COCKROACHES-PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!

Hi  would appreciate any help/advice, we have an apartment in Elviria and we came here last Wednesday for a 5 week holiday.

On our arrival we had 1 cockroach in my sons bedroom and I was petrified to say the least, my 10 year old daughter destroyed it and I hoped/thought that would be the end of it?

The next day there were another 2 in the same room and my kind Spanish neighbour came to kill them. We sprayed the room with some recomennded spray and moved my son into another bedroom. The following day there were 4 dead and after cleaning/disinfecting the room I was sure that would be the end of them.

Since then I have kept the windows closed and again cleaned the room. I spoke with our maintenance man and he called out the pest control people who visited today and sprayed all the plants and paths around our apartment (we are ground floor). After he left I though I would give a final spray in the bedroom and this evening when I have opened the door there are 8 dead on the floor in the room.

Please can anybody offer any help/advice, do cockroaches nest ? where?  and how will I get rid of them-I am so freaked out I am ready for checking into a hotel as I am a nervous wreck!

Please, Please help,

Karen x

Hi they have be known to use the drains I keep my bath and sink plugs in. also you can report this to the local council they may send round a pest control team to do the drains  I dont think you pay for this dervice.

If you are only finding dead ones, it would seem the treatment worked. They don't die immediately you spray, they have to walk where the chemical is, get it on their feet, then when they clean themselves (yes, apparently they do!) they ingest it, and....... Don't mop the floors / skirting after spraying, you'll just wash away the chemicals.

The large ones normally live in damp environments - around drains etc. The smaller variety live anywhere there's a food source, which could be pretty much anything, even wood or paper. Do you have wood panelling or wall paper by any chance? They tend to prefer hiding in warm dark tight spaces, so it can be hard to tell where they're coming from - they get into the tiniest cracks.

The best spray I've found is ZUM, available in most supermarkets. If all else fails, get the whole apartment treated professionally. I can recommend NPS, you'll find their number in the services classified section of Sur in English.

Thankyou for your prompt replies, I dont have any wallpaper or wood panels, we have checked everywhere to try and get any idea where they might be getting in to no avail. I am wondering if they could be nesting in the matresses as they have the little holes (ventilation at the side) and many seem to be under the bed when they die?

I have sprayed again a couple of hours ago and there are another 2 dead ones in the room, if they are nesting in the bedroom will the strong spray eventually kill them all off including nests if any?

Thanks,

Karen

I would perhaps get some traps as well, they will remain effective after the spray wears off if there are un-hatched eggs somewhere. You can usually buy them in the supermarkets as well.

Have you asked if anybody else as had a problem with the cockroaches?

Hi, Yes have asked and nobody else has a problem!

Yes, we too had a problem with cockroaches and being English, we tend to think of unclean people, which is definitely not the case here!

The local council treated all the drains in the area, to help with the problem. These things are so bloody huge and they fly!!

However, we bought a plug-in unit from Iceland that alters the frequency of the current and boy does it work!! Plus, a pack of white plastic units that you lay in strategic positions. We only maybe get the odd one now, on its back, struggling for life about once every two weeks. Even I can handle that. A quick blast with a spray dispatches it to cockroach heaven. Although wifey, kindly disposes of the carcass for me, down the loo. I´m English, don´t you know!!

So, I know exactly how you feel. We are just not used to these things. Our house is only six years old and certainly has no areas that should allow them, except for drains, etc., so as a double safeguard, I pour some dilute bleach down plugholes and even sink and bath overflows.

Keep smiling and good luck!!

Thankyou all for your replies-I have sprayed the room again this morning and as yet haven't any casualties!

Just really hope this is the end of them?,

Karen

Hi Karen, If you are not their all the time  you could still ask  the council to treat the drains as you dont want any supprises on your return visit.

good Luck.

I´m pretty sure the cockroaches come from the drains. When the manhole cover was up in our street, just outside our house, we found 2 in the house and 4 in the garage. Before and after that, nothing. Whenever we go away I pour some bleach down all the sink, shower and bath plugholes, and the shower drain.

We have to pay for our drains to be treated.  The urbanisation has a contract with a pest control company and they spray some pretty lethal poison down the drains every 3 months.  We still get the odd one now and again, but it has made a huge difference and the company now report that they are finding fewer and smaller insects in the drains each time they come out.

Well worth the money, in my opinion!

We have a Finca in the campo and had the same problem.

You can call someone in to deal with it but it is costly i found the little plastic squares very cheap from any supermarket,

all you do is put them under sinks in bathrooms i even put them under each bed.

I replace them every three months, i have been doing this for years now and i have no problem.

 We don't have a cockroach problem, but do have silverfish

No amount of hoovering or keeping damp places under control have helped

Any suggestions for these horrid little beasts please?

FibbyUK

http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xFS?KW=dekko+silverfish+packs&CLT=SCH&x=29&y=16

 Thanks for the link!

I will give it a go............

Roaches and silverfish enter homes looking for food and water, feasting on starchy matter like book bindings and wallpaper glue; homeowners frequently find the insects living in stacks of paper and cardboard boxes where starches are ever-present. try browsing pestokillinc web site to see some homemade remedy to prevent them from coming back. change of lifestyle and hygienne is a better option. have a nice day guys.

Pilgrim mentions the  Electromagnetic interference which works through the wiring of your house.  We were told you need one for each floor of your house and since we've plugged them in they appear to be doing a sterling job ;-)