Discussion
Hi all,
Had an unpleasant experience this evening. Sitting on the floor in front of the sofa in the dark, watching TV, when I saw out of the corner of my eye a cockroach. Crawling over my t-shirt, on my chest! Anyway, it's a bit dead now.
It's been very warm here in London, as many of you will know. Our apartment has a thermostat with temperature gauge and it hasn't dropped below 30 degrees in about four weeks now. We keep it clean, but not being from London originally, and it being holiday time, we're often out of the place for up to a week at a time, during which the temperature will hit 32 degrees or so with no ventilation and, of course, no interim wiping down of surfaces, vacuuming, etc. It's a new build, second floor and we regularly dispose of waste outside. There's a whopper of a gap under the front door, but I don't expect that to be the source - the communal hallway is very clean and the interim doors are a tight fit. We leave windows open when at home, which may (hopefully) be the source but also seems unlikely.
I'm now slightly terrified there are more of the b
ds, but it's a war I'll need to wage quietly and alone, as if the better half finds out she'll be moved out quicker than you can say 'I'll call Rentokil'. To this end, and coming somewhat circuitously to the point, can anyone recommend anything widely available that'll serruptitiously rid me of any of my unwanted, freeloading houseguest's mates?
For anyone that's interested I think it was an oriental cockroach, about 1.5 - 2cm long and a sturdy little fker. Well, he was. And I'm absolutely not now sitting on the sofa, lights all on and feet off the floor.
Had an unpleasant experience this evening. Sitting on the floor in front of the sofa in the dark, watching TV, when I saw out of the corner of my eye a cockroach. Crawling over my t-shirt, on my chest! Anyway, it's a bit dead now.
It's been very warm here in London, as many of you will know. Our apartment has a thermostat with temperature gauge and it hasn't dropped below 30 degrees in about four weeks now. We keep it clean, but not being from London originally, and it being holiday time, we're often out of the place for up to a week at a time, during which the temperature will hit 32 degrees or so with no ventilation and, of course, no interim wiping down of surfaces, vacuuming, etc. It's a new build, second floor and we regularly dispose of waste outside. There's a whopper of a gap under the front door, but I don't expect that to be the source - the communal hallway is very clean and the interim doors are a tight fit. We leave windows open when at home, which may (hopefully) be the source but also seems unlikely.
I'm now slightly terrified there are more of the b
ds, but it's a war I'll need to wage quietly and alone, as if the better half finds out she'll be moved out quicker than you can say 'I'll call Rentokil'. To this end, and coming somewhat circuitously to the point, can anyone recommend anything widely available that'll serruptitiously rid me of any of my unwanted, freeloading houseguest's mates?For anyone that's interested I think it was an oriental cockroach, about 1.5 - 2cm long and a sturdy little f
ker. Well, he was. And I'm absolutely not now sitting on the sofa, lights all on and feet off the floor.I know how tony montana would deal with a cockaroach problem. Just get coke, hookers, a massive gun and something from here: http://www.pestcontrolshop.co.uk/acatalog/cockroac...
iphonedyou said:
apartment
Good luck!Surely without rentokilling your neighbours left/right/up/down, there will always be access for the little brown b
ds one way or another?Grew up with them (in a house with them, not raised by them) and was always a bit of sport if my parents went out, waiting up for them with a shoe in hand, rushing into a dark kitchen, snapping the light on and smashing the heel around randomly trying to squish the little s
tes.Enjoy your new friends!
Haha, thank you gents. A little joviality hasn't gone amiss (as I continue to sit here terrified, watching Royal Marines Commando School, ironically enough). Gump, I'll check out the wares there though ideally would like to pick something up tomorrow. As I sit here some little fker I don't even recognise just landed on my macbook air keyboard. Not that I know them by their faces or anything. Yet.
This is ridiculous. I didn't even consider the fact that because it's an apartment, we're fked regardless.
ker I don't even recognise just landed on my macbook air keyboard. Not that I know them by their faces or anything. Yet.This is ridiculous. I didn't even consider the fact that because it's an apartment, we're f
ked regardless.You will have a nest somewhere. Don't kill the next one you see follow it to see where it goes. To get rid of them you need to remove their support and for cockroaches that's water. They can't live for more than a week without water so seal up anywhere they could get it from. Food isn't an issue they can live for a month without that.
craigjm said:
You will have a nest somewhere. Don't kill the next one you see follow it to see where it goes. To get rid of them you need to remove their support and for cockroaches that's water. They can't live for more than a week without water so seal up anywhere they could get it from. Food isn't an issue they can live for a month without that.
Does one cockroach necessarily mean a nest? The problem with not killing them is they'll either walk around in their stupid little circles, mocking me and my teary disposition, or disappear somewhere impossible to follow. Like a little gap in the skirting board.As for water. The apartment is small enough that the lady who lived in the shoe would take issue with the size, and so there's just the bathroom with the usual facilities, and the kitchen. We have, since moving in, complained bitterly about a malodorous scent eminating from the bathroom intermittently - we suspect the toilet. Two plumbers visits have revealed nothing, because the scent wasn't present at the time the plumbers visited. It's not poo, but it's not particularly pleasant. I can't really describe it - but it's definitely not sewage. It doesn't seem likely it's getting in through a functioning loo for obvious reasons, though.
The only other thing I can think of is our tumble dryer shuts down occasionally, ostensibly due to a 'leak' but in reality because it occasionally overheats which I think fools its computer into thinking there's a leak. But if there actually is a leak, behind an enclosed tumble dryer, that'd be a veritable holiday resort for the privileged little b
ds. All quite odd; this place is less than six months old!
iphonedyou said:
Does one cockroach necessarily mean a nest? The problem with not killing them is they'll either walk around in their stupid little circles, mocking me and my teary disposition, or disappear somewhere impossible to follow. Like a little gap in the skirting board.
As for water. The apartment is small enough that the lady who lived in the shoe would take issue with the size, and so there's just the bathroom with the usual facilities, and the kitchen. We have, since moving in, complained bitterly about a malodorous scent eminating from the bathroom intermittently - we suspect the toilet. Two plumbers visits have revealed nothing, because the scent wasn't present at the time the plumbers visited. It's not poo, but it's not particularly pleasant. I can't really describe it - but it's definitely not sewage. It doesn't seem likely it's getting in through a functioning loo for obvious reasons, though.
The only other thing I can think of is our tumble dryer shuts down occasionally, ostensibly due to a 'leak' but in reality because it occasionally overheats which I think fools its computer into thinking there's a leak. But if there actually is a leak, behind an enclosed tumble dryer, that'd be a veritable holiday resort for the privileged little bds. All quite odd; this place is less than six months old!
they like dark damp conditions check your bath isn't leaking underneath the water supply doesn't have to be huge and look for their sAs for water. The apartment is small enough that the lady who lived in the shoe would take issue with the size, and so there's just the bathroom with the usual facilities, and the kitchen. We have, since moving in, complained bitterly about a malodorous scent eminating from the bathroom intermittently - we suspect the toilet. Two plumbers visits have revealed nothing, because the scent wasn't present at the time the plumbers visited. It's not poo, but it's not particularly pleasant. I can't really describe it - but it's definitely not sewage. It doesn't seem likely it's getting in through a functioning loo for obvious reasons, though.
The only other thing I can think of is our tumble dryer shuts down occasionally, ostensibly due to a 'leak' but in reality because it occasionally overheats which I think fools its computer into thinking there's a leak. But if there actually is a leak, behind an enclosed tumble dryer, that'd be a veritable holiday resort for the privileged little b
ds. All quite odd; this place is less than six months old!t that will tell you where they go. If the smell is like a musty dampish smell then thats the smell they give off from their living areascraigjm said:
they like dark damp conditions check your bath isn't leaking underneath the water supply doesn't have to be huge and look for their st that will tell you where they go. If the smell is like a musty dampish smell then thats the smell they give off from their living areas
It is a musty dampish smell. Now you've said it that's exactly how I'd describe it. But that said, the smell only comes around once a week, for maybe an hour at a time, so I don't think it's a nest.t that will tell you where they go. If the smell is like a musty dampish smell then thats the smell they give off from their living areasiphonedyou said:
It is a musty dampish smell. Now you've said it that's exactly how I'd describe it. But that said, the smell only comes around once a week, for maybe an hour at a time, so I don't think it's a nest.
Wherever the smell is coming from is likely to be where the nest is and it isn't a permanent smell they emit the odour at certain times in their life cycle. Right, with this extra information, the solution changes.
So - you know they are oriental cockroaches.
They hang out in water.
Et voila, they must be Chinese cockroaches - oriental and living in a paddy field.
The issue with a war with China is that pure numbers are against you. Sun Tzu knew this and so became an expert in the military tactics needed to win the war - reinterpreted under new labour to be "winning the hearts and minds". We know that cockaroaches are by definition heartless little fkers, so we need to get into their minds.
Being Chinese and at war, we know they will be masters of some sort of Kung Fu. Attacking them with conventional weapons will only serve to motivate the survivors, and escalate them to Ninja status - which will only end in a long war of attrition that you cannot win.
In order to get into their heads and make them surrender, you will have to beat them with honour - only using Ninja weapons. Therefore, the solution is in the mornings rush out, put the light on and stab the little bd in the eye with a cocktail stick. Eventually, other cockroaches will want to be trained by the true master - and every morning they'll be punching the air and yelling rhythmically in your honour. This will ultimately mean you have your own cockroach army, hell bent on the elimination of the dank smelling mob.
That'll learn em.
So - you know they are oriental cockroaches.
They hang out in water.
Et voila, they must be Chinese cockroaches - oriental and living in a paddy field.
The issue with a war with China is that pure numbers are against you. Sun Tzu knew this and so became an expert in the military tactics needed to win the war - reinterpreted under new labour to be "winning the hearts and minds". We know that cockaroaches are by definition heartless little f
kers, so we need to get into their minds. Being Chinese and at war, we know they will be masters of some sort of Kung Fu. Attacking them with conventional weapons will only serve to motivate the survivors, and escalate them to Ninja status - which will only end in a long war of attrition that you cannot win.
In order to get into their heads and make them surrender, you will have to beat them with honour - only using Ninja weapons. Therefore, the solution is in the mornings rush out, put the light on and stab the little b
d in the eye with a cocktail stick. Eventually, other cockroaches will want to be trained by the true master - and every morning they'll be punching the air and yelling rhythmically in your honour. This will ultimately mean you have your own cockroach army, hell bent on the elimination of the dank smelling mob.That'll learn em.
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