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Cleaning Up:  getting roaches to "move out"  |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 07:59:14 AM
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When I moved into this rental approx 2 years ago, I noticed a couple roaches here and there. I bought a couple traps cleaned things really well, and hadn't seen them since. In the Southwest, they just come around sometimes, even in the cleanest places during inclement weather.
Last night I walked into my children's bathroom and flipped on the light, and there were about 8 of them having a conference in the middle of the linoleum floor. YUCK!
Got any suggestions of something I can put out in the cupboards, pantry, and around the house to make them not want to hang around?
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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marthajane
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Anna
Orlando
FL
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Aug 22 2011 : 06:54:26 AM
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Only thing I do is buy the Borax, or Boric Acid for the occaisonal bug draw,
what you need to do is fortify your boundaries from the outside which is where theyre coming from...
this is supposedly a mineral which can be toxic in large doses, so its recommended caution around children and pets,
what i do is put it outside around the perimeter of the building and also on the inside/ the walls, behind appliances, along the cupboards, i sprinkle it,
then after a few days i come back and sweep and dust the bulk of it up. there is a faint trace left behind which should be enough to deter the pests/
remember i do this just along the perimeter of rooms as thats where they would want to enter, the cracks and edges and boundaries of everything
best wishes and good luck
Happiness IS being a MoM |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Aug 28 2011 : 8:57:12 PM
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Jen:
Don't keep brown paper bags or boxes in your house. When I got those two things out, the roaches moved on. Of course I sprayed some kind of stinky stuff. It has been years since I've seen a roach. I refuse to keep brown bags or boxes inside the house.
Hope you solve this soon.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2011 : 2:21:08 PM
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I personnally don't have any experience with roaches (knock on wood) but I have a cousin who lives in New Orleans that got two lizards (gecko's?) and let them loose in the house. She swears they have no roach problems now. I guess I'd rather live with lizards than roaches but ewwwwwww!
Audrey
Toto, we're not in Kansas any more! |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2011 : 2:49:16 PM
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Well, I looked at some borax remedies and tried them out. I also read in my search that catnip is a natural bug deterrent. For my part though, I played it easy. I made borax/sugar home made ant traps for the ants that have been really bad this year, wiped everything down, and I havent seem more than one or two here and there. I also think my ducks hanging out outside and on my back porch lately have a lot to do with it.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2011 : 4:11:39 PM
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I also keep sticky boards out, they catch every thing from small snakes, mice, ants, spiders, and roaches. I keep them under every surface they fit and will be out of my way.
The borax is another measure I take.
When I actually SEE them, then I am extra vigilant. I kill every single one I see! And I keep a eye out till I no longer am seeing them again. You have to be quick though cause as a defense they will lay eggs on the run from you. However, I assure you, you can SEE the egg sack if they do, so squash it too! But, I make sure I always kill it if I see it, and don't let it get away. I keep a close eye out for at least a month after I see the last one, making sure I got them all. I don't do the spray it would probably kill us all. (bad allergic reactions to chemicals around here).
I've only had one infestation (ok I use that word lightly, as it only lasted less then a week! lol). And that was because I brought home a whole bunch of boxes from Martha Stewart's show. The building is in the middle of Chelsea (the new Greenwich Village), right by the water. I don't blame Martha, as I never have seen any roaches actually in her studio, but that was the one and only time I ever seen more then one a year in my apartment! The boxes came directly from some sponsors of the show and I had been sent home with some of the extra stuff they gave to audience members. About 20 boxes of stuff from sponsors, it probably came from the sponsors manufacturers. It was the end of season and the sponsors didn't want the extra stuff sent back to them and told her to do what she wanted with them. Her staff offered me to take as much or as little as I wanted, I just took what fit in my car, and left quite a bit. I gave it all away to a non profit organization to use as "door prizes" to some of their events. Any way, that being said......my point is boxes and paper bags are for sure a attraction to roaches!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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NixKat
True Blue Farmgirl
288 Posts
Kathleen
CT
USA
288 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2011 : 6:18:29 PM
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My grandmother once told me about a time when she had moved into an apartment (called "tenement" in those days) only to discover it had a lot of roaches. She had learned that others in the building had the same issue. An elderly lady she met had told her that cucumber peels spread along the floor/wall seams and cabinets, etc. as many places as possible, would take care of the problem. Grandma got the other ladies in the building (it only had 2 or 3 units) to do the same and sure enough they pest problem was resolved. She told me it was due to something within the cucumber peel which was lethal to the bugs.
I don't know how scientific it is , or even if it actually works, but anything is worth a try and it is "green".
Good luck with what every method you use. I hate bugs.
Kathleen...... Farmgirl Sister #3447 |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2011 : 1:16:41 PM
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We get these "Wood" roaches in the wintertime-they come in on firewood. The only thing that we've found that works is just not keeping firewood in or near the house.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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luckilady
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Jennifer
Loxahatchee
Fl
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2011 : 6:11:09 PM
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We have done the borax mixture too, but the coolest thing we have done lately is go to the hardware store and they now have these plug in devices that emit a sound that repels mice and bugs. We tried it and it works! We just plugged them in our garage and no problems since with any critters. Good luck :)
~Jennifer
Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. ~ John Maxwell
Farmgirl Sister #3375 |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2011 : 12:48:24 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Bear5
Jen:
Don't keep brown paper bags or boxes in your house.
Yes! These are the main culprits. I learned this ages ago, and it's still true. I'm trying to get my husband to immediately put out all the cardboard he gets in the mail due to his hobby of collecting old records off eBay, but he hardly ever does.
Especially be careful of boxes of stuff you order or that are shipped from abroad, that sit in waterside warehouses, boxes from liquor stores,paper supply houses, anything from a grocery store (especially those big paper bags of potatoes. Even newspapers! People used to say they can hide in the rolls of toilet paper, which make me think a bidet would be lovely to have :) I don't use paper towels, but they can be a hiding place, too, especially if you get these things in warehouse-type stores that also stock food (Wal-Rat customers, take heed). I once opened up a package from Johnny's Seeds that had a GIANT roach in it. Thank God I was outside and could kill the thing pretty quickly with a shovel.
The borax method isn't actually a deterrent, though. The deal is, it dries them out and they die. Supposedly, they'll track it back to their nest and it'll do likewise to their cohort, so it takes a while to show that it's working -- you have to wait for it to get to more than just one "generation" of bugs. People sometimes mix a little sugar or something tasty in with the borax to do the attracting. Ugh. Horrid things!
Good luck with your problem.
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Cleaning Up: getting roaches to "move out" |
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getting roaches to "move out"
