We have roaches.... what do i do! i want to cry.

[Anonymous]

You cannot afford $100 for a pest control person? Yes you can - eat beans and rice for a week, and eggs and potato pancakes, and get the exterminator. PLEASE.

[Anonymous]

"we cannot afford a pest control person right now."

Put it on your credit card. Once the infestation has really gotten going, this is your only way out. I speak from experience.

[Anonymous]

Op, get ready for long term fight. You will. It get rid of them with one or even two time spraying. You could have introduced a small tiny roach with luggage, shopping bags, or any other way, not necessarily that it came strolling from neighbors,nthough if they sprayed may be it did.

5:16 gives good advice, though I would use chemicals, and make sure that you put powder in crevices etc. good luck. It is completely doable on your own, but be ready for 2-3 months of cleaning / treatments.

[Anonymous]

P.s. the fact that you live in sfh actually helps, would have been more difficult if you lived in apartment / row house.

[Anonymous]

Aaah. Autocorrect, it should be 'you will not get rid of them with one ....'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: small roaches or large? This is very important. Small *the german* - you need an exterminator. Large *american* you can probably handle on your own using bait. The gel bait plus roach motels works great for the big guys, but I wouldn't mess with the small ones because they are intractable.

(my dad ran an exterminator business when i was growing up)

Op here, its both. okay, we will have to look into the budget and get a pest person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You cannot afford $100 for a pest control person? Yes you can - eat beans and rice for a week, and eggs and potato pancakes, and get the exterminator. PLEASE.

Op here. please dont be passive ag abt it. we were quoted $900 by the neighbors from down the street and they just had ants. so no, we cannot really afford $900 but we will price compare. i wasnt aware there were pest people that only charge $100. thats really affordable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crying will not help.

I know! thats why im on DCUM asking for help.

why not on the phone instead, looking for exterminators?

You're going to have to blast your house and find some place to stay temporarily. Those fuckers procreate like no other and can live off glue from a postage stamp.

If you're not filthy, please explain how you're getting roaches? Are your neighbors filthy? 50 ft btw homes may not be enough!

Op again, well obviously i cant "explain" because I HAVE NO IDEA... im waiting for someone to explain it to me. but i think its the dog food thing that a PP mentioned because we do have our dogs food out all day for him to graze on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: small roaches or large? This is very important. Small *the german* - you need an exterminator. Large *american* you can probably handle on your own using bait. The gel bait plus roach motels works great for the big guys, but I wouldn't mess with the small ones because they are intractable.

(my dad ran an exterminator business when i was growing up)

This is a key question.

OP, I would be crying too. Deep breath. I would call an exterminator, and then after he comes and sprays the place, maybe go to a friend/relative's house for the weekend or night.

Be careful about grocery bags/cardboard that you bring into the house. Don't let that or trash accumulate in your place. I have read that roaches can live off cardboard!

Op again. oh crap. we actually go to the grocery like once a week and we do save the paper bags in the kitchen closet to recycle. Im getting alot of good advice! thank you all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crying will not help.

I know! thats why im on DCUM asking for help.

why not on the phone instead, looking for exterminators?

You're going to have to blast your house and find some place to stay temporarily. Those fuckers procreate like no other and can live off glue from a postage stamp.

If you're not filthy, please explain how you're getting roaches? Are your neighbors filthy? 50 ft btw homes may not be enough!

Op again, well obviously i cant "explain" because I HAVE NO IDEA... im waiting for someone to explain it to me. but i think its the dog food thing that a PP mentioned because we do have our dogs food out all day for him to graze on.

Are they the small ones or those big ugly ones?? The big ones can be fought--the smaller type you need to get an exterminator ASAP. For your neighbor's sake--TAKE CARE OF THIS. I would hate to get an infestation from a neighbor.

[Anonymous]

I feel for you, OP. I grew up in public housing in DC and our home literally CRAWLED with roaches at various times. Discovered one in my mac n'cheese after eating most of it and also when drinking from a can of soda. I think I'm still traumatized from these experiences.

I live in a SFH and about once a year, I see a few roaches in my kitchen. Not sure where they come from. I know how quickly roaches can get out of control, so I move quick and get some bait traps and put Borac acid in the corners of my cabinets. The problem is usually resolved within 2-4 weeks. But in the meantime, it's tough. I fucking HATE those nasty disgusting motherfuckers.

[Anonymous]

Gel bait in the tube. You can get it anywhere. Put it along the walls and corners in the kitchen and bathrooms. Keep things dry - roaches love water.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Our exterminator told us that roaches come into buildings to look for water, so make sure you dry the sink and countertops really well at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crying will not help.

I know! thats why im on DCUM asking for help.

why not on the phone instead, looking for exterminators?

You're going to have to blast your house and find some place to stay temporarily. Those fuckers procreate like no other and can live off glue from a postage stamp.

If you're not filthy, please explain how you're getting roaches? Are your neighbors filthy? 50 ft btw homes may not be enough!

Op again, well obviously i cant "explain" because I HAVE NO IDEA... im waiting for someone to explain it to me. but i think its the dog food thing that a PP mentioned because we do have our dogs food out all day for him to graze on.

Yup, that's a big attraction for them right there. I encourage you to go dump out the big bag of dog food you've got stashed somewhere. It will probably be TEEMING with roaches. Do you have a garage? Get a plastic garbage can with a locking lid and keep your dog food in there, snapping it tightly each time you close it. And put the dog's food out at mealtimes and then dump the extra back in the bucket.

[Anonymous]

There is a natural roach repellent that you can make by mixing 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt and 20 drops of peppermint essential oil. Put in a spray bottle and spray all of the potential access points to your kitchen. Spray the entire baseboards around the kitchen, spray inside the back of cupboards, in the pantry, etc. Then get a low pan that is slightly larger than your dog dish (ideally the same shape and that you can put the dog bowl into with about 1/2" - 3/4" clearance all the way around). Put the dog dish in and then put in more of the above mixture into the pan essentially making a moat around the dog food. This will keep them away from the dog food. Then you should go through the pantry and cupboards and make sure that anything that they may be able to get into is sealed in plastic, metal or glass containers. Cardboard boxes are the worst and will not keep them out. Also, if you go into the kitchen at night and turn on the light, look for where they scurry off to and then put some borax there (like inside cabinets, under drawers, etc). The ones that are in the kitchen will track the borax back to the nest.