Hey Roy,

Ted,

Back in 2015, after a Section 8 tenant vacated, she left me with a German cockroach infestation that was the worse I had ever seen. Of course, the kitchen was the worse and even the refrigerator had 100 cockroaches camped out inside feasting off whatever food was there.

I should have called in a pro to handle this but I decided to DIY after Deanna (TX) gave me the names of the pesticides she had used for cockroach control. Again, everything I know about killing cockroaches came from Deanna (TX). (Thanks again, Deanna)

1. Advion Cockroach (package of 4 syringes) - buy it at Amazon ($25.00). Use this for the initial knock-down (I killed 100 cockroaches the 1st night I used it). You will need multiple applications,..usually 5-7 days apart.

2. D-Fense (white milky liquid) Concentrated Pesticide (mix in gallon pump sprayer) and use this as a 'follow-up' to kill anything that Advion may have missed. Spray everything (baseboards, crevices, etc.) inside and outside the house with this stuff.

Again, these are powerful professional grade pesticides. I ONLY use them when a house is vacant. (If a tenant's dog or child were to taste this stuff, it could be bad news).

Just to add to Roy's excellent advice...

I paint/touch up paint between most tenancies. Because of that I have the outlet covers off. While they are off, I squirt a blob of roach gel into every outlet and switch. If I have some on hand, I also squirt some roach powder on the other side. A discreet little blob behind the appliances never hurts either.

Other preventative maintenance things I do (though somewhat sketchy) A mixture of antifreeze (the type w glycol) and Borax sprayed around the sill plate and bottom of foundation walls kills wood fungus and wood boring insects. (Poor mans termite control) I've done some test on an termite infested home, and it really does work. Of course I only do this with the home empty. (Smell) I got this tip from a wooden boat builders forum. I believe there is a commercial product called Bora-care that is a mixture of glycol and borax.

While you're in the crawlspace, throw out a few waterproof mouse poison blocks.

All items available at the box stores and auto zones.

Best of luck.

It's been a long time since I also saw the Wooden Boat Builders Forum.

A couple things to add for anyone that wants to make their own wood treatment:

"if you're going to use anti-freeze be sure to use the stuff that is made of Ethylene Glycol – not Propylene Glycol and not any other type of glycol.

Ethylene glycol is used with a borate salt (generally a sodium octoborate) to get a triple effect: the ethylene glycol will kill everything even the fungus spores but it will evaporate, the borate salt wich is a non-volatile mineral will remain in the wood for definitive protection, the hygroscopic action of the ethylene glycol will help the borate salt to migrate further into the wood by osmosis.

"Do not heat or spray Ethylene Glycol because these actions will vaporize it, then you might inhale enough to make you sick or worse. Just apply it at room temperature with a brush or roller and it won't hurt you permanently even if you splash it on your skin or get it in your eyes. Some people might feel a stinging sensation if this happens, but that irritation goes away when they wash it off.

I don't usually bother with protective gear while using EG because it does not absorb into the skin readily, and I do not drink it. Nevertheless I would strongly recommend that you use gloves and eye protection and keep it out of reach of children and pets so they don't poison themselves accidentally. Better safe than sorry, right?"

Great clarification Brian. Thank you.

Always great to have a fellow wooden boat enthusiast (??) Builder(??) here. :)

I have built one of everything (small) that floats. :) An exaggeration, of course, but I used to build a lot.

GreatOne,

Our bug pro just gave a great presentation at our assoc meeting. He always sucks up the ones he can with a shop vac before spraying.

He also emphasized NEVER use bombs. They just push the critters away until the bomb clears and they come right back.

Good to know Brad. I would’ve never thought of that.

I tried bug bombing a terrible roach infestation, once. It was a loosing battle. They kept coming back in force. Since, i’ve Used the “kill them in the walls” approach. Luckily, not too often.

Ted,

Years ago I set off bombs in a house with a bad infestation. I lingered to chat with the neighbor.

To both our terror (?) we watched an ARMY of roaches leave MY rental and cross the gravel drive to HIS house!

Yes the bom b killed many but the army came back in a few days.

PS

We pre-treat every home at turnover and this seems to have helped. We use stuff made for ants, roaches, and bedbugs all in one. Let the spray dry then fine dust the edges with Delta Dust.

Also, my lease is clear and they are trained at lease signing that bugs are their responsibility.

BRAD

Roaches, to me, are the most disgusting bug to have infest a house. Sadly I have seen it happen many times in my SFH's. I blame myself for letting tenants live in ways that encourage that type of activity. Resolving the problem doesn't require a professional. In fact, it seems that the pros just use the stuff that kills roaches on contact - and that only delays the resolution. You need to buy the tube of roach gel from your local Home Depot/Lowes/hardware store and apply the gel at various places along the wall/floor line and near the points where pipes pass through walls. I have used a couple of brands, but Combat is one of them. Roaches are cannibalistic, so keep the gel fresh from day to day. Don't sweep up the dead roaches. The living roaches will carry the poison back with them to the nesting locations and the poisoned dead roaches, as they get eaten, will continue to pass on the poison to the living. The process takes several weeks, but your home will be completely roach free if you persist. Roaches also look for moisture, so keep standing water and wet things away. Let them get their moisture from the poison gel.