Day 82: Cockroaches

Recently we have spotted a few roaches lurking around our apartment -yuck! Cockroaches have been fabled to be the only creature capable of surviving a nuclear blast, which the above mythbusters video disproves. However, they are still pretty hardy creatures and a common problem in older urban homes.

Cockroaches can spread diseases, and, well, are pretty gross! They eat practically anything, including particle board which is often treated with formaldehyde, attesting to their hardy nature. It is best to deal with them right away if you sight them, which lead me to research some green tips for dealing with roaches.

Some of the more traditional methods for dealing with cockroaches include:

Indoxocarb - developed by Dupont, indoxocarb is toxic to mammals, birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. It has a half life ranging from 3 to 693 days.

Hydramethylnon - highly to very highly toxic to fish in laboratory studies and has a half-life of  10 to 11 days in an aquatic environment

Fipronil -  highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. Toxic to bees. Half-life of 20 to 200+ days.

Well, what are the green alternatives?

First off, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some things you can do to avoid  roaches in the first place:

- Clean up thoroughly after food preparation and don't leave used dishes out overnight

- Wash your pet's food bowl as soon as possible after feeding

- Reduce shelter for cockroaches

- Plug up points of entry from outside using sealants or mesh

- Get rid of materials brought in from outside that may harbor cockroach eggs as soon as possible; particularly where those items have come from food sources; e.g. supermarkets

- Dry out damp areas inside your house such as under sinks - something as simple as baking soda can assist with this.

Have 'em? Well here are some things you can do:

 -Combine 1 part borax, 2 parts flour and 1/2 part icing sugar, then add water and mix into a dough. Place in areas where cockroaches frequent, but out of reach of pets and children.

- A small container of water with a teaspoon of oil can attract cockroaches. They'll climb in and be unable to get out and will drown (eventually)

- A variation on the above - take a small jar and spread oil around the inside of it, place bait in the jar such as a small piece of sweet fruit; set it upright in roach territory - again, they'll be able to get in, but not out.

- Sprinkle borax powder where roaches are active. It will collect on their bodies, be licked off and then kill them. Again, keep out of reach of pets and children.

- Fill shallow trays of icing sugar mixed with plaster of paris - they eat it and it sets in their stomachs

- Sticky flypaper type traps can be a good non-toxic alternative to any chemicals

Hopefully this is the last we will see of our uninvited guests!

Do you have any pest control suggestions?