[MittensKittens]

I just had to put this message up now, and it's 1am where I am

. I have had a roach problem before, and it seemed to have gone away but... I just woke up, to see one of the horrible things IN MY BED!!! This freaked me out, especially as that is where I am planning to give birth in less than a month! I don't want to use chemicals, especially because of my daughter and the new baby, but what do I do? I have tried garlic and mint, but apparently it's not enough. Also, we never eat anywhere except in the kitchen. So WHY ON EARTH was the !*&%£& creature in my bed? Please help! I really don't feel like going to sleep now

:

 

[talia rose]

the safest thing you will probably find is a borate powder. here is a home recipe...

Roaches are never welcome guests, but that doesn't need you need to coat your home in pricey chemicals to get rid of them. Here's a homemade roach killer that will get the job done:
What You Need:

* Borax
* Sugar (granulated or powdered)

What You Do:

Mix borax and sugar together in equal parts. Then, apply it along the baseboards, in cracks, under cabinets, under the sink and anywhere else you've seen roaches. Reapply as needed until all bugs are gone.
Why This Works:

Roaches consume the mixture because they are attracted to the sugar. Once consumed, the borax damages both their digestive system and their outer skeleton, resulting in death. This works very much like the boric acid found in commerical products, but costs much less.
Benefits of Using Borax to Kill Roaches

* inexpensive
* chemical-free
* fume-free
* environmentally-friendly

Tips

1) Borax (20 Mule Team Borax) can be found in the laundry aisle at the store, since it is most commonly used as a laundry booster

2) Store any unused portions in an air-tight container to maintain freshness, and be sure to label it

3) It may be a couple of weeks before you notice a decline in the population
Warnings

1) Keep away from children and pets

2) Borax loses some of its effectiveness when it gets wet

 

[Smokering]

I've used the above method, but with baking soda and sugar. I think it worked. I should do it again--we've had a few beasties in the house of late. Eugh.

 

[Belleweather]

Yup, Boric Acid does the trick.

 

[Barbee]

we live next to a bakery that recently closed. their roaches moved into our vegetable garden. i moved the dirt and there was hundreds. i nearly jumped out of my skin. i used borax mixed with peanut butter and by the next day, they were gone.

 

[2xy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MittensKittens Also, we never eat anywhere except in the kitchen. So WHY ON EARTH was the !*&%£& creature in my bed?

There are different types of roaches, and not all of them are after your food.

A couple of years ago I lived in a house in a woodsy area, and about a month after moving in, I found a small roach in our bedroom. I freaked out, then noticed that it was a weird color....sort of like weak coffee. I did some research and found that it's called a Woods Roach. They don't normally invade homes. They usually find their way in by accident; like being attracted to a light source or something, then can't find their way out.

German cockroaches are the ones who live indoors and are attracted to sanitation problems. Many other roaches are outdoor roaches and don't mean to come into your house.

 

[MittensKittens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by talia rose Keep away from children and pets

This is the part I am worried about. Still, I think that I will have to try borax, because everyone says it works, and I really want to get rid of those things!

And 2xy, the one I saw was that kind of color as well, but I didn't get a close enough look at it to be able to recognize it from a list of cockroach pictures now... I hope it was one of them, but I'd still rather be safe than sorry and do something to make sure they won't come again...

Thanks for the tips, I am going to hunt for some borax!