Cockroaches, how to get rid of them...

JaJae · 09-30-2006, 11:12 PM

I live in central Jersey in a very Asian/Indian apartment complex. I'm the only white person in my building that I know of. I've lived in two family homes with Indians before and always had problems with roaches. Something about the foods they eat, how they prepare them and the markets they shop in just attract the damn things. My old downstair neighbors used to make pasta dishes on their kitchen floor and let the stuff sit for days while it hardened into whatever it was they were going to eat. Needless to say we had bugs.

Well, I've been in this new apartment now for over a year. Never seen a single bug outside of the ordinary. Saw the occassional spider here or there.

We have a habit of keeping all food contained and sealed. There is no food out or available. Everything is packaged/sealed or in tupperware.

Last night we found a single cockroach. I'm not too worried. We sprayed the apartment, we're calling an exterminator and going all out to make sure we don't see any more.

What can we do besides what we're already doing to prevent them from coming into our apartment? I'm thinking someone sprayed or something and they left someone elses apartment and came into ours. They can't feed on anything in our apartment so I don't know what they'd be doin chillin there. Any ideas?

IminWonderland · 09-30-2006, 11:25 PM

Boric Acid.

JaJae · 09-30-2006, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

Boric Acid.

Please elaborate. Where do I get it, what do I do with it?

6SpeedTA95 · 10-01-2006, 12:49 AM

A single roach isn't huge, however, the general rule is for everyone you see there is 50 in hiding. So 1 I dont take too seriously, 2 is not a good thing and 3 within a month or so is a bad sign.

We spray on a monthly basis here for all bugs. If i find something out of the ordinary I tell the xterminator.

sj23 · 10-01-2006, 01:07 AM

Vote for a non-Republican.

lew · 10-01-2006, 01:37 AM

The best consumer item for roaches is the roach bait.

IminWonderland · 10-01-2006, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Please elaborate. Where do I get it, what do I do with it?

You can get it at Home Depot, Walmart...
It's a pesticide that's safe for use if you have kids, and it gets rid of them very very good.

It's a white powder, and you just lay it where you saw it. You might put it on the crevices on the bottom of the cabinets in your kitchen, around the fridge, any cracks on the counters behind the stove, any where grease is or can be....

"It is often used as a relatively nontoxic insecticide, for killing cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, and many other insects. It can be used directly in powdered form for fleas and cockroaches, or mixed with sugar or grape jelly for ants. It is also a component of many commercial insecticides. In this use, especially in the case of cockroaches, the boric acid in the form of a powder is applied to areas frequented by the insects. The lightweight particles cling to the legs of the insects and eventually cause fatal chemical burns. Boric acid for this use in residential apartments is sold commercially in urban areas afflicted with cockroaches. (Insect control ref: http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/boric_acid.html)" - wiki

My sister swears by it!

Scrum · 10-01-2006, 01:48 AM

Well my grandma used to use her boots......

IminWonderland · 10-01-2006, 01:56 AM

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications...id%20grease%22

Boric Acid balls

archangel003 · 10-01-2006, 02:43 AM

Just toss some roach motels behind your fridge and in your cabinets.

KatKanPlay · 10-01-2006, 10:43 PM

Ive heard that a cockroach can live for 2 months on one single fingerprint, dont know if that is true but before the baits, boric acid was without question the safest and most reliable. I speak from experience. I think the baits work just as well and very little hassle to spread them around.

avsp · 10-02-2006, 06:07 AM

its the dust with the boric acid thats how it works, its scratches their exo-
skeleton thus allowing the poison in.

the dust is usualy gypsum which sets hard if it gets wet.

6speed: what is the active ingrediant in your monthly spray?

isnt it a case of 'once in never out'?, ..., its not really feasible to remove them completely is it?

i've found slow acting poisons the best. you need them to die in their nest so that their compatriots eat them & die to, ..., also this can smell worse than they do anyway

WickedLou9 · 10-02-2006, 10:11 AM

When you live in a communal setting.. some times those sorts of pests are unavaiodable. Especialy if they are coming from somewhere else.
I used to live in an apartment and we had filthy neighbors. We also had a roach problem. It did not matter how much we sprayed or how clean we kept the apartment. They were coming from somewhere else. So unless you can force everyone in the building to have thier aparements sprayed and to keep them spotless.. you will have an unending battle.

Thorgrim · 10-02-2006, 11:11 AM

1) Try to pick a higher level, preferably with cleaner people...roaches will stick to the lower levels if their are slobs there

2) Exagerate to your landlord, say you found 2 in the hallway and a few in your room, if he thinks its a major problem he'll get off his ass and help you with extermination techniques or do the parts of the building you can't do

3) If all else fails, place a cleaned up pickle jar outside your door, cover it with masking tape on both (out)sides so the cockroach can climb up it, and then fill it 1/4 of the way with water, and put in used coffee grounds from the previous day...rinse and redo everyday...it attracts cockroaches like crazy and keeps them outside your apartment

4) Seal all holes in your place, and have traps in every isolated spot in your apartment

Those are the things I've always done in N Philly

JaJae · 10-02-2006, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

1) Try to pick a higher level, preferably with cleaner people...roaches will stick to the lower levels if their are slobs there

2) Exagerate to your landlord, say you found 2 in the hallway and a few in your room, if he thinks its a major problem he'll get off his ass and help you with extermination techniques or do the parts of the building you can't do

3) If all else fails, place a cleaned up pickle jar outside your door, cover it with masking tape on both (out)sides so the cockroach can climb up it, and then fill it 1/4 of the way with water, and put in used coffee grounds from the previous day...rinse and redo everyday...it attracts cockroaches like crazy and keeps them outside your apartment

4) Seal all holes in your place, and have traps in every isolated spot in your apartment

Those are the things I've always done in N Philly

Thanks for the tips!

JaJae · 10-02-2006, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

When you live in a communal setting.. some times those sorts of pests are unavaiodable. Especialy if they are coming from somewhere else.
I used to live in an apartment and we had filthy neighbors. We also had a roach problem. It did not matter how much we sprayed or how clean we kept the apartment. They were coming from somewhere else. So unless you can force everyone in the building to have thier aparements sprayed and to keep them spotless.. you will have an unending battle.

Yea it's very annoying. I haven't seen one since. Seeing one roach in a year and a half isn't so bad I guess. I just would like the next time I see one to be sometime next year again.