Cockroaches outside

dc4nomore

Yes, you usually have to sign a one-year contract. But we have been using them for over a year and are now on a month-to-month basis.

justcookin2

We stumbled across this a few weeks ago. My husband was out deep watering the plants and after a few minutes of the water running down into the plant, the ground just started to come alive with cockroaches. It seems that they like to be underground in a nice dark, moist shady space. This seems to be true in Arizona anyway. Well we ran to the store and purchased bug spray. The next weekend, armed with bug spray, we layed the hose down and started watering. As the cockroaches came flying out of their happy little home, we got em! It even drove the babies out. Now that I have read about the boric acid, I think I will powder the ground and start watering! If the Orkin guy cant kill them, I will find a way! I think if we do this every weekend for awhile we may get the upperhand! We are already fewer then before. Lets hope it works.

heart08

Dave, cockroaches are sign that your community is dirty and needs a massive clean-up action(you said hundreds of cockroaches so that is very alarming). There are pest control companies that cater to such needs and its up to your mayor(or some concerned official) to do something about it. Nasty creatures cockroaches are...

justcookin2

The cockroaches are in our own backyard and yes we do have a pest control company on a regular basis. In fact he was here last Friday and was so shocked at the outbreak that he didnt even charge us for this visit. We live in a very nice area, not a dirty place as you might think and thank goodness they havent made it inside the house! Will keep you posted, meanwhile we are finding more and more dead outside every morning.

JuiceRW

DC,

I just stumbled across this page searching about cockroaches outside. I also live in Cincinnati and was wondering what part of the city you live in with the problem, and also does it still exist?

dc4nomore

I live in Madison Place (in between Madisonville and Mariemont).

We haven't paid Orkin for about 2 years now, and have managed to keep them out of the house (for the most part). I still see a sucker in the basement or garage from time to time at night, but nothing major.

They are still outside. They're not as bad as they originally were, but have been growing in numbers and annoyance these last few weeks. I haven't put out any boric this year at all, but perhaps I will soon. This problem is also local to my section of the street. They don't seem to be more than a few houses away. I walked out late at night once last summer right as they were all coming out, and there were a few dozen all around what appeared to be a hole in the middle of my neighbors front yard. I tried looking for that hole a few days ago to see if it could be sealed up or what not, but I couldn't find it again.

creeper

isnt boric acid the main ingrediant in Borax-the hundred mule team. Laundry soap. Its also great for killing creeping charlie in the lawn, but be careful-too much and you will kill the grass as well. Ants too. mix equal parts with sugar and the ants wil take their delicous meal to the queen.

As far as safety goes....no problem for inside use. Sprinkle some on a stale carpet, let sit for awhile to absorb odours, then vacuum

sdsester

Boron is/was the ingredient in 20 mule team laundry additives. It is a natural mineral and will not, unless unusually heaped and eaten by pets or children with no alternatives, hurt anything mammal. Added to laundry the mineral would literally polish clothes with its glass like abrasive qualities.

Indeed, carefully used, is one of the few things that will kill creeping Charlie. It is banned for such herbicidal use in many States because fools do not follow directions. Too much introduced to the environment can render soil sterile for a long time so do not lay mounds of it around where you found these cockroach nests.

If I do a renovation and the walls are open? I add boron automatically as a spray suspension or even as powder before sealing the walls.

While not toxic to but a few plant species, insects get it in their feelers and whatever you call their feet. It is like strapping razor blades or glass shards to them. It doesn't poison them, it cuts them apart as they try to move around. They drag it back to the nest and entire populations are torn apart faster than any Chinese martial arts film you have ever seen.

You as a consumer, have limited access to pesticides that work. And no offense but the instructions on the bottles are intended for your non less is more thinking.

If you must invest in one for cockroaches in particular, buy the age old, huge bottle of powder that comes in a yellow bottle for $10. It is Boron. The rest is a total waste of money. Another option is to buy a bag of swimming pool diatamaceous (sp?). Works the same way.

But do yourself a favor. Shop around and find a pest control pro you can trust and that will work with you. It doesn't have to be a chain person and perhaps should not be. You will spend much less on a pro that is licensed to get and use stuff you cannot than trying to do this yourself. I mean come on, a spray bottle of worthless Ortho or whatever is like $30?

Pest control is not a DIY proposition. As EPA controls tighten, fools will be buying not much more than water in pretty packaging soon.