Would someone please calm me down before I flip my lid...

[PineBurrowPeeps]

This is a VERY delicate topic and I am probably insane for even talking about it here on a forum with 35,000+ members...

I'm freaking out though and have done some research and all that and I'm 100% sure I just found a German Cockroach Nymph in my office/schoolroom....

I have never ever in my life lived in a home with a roach that I knew of. I am now frantically stuffing all sorts of things into trash bags and getting it out of my house.

I squished it (it was FAST and took me three tries) and it is about 3/4" long and has teeny little stubby wings.
It has six legs, it's the right color and body shape.
I am crying and feel like I am going to vomit, I feel like things are crawling on me. I am about to gut my entire house and I have called my husband at work and demanded he come home early with some strong poison to spray all over. I will not be sleeping until everything is empty and treated with something!

WHAT DO I DO?!?! I cannot afford to call an exterminator. Mentally, I cannot deal with this. I was freaked out of my gourd yesterday about finding fleas on my dog, let alone a roach...

I have read online that if you have 1 you have 100!!!

Someone help me, I think I need a Kolonopin...

 

[debilorrah]

Jenna you crack me up sometimes. Pack the kids up and head to Lowe's and get that Ortho stuff that you can do yourself. It works wonders. Also get some boric acid and leave little piles close to areas where there are openings. Don;t put it where the chickens can get it though. If you free range, keep it indoors.

 

[momof247371]

ooo i dunno. never had them. but i hope you can find something strong, to kill the roaches, and to drink. i hear they could survive an atomic bomb!!!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
thanks....

 

[sred98]

Quote:
First of all...take a deep breath. In...out...odds are that it came from a paper bag or box from the store. They are notorious for spreading them. You need to go through your cabinets and under furniture, fridge, etc. Just do a good wipedown with chlorox wipes, or whatever disinfectant you have handy.

If you haven't seen any others, it was probably just a hitchhiker. Have you been shopping recently?

Shelly

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
Is this stuff sprayed inside or out?

Boric acid? Toxic to kids and pets?

*shivers*

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
First of all...take a deep breath. In...out...odds are that it came from a paper bag or box from the store. They are notorious for spreading them. You need to go through your cabinets and under furniture, fridge, etc. Just do a good wipedown with chlorox wipes, or whatever disinfectant you have handy.

If you haven't seen any others, it was probably just a hitchhiker. Have you been shopping recently?

Shelly

Are you kidding? I shop all the time. I also have been taking in alot of donations of yarn lately for my Non-Profit Org that my husband and I are starting...

Oh god, I feel really sick

 

[Rolsjo]

Ewww, heebie-jeebies! I hate roaches, too! We had some in an apartment we lived in. We did the spray and it totally got rid of them. I hate pesticides, but I hate roaches worse.

They like warm dark places. They will congregate under appliances, especially refrigerators and freezers that have motors. After finding them in my kitchen (so gross, I know) I moved ALL my appliances every week for months just to make sure they didn't come back.

I am so sorry you have to deal with them. Sending clean, pest-free, anti-bacterial thoughts your way!

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Is this stuff sprayed inside or out?

Boric acid? Toxic to kids and pets?

*shivers*

Read the boric acid box - I think it is only toxic to certain pets, and no child on this earth would eat it. My son did once and he stayed away from anything white for months! It was kinda funny. He was fine. The Ortho stuff you can spray inside and out.

ETA: Toxicology
Based on mammal median lethal dose (LD50) rating of 2,660 mg/kg body mass, boric acid is poisonous if taken internally or inhaled. However, it is generally considered to be not much more toxic than table salt.[4] The Thirteenth Edition of the Merck Index indicates that the LD50 of boric acid is 5.14 g/kg for oral dosages given to rats, and that 5 to 20 g/kg has produced death in adult humans. The LD50 of sodium chloride is reported to be 3.75 g/kg in rats according to the Merck Index.

 

[Punk-Rock_Chicken]

I've heard the same thing about the german cockroaches. Especially in New England. If you see one than there is probably 1000. And they are next to impossible to get rid of once they infest! Better nip it in the bud before they do infest. Doesn't take too long for them to.