Help ! I've Got Cockroaches !

[Lurker Beast]

Originally Posted by canucksailor

Do roaches infest RVs?

As an RVer....HOLY CRAP YES. I haven't had a problem with them yet but have a feeling I will now (sonic-type bug repellent stayed plugged in until it fell off the counter and went CRUNCH).

Ants will go after your toothpaste rather than sugar, too. :-\

[sarafina]

won't put the nasty chemicals in any place I plan to live, like say, mother earth... but fossil flour (Diatomaceous earth) and boric acid both do the trick in a non toxic way.

And really, as yucky as they are they seem to not actually hurt anything. better than weevils in my book...

fossil flour is good for fleas and ticks as well, right on the pet and it's bedding. It comes food grade. we all eat it often. it won't hurt anything.

[bristol29]

Hi
Ive managed apt buildings with pharoh ants, we mixed boric acid with cat food and left it out on tin foil or injected into straws that we cut into pieces about one inch long to distributed in cracks and holes, the ants collect the food and return to the colony and they feed on it . it did the job. I understand the boric acid affects their nervous system. good luck, i'm not sure about the dog though, i would not let him eat it

[Fast Forward]

Whilst cruising in the Caribbean we too discovered those dreaded little critters on board late one evening.... a friend recommended we purchase a man-sized syringe of MAXFORCE from the agricultural store in Grenada... and it worked a treat!!! Within a few days they were all gone. What you do is you squirt a tiny blob of the teak coloured gel into all the corners around the boat, it does dry, but that does not mean it's not working. We've give away many a tub full to fellow cruisers with roach issues, and they all raved about it too.

Unfortunately we've not seen this stuff anywhere else, but have seen a similar product in a big syringe sold in supermarkets (not sure exactly how effective it is as the ingredients are slghtly different)... but it's worth a shot (!!) if you can find it.

** we've been told to mix the boric acid with condensed milk

** we strive to be a cardboard-free boat, and never even bring cereal boxes down below anymore...

GOOD LUCK!

[Fast Forward]

have just found this very informative "do it yourself" how to get rid of roaches website: How to Get Rid of Roaches - wikiHow

[hellosailor]

"how to get rid of roaches "
First, buy a gecko lizard. (G)

[Martinini]

As I said and Fast Foward discovered, baits are the safest most effective way to go. ingredients vary, but most except boric acid are effective. The ingredient Avermectin is quite effective.

[zeehag]

i own a kat--when the invaders come in from docking at strange docks or on your foodstuffs or from cardboard, wherein they grow, i use the only thing that works--remember these critters survive on candle wax!!! i use goood bug spray and leave the boat for a few days with kat....goood luck and have fun killing them--th eboat on which i was cruising for a yr had them when i first got there---they responded to nothing---boric acid-bait traps--we tried everything-----nothing worked--i had to spray the boat 2 times and then we had success...every time i go to strange dockage, i spray the lines and the docks. if not--ye get roaches. good luck and happy roach killing.

[VirtualVagabond]

Hi i need help, does anyone know where to buy Boric Acid in Australia.

[paradix]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Hi i need help, does anyone know where to buy Boric Acid in Australia.

Boric Acid Powder - Antibacterial - Cleaning - Washing - eBay, Pest Control, Home. (end time 09-Jun-10 18:44:15 AEST)

[unbusted67]

I remember reading somewhere that when a ship would get an infestation they would close all of the hatches and set a bunch wet branches smoldering in an empty hold. They would suffocate all of the the rats and roaches.

[hellosailor]

$12 for 50 grams would be frightfully expensive in the US, regardless of currency conversions. Last time I looked it was something like $2-3 US for a half or 3/4 liter bottle, in the grade used for roaches. (i.e. probbaly not pharmaceutical grade but industrial.)

I'd suggest a pharmacist or druggist, whatever you call them over there. If they don't have it, they are likely to know what type of store does carry it. Here in the US many groceries also carry it in the insecticide section. Also some of the hardware stores, again in the pesticides.

(Not to be confused with "borax" which is used in laundering.)

[E-P]

I tend to not worry about them too much. The best (organic) weapon for killing cockroaches is sandal May girlfriend tends to freak out about them a lot though so we do have some spray to kill them as well when we see them.

On the other hand I don't really need to worry about it that much as I am not living aboard and being in tropics it is pretty difficult to avoid them.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by Pblais

After you get rid of them and clean then you need to deal with how they get aboard and the ways to prevent them. Could be worse - could be rats!

You jest - but for years our garden cats have done nothing about the roaches except leave the odd legless one in our shoes. The last few months, however, there was a drastic drop in the numbers of roaches. And then yesterday, when we had a guest, the RAT came out to play when the dogs caught scent of it!!! OK, so we hardly ever see the rat, the roaches have gone, the dogs have something to chase (the cats just scratch their noses if they try) and all pressure is off the cats to chase anything. Win win.

[capt_douglas]

Roaches can be very difficult to remove so it's extremely important to do everything you can to prevent bringing them aboard. And that means no cardboard or anything the roaches can lay eggs in. Roaches can fly so it's important to keep the screens in at night (and most of the other times as well). One of the big reasons for being on the hook is that roaches can't fly that far but if you're at the dock they can get on board a number of ways.

Bug bombs are explosive and more than one sailboat's gone "boom".

Whether you use boric acid, roach motels, or bug bombs, you've got to get access to where the roaches live. I highly recommend removing drawers, cleaning every surface you can, checking every locker for any trace or roach or food they may be eating, and being ruthless. It's also important to know the difference between roach eggs and roach guano.

Borax is a wonderful insecticide, but insects avoid large piles of dust. It is best applied in a thin, almost invisible layer; try using a plastic condiment dispenser. Apply in affected areas, like under appliances and furniture, squirt in cracks and crevices, (particularly around cabinetry in the galley and head(s)), and dust the plumbing. Avoid moisture because it will cause clumping and minimize the effectiveness of the borax.

Most species of pest roaches love the glue on many brands of masking tape- I'm sure the more adventurous among you can find use for that tidbit of information.

Roach discs containing hydramethylnon can be broken into and made into lots of little pea sized baits and strategically placed. This is an expensive, though extremely effective option if you don't have access to other formulations of this
material.

Once you've got the drawers out, hatches and compartment covers off, and as much food and fabric you can get off the boat, you can set off a few bombs. Try placing the bombs in different locations and if you can get the poison in every nook and cranny you can. Plan ahead for your return. Bug killer is not good to breathe. It can take several hours to get the fumes out of the boat.

Check the boat carefully. There should be dead roaches if things went well. Make note of where they were found. Leaving the bomb residue in the lockers, sprinkle your favorite recipe of boric acid and ? and put it in corners and along edges. Insert some roach traps, put the boat back together and check the traps and areas for dead bodies.

If you were lucky, the number of roaches will be reduced but the eggs have a long life and are fairly resistant to poisons so you may have to do this a few times (or but a bunch of geckos, open the drawers and lockers, and go to a nice motel for the weekend.

You may have to do this eradication several times to get the infestation removed. Then make sure to never bring cardboard aboard again. If you use canvas shopping bags, I'd check the contents of the bag after emptying the contents; you never know. Several long term cruisers repackage everything into plastic bags at the dock and take the cardboard to the trash bin, to minimize the chances of a roach jumping aboard.