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.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.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!craigjm 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 areasGassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff