# Cockroaches outside



## dc4nomore

Ok, we moved into our house about a year and a half ago and the cockroaches were everywhere. We've been paying Orkin every few months to come out since and haven't had any more problems...INSIDE. 

Outside, however, is a completely different story. At night, just in the short walk from my front door out to a car parked on the street, you will see dozens, if not hundreds, of large dirty cockroaches scurrying about the sidewalks and street. There is no avoiding them...they are everywhere. My girlfriend is terrified to go outside at night and is worried that they will come back inside. What can I do about this? Is this something I should take up with the city/sewer district?

Thanks!
-Dave


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## Leah Frances

Dude, and keep in mind that I'm a chick, you've got to be kidding. 

I am totally in agreement that roaches should not be in the house - ICKY. But, where exactly does she think roaches live? Outer space? Your own classification of roaches as "Dirty" makes me wonder... What exactly do you, or she think could be done by the city sewer/water? Erect a forcefield to keep them out of the area around your house?


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## dc4nomore

Leah Frances said:


> Dude, and keep in mind that I'm a chick, you've got to be kidding.
> 
> I am totally in agreement that roaches should not be in the house - ICKY. But, where exactly does she think roaches live? Outer space? Your own classification of roaches as "Dirty" makes me wonder... What exactly do you, or she think could be done by the city sewer/water? Erect a forcefield to keep them out of the area around your house?


Well it just makes me think that there is some sort of a sanitation issue on my street considering the fact that I have lived in some seriously filthy parts of my town (Cincinnati) and yet I've never witnessed the numbers of them as I have here.

I mean of course the sewers are going to be infested, but the city should do something to make sure they don't come out of the sewers and onto the street. Hell I don't know, I'm just looking for a little help here...I don't like the fact that I can't go outside at night without having to jump around trying to avoid stepping on one of the critters, and then tracking their dead bodies and possibly eggs inside the house.

And if you don't think roaches are "dirty," then you seriously need to google that topic. There is a reason why businesses, by law, must not have them...because they carry diseases and are absolutely disgusting.


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## gma2rjc

They're in your yard and driveway? Definitely call the city. Call whoever you can to get it taken care of. Did you ask the Orkin guy if he has any suggestions?


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## Rehabber

Boric acid is a low toxic powder that roaches will pick up with their legs and take back to their 'nest'. It will get into their food supply and kill them all. Sprinkle a little wherever they seem to congregate, and keep at it for a few weeks. They will disappear. Powdered boric acid is available at any drugstore. (no prescription needed) :gun_bandana:


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## dc4nomore

gma2rjc said:


> They're in your yard and driveway? Definitely call the city. Call whoever you can to get it taken care of. Did you ask the Orkin guy if he has any suggestions?


I can't really see them in the yard at night because of the grass, but I'm sure they're there.  I see them everywhere on the sidewalks and street. And I've mentioned it to the Orkin guy numerous times but he never really has anything to say about it...



Rehabber said:


> Boric acid is a low toxic powder that roaches will pick up with their legs and take back to their 'nest'. It will get into their food supply and kill them all. Sprinkle a little wherever they seem to congregate, and keep at it for a few weeks. They will disappear. Powdered boric acid is available at any drugstore. (no prescription needed) :gun_bandana:


Ahh I've heard of that stuff but I never knew where to get it...I'll stop by Walgreen's tonight and pick some up. I suppose I would need to reapply that almost daily and certainly after it rains, correct?

Thanks for the idea :thumbsup:


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## Rehabber

The Orkin guy doesn't want to killem outside, cause then he won't have to spray inside and he loses another cash cow. :icon_cheesygrin:


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## dc4nomore

Rehabber said:


> The Orkin guy doesn't want to killem outside, cause then he won't have to spray inside and he loses another cash cow. :icon_cheesygrin:


Any confirmation on whether I'd have to reapply the boric acid daily and/or after it rains?


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## Rehabber

Reapply every couple of days, and after it rains:yes:


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## dc4nomore

Rehabber said:


> Reapply every couple of days, and after it rains:yes:


Alrighty...will do. And yeah I think you're right about the Orkin guy...

Thanks again:thumbup:


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## gma2rjc

Let us know how it works out for you. 

Holy cow, I'm not afraid of bugs (except for june bugs) but I'm not sure I'd come home again if I had to walk on cockroaches to get in or out of the house. Your girlfriend is a brave gal.

It's nice that you're working so hard to take care of the problem. Keep up the good work. 

The boric acid is a great idea. Do you think your neighbors would be willing to use it on their property too? 

Good luck.


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## dc4nomore

Ok, so I got some powdered boric acid at Walgreens for $4 a bottle (I got two). And at around midnight I had a pretty good time shooting the white powder onto the little fellas. I know it's meant to put in corners and in high travel areas, but since I had the opportunity, I dumped it directly on every single one I could find. I went all over my front yard and steet/sidewalk area and even got a little carried away and followed them a few houses down on either side of me...there are little white blotches all over the place. I tried to use it as sparingly as possible but the little applicator bottle was a pain...sometimes it wouldn't come out at all, others it would just dump it out. But from what I've read online, it would take a substantial amount (much more than I bought, let alone put out) to harm any pets or children who may come across the white spots I've left all over...



gma2rjc said:


> The boric acid is a great idea. Do you think your neighbors would be willing to use it on their property too?


I'm not sure, but it would certainly benefit my cause if I could treat their areas as well. Both of my neighbors are elderly, so I wouldn't mind treating their front yards for them. I'll talk to them when I get a chance. I already covered their sidewalks and street areas when I got a little carried away earlier...


:thumbup: Thanks Rehabber and gma2rjc! :thumbup:


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## gma2rjc

That's great. I had to laugh as I was reading your post. I was picturing the movie 'Arachnophobia', when John Goodman was walking around spraying the spiders on the ground.


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## Rehabber

Hey DC, let us know how lomg it takes before the roaches disappear. Took min about 3 weeks. (that was about 20 years ago, never came back) :thumbup1:


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## dc4nomore

Rehabber said:


> Hey DC, let us know how lomg it takes before the roaches disappear. Took min about 3 weeks. (that was about 20 years ago, never came back) :thumbup1:


Alright. I'll keep putting the stuff out every couple days or so. I'll let you know when I don't see them anymore...hopefully it will be soon.


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## compavalanche

*So did it work?*

I'm moving into a new house this month. Was over there today and saw 10-20 roaches in the driveway cracks as I was hosing down the driveway.

I was thinking of just buying the raid outdoor roach killer and spraying. But if the boric acid worked well I'll give that a shot.

--
Chris


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## Thurman

This made me think of what my Dad used to do. He used a sprayer made for spraying powdered material, I believe it was a "Black Flag" brand. You put the powder material in a canister in the front, and used the plunger to spray the powder. IF I wanted to find one nowdays I would guess a real hardware store. Thanks, David


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## dc4nomore

compavalanche said:


> So did it work?


I'm not sure yet. I only put it out that first night, and it's been raining or at least wet ever since. I have to wait until it's dry before I put it out again. I'm guessing that this will take a couple weeks before I don't see any outside, but I'm confident it will work.



Thurman said:


> This made me think of what my Dad used to do. He used a sprayer made for spraying powdered material.


Ahh that's a good idea. I'm going to check my local hardware store to see if they have anything like that, because trying to squirt the powder out of the bottle that the boric acid came in can be difficult and very inconsistent.


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## dc4nomore

*Update*

Ok for all who were interested...let me just say that this stuff works!

With rain and my busy schedule, I actually only put out the boric acid that one initial night. In that night, I probably dumped the boric acid directly on 75 to 100 roaches. So in theory, every one of them would die, as well as any other roach that touched them.

Well I went out the other night to put out some more acid, and they were nowhere to be found. I REALLY had to search for them, and was able to find maybe 5. So I doused them and went inside. 

From hundreds to a handful in week or so, I think it's safe to say that this stuff does it's job. Double thumbs up to the guy who recommended it! :thumbsup:


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## gma2rjc

Yay! That's great. I'll bet your girlfriend is happy too. 

Did you happen to look around in your neighbors yards? I'm just curious if it took care of their problem too.


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## dc4nomore

gma2rjc said:


> Yay! That's great. I'll bet your girlfriend is happy too.
> 
> Did you happen to look around in your neighbors yards? I'm just curious if it took care of their problem too.


I checked the areas that I initially applied the stuff (front sidewalk and street area in front of my house and a house or two on either side of me), and they were wiped out. There were a few, but their numbers have DEFINITELY gone down at least in the areas I checked.

And yes, the girlfriend is happy. :thumbup:


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## Rehabber

Boric acid is available at any drugstore without a prescription. It has a very low toxicicity level to pets and humans.


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## Jacques

glad your B.americanas population is down. had the same problem. totaly freaky on hot summer nights. Terminix solved inside population but outside was massive. called the city-large 8'[?] sewer line runs down middle of street. they flushed it and end of problem. they're still around, but very few...boric acid has to be picked up under their bodies-sufacates them- little is better. if you do a search there's alot of good sciencetific info.


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## dc4nomore

anna38 said:


> Where do you get the boric acid from? Is it dangerous to humans and animals? Sounds alot cheaper than getting a professional company.


I got mine at Walgreens, for $4 a bottle. It is in the "bugspray" section.


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## dc4nomore

They're back!

I haven't really been outside late at night lately, nor have I really been looking for the roaches, but I made a thorough sweep tonight and they are definitely back. I sprayed some more boric acid on them, of course, and probably nailed 2 to 3 dozen.

Now they are definitely in smaller numbers than before (there were probably at least a hundred out at any given time before), but they are still here. So it looks like I'm going to have to continue monitoring the situation and hope things get better.

Just an FYI for those who were originally following this post...


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## gma2rjc

Thanks for the update. 

For the price, it's worth checking up on those little stinkers once in a while. Even if you have to go out with the boric acid a few more times throughout the summer, it's still cheaper and much more effective than hiring someone else to do it. 

I'm sure your neighbors appreciate it too.


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## dc4nomore

gma2rjc said:


> Thanks for the update.
> 
> For the price, it's worth checking up on those little stinkers once in a while. Even if you have to go out with the boric acid a few more times throughout the summer, it's still cheaper and much more effective than hiring someone else to do it.
> 
> I'm sure your neighbors appreciate it too.


I agree 100%. Now if only I could convince my girlfriend to let me try this stuff inside the house as well, then maybe I could save the $100 quarterly Orkin bill!

Eh, I doubt the neighbors even noticed actually. My nearest neighbors are both elderly and are never out at night. I'd imagine they have them inside their houses but maybe they are used to them and just don't care/don't think anything can be done?


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## gma2rjc

I saw a diy show one time (Holmes on Homes, I think). They were talking about some insulation in the walls in a new house. The insulation was made of blue jean fabric. 

They said bugs won't bother it because there was so much boric acid in it. 

The guy also said that boric acid is the same stuff doctor's put in a newborn baby's eyes after they're born. Although, probably at a much much lower strength than what's used for roaches, of course.

The reason I'm mentioning this is that if it's used in a newborn baby's eyes, it's most likely safe to use inside the house. 

The label would probably tell.


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## dc4nomore

gma2rjc said:


> I saw a diy show one time (Holmes on Homes, I think). They were talking about some insulation in the walls in a new house. The insulation was made of blue jean fabric.
> 
> They said bugs won't bother it because there was so much boric acid in it.
> 
> The guy also said that boric acid is the same stuff doctor's put in a newborn baby's eyes after they're born. Although, probably at a much much lower strength than what's used for roaches, of course.
> 
> The reason I'm mentioning this is that if it's used in a newborn baby's eyes, it's most likely safe to use inside the house.
> 
> The label would probably tell.


She doesn't not want me to use it in the house because she's concerned about safety. She is concerned about the roaches, period. And she doesn't believe that the acid will work as well as Orkin, and isn't even willing to let me try. 

I'll just call the guy and tell him we don't need him anymore, and try my luck with the acid. As long as she doesn't see a roach, she won't even notice. :wink:


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## Suzuki91vx800

dont you have to sign a contract with orkin? I called them once for a bee problem in my siding and they said the word contract and I hung the phone up waited till dusk and armed myself with a couple cans of raid.. then called a local pest control co that actually wants to fix the problem not drag it out.
we used the boric acid when I worked for rent a center,and some liquid called steri fab for the furniture and beds and stuff like that, the steri fab dont actually kill them but they hate it and will chase the out of stuff and dround in it if you soak'em smells like rubbing acohol.the boric acid works really well on them


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## dc4nomore

Suzuki91vx800 said:


> dont you have to sign a contract with orkin?


Yes, you usually have to sign a one-year contract. But we have been using them for over a year and are now on a month-to-month basis.


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## justcookin2

*Killing the cockroaches*

We stumbled across this a few weeks ago. My husband was out deep watering the plants and after a few minutes of the water running down into the plant, the ground just started to come alive with cockroaches. It seems that they like to be underground in a nice dark, moist shady space. This seems to be true in Arizona anyway. Well we ran to the store and purchased bug spray. The next weekend, armed with bug spray, we layed the hose down and started watering. As the cockroaches came flying out of their happy little home, we got em! It even drove the babies out. Now that I have read about the boric acid, I think I will powder the ground and start watering! If the Orkin guy cant kill them, I will find a way! I think if we do this every weekend for awhile we may get the upperhand! We are already fewer then before. Lets hope it works.


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## heart08

Dave, cockroaches are sign that your community is dirty and needs a massive clean-up action(you said hundreds of cockroaches so that is very alarming). There are pest control companies that cater to such needs and its up to your mayor(or some concerned official) to do something about it. Nasty creatures cockroaches are...


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## justcookin2

*Cockroach attack*

The cockroaches are in our own backyard and yes we do have a pest control company on a regular basis. In fact he was here last Friday and was so shocked at the outbreak that he didnt even charge us for this visit. We live in a very nice area, not a dirty place as you might think and thank goodness they havent made it inside the house! Will keep you posted, meanwhile we are finding more and more dead outside every morning.


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## JuiceRW

DC, 

I just stumbled across this page searching about cockroaches outside. I also live in Cincinnati and was wondering what part of the city you live in with the problem, and also does it still exist?


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## dc4nomore

JuiceRW said:


> DC,
> 
> I just stumbled across this page searching about cockroaches outside. I also live in Cincinnati and was wondering what part of the city you live in with the problem, and also does it still exist?


I live in Madison Place (in between Madisonville and Mariemont).

We haven't paid Orkin for about 2 years now, and have managed to keep them out of the house (for the most part). I still see a sucker in the basement or garage from time to time at night, but nothing major.

They are still outside. They're not as bad as they originally were, but have been growing in numbers and annoyance these last few weeks. I haven't put out any boric this year at all, but perhaps I will soon. This problem is also local to my section of the street. They don't seem to be more than a few houses away. I walked out late at night once last summer right as they were all coming out, and there were a few dozen all around what appeared to be a hole in the middle of my neighbors front yard. I tried looking for that hole a few days ago to see if it could be sealed up or what not, but I couldn't find it again.


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## creeper

isnt boric acid the main ingrediant in Borax-the hundred mule team. Laundry soap. Its also great for killing creeping charlie in the lawn, but be careful-too much and you will kill the grass as well. Ants too. mix equal parts with sugar and the ants wil take their delicous meal to the queen.

As far as safety goes....no problem for inside use. Sprinkle some on a stale carpet, let sit for awhile to absorb odours, then vacuum


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## user1007

Boron is/was the ingredient in 20 mule team laundry additives. It is a natural mineral and will not, unless unusually heaped and eaten by pets or children with no alternatives, hurt anything mammal. Added to laundry the mineral would literally polish clothes with its glass like abrasive qualities. 

Indeed, carefully used, is one of the few things that will kill creeping Charlie. It is banned for such herbicidal use in many States because fools do not follow directions. Too much introduced to the environment can render soil sterile for a long time so do not lay mounds of it around where you found these cockroach nests. 

If I do a renovation and the walls are open? I add boron automatically as a spray suspension or even as powder before sealing the walls.

While not toxic to but a few plant species, insects get it in their feelers and whatever you call their feet. It is like strapping razor blades or glass shards to them. It doesn't poison them, it cuts them apart as they try to move around. They drag it back to the nest and entire populations are torn apart faster than any Chinese martial arts film you have ever seen. 

You as a consumer, have limited access to pesticides that work. And no offense but the instructions on the bottles are intended for your non less is more thinking. 

If you must invest in one for cockroaches in particular, buy the age old, huge bottle of powder that comes in a yellow bottle for $10. It is Boron. The rest is a total waste of money. Another option is to buy a bag of swimming pool diatamaceous (sp?). Works the same way. 

But do yourself a favor. Shop around and find a pest control pro you can trust and that will work with you. It doesn't have to be a chain person and perhaps should not be. You will spend much less on a pro that is licensed to get and use stuff you cannot than trying to do this yourself. I mean come on, a spray bottle of worthless Ortho or whatever is like $30? 

Pest control is not a DIY proposition. As EPA controls tighten, fools will be buying not much more than water in pretty packaging soon.


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## courtneykroeger

*roaches outside*

Hey. I just moved into a house were the inside I have seen a minimal amount.
As for the backyard everywhere you walk you see them crawl from under your feet. They seem to
Be only in the backyard. I'm not sure about my neighbors place but I don't
Doubt it. I'm going to fry the boric acid and see what happens. My only real concern is that
I don't want them to come into the house. Did they ever come into yours to get away
From the stuff? Anyways hopes this works.


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## creeper

Be careful, it will kill your grass too


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## user1007

Insects have such a bad reputation. There are many more of them than us so we should get along better. And like it or not, they are more significant to this planet than we tall Apes are. And they are really no creepy than most of us prove to be at times. 

I lived in Cincinnati. If the cockroaches were outside I left them alone. I figured they were eating something one of the Flying Pigs or Proctor and Gamble or Chiquita perky bow or tie people dropped on the ground, or were never of the type that would come indoors anyhow. I figured they might be serving some purpose I did not fully understand.

This is a rekindled thread but I say again, I always had contracted independent pest control people at beckon call. They were so much cheaper than buying worthless consumer pesticides. And they are licensed to get stuff, and use it properly, that us simple mortals cannot.

There is something magical about watching a pest control person dot bait and insectiside on kitchen cabinet hinges as preventive method for dealing with ants and roaches pre-problem at all. There is not even room for pictures of bugs on the tiny containers they use like on the side of a gallon of Ortho whatever for consumers (read the water content someday, by the way and realize the sprays you buy are mainly H2O).


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## chrisdo987

Boric acid works well as long as there is no water. Boric acid does not work when it's wet.


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