# Roach question: out of ideas, help please!



## TravelDoorsOut (Jun 17, 2017)

hey all! 

My wife and I just moved to North Carolina from Chicago. In Chicago, we never had any issues with bugs/pests and the biggest thing I had to deal with was an ant. Now that we are in the south, everything changed. When we moved in, we found one water bug in our house, and even though it was dead it was enough for me to get an exterminator service. They came in and sprayed the the whole the house with a 5feet perimeter and they sprayed all the baseboards and every corner of the house... 36 hours later, there was a water bug waltzing through the living room and 10min later I killed a spider in the den. I called the pest company and they re-sprayed the whole house with a very liberal amount and said that this should last for 3 months, this is one of the most they have sprayed on a house, and any pest will die that touches it. 

2 days later, there is a water bug sitting on my step, perfectly alive, and then it ran over over the area that they sprayed and off into the darkness. 

My wife and I HATE bugs, the only thing that is stopping us from enjoying our new home and adventure is the bugs, specifically water bugs. Can you guys please help with solutions, products, any other ideas? 

Thank you so much for your help.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

A pet bullfrog?

ED


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Welcome to the South. Roaches are the oldest and most hardy bugs on earth. They will, for the most part, shed off sprays as they adapt to their environment. Behind your refrigerator stove, under the dishwasher dust the area with 20 Mule Team Borax. Roaches can't stand borax. It won't kill them, but will run them off. Then your neighbor will have to deal with them. Also, any food product left exposed is just a harboring place for bugs like roaches. Seal everything up and be meticulous with crumbs and cleaning. They'll leave.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I used to live in fla and roaches were part of life :vs_OMG:

As Larry said the cleaner you keep the house the better. I always sprayed for roaches every month and normally the only ones I ever saw were in the process of dying :smile: Most of the extermintor contracts called for a monthly treatment and most would come back earlier [for no extra charge] to respray if needed. That was 25+ yrs ago so maybe improvements have been made where they don't need to do it monthly ??


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## TravelDoorsOut (Jun 17, 2017)

Thanks for your reply. We have a clean house and keep everything tidy and closed, no food on the tables. I assume because of that we don't have problems with the little one (thank god). However, the big ones are still on the property, right around the doors and windows that were sprayed. Like I said, there was 2 of them on the wall by my backdoor that was just sprayed twice. Its suppose to last for 3 months, but it took them 2 days to come back. 

Should i start spraying myself? Borax? Any other ideas how to get rid of waterbugs/palmetto/roaches, w/e you want to call them.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

We have large kind of roaches in Nevada.... don't know exactly what type.... but using Bayer/Ortho/Spectracide sprays knocks them right down.

I do find some dead now and then by entrys/garage doors.... but I think that's because that's where the spray is.... and where you can see them dead on the sidewalk/driveway.

We don't get any inside.

I don't know the veracity of this, but I've been told to rotate the above three sprays every so often.


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## tstex (Nov 14, 2014)

If you just moved in to your place [assuming someone else lived there before you], then they could have left many food sources so you are still fighting a previous battle too.

Most pest need 2 things: food and shelter. If you have a lot of things stored around your house or in your garage that provided cover/shelter for them, there's the home part. Remove anything that you can. Spray heavily in the areas that have to stay there [wood piles, ie]. Spray inside your garage and extra around all the thresholds of doors and garage doors, windows, etc.

FInally, this is a process. Most sprays need to be consumed [licked] by insect, then the dying process starts after ingestion. Also, extreme weather conditions can force insects and other into your house: droughts, extreme heat or cold, etc. Make sure anything you have in, around your house, garage or yards are cleaned up and then sprayed. If you have neighbors that contribute to the roach populations growth and expansion, it's a tough battle. 

The main things are:
-clean all your areas food and clutter free
-spray around all thresholds and areas in the house that have water [plumbing areas, kitchen, bathrooms, attics w AC units, etc
-be vigilant and you will eventually start to win the battle. 

remember, bugs can walk right thru the wet spray and not die. the majority are not contact killers, but ingestion killers. Once ingested, it a slow but steady process to kill them. Once you start seeing dead roaches, then less dead roaches, you have made the turn...good luck


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

I do not have roaches but I do have crickets and the rare occassional stink bug.

I spray around the perimeter of my house as well as around every door and window with Ortho Home Defense. It has worked pretty well.

chandler suggestion of borax is a good idea as is keeping food sealed.

Additionally make sure your doors, windows and screens have good seals on them and they are kept closed.


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## RRH (Nov 24, 2016)

A good place is Doitmyown pest control on the web

Best to try a few different products. But not on top of each other
Adivon Gel 
Combat large roach traps seems good for the large palmetto bugs in south.
Delta Dust or a recommened spray


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## RRH (Nov 24, 2016)

Also keep in mind the bug carries the stuff back to the nest. Other bugs eat the dead ones and that is how they work

All this not as hard as you think but will not work overnight


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## Tizzer (Jul 24, 2010)

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/demon-wp-insecticide-p-74.html


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

You need to do a sweep of your home to find places they can get in. Roaches can cruise through a crack 1/16" or less. Check that windows close all the way. Check that exterior doors are meeting the gaskets on three sides and sweeping the threshold on the bottom. The thresholds may be adjustable. Make sure no trees are touching your home or hanging over it. Walk the outside perimeter and inspect the crack where the house meets the foundation. Same in the basement or crawl space. 

Inspect the eave vents for too-big openings. From in the attic look for openings to the outside, and easy paths from the attic down into the house. Make sure that openings in the roof or gables for ventilation are screened.

Inspect around all smaller openings to the outside like dryer vents, and electrical input. Inspect garage doors for a halfway decent seal. Make sure there's a chimney screen in place so they can't come down the chimney.

To be blunt, the previous owners might have been slobs. The roaches may still be feeding on their food. Clean thoroughly. Get a cheap USB camera off the internet to look into places you can't get at. Remove the panel from the front/bottom of the dishwasher and clean under it. Clean under/behind stove and refrig, under kitchen sink. Take the top off the stove and clean, and the bottom panel in the oven. They also need water, so watch for drips from pipes and drains or appliances.

Get some roach tablets, and put everywhere you ever see a bug, assuming no kids or pets to eat them.


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## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

These are outdoor roaches which are very different from indoor roaches. 

The indoor roaches are German, and Brown Banded. The indoor roaches eat sugars and carbs. This is why indoor roaches infest kitchens.

Outdoor roaches are American Roaches and Oriental roaches. This type of roach eats decaying organic matter. They also need a lot of moisture content to survive. Although you will find them outdoors under rocks and other hiding places they love dark moist places like storm drains, sewers and boxes that hold water control valves. 

Controlling outdoor roaches isn't difficult. Treat around bushes and planter boxes. Search for areas with high moisture like water boxes. If you do locate a sewer or storm drains, try and exclude them. Tape over openings to prevent them from coming out at night. The granular baits also work very well. Organic baits made from boron (Nuban, Mother earth Granular Bait) work well and people like that they are organic. Other granular baits that use a synthetic bait work well to (Advion granular bait, Maxforce Granular).


As a side note: Outdoor roaches will die when they find their way into a home. They are creepy and ugly, but they will never infest your kitchen like indoor roaches.

Out of curiosity, Does the original poster know what product was used around their home?


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