Getting rid of Roaches

Ledean

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Dec 21, 2003
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How do you guys get rid of roaches.
I have tried Combat . Did not seem to work.
Spraying boric acid also did not do the trick . Roach spray only kiils a few.
They are slowly increasing in number.
I even tried to blind them with my flashlights .
So I come to you guys for help.
What are the methods that are used by flashaholics ?
 
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tvodrd

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In my experience, Roach Motels actually work! They're a little cardboard box with an inside super sticky surface. They're kind of cruel in that they starve the suckers to death. They check-in and immediately get stuck to the floor. Pick up a 2-pack at the market and give them a try. Put them out against a wall, and check them the next morning. (Ever look a really pissed-off cockroach in the eye? :green: )

Larry
 

KevinL

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When all else fails....bash them. Really hard. :D

We too had a roach problem until I asked some professional pest control folks their opinion, and they were kind enough to let me try some of the pro-grade bait instead of the consumer-grade crap you get at supermarkets.

One night, I stumbled across a roach that had just eaten the stuff, saw me, jumped off the bait container, ran two feet and fell over dead. I'm quite sure it wasn't my Surefire which did it. Even the USL takes longer to set things on fire ;)

Now that's what I call power tools. Talk to the pros - they have all the good stuff.
 

yuandrew

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A lot of roaches seem to build up "imunity" to bug spray. I've read somewhere that it is possible to actually create a "super" bug that can't be killed with insecticide.

Well, for one thing, you can hit them with a 6 volt M@G and crush them if you want.

The roach motel is a bit messier as they take a while to die. If you're like my uncle*, you can wait until you've trapped a few in their then put them near a heat source and see if they bake to death.

*My uncle had a similar problem using the sticky traps only he was trying to control his mouse problem. They don't die right a way once they get stuck so he checks the traps once in a while. If one's caught and it is still alive, he take them outside and burns them to death with a propane blow torch (no kidding)

The baits you can get by "prescription" (ok, you can also order them from some websites yourself) from a pest control company may work better than over the counter stuff you buy at the supermarket. Still, it is possible that roaches can become immune but it is less likely with the less commonly used insecticides.

I wonder if you can vacuum them up then vacuum up some chalk or diatomacus earth after. The dust might choke them. I know it works for ants.

If all else fails, you can also set off "Fumigator" bug bombs; I've mentioned this in a thread before dealing with spiders. Don't confuse it with the aerosol spray bug bombs; Fumigator is a small can about 3 inches high and produces smoke when activated. Make sure you throw some in the attic and the crawl space
 

mattheww50

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The first step in succesful eradication is to find the source of water. Invariable there is a leak somewhere that is providing water for them.

Until that problem is addressed, you will never get rid of them. Once it is addressed, any of the typical pesticides or baits will kill off the Colony, but if you don't address the water issue, you will just get colonized by roaches again.

If you cannot use pesticides, if you can cut off the water supply, the use of adhesive baits (non toxic) will evenutally take them out of circulation.
They step onto the adhesive, and promptly get stuck permanently. A package of 6 is about $2 at Walmart. They smell like peanut butter to attract, but have no toxic chemicals.

If you see them, and have fish or birds, you can use a mist sprayer used for plants filled with rubbing alcohol instead. Getting the roach wet will produce a lethal concentration of Isopropyl Alcohol for the Roach, and kill in about 30 seconds, while the fumes will remain far below toxic levels for pets.

Pick your treatment carefully if you have pets.
Birds and fish are especially sensitive to most sprays. If you have to spray, get birds and fish out of the house, and keep them out for at least 24 hours. If you use liquids that you apply, make sure they are applied only in places your pets cannot get too.

If you bait, make sure the bait is in places your pets cannot get to.
 

Ledean

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Lots of useful suggestions.
Will go and get the sticky from walmart.
Will have to get the roach motel.

Mattheww50,
what is the proportion of isopropyl to water thatI should mix? Sounds like a great plan.
Thanks guys. I feel better already
 

Roy

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Granbury, Tx USA
To avoid the "imunity" problem use two different poisons. Make sure that they use different poisons (chemicals). Alternate poisons every 2-3 days.
 

raggie33

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when i lived in lagrange at first we had milions a em .so we drove to alabama i think it was to a do it your self pest control asked him for the best they had .well the man was a older guy and said this stuff will smell awefull ya will be alost sick with the smell but it works gret.i forget its name it was a powder in a green and white envelope with black writeing if i recall ya had to mix it ya self .that stuff was so good all roaches went away
 

jtr1962

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Nov 22, 2003
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Flushing, NY
First of all, you have my deepest sympathies. :( Roaches are one of the most disgusting things you can be infested with. We had a bad infestation when we lived in a housing project thanks to a welfare family living under us. When we moved to a private house we got some from the house next door which was being rented to a bunch of slobs who never cleaned. They actually crawled 10 feet across the driveway and into our house! Thankfully they never established themselves.

Next, you need to get rid of their food sources and water sources. If any place is very moist fix it. Empty the drip tray under the refrigerator frequently. Don't leave glasses or pots half-full of water in the sink. Cover all soap (one of their favorite foods). Put all your food in glass jars since roaches can chew right through cardboard boxes to get at the food inside. Clean your floors frequently, wash your sheets often (they eat dead skin), clean your toilet (another irresistable food source to them, yuck!), don't leave pet food out overnight, etc. Seal any cracks in walls and under baseboards so that you keep them from hiding in the walls, or using the walls to come from elsewhere. By following these guidelines, using strong insecticide, and stomping the ones you see to death you can control the problem to some extent. If they've gotten into the walls you might need to have the whole house bombed. Clean up any dead ones immediately since that's another food source for them. They'll even eat each other alive if food is in short supply.

Good luck! You're going to need it as roaches are probably the hardest vermin to be completely rid of since they eat virtually anything.
 

bjn70

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We once had a lot of the little ones. I used the aerosol "bombs" and that wiped them out.

In our house now we have the occasional large one that comes in from outside. I bought some of the boric acid powder to spread around in the back of cabinets and so forth. Supposedly they track this back to the colony and it kills all of them.

I remember the episode of "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery channel recently where the host joined an exterminator crew. They used a bait that was not a strong poison but killed the roaches in another way. In other words they would all eat it and it would take a few days to kill them, but it stays effective for awhile unlike the poison that they use that works quickly but dissipates rapidly.
 

Nitroz

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bjn70 said:
We once had a lot of the little ones. I used the aerosol "bombs" and that wiped them out.

In our house now we have the occasional large one that comes in from outside. I bought some of the boric acid powder to spread around in the back of cabinets and so forth. Supposedly they track this back to the colony and it kills all of them.

I remember the episode of "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery channel recently where the host joined an exterminator crew. They used a bait that was not a strong poison but killed the roaches in another way. In other words they would all eat it and it would take a few days to kill them, but it stays effective for awhile unlike the poison that they use that works quickly but dissipates rapidly.

I remember that episode. They used two poisons, on that killed them instantly and the other one made them starve to death somehow until they died. That house had a ton of roaches.
 

tvodrd

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I'm told that roaches are very fastidious- if you (heaven forbid) touch one. the first thing it does is go home and clean itself. That's how most roach powders like boric acid work. I have renters from "down south" on both sides of me. About twice a year, I encounter a big one (la cucaracha, la cucaracha...) and have to buy some traps. One neighbor's trash went out one morning and there was a "convention" surrounding it! That was before the city went to the 65gal wheeled things.

Larry
 

IsaacHayes

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Sticky traps are good, and also try other brands of bait traps. We did that and finaly got rid of our ant problem as the major brand bait wasn't working. I heard roaches can even be imune to lethal doses of radaition that would kill humans!!

Also, you need to seal your house to get rid of the point of entry. Unless just one craweled in when you opened the door and layed eggs (I've had them run in like that!).

Another tough "bug" to get rid of is brown recluses. I dumped a ton of acetone on one, and it was still alive after 3 minutes! Same goes for carb-cleaner and rubbing alcohol! Those suckers are tough!!
 

cy

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really surprised no-one has mentioned the most effective ingredient known. Fipronil

Fipronil works by disrupting normal nerve function. Fipronil acts by blocking the GABA-gated chloride.

translated micro dose is taken back to nest. roach die, then other roaches eat dead one. then they die, then others eat those dead ones.

Pretty soon entire colony is wiped out.

Fipronil was used on termites in Tanzania and almost wiped out the entire termite population. creatures that depend on termites to survive also were effected.

farmer use Fipronil to control certain pests. very selective .

Fipronil is active agent best flea control for dogs known.
 

tvodrd

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My (albeit, limited,) understanding is that termite "emissions" make a greater contribution to "global warming" than all of mankind. (Potential for FFF empowerment? :thinking: ) Fud for thought. Alarmists do tend to get the most "press."

Larry
 

cy

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forgot to add, you can find Fipronil in Combat roach traps. also comes in a syringe. looks closely at ingredients label to make sure that's what you are getting.

there was a TV show about the worst roach infected house in America. they used std combat roach traps with fipronil. wiped out the entire roach colony.

Frontline with fipronil is most effective flea med known for dogs & cats.
 
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Zackerty

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New Zealand
Right...
The BEST way, is too take an old plastic ice cream container...
Smear butter around the inside, on the top 3 inches of the container.
Pour in sugar water, about a cup of sugar to half a gallon of water.
Make sure that the water does touch the butter area...

The process works like this...
The roaches smell the sugar water, climb, and run/slide into the water, where they drown, as they cannot get a grip on the butter.
You then flush the bodies into the toilet, and use fresh sugar water to start it all over again.
I have had 100 % success rate with this process, and can get about 20 roaches in the container in a half hour period. One night we caught over 150!

Environmently safe, too.
 

IsaacHayes

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cy: Fipronil, is that toxic for pets/humans, I guess not as that front line is a pill right?
Zackerty: wow, that's a lot of roaches!
 

turbodog

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central time
Local mexican restaurant (no racism, just happened that way) had a roach fall from the ceiling onto a person's plate. Health dept comes in and does an inspection. HD estimates 40,000,000 roaches in restaurant. They are in the walls, packed solid.

Exterminator comes in and drops a bug bomb. Roaches all flee to next bldg in the strip mall. They ended up having to exterminate the entire complex. Witnesses said there was a river of roaches pouring out of the building.

yuck!

good restaurant though
 

chmsam

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Eh, it's all protein, anyway.

Train the cat or dog to like 'em for dinner -- solves two problems at once.

Roaches are why there are professional extermiinators. Perisitent critters that have been around for millions of years and even then the species will outlive everything else on the planet. So, that said, how much do you really save if you end up treating again (and again)? And if you have one you have hundreds.

Pack all the food you can in containers. Clean up immediately after food prep. Keep the water leaks or water lying about under control. Do this and you stand a better chance of keeping them from coming back.
 
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