Palmetto bugs

[stpeteguy]

The most effective thing i've found to get rid of the Palmetto bugs are the big roach motels they sell in Home depot or Lowes. I think they are 'combat' brand. But they are huge, not the little ones for ordinary cockroaches.

Get yourself a couple boxes of those and spread 'em around the house(near doorways works best). I had a lifelong resident tell me about them when I first moved here and I tried them and discovered that they work better than any spray I had tried.

[Keeper]

Honestly.. I would hardly call seeing 2 bugs an infestation. I lived in FL 30 years and never had pest control. My DH sprayed around the outside of the house every 6 months, more so for sugar ants than roaches. He also put out the roach motels.

I truly hope you are kidding about the gators and snakes. I lived on a lake for several years and never saw a snake in my yard and no gators in the lake.

[thirtytwopaws]

Thanks for the tips all. Cats seem to be doing a job. I saw the first bug before going to bed one night. Sent hubby down to check it out, and he said one of the cats was on the job. Next morning I found one leg of the palmetto, that is all. Guess the cats took care of the rest.

Geez the ants. We have had those too. Not to mention rats. And termites. I am only joking about the gators and snakes. But we have only been in FL for three months and it seems like it has been a non-stop battle with pests! Probably just what happens when you move to an older house that has been unoccupied awhile. It will get less creepy right? Lol.

[Quikpick]

Originally Posted by thirtytwopaws

So Im too scared to leave my house after some of the previous threads on gators. Now I can't stay inside either, after two recent palmetto bug sightings!

Ok ok, I know they are really called American cockroaches. But palmetto bug sounds so much nicer.

We had the yard sprayed after our indoor only cats got fleas. Crazy, that never happened in NC! Anyway, I am wondering if that prompted a few of the palmetto bugs to seek refuge inside? What is the deal with these guys? How do I know if I have a few stragglers or a whole infestation hidden somewhere? What can I do to keep them away?

What is the deal wih Florida and all of the crazy "wildlife"??? I guess that one is a rhetorical question. I do like the birds . . .

Not that you asked about the fleas, but before we moved here, our (Midwest) vet told us that we would have to put our cats on flea-prevention meds in FL. I thought that was overkill since we have indoor-only cats, but the vets here said the same thing. We use the vet's recommended med, but I've been wondering if there are natural remedies available.

As for Palmetto bugs, I was concerned about these before we moved, although these days I'm more worried about stepping on a sunbathing gecko! We've been told by locals of some natural-ish remedies (Google "crushed chrysanthemum") to repel palmetto bugs, but thankfully (knock wood-toss salt, ad infinitum) we haven't had to use anything yet. I've heard you'll want to vacuum up crumbs and such and plug small openings/cracks. Also, that winter is the season the bugs tend to come indoors, due to the cold; of course, this winter has been so mild, it may very well be the yard spray that did it. :~)

[Flborn_halfback]

I second the "get a professional" tip. We have gone both routes, doing it ourselves and having a pro, and it's just easier to have a pro. We use a local "mom and pop" company, its reasonable, and there are NO insects. I honestly cant remember the last time I saw one in the house!