Bella Donna

Apologies if there are threads on this I haven't found, but I'm rather freaked out from having a cockroach leap out of my food cupboard this morning, so didn't take the time to look.

Anyone here ever had the odd cockroach in the home - as in, saw one but didn't see any more? Our house cannot be described as old - a couple of years at most, and hasn't been heavily occupied as the owner is in the navy and was hardly ever here prior to letting it to us. I'm pretty scrupulous about keeping the place clean - as clean as you ever can with an 8yo! - but certainly I wipe down all the kitchen surfaces each day and get rid of any cooking spills. I don't leave any food lying around on work-surfaces, or uncovered in cupboards, so I'm a bit puzzled as to what has attracted the damned thing. Can they *hitch a ride* on shopping - it appeared to leap off the cornflake box when I took it out of the cupboard for breakfast.... :scared:

The pest control website says that if you see cockroaches during the daytime, you've got a serious problem. I definitely have not got the balls to clear out the cupboard - dh will do it tonight for me as one more of those would give me a heart attack. This one frightened the life out of me. Spiders don't bother me in the least but cockroaches.....bleuggghhhh.

Anyone any experiences or advice to share? (only gentle ones please - I'm still trembling....)

Sue

TrickyTree

We have started to see more cockies and spiders of late in our place we moved in April and had it sprayed. We saw nothing but the odd dead bug but since xmas there has been a noticable increase in live bugs.

I had one land on my arm while I was asleep the other day I flung my other hand at it on instinct and actually squashed it on my arm and the bed sheet (missus was not happy).

Time to get the place sprayed once again I think.

TT

binbird

Hello Sue

I always go to bed armed with a can of spray to deal with any nasties! (Call me cruel but I am not sharing my shower with creepy crawlies!)

Our house was brand new and we were the first occupants. Didn't see a single cockroach for at least the first month but now I spot one or two virtually every night (only small ones though). We have fly screens on all the windows so can only think that they come up through the drains in the bathrooms - eugh!

I guess it is something we will just have to learn to live with.

Binbird

Ray

drop some bay leaves around .. cockroaches hate them ..

NickyC

How big are the cockroaches? The giant ones tend to live outside and wander in under doors etc - they're not a sign of being unclean.

The ones that are a bugger to get rid of (that DO live in the backs of cupboards etc) are what they call German Cockroaches. These can be be quite small - sometimes teardrop shaped and light brown in colour. The only way to get rid of them is a professional specialist spray.

I had them for months and tried to fix them myself - but it wasn't until I found them crawling all over my (clean!) dishes in the dishwasher that I realised that Baygon wasn't enough. They've never been back since.

Bella Donna

Hi Nicky,

I took a couple of pics - one attached - and as far as I can tell from this website http://www.termite.com/cockroach-pest-control.html it is the Australian version (suppose it would be really, wouldn't it? ). The size was about right and it has the yellow stripes on it. I'm inclined to think this one may have come in with the shopping - it appeared out of nowherel, so it seemed, and scuttled across the bench, but I'd just got the cornflakes out of the cupboard and put them on the bench, so the association is there, iykwim. I gave it a very good whack with the fly swatter, and it was certainly stunned for a while, but I should have finished it off. As it is, I think I've just crippled the bugger. Hate killing things, that's the trouble...

Don't know what it is about cockroaches, but they make me feel really yuk. I can (almost) say I like spiders - at the least I have the utmost respect for them and won't kill one willingly. But cockroaches......shudder.... They make me cringe....

Thanks for your reply.

Sue

Bella Donna

Thank you Ray, will get some bay and get scattering....

NickyC

Sounds like you just brought it in with you (if you've not seen anymore, before or since). I wouldn't worry too much - just keep your eyes open for more...

I don't have the slightest problem about flattening them with whatever comes to hand - the only good cockroach is a dead one, in my mind!

Tuxtrip

You can spray your house over and over again for everything but you will find that the sprays do you more harm than the creepy crawlies. You used to be able to spray the house and it would be good for at least a year. I'm sure they are slowly becoming immune to the effects of the sprays - bigger and nastier, they'll soon be glowing in the dark! The only thing you should definately spray for is termites/white ants - if you have a timber framed house that is.
There are lots of options that are kinder to your health but just as deadly on the nasties. Sticky strips for catching cockroaches and flies, electronic zappers for flies, mozzies and other flying bugs, traps for cockroaches (they crawl on in and don't come back!!), etc, etc. You should be able to get them from the supermarket, hardware store, Bunnings and such places. Try asking at the local health store as well - they will have some other ideas. The Bay leaves sound like a great idea for the roaches. Good luck.

mand8002

We were getting a cockroach a day at one time. I bought some of those bait/trap things made by moretein and since i have put those down we haven't had any. I must admit though that if we do get one I kill it with the cockroach spray.

Larissa

Hi Belladonna
We had a cockie problem in our rental, it was a total shock and we spotted 5 or 6 on our second night in there. Mortein bombs worked well but I didn't really like dosing the whole house with chemicals! Over the summer I spotted the odd one every few weeks and they seemed to go in the winter. We've been in our new place since Sept. and not seen any inside (have seen some outside though, pretty common in summer). I was really freaked by the cockroach problem, could hardly sleep as I was bothered about bumping into them on midnight trips to the kitchen or the loo.
In our new place (touch wood) I haven't seen any, but it's always wise to take some precautions. If you had cockroaches in a former place, make sure you never load cardboard boxes into the house - they love going under the flaps etc. If you stpre cardboard boxes i the shed, mortein bomb that before you move too. Use Mortein nest kill, this is the most effective trap method. Keep all foodstuffs in sealable containers - I use decor boxes and they stack well in the cupboard - I know that if I do see a bug (haven't yet phew!) I can scoot out all the containers and then spray the surfaces. No mucking aout with looking at box flaps etc. and this is also a good measure to keep out pantry moths etc. You should also have fly netting on the extractor fan vents going into the roof, or anywhere else for that matter. Don't squash the blighters on carpets - not sure if this is an urban myth but apparently they can eject their eggs when squashed Check that there aren't huge gaps under your doors, gap fill round any cracks or crevices, particularly in the kitchen, they could be getting in from outside (this is what I suspect with our rental).
Take care, deep breath.... remember they eat the bu@@ers in Thailand, so they can't be that bad :scared:
atb
Larissa
PS Buy shares in mortein

lawlaw

erghhh, this thread gives me the creeps. I hate cockroaches with a passion, at least it will make me keep my house tidy though. Im with Bella Donna, spiders I can handle (not literally) but cockies make me feel sick.

In thailand the buggers were everywhere. Seriously though the thais eat anything, deep fried crickets anyone?

annqldau

Read thing somewhere that recomended getting a coffee or similar jar put some proper coffee grains damp in bottom or some fruit and then rub round inside top inch with a thick layer of good old vasaline. Cockroaches go in but then can't get out as can't grip for vasaline.

Was touted as the humane method and you find out how bad your problem is as well...just stick the jar in the offending place where you have already seen them.

Have you noticed where fly screen sits in runner usually big enough daylight gap for spiders and little cockroaches to enter plus if like ours also have small ventilation slits in the frame.

Must agree with poster who said about the spray etc being as bad as the problem I am quite reluctant to spray insecticide and weed killer all over as do think we absorb it as well in the long run.

lesleys

Mortein bait/nest killer works wonders - takes about a week.

wmoore

We've had 3 or 4 cockroaches in the house over the last 4 months or so. They take a fair bit of mortein to kill (don't want to ruin the carpet by splatting them into it). We had the house sprayed when we first moved in and I think we've done OK.