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Best, cheapest, DIY way to kill roaches?

Brodo FagginsBrodo Faggins Registered User regular
edited June 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
I have a bit of a problem, and it's roaches. Luckily they're not that numerous, but I see at least one or two every night in my kitchen, and they're massive. Easily the length of my middle finger.

Anyone know a good, DIY way to kill them? I read somewhere that a glass jar filled halfway with honey is a good way to get them, but I want to get some feedback.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

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Brodo Faggins on

Posts

  • DietCokeTinDietCokeTin Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Boric acid.

    It's a fine light blue powder that you can buy on the cheap at any hardware store or superstore (~$5). You make a light coat of any nooks or crannies where you suspect roaches are coming from, and the boric acid attaches and eats through their shells, killing them fairly quickly. You can also buy the small roach baits for those that make it past the boric acid, and they'll take the food back to wherever the came from and distribute it to the other roaches. If all else fails, you can buy the large semi-professional spray jugs of roach repellant (~$20), and spray down the corners, nooks, and outside openings. Above all, just keep everything as clean as possible; no food particles, no standing water, wipe down counters after preparing meals, clean dishes quickly. Whatever you decide, good luck; roaches are damn tough to get rid of if you're already infested.

    DietCokeTin on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Cheapest way, I use a sandal. But, I think you would spend more trying to fill a half cup of honey than buying generic roach bait. It has worked really well in my home.

    MagicToaster on
  • MentalExerciseMentalExercise Indefenestrable Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Be aware, if you see a few roaches on a regular basis, there's probably a significant infestation in hiding.

    MentalExercise on
    "More fish for Kunta!"

    --LeVar Burton
  • oldsakoldsak Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Boric acid.

    In addition to dusting areas with it you can make a bait by mixing it with flour and sugar.

    Also, it doesn't eat through their shells. It acts as an abrasive and creates tiny scratches in their exoskeletons through which they dehydrate.

    In any case, it's reliably effective.

    oldsak on
  • SheepSheep Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2011
    Also, really big, dark, long ones are not "house" roaches. Those tend to be wood roaches. We used to see them really often in my old house which had a few pine trees overhead and part of the siding had began to get soaked and rot. These guys will die on their own within one or two days of seeing them.

    If it's the smaller, orange/light brown kind, those are your typical house pest and they are a bitch. One thing you can do is ... actually i found a good link.



    http://www.ehow.com/way_5438640_homemade-roach-control.html



    That middle one worked well for me in the past. However, when I did it, I basically just put it in a big bowl with some popsicle sticks so they could climb into it.

    Sheep on
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Boric acid.

    This stuff is downright magical.

    Deebaser on
  • FoolproofFoolproof thats what my hearts become in that place you dare not look staring back at youRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Are you living in an apartment or in your own house? If someone inan attached dwelling isn't taking care of the roaches almost anything you do will fail to get rid of them.

    If they are indeed the inside type of roach then try the cheap methods but I'd avoid the toxic sprays. There is a biological control or two that work well but you'll need to pay an exterminator and make sure they use them. One is a contagious fungus that will spread since roaches will cannibalism their own and the other is nematode worms that eat the roaches from the inside and spread to the whole population through cannibalism.

    I lived in an apartment complex and had a hell of a time dealing with roaches because of the other tenants. I spoke with the exterminators every time they came out to spray poison and none of it ever worked very well. Then the apartment complex was sold and the new owners used the biological controls and the roaches were gone after one treatment.

    Foolproof on
  • ShimShamShimSham Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Be aware, if you see a few roaches on a regular basis, there's probably a significant infestation in hiding.

    I wouldn't go that far. If they're large wood roaches like I suspect they are (by him saying they were as large as his middle finger) you don't typically get a real "infestation" of those. They're just everywhere during the summer some places.

    Now if he had German Roaches (small roaches) then yeah you'll see a real infestation of those. They're often harder to get rid of than normal wood roaches and they reproduce quickly. Rather than seeing one or two at a time, you'll see 6-7 at a time.

    ShimSham on
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  • StericaSterica Yes Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited June 2011
    Hahaha. I was going to make a thread on this.

    My college apartment had german roaches. Small, and we kept their numbers down with traps. Hard to eliminate them entirely since the whole complex was likely infested.

    Pretty sure we got wood roaches in my last and current place. I haven't seen a roach in a year since moving in, with two exceptions: one I saw outside when getting the mail, and one that survived an encounter with my trash bin. Resilient bastards, aren't they?

    This guy was pretty big, however. I'd wager as big as my index finger? I wasn't exactly busting out the measuring tape, and he wasn't too keen and letting me get him fitted for a suit. Should I bother rushing out to grab the boric acid?

    Sterica on
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  • Brodo FagginsBrodo Faggins Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Yeah, I live on the bottom floor of an apartment building. We keep it extremely clean, I'm talking weekly top-to-bottom cleaning of the unit that involves the whole family. Obviously can't say the same for my neighbors...

    But of course, it's always impossible to clean under the oven and behind the sink. There are several large trees directly outside the kitchen, but there's a concrete pathway between the two. They presumably were attracted by the cooking smells?

    In any case, definitely gonna try the boric acid, I'll report back soon. I squashed two last night, haven't seen any tonight so far. Thanks for the tips!

    Brodo Faggins on
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  • StericaSterica Yes Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited June 2011
    You might want to confirm the breed of roach. If it's a wood roach, then this is just a breeding season and they'll go away soon enough.

    But if you want to play it safe, Boric Acid looks pretty damn safe for humans as far as insect killing stuff goes.

    Sterica on
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  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    How is boric acid with smallish dogs? Should we keep them away from the area or is it no big deal?

    Lord Palington on
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  • SheepSheep Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2011
    Last roach I saw was a wood roach bigger than my thumb that was on it's last legs. Just basically barely crawling through the kitchen. Guess he got in when we were in and out going to the pool.

    Sheep on
  • ApexTripletApexTriplet Registered User new member
    You got options if your set on the whole DIY route.
    you may use roach bait to try and tackle the roach problem in a long play move. The roaches will come out in droves to eat up the gel bait and subsequently deliver the poisonous substance to their broods.
    Another choice is the use of insect dust on the roaches, which causes a little more immediate death to all those bug unfortunate enough to get caught in the dust's way.
    Other possibilities include roach traps, granules and good old fashion roach spray. All of these methods have their pros and cons when it comes to roach control; all of which would take forever to get into in one post so do your HW. Fortunately for you, all the aforementioned products and information can be obtained at your local garden/hardware stores or if your feeling especially lazy, look it up online (teh heh).

  • ApexTripletApexTriplet Registered User new member
    You got options if your set on the whole DIY route.
    you may use roach bait to try and tackle the roach problem in a long play move. The roaches will come out in droves to eat up the gel bait and subsequently deliver the poisonous substance to their broods.
    Another choice is the use of insect dust on the roaches, which causes a little more immediate death to all those bug unfortunate enough to get caught in the dust's way.
    Other possibilities include roach traps, granules and good old fashion roach spray. All of these methods have their pros and cons when it comes to roach control; all of which would take forever to get into in one post so do your HW. Fortunately for you, all the aforementioned products and information can be obtained at your local garden/hardware stores or if your feeling especially lazy, look it up online (teh heh).

This discussion has been closed.