On pest control (And "long term" boric acid exposure)

DirtyDirtyVagrant

I guess this is like the third thread I've made in under a week. I apologize. Especially since this is such a common thread here.

But I'm not really asking the same question those other guys were.

The bug in question is P. Americana. The american cockroach. I found two of the little fucks crawling out of the drain of my kitchen sink just a few minutes ago. I promptly killed them both and then spread a fine dusting of boric acid around the perimeter. Behind the stove, under and behind the fridge, and behind the cabinets and countertop that the builders conspicuously neglected to seal. I'm not about to dump shit down my drain as one site suggested - that I dump bleach/lysol down there to flush them out. Which I didn't do, because it's moronic, and I instead decided to plug my sink for the night, filling it with a bit of water just to be sure. I guess. If the seal is water tight then that is probably not necessary.

Anyway, I've been reading up on this stuff and the wiki page says that, while the LD50 for me would be something like a pound ingested, long term exposure can cause such things as dermatitis and renal failure.

Just how long is "long term", exactly? And what qualifies as exposure? Does the powder present on my backsplash pose a problem, being in such close proximity to my stove? If you're standing in the kitchen, it looks something like this (the backsplash makes up the entirety of the backing of the countertop):


(mmm, look at those jpeg artifacts. Also uh...wow. Color choices, huh?)

Also, what other measures can I take, if any? And what can I do about the ones coming up the sink? Do I just make a habit of plugging the drain every night?

nuka

Seal the shit out of your cabinetry and where else the builders skipped over. It's pretty easy, just get yourself some caulk. It doesn't really matter if you kill what you got now if you keep leaving open entrances like this.

Also keep in mind that cockroaches can crawl in through really tiny spaces so even if it looks small, if that is a hole you are looking at then plug it up.

Just run a bead (a line) of caulk where the builders didn't seal, and then go over it with a finger to make sure it's really sealed tight, adding more if you need to. Also going over it with your finger makes it look smoother, so it's not obvious to other people what you put there.

EDIT: You can paint over caulk too, to make it match your walls, backsplash and cabinetry. You might have to get a special kind of caulk if you're putting this on top of tile, so just read the labels.

Double check your food, to make sure they didn't get in there and that everything is sealed properly just in case they were more than just thirsty. You should probably take the time to clean everything in your kitchen while you're on bug patrol, since you'll have your head stuck behind the oven or your fridge anyways.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

What about the areas that I cant reach behind appliances? Moving them out isn't an option because the builders decided apparently to move them into their respective corners and then build the cabinet and sink assembly between them. Is there something else I can do there?

Also I have a hole in the wall where there's a radiator pipe, maybe 2x5 inches of excess opening around the pipe along the floor. Can I plug that up somehow?

What can I do about the ones coming up the drain, if anything? Just make sure it's plugged at night?

I've read that they like to eat paper and glue. I have a lot of books. Is there something that I can use to repel them? People have suggested bay leaves and pieces of cedar.

My kitchen is clean. There is no excess grease or food debris. It's a brand new stove and a brand new fridge. Brand new cabinets, etc. I've only lived here a couple weeks, and I run a tight ship.

Just found one walking across my carpet. Which is even more awesome because they have similar coloration. Fucking ugly ass carpet.

Should mention that I talked to the landlord about this today. Her response basically boiled down to "It's an old building. What do you want me to do?"

So I dunno. I'm new to this. Is this kind of thing something that the health department gets involved with? (I certainly don't think it's that big of a problem yet. But tomorrow is another day)

matt has a problem

They shouldn't be able to come up the drain, there should be a P-trap under the sink - http://www.partridges.uk.com/catalog/images/ASC10_Adjustable_P_Trap.jpg that keeps water in the line, this also prevents sewer gas smell. You can plug the hole, a 2"x5" hole is pretty big though. Maybe tape around it?

If you want to go chemical, I'd suggest Ortho Home Defense Max spray, it comes in a gallon jug with its own sprayer. Hit around any areas they might be coming in, behind and under appliances, and along your baseboards.

Improvolone

Get the raid gel, remove all outlet and light switch covers, on the backside of the plate run a bead of raid gel, replace covers.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

These fucking things give me the heebie jeebies.

If it was caterpillars I would be like "Oh man this apartment rules."

But no. It had to be roaches.

matt has a problem

"Long term" exposure means inhaling/skin contact too, it really only applies to people who make the stuff, or exterminators who use it regularly. As long as you're not dusting yourself and breathing deeply you'll be fine.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

Oh, that's the other thing.

I don't have pets. I have no intention of having pets (here anyway).

So...as long as it's not dangerous for me to have around, I don't give a fuck. Go as toxic as you like.

E: Oh, thanks. That's a load off. I'm like...well, I don't see myself absorbing more than a few parts per million per day, but maybe that's enough...

ee: Only later did I realize how deeply ironic this post is.

Trillian

They used to put boric acid in baby's eyes right after birth.
The stuff is pretty inert unless you're made of chitin.

muninn

I forgot what the source was, since I looked into this a long time ago, but boric acid is as potent of a poison as table salt. Both can mess you up, but to do so you would have to purposefully go out of your way to harm yourself with those substances. You will be fine.

romanqwerty

MSDS The short of that is that you're fine with boric acid and that it isn't going to do any long term damage to you.

Its not absorbed through the skin to any real extent and the only thing I'd worry about is chronic inhalation.

Be careful about what you research as often the safety data for chemicals tend to exaggerate the risks. e.g. table salt is slightly hazardous upon ingestion.


That said, whenever I've used boric acid as a insecticide, I've always mixed it with some sort of bait as otherwise, the bugs will just ignore it. This might solve two of your problems, if you mix it with something like honey or some other viscous liquid, you won't have any dust to accidentally breathe.