Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with roaches

Me Vs. Roaches, FIGHT!

so much modern time — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:57:08 -0800

Should I bomb my kitchen to kill roaches? Before I take that step, what else can I do? So I just had an intensely traumatizing experience with a roach. I was mixing up the ingredients for sauce for my gong bao ji ding (kungpao chicken) and somehow, in one of the ingredients, was a dead roach. It floated up to the top of my sauce. Needless to say, I was completely disgusted. Luckily I hadn't poured it into my wok!!!!

I just moved to a new flat and from what I can tell, the old tenant was a pig. The cupboards are not flush to the floor, so there is a considerable amount of space between the end of the cabinets and the kitchen sink. When I first moved in, there was old food, dead roaches, and an entire sea of roach droppings in that area. It's clear that the kitchen suffered from a major infestation before. This has since been cleaned multiple times with baking soda and vinegar.

It got worse when I started seeing live ones. They were living in the area behind the fridge, so I put roach motels there and sprinkled boric acid as well. As far as I can tell, the kitchen is pretty sealed off, I don't *think* they could be coming from a neighbor but you never know.

I've sprinkled boric acid down everywhere, got the roach motels, and have the Raid at hand to kill any motherfuckers who come out. This despite the fact that I try to be green as possible. No dirty dishes are left out, all water sources a-ok. Yet, it's been about two weeks since I put in the roach motels, and about one week since I sprinkled boric acid down, but I'm still seeing about one a day. They don't even have the grace to act like they are poisoned!

Between the roach in my sauce and the live roach I found running around my pantry (yes, everything is sealed and bagged up), I'm fed up. Live and let live not an option since I had an intensely traumatizing experience living through an even worse roach infestation to the point where I woke up one day to find one ON ME, so I'd love to hear any suggestions that you have before I go all the way and bomb the kitchen. Should I get a gecko? Will they live through a cold Beijing winter?

Exterminator in NYC

alice ayres — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:59:33 -0800

I need a recommendation for a reputable exterminator in NYC. I would like a recommendation for a reputable exterminator in NYC that also would not break the bank. Maybe if the exterminator has experience with closing holes that would be very helpful. I believe that the cause of this sudden infestation is critters are coming from nearby residents.

My hope is that someone has a great exterminator specializing in mice + roaches that he/she can vouch for.

Ew. This is not the type of roach I thought you'd be passing.

numinous — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:58:26 -0800

Joe's-Apartment-Filter: Advice and anecdotes on how to best roach-bomb our place? I'm moving and want to obliterate these monsters!

We’re moving! After two years of terrible management, university take-over, neighbors predisposed to frat parties, and a slew of other issues, I have finally reached the end of my lease. Praise be! Very recently, I’ve discovered yet another reason why this move is so opportune: roaches. I’ve had the good fortune to have never before lived in a place with roaches. So, when I tell you that one recently crawled over my foot while I was in the bathroom (shudder), you’ll understand that I'm absolutely horrified. Horrified and disgusted and just EW YUCK WTF GROSS GET THE HELL OUTTA MY HOUSE OMG.

As I’m so totally new to this (horrifying) game, I don’t know where to start when it comes to extermination and prevention. I’ve already bought roach traps, and set them up in various places, and have already reduced the number of roaches encountered to maybe one every two weeks. BUT! I really, really, really, really, reaaaaaaaaaaally don’t want to transport any of these beast during the move and inadvertently introduce them into our shiny new abode.

Based on advice culled from previous AskMe’s (one, two), I’ve decided that roach bombing our apartment is our best bet for complete roach annihilation. I’m inclined to go with the Raid Fogger, as it’s widely available and not too pricey. I have already purchased a big box of Borax, and have sprinkled it in various spots throughout our current apartment. But this is not enough to soothe my mind and quell my fears that they are still lingering just behind the bookcase, or in the couch, or wherever. I want not to live in fear. I want peace of mind. But most of all, I want to kill with extreme prejudice. So here’s the part where you offer all of your anecdotes and sagely advice!

Do these bombs/foggers actually work?

If I use these foggers, do I need to activate one in each room of our apartment?

How toxic is this stuff? Is it dangerous to humans? (e.g. if there is residue left from it, and it gets on my hands and I rub my eye or pick my teeth, is there a potential for harm?)

What stuff should I move before initiating the fogging mechanism? (Flatware? Kitchen utensils? Sealed food? Electronic equipment? Specific textiles?)

Will food left in the fridge be safe for consumption after the fogging?

How long should we wait after activation to return into the apartment? (Raid suggests 3 hours, but that seems rather short. Is it?)

Is there anything that I've overlooked? If so, please feel free to supply me with that advice, too. Thank you (seriously).

Help me keep a chinchilla without cockroaches.

Brainy — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:19:44 -0800

How do we keep a chinchilla in an apartment where roaches might be present without killing the chinchilla or attracting tons of bugs? My girlfriend wants to bring her chinchilla to our apartment and I would like that too. However we've seen more than a couple of roaches (including one gigantic one in the sink the other day*) I'm worried we'd pretty much be bringing a roach attractor into the apartment.

The cage she currently has is homemade and constructed of wood and wire...something roaches would have no problem getting through. There are solid plastic cages, but air holes = bug holes. Are there any bug proof cages out there?

What about rodent food that wouldn't attract roaches?

Will we have to be more careful with the insecticide, is the chinchilla in more danger because of his size?

My girlfriend and I (and Kirby the chinchilla) thank you!

* Bonus question. we sprayed Raid Roach Max into our sink to kill it. What's the best way of cleaning this poison out of our sink?

How to avoid unwanted roach passengers in a move, and the ethics of informing potential tenants

yellowbinder — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:50:56 -0800

2 questions about cockroaches and moving house, one practical, one moral. All right. So our apartment has cockroaches, we've lived there about a year and they have been a fairly constant presence. It's not a full blown panic now infestation, but it's not nice. We see one or two at least 3 times a week. We've used boric acid, roach gel, and found and removed a major food source. (Who the hell leaves a giant, open bag of rice in a roach friendly furnace room???). Regardless, they're still around.

My man and I are both finally working full time and bringing in enough money to move to a slightly nicer place. Target move date is in two months.

So the questions are:

1) How do we make sure they don't move with us?
2) Judging from how I found the place, it will be my responsibility to list and show the apartment. Should I disclose the nasties to prospective tenants?

The girl who showed me the place mentioned "a few bugs" when I asked if there was anything wrong with it. Didn't realize that meant creepy crawly roaches. The apartment is otherwise not that bad, nothing special but dirt cheap.

How do I know if roaches are in my plastic bags?

Attackpanda — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:31:34 -0800

Should I throw away all my plastic bags because I saw a roach? (I can't believe I'm using my question on this)So tonight in my apartment, I saw 1 roach scurry across my floor. I freaked out, searched previous questions and am getting ready for battle, because there's never just 1 roach. I read about them liking to hide and lay eggs in plastic bags. I have a ton of plastic bags that I was going to recycle tomorrow, but now I'm worry that they're infested with roaches and roach eggs. I'd really like to recycle the bags, but I don't want roaches in my car or infest the place I'm taking them to. Should I throw the plastic bags out? If I move all the plastic bags will roaches just fall out of them like in a scene from Joe's Apartment or some bug horror movie?

Does a landlord have to reveal a roach infestation before renting an apartment?

Felicity Rilke — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 13:45:52 -0800

Is there any chance of getting back first and last month's rent from a landlord who didn't reveal known problems with an apartment? My roommate rented an apartment for him and his girlfriend to move into. There was no lease, just a deposit of first and last month's rent. He was supposed to take possession of the place on July 15th, but that was pushed back to August 1 since the landlord hadn't finished everything that needed to be done in the apartment.

My roommate checked out the place a few times as repairs and such were being done, and on more than one occasion he saw cockroaches, and not just one or two. On one twenty-minute visit, he saw more than 25 roaches in the living room, kitchen, and bedroom, and this in the middle of the day. He brought this up with the landlord who informed him that the infestation was a known problem, and that the building was sprayed once a month. The last spraying was done a couple days ago, and when my roommate went back to see if the place was in order to move in (it wasn't, and this was August 3rd), there were still dozens of roaches running around despite the apparent extermination attempt.

My roommate has written up notice to give the landlord stating that he does not wish to move into the apartment, given the undisclosed roach problem (besides the gross factor of roaches, his girlfriend has asthma and doesn't need to live in a place which could potentially exacerbate the problem). What he's trying to figure out is if he can get back the deposit he already made. He's obviously not giving 60 days notice, but he also hasn't moved into the place, nor has he been able to move into the place at any of the previously agreed upon times.

The information page for Tenant's Rights hasn't been terrifically helpful, and since it's a long weekend, it's unlikely that the roommate will be able to speak to anyone about this situation until sometime next week. Does anyone know if the law is on his side in this case? Will he be able to get his money back? Who should he best speak to?

This is in Toronto.

What do I do about roaches in a public school?

ceberon — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:10:44 -0800

I visited a public middle school, and it was filled with roaches, is there anything positive I could do for those kids? I was visiting the middle school for an after school athletic event (we rent out schools sometimes), and we were all completely disgusted. The gym floor had dead roaches all over the place, the attached kitchen (the gym was also their lunch room) had roaches crawling across the stove, dead bugs everywhere, and the place smelled like bug spray.

Is there anything I could do for the kids? Right there above the bugs was a 2007 health department approval saying that no bugs were found on the property. Anyone know what would happen if I talked to the health department? What about politicians, etc? I hate to do nothing, but I know that it's certainly not uncommon to have nasty schools.

I also don't want to make the situation worse. I'd hate to have the school close down and these kids not have any options (not really sure what happens if a school closes down)

Boric Acid (roach killer) safe to use in my cupboard?

bingwah — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 06:49:14 -0800

I'm Using Boric Acid for a cockroach problem - is it safe to put it in my cupboard next to plates and cups? I don't have a huge roach problem but enough to make it a nuisance and me and my wife are pretty disgusted by them. I usually see about 1 or 2 a week in the kitchen only.

I've read this thread:
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/15936 and I'm using three different roach "killers". I layed down boric acid, Combat roach Gel and have put out Raid Roach traps. I don't know how long this stuff is supposed to take to work but it's been almost a month and we're still seeing them.

I purposely avoided my cupboards because I didn't want toxins near my plates and cups. Today however I saw a roach in my cupboard.

Is it really bad to put down boric acid in my cupboard? Obviously I'd wash any plates or cups before using.

rochaes

jgballard — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 16:51:40 -0800

Let's say we came up with a new pesticide that could kill all the world's cockroaches. Would there be any negative effects? (e.g., the food chain, etc.) Are there any reasons we should love cockroaches?

Cockroach genocide?

loquacious — Sat, 25 Jun 2005 03:30:28 -0800

GAH! Cockroaches! Please help! Short story: I want your cockroach eradication knowledge. It can be anecdotal, scientific, folk lore, whatever. It can be poisons or traps or advice on how to seal up the apartment to keep them from getting in and moving around.

Long story:

I've moved into a new apartment with my GF. The new (oldish) apartment came with a bunch of roaches. The previous tenant was (literally) a filthy crack-ho pig. Well, meth-ho, more likely. Seriously. I met her and her posse when we were visiting the apartment 4-plex and checking it out. She was seriously one of the most offensive, assuming, and demeaning people I've ever met, and I've been around the block a few times and lived in some pretty screwed up places.

The neighbors in this four-plex are visibly not that clean, but they're mostly nice and I really don't want to be that sort of new neighbor that makes life hell for everyone.

Plus, at least two of the three neighbors have physical/medical/age issues - to the point that once I get settled in here I'm seriously considering going down and helping them clean up a bit. I do not enjoy cleaning. At all. But they can probably use the help. And if it decreases the roaches here by reducing them there, even better.

The landlord is a state away in California- and seems like a nice guy. He knocked our first months rent almost in half, after a previously agreed upon free half-month, for our patience with the hassles.

Short story on the hassles: The temporary folks he hired to clean the place before we moved in bailed out on him. We moved in three days after he said it'd be ready to find out that literally nothing had been cleaned. Not even a partially vacuumed carpet. The cupboards under the kitchen sink had a layer of roach droppings in it like a fine mulch. There were dirty dishes still in the dishwasher.

We've been sprayed - and it sucks. I can still feel and smell the fumes and outgassing. We're being extra clean. I've put down roach discs and a handful of glue traps (the kind for mice and rats, but cockroaches stick to them even better)

I could "live with" the roaches - if by "living with" we meant "terminating them with prejudice, keeping extra clean, keeping foodstuffs sealed and put away, but not generally freaking out about them and letting them run the place."

But my girlfriend can't. She's terrified of them and totally disgusted by them. I can understand that. If this place was crawling with spiders, however harmless, I'd be pretty upset.

We want to keep them to a minimum and/or eliminate them before they mature to the legendary 3-6 inch long mature ones that Phoenix, AZ is infamous for.

I'm open to any and all suggestions except for "move" and "sue the slumlord". This apartment is a frickin' huge - totally ginormous - two bedroom for under $600 a month, a welcome change from a tiny, ill-configured studio in totally ghetto LA for $800. The location and proximity to workplaces is awesome. Trader Joe's is fifteen minutes away. And the landlord seems nice - which is a huge bonus in a world of megacomplexes with faceless bearaucrats for management.

Killing Roaches

muckster — Sat, 05 Mar 2005 05:47:50 -0800

What's the most effective, least toxic way to kill the hordes of cockroaches that have infested my kitchen? I don't trust that the usual Raid stuff won't hasten my own death, especially if I have to keep spraying it near my food every night. It never seems to have any lasting effect beyond killing the single roach it's aimed at, anyway. What's the best poison (or method) to keep the bugs at bay and my kitchen healthy?