Need to get rid of roaches fast

September 25, 2009 7:44 PM

Can anyone recommend a good pest control company in Tampa, FL? The roaches in my kitchen must DIE DIE DIE. I'm out of town for three days and walk into my kitchen to find four of the not-so-little bastards crawling around. I can't use my kitchen until they are gone.
posted by Ikazuchi to home & garden (11 comments total)

Having lived in Sarasota for a time, I'm wondering how you managed to not see any of the little bastids before now.

While you are waiting for exterminator recommendations, I'll go ahead and recommend that in addition to that, (assuming we are talking Palmetto Bug here) that you make sure your house is not surrounded by brush or pine straw. They LIKE the stuff and it attracts them. Also, roach paste is your friend, if you are talking about the smaller german cockroaches.

(For those who have never lived in those particular areas, you can have the cleanest house in town and still have pest problems. I once boarded with a woman so clean you could have eaten off her BATHROOM floor-and she still had the occasional palmetto bug come in and disturb the peace.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 8:39 PM on September 25

The occasional one isn't a problem (still freak me out, but I can cope with the occasional one). It's that there were four just hangin' out, and that means there are a lot more.
posted by Ikazuchi at 8:56 PM on September 25

I lived in Fla for a long time--I can't recommend an exterminator--I imagine any of the companies are adequate...but I remember that Combat worked really well. Go to Walgreens and buy the biggest version.
posted by naplesyellow at 10:23 PM on September 25

Seconding the Combat trays. They take a week or so to work, but they do work. I live in SE Texas and have always put those at at the first sign of indoor roaches. If you keep the trays rotated every 6 months or so you won't have a roach problem. In the interim that it takes for roaches to find the trays and die, you can spray some Raid around baseboards where you've seen them running. Use the Raid sparingly as a little will go a long way.

Also, in case you're not already, in the South you have to be absolutely scrupulous about not leaving ANY food out. Rinse all dishes before putting them in the sink, tighten all lids, etc.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:34 PM on September 25

Palmetto bugs (which are, if you don't know, huge cockroaches capable of flying off with livestock or slow, incautious children) don't live indoors. They're just passing through. No amount of poison will dissuade an intrepid palmetto bug from trying to steal your refrigerator. Finding a few dead ones together makes me think they were planning a bigger heist, like, say, all your electronics and your anvil collection. An exterminator won't help against palmetto bugs.

If it's German cockroaches, the little brown ones that crawl into your throat and lay their eggs while you sleep, then you need an exterminator.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:34 PM on September 25

I used to live in Tampa.

The best you can do is lead a monk's existence, cleaning up religiously after every meal and every spill, battening down the food hatches like a submarine captain preparing to dive by throwing everything in air-tight plastic containers, and finally sealing every entry way and window sash with weather stripping like an ice age was coming.

So basically, if you can live your life like a conscripted Paleolithic priest, you should be fine.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:04 AM on September 26 [2 favorites]

Just to clarify, I normally don't have a problem with roaches, and I've been in this home for around 30 years. We've had some modifications done and ended up with a hole in the floor for awhile.
Once I get the roaches dead, I can keep them out. This is just a messed up circumstance and I need to get rid of the blighters - hence the need for an exterminator.
posted by Ikazuchi at 5:17 AM on September 26

There was a really good article on instructables.com on how to make your own bait. No need for an exterminator and you probably have everything on hand, except the boric acid.
posted by elle.jeezy at 6:19 AM on September 26

Look, everyone in Florida has an exterminator....let me just say that in my experience (formerly working for a rental department) I'd stay away from the big companies like Terminex. Find a local company-maybe call around and ask rental departments who'd they'd recommend.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:33 AM on September 26

I used Orkin when I lived there. They made monthly visits and were pet friendly. My dog used to bring the Orkin man a ball and he'd play fetch with him while spraying in places the dog didn't go (i.e. a/c closet, under the sink, etc..).
posted by 6:1 at 10:03 AM on September 26

I've lived in Florida a couple of times (never again), so I feel your pain. You can have the cleanest house in the world and it won't keep the stupid things out.

I also recommend Combat for killing the buggers and getting rid of those in the walls. A big, heavy shoe works too - for those you see just hanging about...
posted by patheral at 10:12 AM on September 26