Roaches
Jun 2nd 2017, 7:06 pm
#16
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Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 189
Jun 2nd 2017, 7:12 pm
#17
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Location: Knoxville, TN
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Re: Roaches
Oh dear god, I remember our first sighting of Texas brown roaches.... yuck! I was horrified. We had just bought our house, moving boxes everywhere and I got pest control in. We continued to have issues with various things until we got all the holes sealed up in the exterior of the house - sealed properly around pipes that kind of thing. I hadn't seen anything for years and then spotted a large mouse poop on the kitchen worktop . I'd been leaving the kitchen window open for the night and this particular window does not have a screen. Kept it closed since!!
In UK I was a firm window open kinda gal - liked the fresh air - and it was a frequent source of argument. I shall adjust my behaviour from now on (but that doesn't mean I was previously in the wrong, obvs)
Jun 2nd 2017, 7:28 pm
#18
Wolf In Sheeps Clothing
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 947
Jun 2nd 2017, 9:57 pm
#19
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,929
Re: Roaches
I vaguely noticed some holes in my lawn as I mowed the grass. I thought they were probably ants. Then on the local neighbourhood group page someone starts going on about scorpions.......
I was rowing on the lake in a team boat - the cox suddenly makes us change course quickly. Then points out the ?4/5ft long snake in the water which we are now a bit further away from. Then someone else starts telling me that these snakes will try and get in the boat and how poisonous they are. I could get very anxious about Texas.
I was rowing on the lake in a team boat - the cox suddenly makes us change course quickly. Then points out the ?4/5ft long snake in the water which we are now a bit further away from. Then someone else starts telling me that these snakes will try and get in the boat and how poisonous they are. I could get very anxious about Texas.
Jun 2nd 2017, 10:32 pm
#20
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Joined: Feb 2012
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 60
Re: Roaches
I was rowing on the lake in a team boat - the cox suddenly makes us change course quickly. Then points out the ?4/5ft long snake in the water which we are now a bit further away from. Then someone else starts telling me that these snakes will try and get in the boat and how poisonous they are. I could get very anxious about Texas.
I think snakes eat roaches, though, so it's not all bad.
Jun 2nd 2017, 11:01 pm
#21
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Joined: Nov 2016
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 189
Re: Roaches
I was told there are 5,000 types of snake - and 4,998 live in Louisiana. Most have taken a fancy to the back yard and lake (who am I kidding - it's been raining - call it all a swamp). Some have taken up residence in the garage. At least I haven't got an alligator in the pool yet.
I think snakes eat roaches, though, so it's not all bad.
I think snakes eat roaches, though, so it's not all bad.
Jun 3rd 2017, 7:14 pm
#24
Wolf In Sheeps Clothing
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 947
Jun 3rd 2017, 7:31 pm
#26
Wolf In Sheeps Clothing
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Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 947
Jun 3rd 2017, 9:31 pm
#28
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,929
Re: Roaches
Apparently the Texas Horned Lizard is making a comeback. Oh good. Yet another thing to look out for in the grass.
Jun 3rd 2017, 9:58 pm
#29
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,439
Re: Roaches
Lots of good advice so far. 
They may have been in the house when you moved in .... look for dark spots in areas where you have seen them, or along the edges of the kitchen floor, behind the fridge or stove, etc. as evidence they have been around for a while.
Alternatively they might have infested your things while in storage, in which case you may have a problem. Roaches especially likely electronics, where it's warm and they can get inside. Once they're in, they're rather hard to get out.
A decent landlord may certainly help, but unless you can prove that there was a prior infestation they probably won't want to fund repeated treatments. You should be able to get a quarterly "pest treatment" fairly cheaply - I think we pay about $70/qtr and they come around and spray a safe-for-homes pesticide around the edges of all rooms, around the perimeter of the house and in the crawl space. Annually/ ad hoc costs more per visit.
I understand your concern about chemicals, but she roach infestation can be very hard to eradicate even with chemical sprays, and obviously there are more limits when a house is occupied than when it is vacant.
You could also get bug bombs - mini aerosols that have a latch so you can put them in a room and empty the can if you're going out for the day (at least 2 hours) you can set them off preemptively. You can get them from Lowe's or Home depot, or pretty much any grocery, and probably most dollar and convenience stores too. I would recommend every few days, say every week or two, so as to catch any hatched eggs before they reach adulthood.
Round here at least there are large roaches and smaller roaches, and it is the smaller ones about 1"-1¼" that are the heath hazard. There are larger ones, about 2", that live in woodland, and landscaping mulch often has their eggs in it.
They may have been in the house when you moved in .... look for dark spots in areas where you have seen them, or along the edges of the kitchen floor, behind the fridge or stove, etc. as evidence they have been around for a while.
Alternatively they might have infested your things while in storage, in which case you may have a problem. Roaches especially likely electronics, where it's warm and they can get inside. Once they're in, they're rather hard to get out.
A decent landlord may certainly help, but unless you can prove that there was a prior infestation they probably won't want to fund repeated treatments. You should be able to get a quarterly "pest treatment" fairly cheaply - I think we pay about $70/qtr and they come around and spray a safe-for-homes pesticide around the edges of all rooms, around the perimeter of the house and in the crawl space. Annually/ ad hoc costs more per visit.
I understand your concern about chemicals, but she roach infestation can be very hard to eradicate even with chemical sprays, and obviously there are more limits when a house is occupied than when it is vacant.
You could also get bug bombs - mini aerosols that have a latch so you can put them in a room and empty the can if you're going out for the day (at least 2 hours) you can set them off preemptively. You can get them from Lowe's or Home depot, or pretty much any grocery, and probably most dollar and convenience stores too. I would recommend every few days, say every week or two, so as to catch any hatched eggs before they reach adulthood.
Round here at least there are large roaches and smaller roaches, and it is the smaller ones about 1"-1¼" that are the heath hazard. There are larger ones, about 2", that live in woodland, and landscaping mulch often has their eggs in it.
Last edited by Pulaski; Jun 3rd 2017 at 10:09 pm.
