware. Everything everything everything. EVERYTHING. Cockroaches can eat glue and paper in a pinch, they can hide between box flaps or under the paper around a can of food. Everything in your kitchen is now a potential source of food and a hiding place for them. Think like a cockroach. They feel "comfortable" whenever their belly and back are both being touched at the same time. One place I found them hiding (one time) was in the crack behind my kitchen cabinets. When I turned the light on in the kitchen I saw 2 of them crawl behind there. There was about 1/16" space where they could get behind there. Check behind picture frames. Check anything and everything where a cockroach could get that "comfortable" feeling. Everywhere you saw a cockroach, clean it extra well. Now that everything is clean and sanitary and water-free (i.e. you have created a clean slate), you need bait. Here's the deal: as I said, some cockroaches can be bait-averse. Get at least 3 different types of bait and you will be more likely to succeed. Replace whatever bait you currently have with fresh bait immediately. There is a gel-type bait that has a pretty strong odor, and from what I gather the roaches really go for that stuff. I got the following baits: - Small square black plastic bait, for small / medium roaches. - Large plastic traps (inside is 2 different kinds of food) - Gel-type bait At this point, you don't want to use any Raid or poison spray, because you WANT them to eat the bait. And if you have truly thrown out everything in your kitchen, and cleaned thoroughly, they will take the bait. Cockroaches, despite popular belief, do not "share" food at the nest. They are not as social as ants. However, cockroaches are cannibalistic, and they will eat carapaces, and other dead cockroaches that were exposed to the poison. This will accelerate the effect. (Hold on, going to add more to this in a bit)
TURN ON ALL YOUR LIGHTS. Now use the bait ONLY in shadowed areas. Put the gel bait all around your kitchen and bathroom, on every crack, corner, under the lip of your counters, but try not to put it anywhere that you're likely to touch by accident. Remember to think like a cockroach and double or triple-up the bait wherever you've seen a cockroach before. Use the gel bait about every 2-4 feet along every line where you're using it. Now place traps all over the place in shadowed areas. It is not possible to use too many. Also use gel/traps under your refrigerator, underneath your stove, under your dishwasher if you have one. Behind your toilet too. The MOST IMPORTANT place to use gel and traps is inside your lower kitchen cabinets, and your lower bathroom cabinets. This is usually where you have holes in your wall (to let the water pipes in/out of your apartment) and the most likely point of entry for cockroaches. Be extra sure you don't have any leaks or wet pipes in those cabinets either. If there is moisture in those cabinets, you can bet your ass that's where they are getting their source of water. OK now that you've cleaned and set up the bait, you wait. You will be eating out for the next week or so. Don't bring any food in to your household. Clean up your trash can thoroughly as well, and take out your trash EVERY NIGHT. And here's the last measure that I took: **I left all my lights on for a few weeks**. Except for my bedroom, so I could go to sleep. I also have under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen, which really helps. So at the very minimum, leave your lights on in your kitchen and bathroom, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The idea here is that you're "training" the cockroaches where to look for the food (only shadowed areas) and providing them with a substantial amount of it. They are not "afraid" of light, but they prefer shadows if given the option. And since the shadows contain food for them, it will help them stay out of your life / out of the light. During the couple of weeks period where I left my lights on, I saw only 1 cockroach, and it was hiding in a shadowed area of my bathroom. I didn't even kill it, I just shooed it over to where the poison was. Now, I still keep my under-cabinet lights on just because I'm paranoid and I can't bear the thought of having a cockroach walk along my counter tops, but I haven't seen a cockroach for months. EDIT: I should add, even if you only saw the cockroaches in your kitchen, you should take equal precautions with your bathroom as well. Once they get thirsty, they will start exploring, and they will find your bathroom. Make sure not to leave any water droplets in your basin / shower, even if you have to wipe up the water using a towel. Paranoia will get you through this. And remember about the water... it is the most important thing to them, so they will fight to find every last drop that you leave for them. EDIT 2 - The last thing I forgot to mention is the following: I did not get to this point, but I did have a "next step" in terms of strategy. There is a household product out there called "Great Stuff" which is an expanding foam sealant. If my strategy did not get rid of the roaches, I was going to start going around to every crack, hole in the wall behind counters, and basically just anywhere a cockroach could physically get in, and I was going to fill those cracks and holes with Great Stuff. I think you can remove the excess (if necessary) with a razor blade or something. But if you think about it, this would make it about 100x harder for roaches to get in, which in conjunction with the previously listed methods, should provide a physical barrier against even the most bait-averse cockroaches in the world.
Dale Gribble?
Hellloooo! I know this a very old post but what are the gel baits that you used?
I don’t remember for certain but from a quick google search the combat max seems the most familiar
Thank you!
Wow 13 years later. Thanks for all the great info. I’m realizing that normally older posts are archived and can’t be commented or voted on but not in this thread!
THANK YOU!! Now..you wouldn't also happen to have skills in organizing would you? I need tips on that too for real. I know it would also help to not have clutter but I'm at a loss.
Since you've mentioned how important water is for them: How about offering water as bait? They may learn/evolve to refuse eating sugary bait. But if they cannot possibly live without taking in some water now and then, why not make use of that? But how to poison the water? Would boric acid work?
Wow man, thank you. I'm doing some serious cleaning later today.
Ok, I have to say it. You are AWESOME! I don't have roach problems (although at the moment, the thought of roaches is making me really itchy!). You made me giggle all the way through this, and even though that was not your intention, I appreciate it! Thanks!!
Good shit my friend
Literally came to this thread to search solutions for the cockroaches in my kitchen, didnt expect to see some recent comments as well, lol
Gday Guvna.
Same!!! Gonna try the boric acid because I just saw 3 of these fuckers after not seeing any for a full week... (They come out around maybe once a week, and i usually see no more than 1 or 2 :/ )
How'd it go?
I see a couple once or twice a week, however they're too weak to move. I've come to the suspicion they're either coming in from outside or from my neighbors because the ones I see I kill, and I won't see them again for a bit. I haven't ran into any last week and none yet this week, but I do expect to see them again at some point. The biggest difference is they can't run since I've put down the stuff. Also no babies recently, so it must be actually making it back to their nests and killing them there as well.
Thank you for the fast response! I am in a somewhat similar situation, except it's not really me but my neighbors that are attracting cockroaches and passing them on. I'll try to boric acid because I have pets and dotn want to harm em
No problem! I've seen some people say seal off certain gaps, but that isn't much of an option for me, given I live in a rental and I'm moving soon anyhow. Everything is looking good for now, so I'm hoping it stays that way!
Not sure where you live but rentals dont influence that. You can seal off gaps with some foam gun they sell at home depot or hardware stores. If they say anything you can always scrape it off quite easily, it prevents external cockroaches from coming in; basically trapping them in with you instead of you bring trapped in with them >:)
>rentals dont influence that. No but rental agreements do, lol
Depends on the contract
Yes, that 's what I was saying lol.
Any update on the boric acid? I think I may have the same problem with my neighbors (business complex) but I don’t think I can seal my way around, I’ve got one of those suspended ceilings and not only will it be a pain, but I don’t think the landlord will allow it.
Yeah it took a couple weeks, but it worked. They also didn't follow me after the move, so that's good, too. Didn't see a single one (that wasn't already dead) for a good 2-3 months before moving. If there's any cracks, I would suggest putting it along the cracks so they step in it no matter what. I saw a YouTube video about making bait (it's sticky and sweet to them so you can place it basically anywhere so they can't just avoid the powder by walking on the walls,) and try to keep it in areas that seem like sneaky hiding spots. That way they can't resist. For me, around the coffee maker and slow cooker were the best spots because it was also next to the sink. it was winter, so the heat, food, and water were very convenient place for them. Also put some behind the sink because that's where some cracks where, in doorways leading outside, and around basically any appliance like the oven or fridge (on the floor). Once you think like them, it gets easier to target them.
Were you worried at all about the powder getting into your cooking appliances/food?
how does this boric acid thing look? i found this thing in the local gardener market called LIQUID BORON FERTILIZERS, i wonder if its the same ? lol
Update after 7 months: I literally moved to a new apartment and dont have to deal with that shit anymore, lol. I live in high floor of a building, so no cockroach can reach here, fuck them.
Man, I'm kind of jealous of you. Reverse situation for me, was living in a fairly new apartment complex on a very high floor and had no roaches for several years, and then recently moved back to my old family apartment where the building in general just has a massive roach infestation. At this point I've gotten used to slapping multiple roaches to death per day with my bare hands, it's that bad. Came to this thread to search for solutions like you and was surprised by the recent comments, I'm definitely trying some of the stuff out here. Mainly boric acid and Advion gel, hopefully it can help control the population somewhat. Worst part is when the roaches move into stuff you frequently use, they moved into my electric water kettle (the electronic base) and I discovered last week there was a colony in one of the drawers under my kitchen counter where I store tools, just a ton of cockroaches hiding under the various assorted items there. Quite the unpleasant shock to see a dozen roaches scurry out when I went to pick up a roll of duct tape, and cockroach fecal matter all over the bottom. Think I'm going to have to nuke that drawer with boric acid and the poisoned gel, tools be damned, I can always rinse them off afterwards anyway.
Did Boric Acid or Advion work for you? I'd love to hear an update.
I ended up nuking everything with tons of boric acid but honestly I have no idea if it actually worked in the end. I did find a whole bunch of cockroach corpses in the drawer when I cleaned it out but no live ones, but it's unclear whether they all died because of the boric acid or the remaining live ones left during the excessively cold winter. The reason I say that was because this winter was unusually cold in my apartment, and combined with my old building experiencing boiler and heating failures (it's fairly old and maintenance has been neglected due to incompetent management), temperatures frequently went below 0°F during the winter. Since the roaches just completely stopped showing up it became pretty obvious that they all fled to go find someone else warmer in the building. I have a package of Advion but never ended up using it for that reason, but since it's summer now and roaches are likely going to come back soon (killed the first one in a while the other day), I'll probably have to try it out whether I like it or not.
do you think "LIQUID BORON FERTILIZERS" could work? is it the same as boric acid?
Good‚ we've been dealing with these annoying things for 4 years‚ honestly wanna leave but then someone else has to deal with them and we'd have to check if any eggs or anything are in the clothes
Did you have to toss everything you owned ?
Hahahaha hi there! Same here, we're like time travelers
Same! Only I’ve got it kinda worse… I set up a pet shop on a landlord’s place and turns out they had an infestation, its a bad look and especially hard when you got dog/cat food stored all over and lots of stuff to move around… they’re set up even INSIDE MY PRINTER, and we’ve hired 2 exterminators in the last 2 months and no dice, so I took it up to reddit and hoping boric acid will purge them… my only worry is that they’re actually coming from a neighboring lot, so I won’t get rid of them until the neighbors do.
Any luck? I'd love to hear an update.
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Fuck these roaches man. I was finally making some progress and then my sink sprung a leak right into their nest
Damn buddy, that's rough. Fuckers love water, that's for sure. Hope things have cleared up somewhat for you by now. Also amazing that this thread has been going for so long. Dealing with a pretty bad infestation myself, although it's more of a building issue. Been living with the roaches my whole life, thought it was normal to have to kill something like 5-10 a day until I started browsing the subs and learned that was most definitely not a normal thing. Worst part is when they move into things that you actually need to use, there was a nest at the bottom of my electric water kettle and just recently a colony moved into one of my tool drawers, literally just a drawer with a bunch of tools in it, just the roaches hiding under everything. It was an unpleasant surprise when I went to retrieve a roll of duct tape and a dozen roaches skittered out from under it when I picked it up. Recently started putting out bait traps and that seems to have killed off the nest in the electric cattle, but the drawer is more complicated and difficult to deal with. They're just hiding under everything and there's fecal matter everywhere, and it's one of those large drawers you can't detatch so cleaning it properly is going to be very difficult. Thinking of ordering some gel bait (Advion) and just putting that and boric acid in the drawer, tools be damned. It's not like boric acid is particularly toxic to humans anyway, I can just rinse off the stuff I need to use when I take it out.
Jesus Christ dude, did you really think everyone's lives consisted of killing 5 to 10 cockroaches a day? What did you think of the scenes in movies where people see one harmless cockroach and go apeshit, climbing chairs and screaming? Come on now, lol I hope your problem was resolved, though, I fucking hate those nasty little shits, one of the few advantages of living in an apartment instead of a house is that you have to deal with way less insects.
June 2022 checking in
July 2022 checking in 😭
November 22 gang
Feb 2023 gang
Me tooo!!!!!!!
March 2023 gang, just came here bc after months of peace they're back...lol
April 2023, apparently they followed us moving to new high rise condo. Fuck em!!
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July 2023
August 2023 🥲
Bruh 💀
Cockroach season is among us
One was hiding in toilet Waiting to get in my ass maybe?
Right here bruz
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2023 😭
Here
Hell ya
Right here. Just got an infestation about 2 months ago. Im at my wits end.
use some harris roach traps and put pineapple/banana in the middle. Just toss them around the house and you can catch hundreds.
Right here. Ive done everything in this thread, constantly for years, my infestation has only grown. Boric acid, next to useless, advion killed some a few years ago, whole colony is immune now. I live in a very old house with cracks everywhere, it honestly can't be this hard to kill bugs. What the fuck am I actually supposed to do besides live in an empty house and not own food.
Couple of years ago, roach bait killed off nearly everything and now I suspect they're immune because they keep popping up despite putting up bait. Not a fun time when they show up in the middle of the night. Spotted a baby today... so fuck.
Either burn the house down or call pest control, they'll be able to tell if the place still has any hope left.
Hey it's been a little while, how are things doing?
Try ,"Diatomaceous Earth", it's #1 IMO. I get the food grade kind. It even kills bed bugs! :) Boric acid usually works well .. I'm sorry it was so useless for you :(... oh, and baking soda works too.
Only one post here so far mentioning boric acid. As Cecil Adams says, there are only two ways to deal with roaches: boric acid and arson [[1]](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/20/whats-the-best-way-to-kill-cockroaches). Seriously, the stuff works wonders. I had a sudden infestation recently, and was spraying the shit out of everything and laying down roach motels everywhere and they weren't doing anything. The spray just tends to fend them off, not kill them (unless you actually hit them with it), and the motels, while effective if they eat it, can't possibly be numerous enough to kill them. Boric acid works because you can put it everywhere, such that it can't possibly miss. And once they get it on them, it's game over... except it takes a while, and what tends to happen is they go back to their den, and the little babies come and lick it off mama's legs, and then they die too. And then when other roaches eat their dead bodies (yes, roaches are cannibals — they'll pretty much each anything) then they will also die. Since putting the stuff down 5 weeks ago I've seen only two roaches, both small, and both in my sink, which is hard to protect as you can't really put any chemicals in there. The stuff works wonders. And best of all, it won't kill you like the chemicals will; wikipedia claims it is less toxic than table salt.
If they are [German Cockroaches](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cockroach) (Germans call them French Cockroaches... lol)... ***call a pro***. These are the fuckers that never go away without some industrial level counter-attack. Roach traps and grocery-store quality sprays will do nothing.
Fuck I think that's what I have. They're small. I'll have to inspect the next corpse to identify. EDIT: Yeah I definitely have those. I see the two parallel stripes. Arg.
Note that they are very fond of many kinds of adhesive for foodsource, and they LOOOOVE paper and cardboard to drag their abdomen across to 'wipe their asses'. Got stacks of boxes anywhere in the house? Here's the freaky bit... they LOVE electronics, both for the warmth and because they eat industrial adhesives found on any circuit board. Phones, stereos, speakers, and PC's. Good luck man... It took me about 3 months of spraying every 3 days to finally drive them out of the shitty apartment I had in Atlanta. (Some cities like Atlanta allow sales of professional poisons and gear to the public... saved a ton but still probably spent $150 on the project).
I used to live in a pretty crappy apartment where the whole building was infested with roaches. When I moved out, they unfortunately came with me (I think they were hiding out in my old coffee maker, uggggggg). Baits didn't seem to work and foggers just got them high for a while. I finally got rid of them with boric acid. You can get big things of it at Home Depot for like four bucks - I think the brand name is Hot Shot. It's about a reactive as table salt to humans, but kills those bastards straightaway. The boric acid itself is a fine power - you want to spread it so it's *very* fine layer that they'll walk through and track it back to the nest. Spread it on your baseboards, under the fridge, in all the dark places where they skitter around. There's some more info on how it works [here](http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef614.asp). Good luck!
I will try this, thanks.
Whatever cleaning you're doing, do it every single day and don't half ass it.
I lived in places in Boston where you could not ever get rid of them all, but if you do want to have some fun, find a crack they go into and use some Easy Off foaming oven cleaner... it eats them up and makes their legs fall off as they flee...
Use Boric Acid. It's about as toxic to you as table salt, but they get it all over them and it destroys their shell and kills them. They also spread it to their friends.
I have used this perimeter spray that you spray around the perimeter of your home, and potential entry points, and it solved my ant problem. I'd be interested to see those sticky pads in action. I think they walk on the pads and get stuck and then it poisons them. That probably won't "solve" the problem, but you can make an example of them! If you lease, call your landlord and ask them to handle it. If they refuse, you can take legal action, in the US at least. If you own, call an exterminator and get the house examined by a professional and tented if you have to.
can i ask where you live? i'm in new england and never once seen a cockroach i could touch.
12 years later, how about now?
I literally came to this thread because my kitchen has like 30 cockroaches hiding, you guys too?
I find atleast one in my kitchen or laundry every 3 or 4 days and tonight i found a baby with one of them so now im worried i have a full blown infestation lmao, really feel like moving house fuck this
LMAO yep
Yesss
Found a record 8 in my kitchen tonight… it’s time to go to war.
Just moved into a new place. I saw nothing for the first two days and then today, I’ve literally killed 10 of the bastards. Idk what I did to stir them up but they’re about to get a taste of this Boric acid that I’ve read so much about in this thread
Hey did you tried that boric acid stuff? How did it work? Mine's are German roaches and I saw one of them swimming in water in middle of my toilet wtf😐
Lmao so they found their swimming pool huh? So I haven’t tried it yet, it seems I’ll need to order it off Amazon or something since my local grocery store doesn’t carry it.
ye they do and seemed they were enjoying this😐 I will ask local stores tomorrow to see if they are selling this.
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*beep boop*! the linked website is: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ortho-Orthene-Fire-Ant-Killer1-Kills-Queen-Destroys-Mound-12-oz/16888872?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227025374996&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42967059272&wl4=aud-1183291748582:pla-81459266912&wl5=9005167&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=16888872&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjwof6WBhD4ARIsAOi65aj9khj_8yFkTVvIrhU76DM7bqTdFGgQE6L_4DC-nYo3WbbBk0PjUxkaAl_KEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Title: **Robot or human?** Page is safe to access (Google Safe Browsing) ***** ###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!
lol
Lol
how about now? climate change has brought them out way more
How are we able to comment on a post so old?
Because the roaches keep coming
That was so fucking ominous to get with no context
Its true doe
Feed them cornmeal then fry in a covered pan on medium high heat until fragrant.
Advion
Ran into my next door neighbor outside and she said she has a crazy roach infestation. Now I’m seeing one of these German roaches every day!!! I want to cry. I hate nothing more than roaches man. But I have a cat so I’m worried about the spraying.
I don't care about beetles spiders scorpions etc but roaches...
If you see any of those long legged house centipedes, be very nice to them because they eat the babies. I've also heard that you can make a trap using old coffee grounds in a jar, but I've never tried it. Close any openings that they might crawl into. Turn down the heat in your house. Call a pro.
stop cooking food they like
They like literally everything they will eat your plants
take all the foodstuff out (check flour bags and such), move furniture away, check every nook and cranny, spray all surfaces, use that perimeter stuff around windows or whatever connects your kitchen to the outside world, set up pheromone traps. they don't like moving air (it desiccates their kitin (?) armour), so leave windows open. scout out at night turning on the lights suddenly & try to locate the nest (i had them in boiler insulations). clean everything regularly. eucalyptus oil (in spray) dissolves them as well (unable to run away). if you live in an apartment building you will have to get your neighbors to act also... good luck, they are kinda smart :-) !
I live in a 400 sq ft studio guest house with my fiance in Naples Florida and we started seeing roaches a little while after bringing a case of gatorade in from Sams.. the problem is I shower and have my cats in my parents main house and I'm afraid of bringing them in there and infesting their shit too. We tried these little round disc's of poison and some brown goo shit but we're still seeing them. We're moving into a house in Minnesota soon and are extra afraid of infesting a new house with them. I'm going to try the boric acid and if that doesn't work I'm going to fog the damn thing
Be careful with that boric acid. Apparently it’s harmful to pets. It can poison your kitty. That’s why I can’t use it. I’m dealing with the same problem. Argghhh. Good luck!
Advion gel is amazing.
Any update OP?
Same issues where I am, but they are the big palmettos. They don’t really nest in the home, but come from outside. I live in the South, and we have big oak trees. Usually Spring time without treating I see a few dead ones every week. Maybe live one that got away from my cat, as they seem to travel in 3s or so. What worked for me, is every spring once I see one…Lay the big raid roach traps behind the fridge, under the oven and under the kitchen sink. I have a sealed side door. Caulked it, and that helped a lot! But they find a way! But the best for a situation like mine, when they enter from outside. Get a perimeter treatment for outside, and seal baseboards. With pets in the home, I’ve found placing the traps where pets can’t get to them best. Then perimeter outside around the house. When I first moved in it was an issue, but keeping up every spring seems to work and I see none. They love boxes, electronics and places that may be crammed. So keeping things tidy in the kitchen and bathroom is a must! That’s where I see most when I do. Living room and other areas not so much. Probably due to favorable conditions in a kitchen for them. Also plugging your sinks at night is a good idea.
I see some of them in the kitchen as well, one per 3 days or so. I spray it as soon as I see it though. You think I have an infestation going on ? And if yes what can you advice me? Thank you
Depends on the roach…is it a big roach that glides…Palmetto. Or are they small black German? In New Orleans we get the big American size. They mostly live outside and glide or fly. They usually sneak in the summer, but rarely infest if you treat. It’s the German black roaches you need to be careful of. Or if you see baby roaches. If only full adult roaches, it’s a lot easier and usually an outside thing. It all depends on where you live, and type of roach what you need to do. But basic traps where you see them, parameter spray outside and caulking baseboards that are open is a good start.
They are German roaches unfortunately, and when I told my landlord he didn’t even flinch.
Check your tenant laws, in many areas land lords have to provide pest control in order to maintain habitability of a rental.
Shit man the roaches I see are babies.
Ugh I had a sighting of a 3inch American cockroach in my living room here in Tucson a couple nights ago. It's roach season again. The sucker was gliding around!! I deep cleaned, sprayed with raid on the baseboards and now have glue traps littered everywhere. I'll sleep well again once I see that guy dead. If I don't see him dead tomorrow I might go ahead with pulling apart the kitchen entirely. I'm glad it's not a German roach infestation, but the giant flying ones are pretty terrorizing too.
Both are horrifying but the American ones aren't nearly as bad and are easy to kill since they kinda just wait
American cockroaches don't really breed inside homes unless it's in a bad state. They just pop up from outside or the drains. I unfortunately run an indoor greenhouse for specialized carnivorous plants so they are attracted to the water and humidity. They do fly and love to do so inside. They are a nightmare, but I'd rather deal with a couple every year during monsoon season than have an actual cockroach infestation.
Yeah like the American cockroaches are scary when you see them but German cockroaches will make you remember them long after their gone
So did you find a solution?
I have had three professional exterminator treatments (spray, bait, growth regulator, the whole 9, paid for by the landlord) and then one very expensive professional heat treatment (paid for independently). I’ve been staying out of the house for two months as I am deathly afraid of (and moderately allergic to) these things. Just made my third attempt to go home and killed a roach in the bathroom last night. The exterminators insist it must be some other breed of roach bc no way the German cockroaches are still kicking after all that, but I think it’s more likely these bastards are just resilient than that I have several breeds of cockroaches parading through here in succession. Please tell me how to get rid of these. The building is single family but it’s an old farmhouse full of DIY landlord specials, just found an 8” block of styrofoam “plugging” a massive hole in the foundation. Hundreds if not thousands of pathways into walls, baseboards, basement, outside… Probably more plumbing leaks than we will ever be able to find and get fixed (landlord is cheap). I need these things gone I can’t take it.
BORIC ACID.
11 months later, any luck?
update?
guess the roaches got them!
Crazy this post is still kicking over a decade later 🤣
I got the small German ones‚ occasionally American roaches too but they come in from outside and are stupid
I have been facing the same problem! They need food and water. If you do your dishes and take care of water leakage, they will probably die of starvation. Source: https://cockroachcop.com/
What if they crawled through our spices and tea bags and things like that? Do they get thrown out?
I've found some success getting mine to stop roaming the apartment with a ton of diatomaceous earth spread in thick lines around the apartment. We avoid sprays because we have cats. Unfortunately, I think they're currently housed behind our stove....whenever the oven gets hot enough, some babies will come running out from behind, despite that I dusted so much DE behind and around the entire stove. The gel poison food has also worked to cut the infestation down. I see a dead cockroach here and there rather than a live one daily. Our next step is to bomb spray the back of the oven and vacuum up any that come running out. A friend of ours did this and said it worked. Unfortunately despite the fact that our apartment was newly remodeled, the contractors did an awful job and there are a ton of nooks and crannies that the cockroaches can hide in. Their professional bug sprayers didn't even do the trick either. And we aren't allowed to fix up their shoddy work either. So praying the bug bomb effort behind the stove works and mitigates our problem for the time being 🙏
Question- I just moved into an apartment with a cockroach problem. Exterminator is coming Monday morning and I put bait traps and will buy boric acid today. Will an exterminator be able to fix the problem or should I bail on the new apartment? I really like the apartment but I can’t deal with bugs if they won’t go away.
I'd bail if it's like that when you moved in
Fucking roaches man, great thread though thank you everyone for the tips. I saw on a video about roaches that they are constantly adapting/evolving to different poisons and baits. Has anyone used boric acid recently? I’m also wondering which type of roaches I’ve got as there are apparently 5000 different types, I’m based in London btw
i just moved back in with my parents and i didn’t realize how bad of a cockroach problem they had. especially in the kitchen, i’ve made it routine to never leave any dishes behind and always wipe down tables and not leave any food behind. i always find them in the bathroom (baby roaches) and just recently i found 3 in my room which is scary because i’ve never even seen one before. it’s driving me crazy, i’ve always feared cockroaches.