cockroaches

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Arthur Dent
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Re: cockroaches

Post by Arthur Dent »

planet pujolsian wrote:Oh yeah, cats are the best insect prevention ever. AD, now that you have a dog you need to get a cat.
Actually, the dog's not bad at this. When I notice her harassing one, I go grab a glass to catch it and a treat for Inara.
jim wrote:I discovered the problem when I moved a pile of laundry in the closet that hadn't been moved for weeks. Looked like the carpet was alive.
This prompted an involuntary reaction. I sure hope I don't have something like that. I really don't know where they are hiding; there aren't many good spots.

I've heard that you can kill roaches by sprinkling I think borax on the floor. Has anyone tried this? I don't think I need an exterminator. I get the impression that most people living here get the occasional roach.

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heyzeus
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Re: cockroaches

Post by heyzeus »

Good luck AD. As you know, the Texas cockroach is a different animal. Mainly because it's huge (often 3 inches long) but also because they fly. And they know when you're about to smack 'em; that's when they take off.

I just keep a can of raid in the kitchen. It smells nasty, but a good spray and it's dead within a minute.

jim
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Re: cockroaches

Post by jim »

heyzeus wrote:Good luck AD. As you know, the Texas cockroach is a different animal. Mainly because it's huge (often 3 inches long) but also because they fly. And they know when you're about to smack 'em; that's when they take off.

I just keep a can of raid in the kitchen. It smells nasty, but a good spray and it's dead within a minute.
Flying cockroaches? Seriously?

YARTAT.

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heyzeus
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Re: cockroaches

Post by heyzeus »

Oh, they fly. Sometimes they swarm, too, esp. during the summer coming out of sewer grates.

This is one of the reasons i miss life in the midwest v. life in texas.

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Radbird
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Re: cockroaches

Post by Radbird »

heyzeus wrote:Good luck AD. As you know, the Texas cockroach is a different animal. Mainly because it's huge (often 3 inches long) but also because they fly. And they know when you're about to smack 'em; that's when they take off.

I just keep a can of raid in the kitchen. It smells nasty, but a good spray and it's dead within a minute.
There were a couple of different types of roaches (in Houston anyway). The little, light brown "food roaches" I described earlier, and the huge flying ones (which we called "tree roaches"). I don't recall ever seeing the big, flying ones in the kitchen, just the nasty little ones.

I don't miss either kind.

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heyzeus
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Re: cockroaches

Post by heyzeus »

Radbird wrote:
heyzeus wrote:Good luck AD. As you know, the Texas cockroach is a different animal. Mainly because it's huge (often 3 inches long) but also because they fly. And they know when you're about to smack 'em; that's when they take off.

I just keep a can of raid in the kitchen. It smells nasty, but a good spray and it's dead within a minute.
There were a couple of different types of roaches (in Houston anyway). The little, light brown "food roaches" I described earlier, and the huge flying ones (which we called "tree roaches"). I don't recall ever seeing the big, flying ones in the kitchen, just the nasty little ones.

I don't miss either kind.
I lived in a really, REALLY crappy (but cheap rent!) house in the Rice area one year. If I ever needed to go into the kitchen at night, i would use a broomstick to flip on the lightswitch from the hallway. Because if you walked into the kitchen at night, you were very likely to walk on a scampering "tree roach."

jim
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Re: cockroaches

Post by jim »

Yet another item on my list of reasons to never live in Texas.

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GeddyWrox
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Re: cockroaches

Post by GeddyWrox »

This gets the "Creepiest post of the week" award.

I HATE effing cockroaches.

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docellis
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Re: cockroaches

Post by docellis »

Secrets:

Bugs don't bother me. Really. At all for the most part.

Surprise bugs (or surprise living creatures of any kind) freak me out at times, but I don't mind picking a spider up and throwing him outside. Or killing a gnat with my hands. Stuff like that.

I don't want large amounts of any organism living in my quarters, but if I see a bug I don't care. Until I see 10 bugs.

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Radio_Bugtussle
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Re: cockroaches

Post by Radio_Bugtussle »

Duct tape makes an effective, makeshift roach trap. Just put it down sticky side up in places they like to cross.

I'm not sure that you want to do this if a cat is also involved in the roach control effort. Visions of Fluffy tangled up in a strip of tape and completely p'd off come to mind.

Might result in an interesting LOLCATS pic though...

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