How do I get rid of Palmetto Bugs in my wooded apartment complex?

[Aero51]

Whats the best way to kill'em?
I live in a very wooded apartment complex and they come in at least once a day. It's annoying.

Personally, I'd like to chase them around with a blow torch, but that may cause property damage. I came across this website that had this interesting fact:
http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Palmetto_Bug.html

The adults can survive two or three months without food, but only about a month without water.

Scary!

I don't think an exterminator will come as I am in NC right now and they are ABUNDANT outside. You can hear them scurrying about when you step outside at night.

The sad thing is that the apartment is really wonderful except for these bugs.

 

[dipole]

Figure out where they're getting in and try to seal those spots up as best as you can.

 

[edward]

We even have them is AZ, but not to the extent you mention. I have used roach baits in the house. Sticky pads work good just inside and outside the doorway.

 

[turbo]

Have you tried laying down diatomatceous earth? That material can damage the the outer shells of bugs and desiccate them. If you have pets, this is the safest way to get rid of the bugs.

 

[edward]

Figure out where they're getting in and try to seal those spots up as best as you can.

That is for sure. I finally realized that they were climbing up the outside walls and squeezing in through small cracks where the roof structure meets the walls. Then they came down into the house through any crack they could find.

One place was around the pipes under the sinks where the pipes go through the wall.

 

[Aero51]

Have you tried laying down diatomatceous earth? That material can damage the the outer shells of bugs and desiccate them. If you have pets, this is the safest way to get rid of the bugs.

I did not know this. What is the best method for laying in down? Should it be just sprinkled around main entrances, put in the kitchen, etc?

I am really weary about doing anything to modify my apartment because I am a poor graduate student and cannot afford to be charged.

 

[turbo]

The "bug powder" is very cheap, and can be put anyplace that you think that bugs frequent. Some infestations can be cleared up quickly this way. Good luck.

 

[SteamKing]

Buddy, you ain't gots Palmetto bugs ... you gots roaches. You can stomp 'em, you can trap 'em, you can spray 'em, you can bait 'em, but you ain't never going to get rid of 'em until you move where they ain't. Dem roaches was there before you and they'll be there long after everybody forgot who you were.

 

[lisab]

Why or why do people live in places with pestilence?

Where I live there are few icky bugs, almost no unbearable humidity, the winters are (relatively) mild and the summers are beautiful. No tornadoes. Poisonous snakes are extremely rare, as are poisonous spiders. No hurricanes. No plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, wild animals, disease, boils, hail, or locusts.

OK, there is the occasional earthquake, but just ask the Kiwis here on PF - they aren't so bad! And yes we have volcanoes but at least they are kind enough to give warning they're about to go pyroclastic.

We do have lots of Canada geese, and our traffic can be bad. About once every ten years someone dies from rabies or hantavirus. I can live with those risks.

Sorry Aero I would not recognize a palmetto bug if it stopped me on the street to ask the time. But I do hand it to you: I think y'all who live with pestilence are probably tougher than us in the Northwest.

 

[Evo]

Aero, just buy some roach spray to spray around the doorways, windows, and any places around the foundation outside and any possible entry points. Also, you should spray inside around all such areas, especially baseboards and inside the cabinets under the sink. Also invest in some good quality roach baits.

I live facing a wooded ravine and regularly spraying by an exterminator means once or twice a year I find a dead or dying roach inside. Your landlord should be having an exterminator spaying regurlay (once or twice a year).

 

[Aero51]

Why or why do people live in places with pestilence?

Because people like you aren't willing to donate people like me money :)

Sorry Aero I would not recognize a palmetto bug if it stopped me on the street to ask the time. But I do hand it to you: I think y'all who live with pestilence are probably tougher than us in the Northwest.

It is a big arse bug (2-3 inches long)

 

[lisab]

Because people like you aren't willing to donate people like me money :)




It is a big arse bug (2-3 inches long)

I see.

That bug is repugnant. Humans should not live around such bugs, Aero.

What eats them? Maybe you need more of those.

Or do like Evo says.

 

[lisab]

Holy moly, North Carolina even calls itself "The Palmetto State"! OMG!

We're "The Evergreen State". I'm not saying we're better but...we're better.

Edit: South Carolina.

Po-TAY-to, Po-TAH-to.

 

[jtbell]

Holy moly, North Carolina even calls itself "The Palmetto State"! OMG!

Edit: South Carolina.

Thanks.

Down here, even houses in the best neighborhoods have a few roaches. Unless you want to fill your house with pesticides, you have to put up with them. We don't leave food out, we seal up leftovers and partially-used food tightly, we clean up spilled food in the kitchen and elsewhere, etc. We still see a roach or two almost every day.

 

[SteamKing]

Bronx Beetles, Philly Phlyers, Memphis Mosquitos, Miami Mayflies

 

[Lavabug]

Whats the best way to kill'em?

Fire, lots of it. But if burning your house down isn't an option, I've heard of an old method: mixing condensed milk with Boric acid (commonly sold as foot powder). Cannot vouch for it's efficacy myself.

 

[D H]

It is a big arse bug (2-3 inches long)

... that makes a most satisfying POP when stomped.

They're just visitors from the natural environment. Your house or apartment is chock full of ways for these little (well, not so little) visitors to come in, uninvited. They get into your attic and walls through the eaves, through the roof ventilation, through the weep holes. Then they get into your house through all kinds of gaps. There are gaps between the wallboard and ceiling or floor, gaps in the plumbing, gaps in the electrical wiring.

The thing to remember is that they are visitors from outside. So long as you keep your sink clean and your food well protected, your indoor environment is quite hostile to these pesky visitors. I'd rather put up with them to some extent than fill my house top to bottom with poison.

 

[Dale]

I would call in a professional exterminator. It is their job to figure that stuff out, and they would certainly know the local pests and have the tools for dealing with them.

PS You can definitely hire exterminators in NC. I know several.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Why do the pests that are most frequent in houses have to be the most disgusting freakin things on the planet? Why can't we have butterflies as pests? God I hate cockroaches. That's the one animal I WANT to go extinct.

 

[Astronuc]

I've found the best way to mitigate roaches is to keep the kitchen and pantry clean. Roaches are attracted to food particles.

I've seen large spiders eating roaches, but most people don't want large spiders in their house.