Roaches are a constant problem in the tropical areas and Florida is no exception. Even the best of domestic engineers cannot keep the pests away. I am convinced that the level of cleanliness has nothing to do with the habitation of roaches unfortunately. Because of finances, my husband and I thought it would be prudent not to renew our contract with the local pest control company. I went to our local do-it-yourself superstore and picked up the newest pest control chemicals they had and proceeded to follow the directions for proper application. Even though our bug problem was still under control, I felt it necessary to keep that control as much as possible. I heeded the directions and laid the chemicals all along the inside/outside walls. I moved furniture where I could and sprayed around where I couldn’t.
A few weeks later little baby roaches started to appear. Annoyed that the best chemicals on the market have not taken care of my problem properly, I sprayed the area again that I thought they were coming from. The appearance of the critters was sporadic but still there. They love the trash can. All that good juicy nasty trash can really be some good eating for roaches. I would love to have a wire trash can that I could keep bugs out of. Perhaps a custom wire basket built in such a way that it’s big enough to hold the plastic bags you get from a grocery store. I have one similar to it now but it is made out of wood and doesn’t have a lid.
After a few weeks, the appearances seemed less and less common. However, there was the occasional one who just would not die. I was talking to my husband about and he mentioned that I failed to spray under the kitchen sink. He was correct. It wasn’t an outside wall, so I hadn’t considered it a harbor for the offenders. He also agreed that my wire basket trashcan would be a good idea. So, yesterday I emptied out the cabinet of all it’s contents, washed it down and proceeded to lay down the chemicals. There are also two small holes in the cabinet that lead to behind the dishwasher. I decided that they would be a perfect access to just squirt some bug killer through those holes.
Time will tell how well my offensive on the bug front has gone. When I cleaned out the bottom of the cabinet yesterday, there were several carcasses of offenders but who knows how long they’ve been there. So far, there has not been any intrusion into my dining room, living room, office or bedrooms. If I can prove myself successful in the area of do-it-yourself bug extermination, perhaps we can save ourselves a couple hundred dollars a year in pest control contracts. Unfortunately, outside of chemicals and orange peal oil, the only known predator to the roach is the fire ant and, of course, me.