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saturdaynightdoubletree
member
Eww! Totally freaking out...
saturdaynightdoubletree
member
So I went to make DD some soup for her lunch tomorrow, opened the drawer to get out a measure cup, and staring me in the face was a nasty cockroach!!!
Laugh all you want, but we just moved here from the northeast and it totally has me freaked out!!! I've never seen a bug this big, never mind a cockroach! I screamed, DH jumped up and tried to kill it, but the bugger kept getting away and we finally gave up the hunt.
So here's where you can help...
1) how do you get rid of them?
2) can you spray or set traps? Is it okay to spray while pregnant? With a toddler in the house?
3) Am I stupid to think this is a lone ranger?
4) We live in an apartment complex, will I be laughed at if I bring it up to the leasing agent? Or is this just "common" and eventually I'll get over it?
5) Do they sound like crickets? It might be all in my head, but now I hear a slight chirping sound.
Hahaha. I am laughing at myself. Hopefully I'm not a complete idiot. But please help!!! TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Eww! Totally freaking out...
I HATE cockroaches. Truly HATE. But in the grand scheme of things, the big ones really aren't the worst bug out there! (Just trying to remind myself for the next time I see one...).
1 -2. Since you live in an apartment complex, do NOT put out bait traps. You'll just attract the d@mn things from your neighbors as well. See if your complex will spray. Otherwise, I'd consider just paying a pro to do it. I've never had great luck with the stuff you can buy in a store.
Since you live in an apartment, the problem will be hard to get rid of.
The sprays the professionals have used have always been safe for kids/pets.
3. Um, yeah, probably not the lone ranger. However, if you saw a BIG roach, it is probably a "tree roach." They're not really too icky in the grand scheme -- coming in from outside. If you have the little roaches, those things are NASTY and will get in your pantry and just be really gross.
4. Call them. Get them to spray.
5. they don't make any sounds that I've known about. The only noisy cockroach I know about is a hissing cockroach, and I've never heard of them around these parts. They're like in Madagascar or something!
Sorry for the icky introduction to Texas! Unfortunately, you always hear that cockroaches would survive a nuclear holocaust. Ick!
6-yr-old Elena and 4-yr-old Julia.
My Blog! All about my girls and quilting
1... you really don't get rid of them. You can spray and have few of them, but they just come in from the outside. The come in to escape the heat, to escape the cold, to escape the rain, to find water... basically there's always a reason.
2- you can spray while pg and with kids. They put it inside the cabinets and other hard to reach places
3 - yes.
4 - they won't laugh. Ask them to spray.
5 - They are silent.
You probably also need to know that they can fly. They don't fly often, but they can. IME, they mostly fly after scaring the crap out of you while climbing up the wall behind you on the couch at midnight.
I'm from Michigan and am currently waging a battle with what I consider to be a huge problem. In the grand scheme I don't think it is, since we only see one here or there, but one roach in my house is a huge problem to me.
1) We called an exterminator. I don't know that they really helped much, but again, I think we have an infestation and really I think it's probably the norm.
2) I have a toddler and 2 dogs in my house and we just had to wait until the areas he sprayed were dry before life could resume to normal.
3) I doubt he's a lone ranger. =(
4) I would call. I don't care how crazy/irrational/annoying I would seem. If there are roaches in my living space I want them gone.
5) I've seen some enormous crickets here too. They're gross and huge.
The big ones are usually not a sign of infestation. It is the tiny German roaches that mean real trouble.
The big ones have a bigger ick factor. However, they are usually on a journey from the outside looking for food and water.
I have shoes on hand to squish them. That is the most environmentally friendly way to dispatch them. I will even muster courage and get a paper towel, catch, and release into the toilet - anchors away, my icky friend.
The best offense is a good defense. Make sure the dishwasher trap is free of food. Rinse dishes and keep counters free of crumbs. This will limit the desirability of your home as a hunting ground.
They love paper, too. Paper bags, paper boxes, etc. Try using plastic bins for long term storage.
Spraying in a garage helps if more serious measures must be taken.
I don't like to spray in my house, especially the kitchen. So, I try other things. Borax tablets are supposed to be effective. Maybe research those - that's a little better than pesticides.
ugh. roaches are never a laughing matter.
i've actually heard not to squash roaches, because females sometimes carry the eggs, which means you now have roach eggs on the underside of your shoe!
as other people said, they're looking for food and water. they can go a long time without food, so make sure they don't have water sources. i used bleach tabs in the toilets and made sure my sink was dry at night. i also used bay leaves (smell is supposed to repel roaches) and diatomatious earth (mechanically slices their exoskeletons).
Have you seen my monkey?
Professional spraying will keep them at bay for a couple of months usually. However if the exterminator feels you have in infestation they will usually want to spray several times over a couple of months period to get rid of the issue. periodic spraying keeps them away or kills them when they do try to make themselves at home. Boric acid (powder) does help to keep them out as well. DH would put it around pipes and such in the kitchen and bath;wet places.
They normally are not alone. They leave little black turds as well so you can see where they tend to hang out--usually in the kitchen and bath under/in cabinets and drawers and you found out.
They actually can carry disease so they aren't completely harmless.
The only sound i know they make is when they fall off the wall or ceiling you can hear them hit the hard floor surface.
My intro to them when we moved to TX was to come home our first night in the house, turn on the light and one flew through my hair. Talk about screaming!
I would think that in an apartment complex that is something they would have to do; spray for them that is. If you google about tenants rights, i think the cockroaches are something that the state of TX says a landlord has to take care of
whatever you do... do NOT STEP ON THEM!
they carry little eggs inside and if you step on them, the eggs can get on your shoes and then when you put your shoes in the closet... yep... the eggs hatch. ewwwwwwwwww!
sorry!