Just returned after summer away and house is COVERED in dead bugs!! (Phoenix: rent, movers)

[thedreamteam]

Just returned to our vacation home after a summer away and the house was absolutely covered in dead bugs.. i understand the house is in the middle of the desert and fact that it's in a new subdivision near the south mountain preserve doesn't help. It would be completely normal for a small number of bugs, roaches, etc to enter, but this was just ridiculous, almost a complete vacuum bag full. they were in the bath tubs, in the cupboards, inside the saran wrapped toilets, everywhere.

is this normal? where could they be coming in from? and what can we do about it? sorry this was our first summer away and we were caught off guard. thanks in advance.

[RedJacket]

Those weren't dead bugs everywhere, they were John McCain's flip-flops.

[thedreamteam]

Originally Posted by think first

Those weren't dead bugs everywhere, they were John McCain's flip-flops.

some of them were large enough to be his flip-flops!

[shiphead]

To be honest, I've never herd of such a thing. That's pretty nuts.

About John McCain. You guys give the guy such a hard time about his flip flops, a lack of professionalism, i guess is why there is such a rant on it. But you, yes you, the reader, keep voting him in. Along with other same old same old people.

[pathrunner]

How did we go from BUGS to McCain?? Not everything is about politics people!!

[Howard Roark]

Back to bugs...

Maybe they were using your house as a refuge from predators, such as birds, scorpions, or whatever.

It could be worse: They could be live bugs! I envy you for taking a break from the four or five months of heat and returning to Phoenix. Want to do that at some point myself, like live in Flagstaff May through September!

[YAZ]

Keep in mind that we had an incredibly wet winter and a not so hot spring......a perfect combination.


A gazillion crickets at the 'ole homestead for us. Kinda fun whackin' 'em.

But not really.

[landbox]

There are plenty of bugs of varying sizes and "capabilities" out here (living at the foot hill with desert close by) aside from the 2 legged ones. Thankfully nature is thriving in the desert. But I would like them to be outside in their natural world - not mass gathering, living and dying inside the house?. We use pest control company ($45 every other month) Or DIY - buy the pest control from Lowes/HD/other landscaping/pest control shops and spray it around the outside perimeter of the house. But even without pest control, I would hate to think that they could easily sneak into the house and bring the rest of their extended family, stay rent free and then asking me to bury them. What a nerve! Maybe do an inspection around the house/artic for cracks/leaks/gaps,spaces (betweens doors/windows/sidings)? Sealing them should also help with cooling by providing better insulation. They do come in the garage or when opening the door (creep or fly in) but only now and then. Another way is through the packages/boxes what we bring into the house.

[Zippyman]

The sewers in Phoenix have huge populations of American Roaches - (these are the 1.5" long roaches). When the "traps" under your sink/tub/shower dry up (because you're not using them daily) , and the weather gets hot, the sewers produce gas, which the roaches try to avoid by coming up the sewer pipes. Roaches are food for scorpions.

'Roach Queen' helps with what bugs you

The good news is that the American roaches don't really "colonize" a house like other species do. You can run pest guy through your house in the spring and the fall to minimize it, or do it yourself to save a few bucks.

Gentrol IGR is a little white self-stick device that can be placed in areas where roaches live/hide that will really mess them up - you don't want them in areas where kids or pets can get to them, but inside kitchen cabinets, behind the fridge, bath vanities, behind the clothes washer are good spots to put them. They come in a box of 20, and the device only needs to be replaced every 6 months. ( a box is probably a two year supply for most homes)

If you're really worried about it, you can stick one to the bottom of the manhole cover outside your house and reduce the problem significantly for yourself and your neighbors.

Gentrol Point Source IGR, Roach Growth Regulator, Insects

The gold standard for keeping bugs out & killing any that invade is "Cypermethrin" - It's available under the brand name "Cynoff" or "Demon WP".

Demon WP: Odorless Cypermethrin Roach, Ant, Spider spray

I like the Demon WP, because it's available in pre-measured packets that you just dump into a 1 gallon sprayer and add some warm/hot water to. Lightly spray inside the house behind toilets, inside cabinets, behind the fridge, around baseboards ( let it dry fully before allowing pets to roam the house, it'll kill cats if they get to it while it's wet, but when it's dry, it's harmless to pets & people).

Spray around the foundation of your home - create a 5-foot "dead zone" on the ground, and go three-feet up the walls, paying special attention to the area where the stucco meets the slab, and around windows and doors.

If you've got any Demon left after spraying outside the house, hose down the block wall separating your property from your neighbor's - it's a bug "expressway"...

Repeat at least twice a year (4x is ideal)

You don't need monthly pest control, the poisons last 90 days in direct sunlight, longer in shady areas or inside the home.

FWIW, after treating our house fully this year and last year we realized Roaches were coming up the shower drain, even though we were using it 2x/day.

I used a full bottle of the "foamy" Drain-O on the shower drain and added one of those rubber "hair catchers" over the grate and haven't found a single roach since then...

Attack clogs liquid clog removers can't fix - Drano® Dual Force™ Foam

http://www.amazon.com/plumb-shop-brasscraft-Catcher-stoppers/dp/B003A6Y3XG/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1286902167&sr=8-16 (broken link)

[ladysovereign]

Originally Posted by landbox

Or DIY - buy the pest control from Lowes/HD/other landscaping/pest control shops and spray it around the outside perimeter of the house. But even without pest control, I would hate to think that they could easily sneak into the house and bring the rest of their extended family, stay rent free and then asking me to bury them. What a nerve! Maybe do an inspection around the house/artic for cracks/leaks/gaps,spaces (betweens doors/windows/sidings)? Sealing them should also help with cooling by providing better insulation. They do come in the garage or when opening the door (creep or fly in) but only now and then. Another way is through the packages/boxes what we bring into the house.

This is really good advice! I'm dealing with my own critters coming inside right now (due to the weather getting cold at night). Found a live spider building a web on my window who's body was the size of my thumb! I have to go around looking for openings to close but I think I might have one on the roof and I'm not going up there!

Originally Posted by Zippyman

FWIW, after treating our house fully this year and last year we realized Roaches were coming up the shower drain, even though we were using it 2x/day.

I was shocked when I found this out too! And Drano/Liquid Plumber does work wonders!