Cockroaches - What Do You Do ?

[felixqld66]

No this is not reopenning a thread on medicinal weed and what to do with the roaches when the coast guard or authorities find ya.....

I am keen to hear what people do for cockroaches on their boats the buggers have stowed away on mine and I am not happy.

Cheers

[smurphny]

When the boat has been vacant for a while, I use one or two of those fogging insecticide cans that you just pop and leave. Seems to get any critters that may be lurking. If this doesn't work, see my "termites" solution in the previous thread.

[savoir]

I use the bombs which have always been successful.

Put all your bedding in a garbage bag. Put all your fresh food inside something. Open all lockers. Close all ports. Lift enough floorboards to expose the bilge. Set off 2 bombs and go somewhere for the day.

[skipmac]

When you're off the boat spread boric acid around the cabinets, floors, etc. Much less toxic than a bomb.

Or you could keep a small hammer handy and take them out one by one.

[yacht_planb]

Mix Boric acid, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar until youn have a peanut butter consistency mixture. Spoon out onto wax paper or foil and allow it to dry overnight. THen place rhe small roach size cookied (1.5" in diam) out in the boat and say good bye to roaches, ants and all other sorts of bugs. This has never failed us, and we are in Miami so plenty of opportunity for testing. We call them Smurf turds because they end up being the same blue color as smurfs, and look like turds.... LOL But it really is super effective.

[sabray]

Get rid of and don't bring cardboard boxes on board. If it is really bad then bomb the boat. Then never bring cardboard packing inboard. My ideal lifestyle is to have to time to repack everything that comes on the boat reducing the insane packaging and waste involved. Does not happen that way in hectic reality.

[felixqld66]

Thanks posters I will give the less toxic options a start first and as for the hammer well getting them individually has been statisfying to a point but I must be being overcome by the buddhist influences of the locals and a less in your face method may be better.


...haha

[nes]

Boric acid power by itself in all the nooks and crannies. Won't mold or mildew, will kill the roaches, ants and other small insects. Does not need any special preparation, and you can blow the powder into all the little places. Great at home as well. I use a vacuum cleaner on the blow side to put the powder behind cabinets at home. No roaches anywhere.

[senormechanico]

We successfully ended the invasion using "Roach Motel" by Black Flag.
They get stuck, and the last thing a roach does is lay eggs.
The eggs hatch in the trap, get stuck and you've ended the cycle.
A nice side benefit is you can look in the end and see the little buggers trying to escape. DIE SUCKERS !!!

Roach Motel (insect trap) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[savoir]

Just a follow up on preventive measures.

Roaches are only there because you are giving them a free lunch. You have to isolate them from that lunch. They can easily munch through cellophane and paper packets and they can also chew through cardboard boxes. The trick is to store everything that comes in a soft wrapper in one of those plastic storage tubs you buy at Target. Maybe put all your spare packets of flour, sugar, pasta and rice in the one tub.

Last time I used a bomb the roaches were driving me crazy. I couldn't find their food source no matter where I looked. It turned out to be a packet of raisins. They had eaten through cellophane, cardboard and wax paper.

[SaucySailoress]

WOw - our lodger just did the boric acid thing a few days ago in our kitchen, with flour and milk... I can't believe it, the roaches have nearly gone...

[savoir]

Aw come on saucy, that aint true. Come clean.

It's because the the guy played Barry Manilow CDs all night, isn't it ? Roaches have feelings too you know.

[reiner]

We use Cockroach bites in the house and in the boat. Replace them every three month and I haven't seen any for ages. Here in the sub tropics they can be a real problem but the baits must work.
In the boat i see very tiny ants from time to time, we have to start a war on them.

[imagine2frolic]

I mix peanut butter, and boric acid. Place a wee bit in small ziplocks, and place them in corners, and rails where the little buggers like to travel........i2f

[MarkJ]

I've never had a problem with cardboard boxes. I keep them on board and use them till the supplies therein have out run...

The cockroach egg containers that the eggs hatch in are too large to get into the corregations and very easy to see at the bottom of the boxes.

I do give boxes a small squirt of Baygon. Small enough so I don't poison myself with goop on the can top.