RE. ROACHES.

I had posted before re. this problem which suddenly appeared after 15 yrs. in this house having nothing stronger than ants.

I had tried everything, and finally sought out a professional called Eccological Pest Control / yellow pages. We live in a large condominium complex,sharing 3 common walls. They were coming in from behind the bathroom mirror, and a kitchen separation bar. Caulking did not help, although we tried that on the bar. They just came through the gook. Whatever Eco uses is safe after it dries, although I kept the animals on the patio longer than the required time. The technician instructed us to use duct tape and tape the slit under the bar edge, as well as certain areas around the under sink pipes and washer / regrigerator hose areas. This info was solicited by me and he was willing to show me problem areas. He also told me I could use boric acid in places in between their visits (as Debra suggested ) as it would not interfere with what they used, since they used a safer method. All other bombs, motels, etc.: do not use.

I pour dish soap on paper towels at night and plug the drains up with it...i also keep a soapy water spray (7th generation ) on the counter, to spray any tiny ones that are still trying to make it in this world...they are cute i will have to say...and it was difficult at first to attack them...but too many to bottle and take outside. Between all of this they are finally becoming fewer and fewer. Eco does follow ups...for 2 or 3 months. We are having our second in 2 weeks. They do not disappear immediately, but i do find larger dead ones on their backs. Eco told me it takes about 20 days to notice a difference after a treatment, and they are more plentiful directly after the treatment.

I could actually see the tiny ones run to the bar corner where they disappear, when i pick up the spray bottle ! It must be difficult to have a giant (5 ft. me) after them....they are sure smart ! Will keep you posted.

Roaches are a big problem here also. I have used boric acid powder, diatomaceous earth, and sticky traps with fairly good success. With the boric acid powder, I used it everywhere I could get to in an older house I lived in at the time, under the foundation, around the exterior and interior of the house, behind the stove, etc. I would find dozens of dead roaches every morning. Victor also makes a mint and lecithin spray that is all natural.

I live in a studio apt in a pre-war building of 140 units, so even though I try to keep my kitchen as clean as possible to leave no food for the roaches, they still come into my cupboards and sink (I think also as a refuge, when the other apts elect to get sprayed monthly. I keep the critters to a minimum by keeping garbage sealed & disposed of quickly, and also a bit of boric acid, along with some dried bay leaves in the cabinets, which I believe the bugs don't like.

I do, on occasion, find a bunch of them in the sink. I usually let them be, but if there are too many of them, I do spray them with water for a minute, then dispose of them in the toilet. Dreadful, but it feels necessary sometimes.

Oy! I do feel your pain! I live in a condo unit, and we have a huge problem with them. We have tried a lot of things, short of going under contract with a pest control company.

In our case, it's difficult, because they are in our electronics, including the fuse box. We have a bad circuit that may well have been caused by them.

Any ideas of what we could put into the walls that's not flammable/nontoxic, but would do the trick?

I have emailed my local Whole Foods to see if they have Bugs R Done, but I need to find something to use specifically for electronics.

What we have found works really well for killing them on sight is rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle; however, I do understand it's still somewhat toxic, and you have to be careful because it's flammable. Still, I prefer it to things like Raid.

I have recently read that since roaches can hide in appliances and electrical devices, you can FREEZE them out. If you live in a cold climate, Put the item in a plastic bag and leave it out to freeze for a couple of days. If not, find a stand up freezer. This will kill the roaches hiding there so that they are not coming back over and over. Also, don't bother to SPRAY for roaches. Besides being toxic, it is simply not effective. If you must go down the chemical road, use gel baits and refresh every 3 days. This will limit the chemical exposure and is much more effective anyway.

Thank you, Melodie! I will suggest that to my SO.

We do not live in a cold climate, but we are entering our winter, for sure.

BUGS R DONE

Using BUGS R DONE per Debra's suggestion. Excellent. Able to use between ECCO professional visits. Ecco is coming in for the third time this week.That is the limit until a longer period of time. Definitely reduced infestation.

I think BUGS R DONE is a must in between and easy to use. Dries quickly, destroys on site.Pefect if you catch them early.

Whole Foods has it for $6.99 in spray bottle. More expensive on line.

They are in my printer and I have to shake out the back panel
( where one removes stuck paper ) so the droppings fall out.I spray underneath the printer, and this has helped tremendously. I have not sprayed my computer tower, as I am afraid it will damage the delicate fan, etc. Any computer expert out there who has a solution for computers ?

Debra your book is wonderful !!!!

You can make your own insecticide by mixing equal parts of baking soda and powdered sugar and setting up a mock bait plate for the roaches. After mixing your sugar and soda, eave the mixture in a shallow dish where roaches have been seen or are known to travel. The combination of sugar and soda is lethal to the cockroach.

I'm in New York, NY and we have a few roaches, very small ones, I just saw one crawling up the pipe in my bedroom!! Will they crawl over me in my sleep?