likebugs Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I have had an ongoing problem with Periplaneta americana in my kitchen area. Last night I found one in the bedroom and that is the last I ever want to see of them. I recently posted about hatching an ooth of that species, but I am over my curiosity about them. I plan on using pesticides, but I don't want to hurt my pet invertabrates. Does anyone use pesticides in their home and still keep their pets safe? I have sprayed Ortho Home Defense in my kitchen area before, when I was only keeping mantids and a couple of other things in the bedroom that is across the house, all mantids were fine. Also, we used to get extermination for termites and the other stuff, before I started keeping many insects. The exterminator sprayed in the same room,(and all of the rooms in the house)that I kept my tree crab in, and she was fine afterwards. I can put my cultures in the shed/garage that we have( maybe for a few weeks), but I don't want to keep them there too long because it can get pretty hot in there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can solve my problem? I am at a loss as to the best way to go about it. I am afraid that somehow some of the poison will get to my pets if I use it in every room, but I think that I will need to do that. I am afraid to discuss this matter with the eterminator service we use, because anyone that I tell about my pet roaches is usually disgusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Aren't they super common outside your house? Even if you sprayed enough pesticide to kill the family dog the bugs would still wander in now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I wish that it were just a couple of bugs. I sometimes find them outside but it is only once in a while. I have walked into my kitchen and seen roach parties going on near my sink. I find ooths in the cupboards frequently as well. I understand that they get in from outside, but I really feel the need to reduce the numbers that are indoors at the moment. When it rains it can get really bad too. I don't leave dirty dishes or standing water in my sink, so I don't understand why they want to party there. Perhaps they just like the damp place under the sink, it is kind of musty but I can't find any leaks. My kid tends to drop crumbs and stuff, but if I miss any the dog usually finds them. My useless dog won't go near the roaches, he has tried to catch them before but they cause him to gag and vomit. I do find masses of Pycnoscelus surinamensis outside but they seldom wander in, unlike the P. americana, the Surinams seem to prefer the outdoors. I think that I will probably have to run the a/c in the shed for a while, as I refuse to hurt any of my pets. My husband and roomate are more upset about the roaches than I am, but I understand where they are coming from. Something about the Periplaneta americana touching me, still frightens me, no matter how many other species I admire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I hope that I don't upset too many forum members with my topic. I have a healthy respect for all roaches, I just don't want alot of loose roaches in my home. If there are any effective alternatives to chemical pesticides, I will definitely give them a try. I am actually worried about the effects of chemical pesticides on myself and family as well as my pets. I have been afraid of them since my teens, and even before I kept bugs I have argued against it with the men in the house when they wanted to apply it. Unfortunately, for some reason my problem is worse than it ever was in this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfox Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Meh, I raise them but I'd not want them wandering around my house freely. I think your best bet is not to spray but to use bait stations and glue traps near water sources. Both will grossly reduce the numbers and won't hurt any pets. You could also make pitfall traps out of jars with Vaseline smeared on the inside and about an inch of water to drown them, they are terrible at climbing out of slicked jars too btw. Good luck, keep us updated. Either way you could always send your surinam and americans to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I love my Surinams, I culture them and they have never been a problem for me. I was just saying that there are alot of them to be found outdoors around here. I don't think that they could survive in my home, American cockroaches are the only thing that is found alive and uninvited in my house. Btw, thanks for the suggestions. I have started to make a plan that includes using the stickys, baits, and alot of inspecting and caulking to try to better seal the house up. The only problem I have with the sticky traps is that even though I don't want these buggers in my home, I also don't like to see any creature suffering. I know that I will be sad when I find them stuck and still alive. It is weird that I find them so interesting at the same time as wanting them gone. When I find the poor things alive in the trap I will feel the need to end their suffering. I hope that I will be able to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I've heard mixing borax with something tasty (like sugar) is effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I've heard mixing borax with something tasty (like sugar) is effective. Thanks Kyle. I could add any suggestions that are given, to my plan. I suppose I will be using a few methods until I get this thing under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Be careful were you put sticky traps lol. Always have a couple in my room incase of escapes. You can also use expanding foam and caulk in affected areas. In large holes fill with foam if its a crack use caulk. I have done the opposite sealing in my roaches:) doing an experiment after sealing holes I layered borax under my carpet. The borax sugar thing is touchy, the borax cannot overpower the sugar but also needs a fair amount of borax. Also it may not be your house attracting them outside garbage neighbors etc. With Periplaneta I would focus on warm moist areas of your house first bathroom,kitchen, water heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Be careful were you put sticky traps lol. Always have a couple in my room incase of escapes. You can also use expanding foam and caulk in affected areas. In large holes fill with foam if its a crack use caulk. I have done the opposite sealing in my roaches:) doing an experiment after sealing holes I layered borax under my carpet. The borax sugar thing is touchy, the borax cannot overpower the sugar but also needs a fair amount of borax. Also it may not be your house attracting them outside garbage neighbors etc. With Periplaneta I would focus on warm moist areas of your house first bathroom,kitchen, water heater. I am afraid that my 5 year old will come into contact with a sticky trap, at least once. My kitchen gets pretty warm during the afternoon, it is on the west side of the house. I have always thought that this house was built backwards. Even the outside doors were set up to open inwards. This house is so small, even though the carport was filled in as an add on, which is the kitchen. I hear that my neighborhood was once some kind of military off base thing, and most of the houses were built small, and in the same fashion. Also, the house next door had a bad P. americana, and rat problem, before I got the P. americana population. I am glad that we haven't seen any rats in this house. We even cut the top off a big, "rat housing" palm tree in the backyard when we moved in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfox Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Probably a good idea, those palm trees can harbour all sorts of nasty critters. When I was in Henderson, near Las Vegas a few years ago they told stories of all sorts of stuff hiding up in them. Granted, I wish I would have kept inverts back then, I coulda had 10-15 black widows and hundreds of roaches, not sure what kind they were, they only came out at night in the parks under bushes, but they did so in the thousands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 The palm trees definitely harbor some creatures. I used to live on a palm tree farm and the roaches were even worse than here. Sometimes they would swarm really bad and fly around. The cats loved it, and would jump into the air to catch and eat them. It was pretty gross but it was really amusing to see the cats' behavior. I have never seen these P. americana, fly when indoors, but a couple of times they would fly around the lights outdoors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Keeping your bushes (elevated) pruned off ground and maintained. Also keeping the trees and bushes pruned away from house will help a lot. Sounds like your neighbors helped you with this problem, its going to be hard work. IPM isn't the easiest but annihilating insects with chemicals has only bred resistant varieties. Thank you for avoiding that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Keeping your bushes (elevated) pruned off ground and maintained. Also keeping the trees and bushes pruned away from house will help a lot. Sounds like your neighbors helped you with this problem, its going to be hard work. IPM isn't the easiest but annihilating insects with chemicals has only bred resistant varieties. Thank you for avoiding that route. Thanks for the advice. We don't have any vegetation up against the house, thank goodness. I do however have a huge "problem palm" on the property line. But I doubt that The men of the house will want get rid of it, even if I can have the neighbors agree. My husband and roommate are really into this unnatural but neat looking landscape. I get all bent out of shape every time they want to "weed and feed" or "roundup", the yard. Unfortunately, when one lives with others, a compromise has to be established. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hisserman Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks for the advice. We don't have any vegetation up against the house, thank goodness. I do however have a huge "problem palm" on the property line. But I doubt that The men of the house will want get rid of it, even if I can have the neighbors agree. My husband and roommate are really into this unnatural but neat looking landscape. I get all bent out of shape every time they want to "weed and feed" or "roundup", the yard. Unfortunately, when one lives with others, a compromise has to be established. Be glad they let you keep roaches I have a barn owl that nests every year, so I don't have any pests (or advice). When you live in a complex that spends $100,00+ on pest control, it really doesn't matter. I, on the other hand, go organic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Be glad they let you keep roaches I have a barn owl that nests every year, so I don't have any pests (or advice). When you live in a complex that spends $100,00+ on pest control, it really doesn't matter. I, on the other hand, go organic. Do they use pesticides in the same building that you keep your roaches in. I was wondering how that works out for you and your pets, if you live in an apartment or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hisserman Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Do they use pesticides in the same building that you keep your roaches in. I was wondering how that works out for you and your pets, if you live in an apartment or something like that. I live in a "fancy complex" of smallish houses that requires you to spray the inside of your house, yes I've lost several large colonies (ie. green banana, tiger hisser, etc.), lots of inverts, edible fungi, and a few reptiles to the spraying. Now, I try to move everything in a certain room that they don't spray. It sucks but at least I only have to do it twice a year. I also hate the fact that I can't find wildlife.... I've been native and organic in hopes of finding critters, but at least I have the owl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I'm all for killing pests, you just have to make sure where they're coming from. Most of the legal pesticides are pretty weak and many have no residual effect if you want to spray them in cracks or gaps and then seal. Residual dust can work great for crevices that can't be sealed. Also, there are commercially available roach bait poisons. I was a licensed pest control technician a while back when we were allowed better chemicals and never killed any of my pets accidentally through exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 I'm all for killing pests, you just have to make sure where they're coming from. Most of the legal pesticides are pretty weak and many have no residual effect if you want to spray them in cracks or gaps and then seal. Residual dust can work great for crevices that can't be sealed. Also, there are commercially available roach bait poisons. I was a licensed pest control technician a while back when we were allowed better chemicals and never killed any of my pets accidentally through exposure. Thanks alot for that information. I have sprayed Ortho Home Defense in the kitchen area before, only I kept my mantids and Surinams in my bedroom that is across the house. Nothing bad happened to the mantids or Surinams. Along with the other methods, I plan to spray under the kitchen sink, because that seems to be main problem area. Now that I have more cultures of roaches, I will have to move them to the "shed" for their safety. Our shed is actually pretty nice, and I can run the A/C for a little while if needed. I would put the roaches in my bedroom temporarily, but my husband is not going to go for that. He keeps trying to get me to move out my 11 Stagmomantis carolina mantids, but I like them on my dresser so I can see their changes/molts when I wake up, plus the temperature is perfect there. If my laundry room wasn't right next to the kitchen, I wouldn't have to move anything, but it is the warmest place in the house, naturally the perfect place for the creatures that need extra warmth. Without the A/C, I think that the "shed" would get way too hot, or I would keep them there permanently. Running A/C, here in S. Florida can cost quite a bit of money, that I don't have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 An update on my pest issues: I tried sticky traps first and all that did was catch a few geckoes, spiders and roaches. It disturbed me to find almost as many geckoes as roaches. I found that, like I previously thought, the sticky traps were not very effective and caused more suffering than I can personally tolerate. I moved on to roach bait traps that I found at Target and they really did the trick with no ill effects to my pets. I was concerned about roaches carrying the bait across my cultures and contaminating them, but it didn't happen, so I am pleased. I really was surprised, but it worked very well. I sprayed Ortho home defense in strategic places in the kitchen for good measure, but it seems like the baits were already taking effect by that time and I noticed no difference in the amount of dead roaches that I found. Hooray for roach motel bait things! Now I have an even worse problem that I am afraid will be more of a challenge for me. Big headed ants, have twice invaded my Blaberus containers ( this week) and seem to be stealing scraps from them. Quite a while ago, I made the mistake of leaving small containers of crickets on the porch and in the laundry room where I keep the roaches and other arthropods( a couple of times ). These ants will very quickly kill and dismember crickets, taking their parts out of the screen, or any holes in the lids of the containers. The ants never bothered the roaches before now, and don't seem to have done any damage to them, but I am sure they will dismember them if they run out of scraps. I am afraid to use baits for them because they can enter the roaches homes. I have all my containers raised on a set of cube style shelving that is made out of metal that is coated with some sort of smooth black paint. I thought that the ants may not have been able to access the containers that way, but I found out that they can easily get into the containers. The first time I saw a trail of ants coming out of a small Blaberus container that has vaseline around the rim and the inside of the lid. The lid is modified with metal screen that I fastened with a low temp glue gun similar to many of my containers. I quickly opened the container to find the roaches intact and shook and hand picked the ants out until I saw no more. My father suggested vinegar to deter them, so I wiped down all my containers, the whole rack, and the table that it is on with white vinegar. I thought that it was working, but they came back yesterday and I tested the vinegar by wiping a line of it right through the path of ants, leaving the vinegar soaked paper towel in their way. Those ants didn't seem to be bothered by that much. I have also wiped a very thin layer of vaseline all over the metal bars of the shelving, but I have seen ants walking on that as well. Now, I am trying to control them by going and hand killing all of them a few times a day. I am afraid to bait the ants that are close to the house or indoors with the slow acting pesticide because I am afraid that they will share it with the roaches, but I will put bait outdoors if it will draw the ants away. Now, the ants are distracted by some dog food that I put out to draw them away from my pets. Maybe they won't enter the containers anymore, but I am afraid anyway. I read that these ants have a very widespread colony that can cover at least the whole property. I have also noticed that they have entrances just about everywhere in the yard, and the neighbors' yards too. They seem to get very abundant once a year and I would like to avoid them this time around. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deter them from getting my pets, without poisoning the pets? Even if it sounds like a wives tale, or ineffective, I will try it. Anything has to be better than what I am doing now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfox Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I hate to say it again but put sticky traps in the ants path to catch quite a few. I have no idea how to avoid catching geckoes/anoles though. Maybe hotglue screen on both sides of the trap, big enough for the ants to cross over? I have been dealing with black carpenter ants for the past few years and I must say that over the counter pesticides do almost nothing to their numbers. Other than putting oil traps (low edge plastic containers with food or other attractants filled with vegi-oil) around the cages or literally standing the legs of the invert racks in cups of water (makes a moat of sorts) I have little advice. But hey, at least your roach issue has been reduced... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Thanks vfox. I like the idea of screen for the sticky traps, I could totally try that and the oil thing. These ants have already outsmarted me a few times. They can make bridges and rafts with their own bodies and cross small moats, even surviving the full sized laundry sink when I submerged a couple of my daughter's rubber toys that they took a liking to(I have no idea why they swarm the rubber toys). Also, they like to climb up to the ceiling and drop down onto where they want to be. I guess that I will have to be vigilant and try many methods to keep them under control. There seems to be no single way to control them, but I have been able to buy some time by making things more difficult for them. I have noticed that the dropping behavior can get them into places, but they aren't as numerous if they can't easily carry things out. I respect these amazing creatures and I don't even think that they sting, but I don't want to feed my pets to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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