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They are EXTREMELY hard to remove. If a building is infested, it is that much worse. Pest control company and $$$. IIRC some of them have dogs which can sniff out the hiding places.
What about wood ants? I went all winter because I thought my heater quit, I live in the South so it wasn't that bad. Spring
hit I knew I could not live without the A/C, called someone out and it was not working due to wood ants.
Wood ants? Do you mean the large black carpenter ants? They live in wet wood or wood that has been softened by moisture. Surrounding areas of it need to be fixed, as the ants are less a problem than a symptom of a greater problem. There are some other ants in the Texas area that are extremely tenacious and invade electrical boxes. If you have those, you'll likely need a pro to even get a start on controlling them, and you may never be completely rid of them.
What about wood ants? I went all winter because I thought my heater quit, I live in the South so it wasn't that bad. Spring
hit I knew I could not live without the A/C, called someone out and it was not working due to wood ants.
I had an annual infestation of Carpenter ants - large, black - and I tried numerous remedies that didn't help. Then I learned about TERRO. Go buy it. Put one where you see the ants (even on the kitchen counter - it isn't poison) Make up your mind that you WILL NOT kill the ants when you see them heading for the bait. Leave them alone. They'll carry it back to the nest and contaminate the rest of the family.
I watched two trails of ants; one coming in and one going out. They were headed up the wall, across the soffit, down the wall to the counter and the bait. Then, when sated, they headed back up the wall, across the soffit and back to where they came from. It's like a kegger for ants. It can be a bit creepy to watch the activity and you have to restrain yourself from swatting them but don't.
That was three or four years ago and they haven't come back.
Being a recent home owner, I am newbie when it comes to pest control. My home (in NC) is about 8 years old and is on a SLAB foundation, no basement. Previous owner had signed up for pest control service. But I haven't signed up with any company.
Just been using whatever outdoor pest control spray around the perimeter. I don't have any serious problems.
Can any of you recommend what I should be doing? How often? And what I should be using?
It is not easy to get away these blood sucking creatures, it is good, if there are pest exterminators are on charge for bed bugs control. It takes some time to get rid of permanently after servicing from pest control. So, wait for healthy and safe living.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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update to my previous post
I determined that my problem is german cockroaches. HarryChickpea, I read your post about getting rid of them, but I went ahead and called the professionals. Thank you for all of your tips.
My question: how do I know how bad it really is? How long until they're gone?
At night I see about 1 or 2. However, I pulled out my refrigerator and witnessed two running under the baseboard. I also saw the poop (I think, looked like pepper) behind the refrigerator. I took everything out of a nearby cabinet and found at least 10 -20 way in the back a dark corner scurrying into the cabinet crack /wall.
I emptied the upper cabinets and saw nothing. I checked another set of cabinets and cleared everything off of my counters and didn't see anything. Oh never mind, now I just saw two in the upper cabinets.
I also found some near my hot water heat, which is on the opposite wall, under a stair case. I can't possibly get all the way back there as it's under my staircase.
Last night, I saw one between my stove and dishwasher that was headed for the my window--unfortunately, that one got out. My stove is actually new and I just had it delivered in february. When they pulled that out, I did not see a single roach. I know that could've changed by now. Actually, I've lived in this house for over 20 years and NEVER saw a roach, despite various renovations I've done.
Cleaning: So far I've bleached counters, backsplash, floor. I've removed all opened packages of food. I've vacuumed my cabinets, cleaned my trashcan, and don't leave trash or food out. I'm taking out the trash every night. I'm worried because my kitchen is 20 years old so I'm sure I'm not going to be able to make it spotless. Am I missing anything? Is there a particular cleaner they really hate?
He also said that I can try to control food/waste, etc; but these roaches also eat paper, glue, and other stuff. So what the heck am I supposed to do about that?
Sorry this is so long. I'm just so worried that they are never going to go away.
Last edited by bande1102; 05-14-2015 at 04:29 PM..
Sounds like a moderate infestation. My experience with professionals was that they could CONTROL but not eliminate the problem. It was only when I became pro-active and used the boric acid as I described, and a few roach baits for good measure that I was able to eliminate them.
I know that I will stir the hornet nest of professionals by the comment about control and not elimination, but that experience held all over the south, irrespective of the state, the techniques, or the company. While you MIGHT get a company that eliminates them, I would estimate the chances of that at only around 20% to 30%.
Cleaning is fine, but not the real answer to eliminating them. They will subsist on a minimum of food and resort to cannibalism to stay alive. You MUST either physically remove them or poison them. With proper control, you may still see a few even a month or two later. The live ones may be killed, but there are eggs that have to hatch and reach a stage as adults where they seek out the poison. The bulk of the problem should be gone within a week though. There will be a short period when it appears there are more, as the poisoned and disoriented ones scurry out when they would otherwise be hiding.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,932,465 times
Reputation: 9885
Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea
Sounds like a moderate infestation. My experience with professionals was that they could CONTROL but not eliminate the problem. It was only when I became pro-active and used the boric acid as I described, and a few roach baits for good measure that I was able to eliminate them.
I know that I will stir the hornet nest of professionals by the comment about control and not elimination, but that experience held all over the south, irrespective of the state, the techniques, or the company. While you MIGHT get a company that eliminates them, I would estimate the chances of that at only around 20% to 30%.
Cleaning is fine, but not the real answer to eliminating them. They will subsist on a minimum of food and resort to cannibalism to stay alive. You MUST either physically remove them or poison them. With proper control, you may still see a few even a month or two later. The live ones may be killed, but there are eggs that have to hatch and reach a stage as adults where they seek out the poison. The bulk of the problem should be gone within a week though. There will be a short period when it appears there are more, as the poisoned and disoriented ones scurry out when they would otherwise be hiding.
Ok, thanks. For what it's worth, I went with a local guy and not one of the big companies. My understanding is that he did some type of baiting and crack and crevice stuff. I think he put some bait down, and also something that will kill them on contact. I don't particularly understand the specifics.
He will not guarantee anything, just that most of his customers are free of roaches within 3 months, max. He said out of 1-10 (10 being worst), my level was about 4 or 5. When I came home, there were dead ones on my counter, behind my appliances, and in cabinets. He doesn't require a contract or anything. He just said that he'll call me in about 30 days and see if I want him to refresh the baits. He did ask me not to spray any insecticides near the cracks and crevices where he put the bait. He also told me not to clean my baseboards or complete my painting project for a few months and when I mop to leave about an inch around the baseboards.
He searched the rest of my house and did not find evidence of them. Interestingly, he did not find evidence of any near my hot water heater. Apparently, this is confined to my kitchen.
Thanks for all of your advice. I'm going to re-read your tips regarding boric acid now. The boric acid should not interact with the other stuff I have going on, right?
i didn`t have the slightest problem getting rid of a minor bed bug problem .. i bought a white bed bug proof mattress cover from wallyworld and sprayed the few i found in other areas with roach killer .. those things are huge .. now chiggers is another matter ...
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update to my previous post
