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Old 07-19-2011, 09:18 PM
 
8 posts, read 61,551 times
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Texans,
We just moved from Ohio a few months ago and I have just found my second HUGE bug. My fiance is out of state and I needed help, so the neighbor came over and said it was a ROACH!!! My heart sank! Are these bugs normal? The landlord said yes, but they will say anything. We are extremely clean. I am a cleaning fanatic and can't stand a dirty home. We live in the M Streets area and it is suppose to be a classy. We are renting a home too, not an apartment. Back home you only found these in the low class inner city areas. Please help!! I am scared to walk around barefoot, place my feet on the floor before turning on the light, sit on the couch. I have to unmake the bed each night and shake the sheets I am so terrified!!! I can deal with the mini lizards and spiders, but not these roaches.
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Old 07-19-2011, 09:23 PM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,266,317 times
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Doesn't matter how clean you are. Every house in Texas has roaches. It's just a question of how many. You may never see them but trust me, they're there. Seeing the occasional roach doesn't mean you're dirty or filthy. It's just part of life here. Have your landlord call an exterminator.
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Old 07-19-2011, 09:48 PM
 
8 posts, read 61,551 times
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How often will they need to come? I completely against strong chemicals, but I am actually to the point where I don't care right now. I just want here bugs gone. I guess it is because I did not grow up with it. I grew up with spiders, TINY bugs and the field mice. LOL
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Old 07-19-2011, 09:50 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,282,852 times
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Yes, roaches are very common in Dallas. I grew up in the Park Cities (some of Dallas' most expensive real estate) and roaches live there, too- even in the homes with live-in, full time maids. It has nothing to do with cleanliness! Flying roaches, normal roaches, you name it. Especially bad if you happen to live near the water (creeks, lakes, ponds, etc).

Buy some of the Raid discs that you leave around your home. And call an exterminator out every 6 months.

Welcome to Dallas
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:00 PM
 
256 posts, read 448,233 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nurse011 View Post
My fiance is out of state and I needed help, so the neighbor came over and said it was a ROACH!!!.
LOL, you called your neighbor to deal with a bug because the man was out of town? I think we native Texas women must be tougher than ordinary. Yes, they're creepy but they won't hurt you. Get a can of Raid and blast the little suckers.
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:01 PM
 
Location: Dallas
4,630 posts, read 10,471,139 times
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Real roaches - German Roaches - are the small ones - about the size of a paper clip or smaller. If you're talking about the very big ones - the size of a cigarette lighter - well those are palmetto bugs.

German roaches are bad news. They reproduce and infest insanely. They don't bite, all they do is eat any food you leave out and sneak around a lot. They are a little creepy though because they actually watch you. Call the exterminator. They can definitely get out of hand.

Palmetto bugs are really outdoor critters. They won't infest your house - they really don't even try to get in to search for food. If one gets in, it's just usually that he accidentally wandered in. They don't bite either and they behave more like grasshoppers than German roaches. Just catch him with a plastic cup and let him out and chances are you won't see him again.
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:02 PM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
1,518 posts, read 3,055,125 times
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You'll occasionally see the adults crawl in and die even if you're clean. The only thing you can do is try to seal your house better. If you see nymphs crawling around though, you have an infestation and it's time for insecticide.
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:04 PM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
1,518 posts, read 3,055,125 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xS☺Be View Post
Real roaches - German Roaches - are the small ones - about the size of a paper clip or smaller. If you're talking about the very big ones - the size of a cigarette lighter - well those are palmetto bugs.
Palmetto bugs, aka American cockroaches... They can infest a house too.

Here's an image of American cockroaches in different stages of life. Again, if you see the nymphs, you have a problem.

http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/so-id/entomology/American%20roaches%20and%20nymphs.gif (broken link)

Last edited by kenshi; 07-19-2011 at 10:15 PM..
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Old 07-20-2011, 01:06 AM
 
438 posts, read 1,782,966 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nurse011 View Post
Are these bugs normal?
They are normal in the sense they are omnipresent.

In Dallas we have Roach Rodeos where we catch the biggest ones, saddle them up, and try to ride for 8 seconds. Surprised you haven't heard of this yet.
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Old 07-20-2011, 01:32 AM
 
Location: Garland Texas
1,533 posts, read 7,237,694 times
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Everything everyone has said is true. It does not matter how clean your house is, you will have roaches, sometimes small ones and sometimes huge gross ones. I've seen some pretty dirty house up north, and no roaches, here forget it. You absolutely can not leave food out. Wipe your counters for crumbs, don't leave pet food outside, rinse your sinks, don't store trash in your garage. In addition to roaches, you can also get ants inside, and quite often spiders. fleas can be a problem if you have pets that roam outdoors. don't have standing water around your property this will draw mosquitos. oh and there are also, coyotes, possums, raccoons, and armadillos. coyotes will eat your pets so don't leave them out at night or in the early morning.
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