Best way to kill/repel cockroaches?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around methods to kill or repel cockroaches, focusing on practical solutions and preventive measures. Participants share personal experiences, suggestions, and various approaches to dealing with cockroach infestations in homes, considering factors such as cleanliness, structural integrity, and chemical treatments.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that without fumigation or addressing the underlying causes, it is nearly impossible to eliminate established cockroach populations.
  • Others propose preventive measures such as sealing food, fixing leaks, and cleaning to deter cockroaches.
  • There are mentions of using boric acid and roach baits as potential solutions, though effectiveness may vary.
  • One participant shares a personal success story of sealing holes in walls to reduce sightings of cockroaches.
  • Some participants discuss the use of wasp spray for immediate encounters with cockroaches.
  • There are humorous and extreme suggestions, including using a blowtorch or joking about drastic measures involving family members.
  • Concerns about the adaptability of cockroaches and their resistance to certain treatments are raised.
  • House centipedes are mentioned as natural predators of cockroaches, with some participants noting their presence in homes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of opinions on the best methods to deal with cockroaches, with no consensus on a single effective solution. There are competing views on the importance of cleanliness versus chemical treatments, as well as differing experiences with various approaches.

Contextual Notes

Some suggestions depend on specific conditions, such as the structural state of the home and the local climate, which may influence the effectiveness of proposed methods.

Superposed_Cat
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Hello, I have a mortal fear of cockroaches and they are everywhere but I can't fumigate because my gran doesn't want to. So what is the best way to kill/repel cockroaches? Thanks.
 
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Nothing if they are established and you don't spray (or move). Even with aggressive fumigation, their population follows an exponential decay similar to radioactive decay. e.i. a "population half-life"

A more intuitive characteristic of exponential decay for many people is the time required for the decaying quantity to fall to one half of its initial value. This time is called the half-life, and often denoted by the symbol t1/2. The half-life can be written in terms of the decay constant, or the mean lifetime, as:

bb4d7b6ec26d12fcf99d1d96f97c4745.png
 

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Thanks, I am familiar radioactive decay. Didn't think about it applied to 'roaches though.
 
Superposed_Cat said:
Hello, I have a mortal fear of cockroaches and they are everywhere but I can't fumigate because my gran doesn't want to. So what is the best way to kill/repel cockroaches? Thanks.

You're never going to get rid of them; unless you fix the reason they're there to begin with. Seal up food, fix leaky pipes, take out the trash frequently, seal up cracks in the wall. You can get boric acid and make roach traps, but this will do nothing then curb their numbers.

You need to fix the reason why they're there, and get them to leave due to starvation/dehydration.
 
This house is pretty old/leaky/full of cracks. Even when there is no food they chew on our books.
boric acid is a good suggestion though. Are they scared of anything? I heard that theyn fear chrysthananums because of the pyrethroids.
 
Superposed_Cat said:
This house is pretty old/leaky/full of cracks. Even when there is no food they chew on our books.

Because that's food. Fix up the house.
 
I use wasp spray when I see a roach in the garage. It's nice because you can get from several feet away.
 
with us at night they are so many, and you can actually here them and see them darting out the corner of your eye.
 
Superposed_Cat said:
Are they scared of anything?

They are scared of being in places where you don't find them. Clearly, those places don't include your house.

Maybe the quickest solutions would be first kill your granny, and then fumigate the house :devil:

But grannies can be nearly as hard to kill as roaches.
 
  • #10
Burn them with a blowtorch!
 
  • #11
Clean the whole house. Use sprayers around the wet/humid areas where cockroaches are active at night. Sometimes I wake up at midnight for WC, I step on one fellow inadvertently and think it is just his lucky day to end his life too soon
 
  • #12
They've become less scared of me. They don't run unless I pick up something to hit them with and they seem more resistant to bug spray. Evolutions a B!t*#
 
  • #14
Superposed_Cat said:
Hello, I have a mortal fear of cockroaches and they are everywhere but I can't fumigate because my gran doesn't want to. So what is the best way to kill/repel cockroaches? Thanks.

I have recent experience in this matter: I just finished renovating my bathroom and had the pest before I did the work. I found several holes in the wall plates (2x4 on the floors) that plumbers had drilled for piping. I sealed up all the holes and no longer see them in my home. Also, as mentioned above, keep your home, kitchen especially, very clean and seal up everything so they have no food. If your home is elevated, go underneath it if you can do so safely, and look for piping entering the floor or look for any holes and seal them up.
 
  • #15
My cat DESTROYS roaches.
 
  • #16
Whoooa... You have an epic cat. Mine attacks dogs and walks with lynxs (once)(you get them were I live) but does nothing to help me. He eats vegatables, what kind of a cat is that?
 
  • #17
Superposed_Cat said:
Whoooa... You have an epic cat. Mine attacks dogs and walks with lynxs (once)(you get them were I live) but does nothing to help me. He eats vegatables, what kind of a cat is that?

A vegan
 
  • #18
Winter is coming. Do you live in a climate where the temperature drops well below freezing at night, say to -6C (21F) or lower? If so, shut off the water and heat and take a trip somewhere. Three or four nights at those temperatures might do the job. (It's up to you whether you take your grannie with you or leave her there.)

http://www.roachfood.com/roach-faq.html
 
  • #19
SW VandeCarr said:
Winter is coming

Not in the Southern Hemisphere, unfortunately. (Where the OP is)
 
  • #20
Right you are V-50. Lethargy runs amok as temperatures average 27 Celsius.
 
  • #21
Superposed_Cat said:
Right you are V-50. Lethargy runs amok as temperatures average 27 Celsius.

Too bad. 90% of the world's population live in the Northern Hemisphere, but YOU have to be different! Well, maybe my advice will help someone.
 
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  • #22
I'm not happy about it either. If I get raped and killed here there is only an 11% chance of my murderer being caught.
 
  • #23
Superposed_Cat said:
Hello, I have a mortal fear of cockroaches and they are everywhere but I can't fumigate because my gran doesn't want to. So what is the best way to kill/repel cockroaches? Thanks.

Eat them, they are good source of protein.
 
  • #24
Assuming that all animals were the same size cockroaches would be the fastest animal. (or so I hear)
 
  • #25
Borax, though I'm not entirely sure of how safe it is for other animals. I have roaches in my apartment myself.

They spray once per month
I meticulously clean all surfaces
no standing water, no food left out
borax sprinkled along every baseboard and stuffed into every nook and cranny

I'm sure I still have thousands, somewhere. But this has made it so I only see one or two every few weeks.
 
  • #26
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My house is full of house centipedes. I don't recall ever seeing a cockroach in my home.
 
  • #27
How the hell did a centipede catch a cockroach?
 
  • #28
Superposed_Cat said:
How the hell did a centipede catch a cockroach?

House centipedes are very fast, venomous, and possesses prehensile feet. The centipede in the picture is using one of said feet to grab the roach's leg.
 
  • #29
It's a good picture.
 

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