We all share our world and abodes with other species, whether we like it or not. Some uninvited guests are less bothersome than others. Some do no real harm, and are pretty much unnoticeable. Others spread filth and disease.
In my new home, I thought I’d be relatively safe from the more obnoxious varieties, such as periplaneta americana and blattella germanica. Based on the condition of the home, and the fact that it was a rental in a lower middle-class neighborhood (I’m being generous, by the way), I figured there were plenty of such as previous residents. However, since the house had been vacant for some time, I figured that any that may have been here had long since starved to death or moved on to greener pastures.
Since buying the home last December, I had killed one or two of each variety of the above listed pests that dared to trespass, as well as several large ants, and one spider who insisted on scaring the shit out of annoying me instead of hiding in a corner somewhere and eating the other troublemakers. However, with all the openings to the crawl space, I figured they just happened to find their way in, rather than being part of a resident population. I know, I know, where you see one, there are a gazillion hiding in the walls. But since I’ve knocked out nearly every wall in the place, that eliminated that possibility. Or so I thought.
Recently, I’ve noticed several bite marks on my legs. I know some of them happened at work, but there is the possibility that some happened during my sleep. I wanted to make sure that there none of God’s less savory creations around using me as an all-you-can-eat buffet. Plus, my very courageous niece is supposed to visit in a couple weeks to help out, and I don’t want things to be any more unpleasant for her than absolutely necessary. So, yesterday I bought six foggers, and set them off on my way out the door to the laundromat this morning.
Shut up. I haven’t finished the drain for the washer at its new location. Until I do, I’m stuck paying three bucks a load with all the other lowlife scum from the neighborhood.
When I returned home, I found probably a dozen or more of the little fuckers on the floor in various locations, many still kicking. In a way, I’m relieved to know that most of the population in the immediate vicinity has been decimated, but I’m also concerned that there was any significant number here in the first place. I’m a long way from sealing even a small percentage of potential entry points, but I refuse to surrender my home to pests if I can prevent it.
I’m thinking about bombing the place every few weeks, alternating product active ingredients, until I have located and foamed shut at least most of the cracks and holes. That should eliminate any permanent infestation, as well as making it unpleasant enough to convince any nearby that they really, really should consider a less hostile location.
Grumpy 
boric acid is your friend, grump. it comes in a power that can be sprinkled inside the walls and will kill many types of insects. it is very good for killing roaches. I treated my house by sprinkling it in cabinets and along baseboards then sweeping it into the cracks. twenty years later never had roaches though the neighbors do. it is sold as “Roach Prufe” but plain boric acid was much cheaper when I bought it. still have half of a eight oz container I started with.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll definitely try it. We use the stuff at work, but I think I’ll try to find a source that won’t result in possible termination of employment. Any suggestions? Do the home improvement stores usually carry it?
Have you considered a Bug-a-salt gun for home protection against insect ambush where your hand cannon might be a tad much?
And sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the perimeter if it is dry enough. You’ll want to avoid any toxic fogger residual not only for the sake of your health but your niece too. Your blog is not going to write itself if you’re flopping around the floor like a fish out of water.
Bug-a-salt gun. Ha! I like it. I admit, I thought you were joking at first, but something about the name sounded familiar. So, I googled it. I might buy one for the niece. She hates spiders, and if one sneaks in, it might be an option. Plus it could help introduce her to real guns.
It’s way too wet around here, at least at this point during the season for diatomaceous earth to have much impact. Maybe when the spring rains pass.
I appreciate your concern for my health, although I imagine my lack of a good rant for months has cost me all but the most patient of readers. I appreciate that you keep coming back. Rest assured, I stayed out of the house significantly longer than the suggested two hours, and what little foodstuff that is here was in the fridge at the time. I would prefer a different option, but until I can seal the place up tight, I don’t know of many that are similarly effective.
We must try to keep the spiders to a minimum. You know how I feel about that one lol. I am going to be happy to at least be away from the stink bugs. There’s one sitting beside me right now as I type, so, pardon me while I snatch him and dispose of him…
I’ve only seen maybe three spiders since I’ve been here, including my trips underneath of the house, so I think we’ll manage that one. No significant populations of stink bugs have been observed yet.
I had never seen roaches until i moved to the south. Nasty little things. We use a mixture of DE, fine salt and boric acid on things like carpets and floors and in low traffic areas and hormone bait traps in high value areas like around the dishwasher, trash, appliances and food handling/storage areas. The long term stores get both.
Sounds like a good, effective plan. While I was in the military, I lived in a house that was completely overrun by the damn things. That experience gave me a new perspective on the fuckers. Kill, kill, kill.
When I was in FL one of the guys in the barracks bought a breeding pair of iguanas and let them loose in the fake overheads. Within 6 months the place was over-run with lizards, but there weren’t any more roaches…
I am certainly a bigger fan of lizards than I am of roaches, but I’ll file that idea for if/when the roaches return.
In Florida they are the size of a B-52 and they fly. They’re called Palmetto Bugs there so as not to scare the tourists. Fortunately they are thin skinned and fly low enough that a 12 gauge takes them out.
Kinda hard on the walls, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do…especially at 3am when the fucking thing is flying right for your face…
{shudder} I hate roaches.
Yeah, I saw some of those during my time in Mouse-Town. Those things will scare the living shit out of you when they buzz you.