dougal03

Do not squash them as the eggs disperse & hatch out.That is why you are advised to use a spray.I haven't ever had a problem myself .As said, the council in my area regularly remove the manhole covers & "bomb" with some chemical that obviously works!

Trasnadonnta

Thank you Dougal03. That's frankly stomach churning!! Hopefully I'll escape them next month, but I'll be forearmed with a spray before I set foot in my Aparthotel. The chemist's will be my first stop upon landing for the most effective one available.

Trasnadonnta

Natural Repellent

Bay leaves are the best natural cockroach repellent. This herb can't kill them, but it the drives them away quickly because the smell is unbearable for the cockroach. ... This way you will get rid of cockroacheswithout worrying about your kids or pets safety. You can use fresh bay leaves or dry.

Kenwoodlad

We have an old town house in a village in Costa Blanca North (near Gandia). We have had a nightmare for the past two years with endless cockroach infestations. After endless fumigation treatments of our house and the town hall treating the drains, we had to have the ground floor of our house effectively demolished to find the source of the infestations. It was a rotten wooden beam in the kitchen ceiling that was allowing the beasts to travel in from the main sewers into our kitchen walls and ceiling via the party wall between us and our neighbour. We had thousands of the things living with us. They'd drop on you from the ceiling lights as you cooked food in the kitchen. It has cost us nearly €30,000 to be free of the contamination. .

Trasnadonnta

[QUOTE=Kenwoodlad;12513989]We have an old town house in a village in Costa Blanca North (near Gandia). We have had a nightmare for the past two years with endless cockroach infestations. After endless fumigation treatments of our house and the town hall treating the drains, we had to have the ground floor of our house effectively demolished to find the source of the infestations. It was a rotten wooden beam in the kitchen ceiling that was allowing the beasts to travel in from the main sewers into our kitchen walls and ceiling via the party wall between us and our neighbour. We had thousands of the things living with us. They'd drop on you from the ceiling lights as you cooked food in the kitchen. It has cost us nearly €30,000 to be free of the contamination. .[/QUOTET

I see that as psychological trauma and I admire your courage in managing to live with them!! Not everyone would be able to access 30K either in a case like that, so you were fortunate in your misery so to speak. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I'm wondering whether they were also the cause of the initial rot to the wooden beam or just later took advantage of the passageway/nesting areas. Thanks so much for posting that. I hope you're enjoying your house at last.

MikeCaz

Myth Busting sorry to burst someone's bubble on remedies. At present I live in the Far East and there are plenty of nasty bugs here, but there is nothing quite like good hygiene control to avoid them. We occasionally get the big cockroaches (no for frequently than a wasp flying in) but that is when the teams have been treating drains/sewers and they are escaping the poisons. If you suspect a problem you are much better getting professional teams in to deal with it before they get out of control, the same if you see termite tracks. Those things love marble floors to crawl under as it keeps them cool but when they find timber they become a nightmare.

Weescottie2

Trasnadonnta

Thanks MikeCaz.

With regard to termites, in France it is obligatory for the seller to present a termite inspection report at point of sale, as part of the selling process.
If this is not the case in Spain, it might be wise for anyone purchasing to have such an inspection carried out.

dougal03

That is true about termite infestations in France.It is bad especially in the North & has infected most of the south coast of England now.Particularly so in the South West where I lived.But cockroaches for me are real horrors.I think they could outrun a racehorse!

Trasnadonnta

Weescottie and Dougal03, the more posts I read the more they're freaking me out. I'm off to the 'toe' of Italy tonight and I'm in dread of coming accross one of the bigger ones again. It seems to me that a lot of people have had problems with them themselves through no fault of their own ...and with neighbours whose hygiene standards could be better, which is making me think twice about purchasing an apartment. As of now, I'm leaning more towards renting .... at least if they're troublesome (neighbours, cockroaches or both), there's an escape at the end of the lease. Many thanks to all of you for posting, your responses have been most helpful. This is a great forum for people like me.

Weescottie2

Trasnadonnta

I sympathise! I'm ashamed to say I gave many people frights with my screams until I got ... much older. Nowadays the screaming is mastered, my heart goes off on a gallop instead! Roll on Alicante next month, in an ApartHotel! The person coming with me is not much better, so I reckon if either of us comes accross them we'll decamp into the other's studio. We'll probably be thrown out for causing chaos, most likely in the middle of the night, haha. In my defence I should say (in case anyone considers me hysterical) that I'm otherwise quite courageous and often take off for the unbeaten track where others wouldn't go, but ... fear is irrational.