<p>Completely random question, but I’m just looking for quick remedies. I recently moved cross state, and into the exact opposite of my dream apartment. One of many flaws is that there are cockroaches. I’ve killed at least 4 or 5 small ones by now, and a huge one the size of my thumb. and they’re fast buggers too… This worries me. A neighbor told me she had the same problem, and had to basically turn the whole apartment inside out, and drug every square inch that doesn’t have a footprint. in addition, the landlord doesn’t really care. There must be an easier way, or at least a chemical that won’t slowly kill me. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>On a side note, I’m trying to replace my car’s lower control arm bushings. The only thing left to do is deciding the type of bushing (Polyurethane, OEM, or something else). There’s a lot of online info about the procedure, but not the type of bushings. So hopefully there’s a car mechanic somewhere on here as well.</p>
<p>Again, didn’t mean to post this out of the blue. But this is the best place to get wisdom that I know of.</p>
<p>Go to the hardware store and buy one of the boric acid products for roaches. I used that last year this time and was able to eradicate them without a pest control company. As per the instructions, there will be a second wave and third wave of them as eggs hatch, but in about 3 months they’ll be gone…hopefully. The problem you will have is that if they are in the walls of the apartment building and the landlord/neighbors don’t also take measures, you’ll be fighting a losing battle. I feel for you.</p>
<p>Since this is CC, I’ll comment that D saw some in the bathroom of her dorm that year, so I wondered if she didn’t bring the pests home… I had never ever had a bug problem and was mortified.</p>
<p>Forget about treating for the cockroaches yourself . . . you can’t get rid of them. In a freestanding house, yes. In an apartment building, no. All they’re going to do is move from one apartment to another . . . and, eventually, back again. Pest infestation in an apartment building has to be handled by the landlord. And he or she has a legal obligation to remedy the situation, because it renders the premises uninhabitable (for humans, anyway!).</p>
<p>File a written demand to have the entire premises (not just your apartment!) properly treated by a pest control company. After that, if nothing is done, how you proceed depends on the terms of your lease and local landlord-tenant law. But there are plenty of landlords on this forum - I’m sure they’ll jump in to offer advice!</p>
<p>It looks like you are in Texas. When my S had an apartment in Texas his complex sprayed for bugs once a month. It seemed pretty standard for the area he was living in.</p>
<p>You may want to check your local rental codes. In my state, if two or more units in an apartment building are infested, it is the responsibility of the landlord to provide extermination services. And yes, typically if one unit is affected, all or most have the same problem. </p>
<p>Also, be careful that you don’t give them a free ride elsewhere. Cockroaches can crawl into luggage, shoes, whatnot, and you may unwittingly take them to someone else’s home - I’m sure your mom would love that! Purchase a few giant plastic zipper bags and store luggage and other items inside until you resolve the problem.</p>
<p>I swear by this stuff - [Maxforce</a> FC Magnum Roach Bait | Maxforce Magnum](<a href=“http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/maxforce-fc-magnum-roach-bait]Maxforce”>Maxforce FC Magnum Roach Killer Bait Gel | Maxforce Magnum) . I live in south Florida where we have palmetto bugs aplenty, as well as German roaches and most any other type, too. This Maxforce FC Magnum roach bait was recommended to me by a local pest control professional. I read reviews on Amazon and elsewhere and decided to give it a try. It takes a week or so to work completely, but it does work. The boric acid products don’t work nearly as well.</p>
<p>They live in places you can’t reach. Check your lease and insist they are sprayed for. If that doesn’t work, call the Health department who might have more pull over the landlord.</p>
<p>Check under your sinks. If there is a gap anywhere where the pipes enter the wall, stuff the gap tightly with plain steel wool. Use the non-soapy kind. Cut as needed with kitchen shears. It won’t solve the roach problem, but it will help keep critters from coming in or out by running along the pipes. They won’t eat thru it, and it helps as a barrier. Learned that little trick from my mama many, many years ago.</p>
<p>^Agree with patsmom about Maxforce. It’s amazing. You dab tiny blobs of it in out-of- the-way places and the roaches find it and eat it, and soon they are gone.</p>
<p>I recommend “Home Defense” insect spray. We were in a rental townhome for a year, and we had huge waterbugs coming in. Within a couple of weeks they were gone. You spray the baseboards, and spray outside the perimeter of the home.</p>
<p>we do have a pest guy come in once every month to keep the bugs under control. Obviously, it doesn’t keep the bugs away; it’s more to cover the legal obligations I think. With humid weather like this, I guess it’s inevitable. And I was hoping I could get away with household remidies like boric acid or baking soda. Theoretically, they should work, but so should Gamma radiation… I started this thread because I wanted to avoid using toxic chemicals as much as possible, especially sprays. Even if it’s a paint, they’ll walk around and spread the stuff.</p>
<p>Unless you’ve been told by a pest control expert that it’s impossible to control cockroaches where you live, I’d say you’re cutting this landlord way too much slack. His obligation is to make the premises livable . . . not just do the minimum possible to “control” the problem. If your home is infested with cockroaches, the landlord is not living up to his end of the bargain. Demand that he do so.</p>
<p>If monthly extermination isn’t doing the trick, the building may need to be “bombed”. The tenants will have to cover or remove all food items, plates, pots and utensils, and then depart the premises for the day. This was the only way our NYC apartment was cleared of roaches. Monthly treatment after that was still necessary. (This thread has revived some awful memories!)</p>
<p>D brought one–I hope it was one–home with her stuff from college last May. We live in an area that is not conducive to roaches (woods with more bears than roaches) & I found it in the bathroom a few days after her return. </p>
<p>I killed it, and this year we got her plastic tubs to keep her dry foods in. Does she? Well, yes, but she leaves the lids off!</p>
<p>Well, in HI, they are everywhere. We use a combo of different things. The one that most folks use the most with some success is the large Combat roach traps. Have never heard of roaches in the fridge–that is a new level of awful & I would definitely write the landlord ASAP about this, asking him what his plan is for ridding your apartment of roaches ASAP.</p>
<p>My sister swears by exterminators that come by & spray her house periodically, but apartments are tougher.</p>