sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki) (08/17/85)
I've just moved into a nice apartment that suits me in every way with
the exception of the roaches. I would like to get rid of them forever.
I know that this is impossible, and would appreciate any hints on how
to come close to this.
The problem is that I have pets, a cat, and several aquariums with
relatively delicate fish. The last time I dealt with an exterminator I
tried to cover the tanks, turned off the water pumps, etc, and ended
up with every fish in the marine tank and half of the others dying
within a week. The exterminator did not spray in the rooms where I
keep my fish.
A friend of a friend has gekko's (sp?) which actually seem to work,
but I'm sure that my cat would catch them eventually. Bringing an
animal into the apartment that I know is going to be killed seems
inhumane.
Aerosol poisons are out because of the fish and baited poison/traps
are out because of the cat.
Is there any hope for getting rid of the roaches?
--
----------------
Marty Sasaki net: sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
Havard University Science Center phone: 617-495-1270
One Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138dts@gitpyr.UUCP (Danny Sharpe) (08/20/85)
In article <307@harvard.ARPA> sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki) writes: >I've just moved into a nice apartment that suits me in every way with >the exception of the roaches. I would like to get rid of them forever. >I know that this is impossible, and would appreciate any hints on how >to come close to this. > Amazingly enough, the house I live in has no roaches even though it's in Atlanta and we aren't too careful about sweeping up our stray crumbs. I asked my landlord why this should be so. His response was that when he first moved in there were no roaches because the house had been uninhabited for six months across a winter so any pests had most likely froze. Immediately upon moving in he bought a large supply of Harris' Famous Roach Tablets and stuffed them into every crack and crevice, of which our house has many. No roaches, beyond the occasional explorer from the yard, have ever appeared in the seven years since (he has renewed the tablets once). He had had good luck with these tablets before, in an apartment that was heavily infested. It took a couple of months, but the roach population eventually died down to a reasonable level if not completely to zero. Harris' Famous Roach Tablets contain, if I recall correctly, boric acid and bait. Of course, ours is an old house and there's lots of holes to put bait where the cats can't get to it (we have three). This may not be true of your place. I have no idea whether this stuff would hurt a cat that ate one of the tablets. In fact, I don't know for sure whether it even works; all I have is my landlord's statement that it is the most likely reason for our apparent lack of roaches. And then there's the question of whether it is available in your area. (-:If all of these obstacles can't be surmounted, I suggest you move out for the winter and then when you move back in don't bring any food (or books or anything else edible) inside ever again.:-) -Danny PS -- Lest anyone be offended, I have no connection with whoever makes or sells the product discussed above. -- CAUTION: WET FLOOR <== Is this a warning or a command? -- Danny Sharpe School of ICS Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!dts -- -- CAUTION: WET FLOOR <== Is this a warning or a command? -- Danny Sharpe School of ICS Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!dts
lewish@acf2.UUCP (Henry M. Lewis) (08/20/85)
> . . .the roaches. I would like to get rid of them forever. > The problem is that I have pets, a cat, and several aquariums with > relatively delicate fish. . . I swore that I would never buy them because of their intelligence-assaulting advertising (competitor's products show well less than "0% roach kill" on a graph), but Combat bait trays are great. They consist of capsules containing baited poison, into which roaches may roam. Pets, humans, etc. remain safe from the contents. There is no residue, vapor, odor, or any of the nastiness associated with most roach remedies. And they work, after about three weeks. Use two boxes if you have more than a kitchen to cover. It's best also to be sure your apartment is free of crumbs, grease, etc. (and standing water, if possible), so that the nasty creatures will eat the bait. --Hank Lewis ..!ihnp4!cmcl2!acf2!lewish
hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) (08/20/85)
In article <307@harvard.ARPA> sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki) writes: >I've just moved into a nice apartment that suits me in every way with >the exception of the roaches. I would like to get rid of them forever. >I know that this is impossible, and would appreciate any hints on how >to come close to this. > >The problem is that I have pets, a cat, and several aquariums with >relatively delicate fish... Go to your local pharmacy and get a bottle of powdered boric acid. Spread the powder any place the roaches are likely to walk through it (under sinks, under appliances, near cracks, along base boards, etc.). Wait a few weeks. The roach problem will slowly fade out to nothing and stay that way as long as the acid is left in place. The stuff won't hurt your cat (it tastes terrible) or your fish (if you keep it out of their tank). It works by damaging the roaches' body surface which causes them to die of dehydration. I'm told that baking soda and household scouring powder will have similar effects, but I've never tried them. Boric acid has always worked for me. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp TTI Common Sense is what tells you that a ten 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. pound weight falls ten times as fast as a Santa Monica, CA 90405 one pound weight. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe
jmc@riccb.UUCP (Jeff McQuinn ) (08/20/85)
Nuke the bastards!
Jeff McQuinn just VAXing aroundrhoads@oasys.UUCP (08/20/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR FAVORITE ROACH KILLER *** Just go down to your local hardware store and buy a big can of plain 'ol Boric Acid. It will have instructions on how to use it and keep it safe for your animals. There is also a product out there called Roach-Pruf which is nothing but plain 'ol Boric Acid. Believe it or not, it works well too. I learned this when I grew up in S.C. and we used to have to just tame the damn things 'cause we couldn't get rid of them. Now there aren't any roach pets left.
barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) (08/21/85)
The way I hear it, boric acid kills roaches because it gets them clean. You see a cockroach (like most of us) is 95% or so water. However, its shell isn't thick enough to keep its moisture from evaporating so it builds up a meta-shell of grease&dirt. The boric acid cleans this off, and the poor cockroach dries up and dies. Cats, etc. won't be affected. Supposedly you can make your own roach killer by combining mashed potatoes (use one of the "instant" brands) and boric acid. --Lee Gold
peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (08/21/85)
> I swore that I would never buy them because of their intelligence-assaulting > advertising (competitor's products show well less than "0% roach kill" on > a graph), but Combat bait trays are great. They consist of capsules Never saw the ads, but we got them because of a coupon. They work well enough though some Houston roaches are too big to fit into them (!). We also period- ically fog with a bug bomb & scatter boric acid around. The only time we get serious roach problems is when the people next door move out and the management fogs, forcing all the roaches into our apt. Down here it's a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and clean food. -- Peter (Made in Australia) da Silva UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076
ned@SCIRTP.UUCP (Ned Robie) (08/21/85)
> I've just moved into a nice apartment that suits me in every way with > the exception of the roaches. I would like to get rid of them forever. > I know that this is impossible, and would appreciate any hints on how > to come close to this. > > Marty Sasaki net: sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp} Since you live in an apartment, your neighbors probably have them too. If so, the only way you'll get rid of them is to have the landlord exterminate the bugs in your apartment AND surrounding apartments professionally. If this isn't done, you might get rid of them for a month or two, but they'll be back. Once roaches are established, it can take several visits from an exterminator to get rid of them. If your landlord and your neighbors agree to have your "section" treated several times (good luck!) you stand a chance of getting rid of the pests. Otherwise, you might start looking for another place to live. Sorry to be so pessimistic, but I had a similar problem and ended up moving. (Black Widow spiders were the last straw!) -- Ned Robie
rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) (08/22/85)
It's ironic that Jeff should suggest nuking roaches...
I've heard that if we and the USSR ever mutually assure each
other's destruction then one of the few forms that remain will
be the lowly roach. (I guess we have to discount Nuclear Winter
as I suppose the little suckers will freeze).
Bob Brown {...ihnp4!akgua!rjb}raver@mruxe.UUCP (virzi) (08/26/85)
As for killing roaches I have found that using boric acid (obtainable in any pharmacy) works wonders. I suspect it is cheaper than a product specifically aimed at killing roaches, though I never checked. All you have to do is spread it around under counters and the like and the roach pop. dies down pretty quickly. It is bad for cats - but I never was a cat fan anyway.
brett@ucla-cs.UUCP (08/27/85)
> I've just moved into a nice apartment that suits me in every way with > the exception of the roaches. I would like to get rid of them forever. > I know that this is impossible, and would appreciate any hints on how > to come close to this. > > The problem is that I have pets, a cat, and several aquariums with > relatively delicate fish. I tried fogging with three foggers in my not-to-big place and they disappeared for about 3 days and were back. A not too effective waste of $20.00. Boric acid doesnt seem to be as effective as everyone claims, either that or the cheap stuff I bought is lousy (rid-a-roach or some such). I would be interested in knowing how many of the people on the net HAVE ACTUALLY used boric acid have found the treatment effective. Also state whether you were in a house or apt. thanks -- Brett Fleisch University of California Los Angeles 3804-f Boelter Hall Los Angeles, CA 90024 Phone: (213) 825-2756, (213) 474-5317 brett@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU {...sdcrdcf, ihnp4, trwspp, ucbvax}!ucla-cs!brett -------------------------------------------------------------------------
deb@haddock.UUCP (08/28/85)
One apartment building at school had the same problem. They tried some of the forementioned suggestions which got rid of the roaches but eventually the problem returned. The end solution was to pour boiling water behind cabinets in the kitchen or anywhere else where there might be eggs.