OK this is spawned from another thread, [url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=190642&page=1[/url]

I lived in an apartment once.  I was downstairs and had my own kitchen and bathroom and stuff.  I kept the place relatively clean, but the people upstairs kept a filthy kitchen the we had hundreds of roaches.  One day, some roaches found their way downstairs and bred and then I had my own infestation.

Well I had been happy with my new digs, and the roaches were intruding on MY territory, so they had to die.  I hate those bastards with a passion.  I did a fair amount of research and actually went on entymology sites to learn about their life cycle so I could devise ways to kill them off.  I was mildly successful.

I had 2 species of roaches in my place, one was the german cockroach:
[img]www.kiwicare.co.nz/images/cockroach-1.gif[/img]
[b]German Cockroach[/b]

The other kind I cannot find a picture for.  They differed from the german cockroach because they were smaller and rounder than the german ones (they didn't have that oblong shape).  They were also slower.  Here are a few methods of eradication.  Remember, to get rid of a roach infestation, you need to slaugher [b]every single roach[/b] because if they breed, they will have dozens of little roaches and your infestation starts all over again.

Although roaches lay eggs, the female carries the eggs in her body and when they hatch, she squirts out the little fuckers by the dozens.  Even if the female dies, she can still give birth to baby roaches.

1.  The most important thing to do is to keep a clean house.  No scraps of food, no crumbs, no nothing.  Clean up after yourself well after preparing or eating food.  Even old pizza boxes, with a few crumbs of bread crust in them will feed a colony of roaches.  If roaches get hungry enough, they will resort to cannibalism.  This is tricky though, to clean so thoroughly each and every time you eat or make food.

2.  Roach traps.  There are 2 kinds of roach traps--the poison trap and the sticky trap.  I never tried to poison trap, but people I know say it didn't do much good.  Now, I have set those sticky traps (they looks like a cardboard box with glue in them, and I have caught dozens of roaches in a single trap.

3.  Boric acid.  You can find this in the drug store and in some hardware stores.  It is a white powder somewhere between the consistency of table salt and powdered sugar.  Sprinkle boric acid down where ever you see roaches.  The german cockroaches will walk through the boric acid and it eats away at their exoskeleton.  They will be dead within a day.  I did some experiments where I captured the roaches and put them in a jar and put a small amount of boric acid in the jar and this is how I know that after 10 hours or so the german roaches will be dead.  Boric acid had no effect on the smaller, rounder roaches I mentioned, though.

4.  Duct tape.  Buy a GOOD QUALITY duct tape and lay is sticky side up along your baseboards or anywhere else you see roaches.  When they walk on the tape, they will get trapped by the glue.  Make sure you get good tape.  I tried some cheap tape and the little fuckers just walked all over it.  A good quality duct tape will hold them fast, though.

5.  Poisoning the well.  This works well for when you're going on vacation.  Roaches can survive for a long time without food, but only a few days without water.  Before you go on vacation, turn off the water to all your toilets and flush (to empty the tank).  Then go around to every sink, bathtub, shower and toilet and pour a decent amount of LYSOL in the water or the drain.  Remember to put lysol in the tank on your toilet.  You probably still have 1/2" of water in the tank.  Roaches like to drink out of the trap under your sink, from your toilet, whereever.  Basically, you need to use Lysol and poison all the water in your house.  Don't leave any dishes in your kitchen sink with water in them or anything.  You need to be thorough and make sure 100% of the water in your house is poisoned before you leave on vacation.  The times I did this in my house,  I was roach-free for about a week before they found their way back to my apartment (from upstairs).

6.  Carburater cleaner + bic lighter.  Yes, you can use the roachy flamethrower.  Aside from setting off your fire alarm, this is an inefficient way of killing them off, and you'll always miss the roaches in the other part of the room, so you really aren't helping any.  Their populations will be regenerated within a few days.  But this method is good for the emotional benefits of torching some of the bastards.  So if you're about to snap and go crazy, torch a few of them with a lighter and you'll probably feel better after imagining their screams and begging for mercy.  Show no mercy!

Overall, if you want to eliminate the roaches, and not just put a dent in their population, I'd say stick with tips #1 and #5.  If you don't have those little round roaches I was talking about, and only have the german cockroaches, then boric acid may eradicate them.  Just sprinkle if everywhere there has ever been food, in your cupboards, etc..  I didn't spend much time with boric acid, like I said, because it only killed the one species of roach that was in my house.  As far as duct tape or poison traps, they work to kill many roaches with little effort, but unless you get ALL the roaches, you're really sort of wasting your time.

So those are my tips.  If I think of more I will post them.  If any of you have tips, go ahead and add your own.

-Nick Viejo.

If I may suggest use the Spray type of Lysol in the can and the Bic lighter, it is much better than carb cleaner.

It leaves a nice scent to help mask the burning insects

[b]Part 2[/b]

Also I should tell you, if you ever change houses or apartments and your previous house had roaches, you NEED to be sure that EVERY SINGLE roach is killed.

I had roaches hiding in my microwave oven, inside piles of clothes, everything.  If you are going to move, if it's summer time, I suggest leaving all your stuff in a car in the sunlight so the roaches get exposed to some 150 degree temperatures for several hours.  This will kill off any that are stowed away in your things.

If it's winter time, I hope it's below freezing.  Leave the stuff outside in a garage or something to freeze the bastards for a few days before taking the stuff inside.  I learned this the hard way!

-Nick Viejo.

Brakekleen works on any insect, and newts too. Had a little one get in my mothers house and she freaked as far as she was concerned it was a snake. So I get a call "come get the snake, there is a snake in the house" The lil bugger was fast and worked his way under a china cabnet fixed to the wall. After several attempts with a vaccum I said well buddy you had your chance. Brakekleen can knock a dragonfly out of the sky like a SAM if ya practice.

Diatomaceous earth.

My Dad had a very effective way of killing roaches.  He would grab his favorite can of bug spray, sneak up on the roach, and hit them with the can!!

I usually just smoke em'......out.

The best method I have found for roach proofing a house is Boric(sp?) Acid. You can get it at Wal[:)]Mart for a couple bucks. It's a white powder. All you do is "spray" it under your fridge, oven, couch, anything you can get it under. Peal up the contact paper in your cabinets and put a fine layer down and put new contact paper over it. Put it under seat cushions on your couch and chairs. Another option is to sprinkle it over your carpet (remove any pets first) and let it sit for a few hours, then vacuum it up. Great stuff, not as toxic as most pesticides and it works. Especially here in Florida where our cockroaches fly and can be mistaken for birds.

Yes, boric acid is relatively harmless.  Originally, it was used as an eye wash, that's how mild it is.  You dissolve it in water and use an eye cup to clean out your eyes.  That's why you can still find it in a drug store.

Also, if you dissolve alot of it in water and then soak some pine cones in it and then allow the pine cones to thoroughly dry, you can burn the pine cones and the fire will be green.

Boric acid has many uses!

-Nick Viejo.

Yup.  It basically scrapes them to death.  Also great to put in the yard to control fleas, ants, ticks, etc.

How does DE harm roaches?  I have plenty of that for my pool filter.  It's dangerous if breathed though so I'm not sure I'd want to use it in my house.

Edited:  D'oh, ya beat me!

Now I see why you have a problem with catching yourself on fire! [b]You freaking pyro![/b] [;D]

Makes a helluva good practical joke on Vampires too!![:D]

damn...

I wonder if Boric Acid would have any effect on Diane Feinstein??

You can use a bong and take em out one at a time or break them down and make a new one.
GG

So does this mean I have to quit leaving my Mcdondalds bags in the living room for a month and pizza boxes on the floor?

I decided to solve my roach problem by infesting my house with rats. They love to eat roaches and they are easier to kill with .22 snake shot than a roach. I don't like it when they want to share the bed with me though.

[jump]

N_viejo, your IM is full.

Go here;  http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=189879&page=6

I think the post we discussed is on pg 5, let me know if ya get it!!
We now resume your normal programming!! [:D]

If you build a new house, do not use fiberglass insulation.Use that insulation that is blown in and made from paper . It is treated with boric acid which does kill the roaches(I have 2 cats in the house with food always out)and I have not seen a roach in this house.Boric acid also should kill termites but I do not have any info on that.

Me and the roaches get along fine.  They pull their weight around the house and help out with rent.

i tend to just step on them.