06-09-2003 07:21									#1
	Pest Problem Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

No, I'm not talking about any problem here on Apolyton.

I'm talking about my apartment -- why do crickets, beetles, and cockroaches insist on making themselves feel at home in MY apartment?

I am tired of filling the air in my apartment with toxic fumes from Raid.

I want non-toxic, safer alternatives that are still effective in deterring and/or killing these pests -- other than getting insect guts on the bottom of my shoes.


HOW do these pests get into my aparment anyway -- I need to find out where the damn crevices are!



I just cut one cricket's head off a few minutes ago, and now have it trapped in an upside jar to watch and observe it -- it's still alive, so I want to see how long it can live without its head.

	06-09-2003 07:22									#2
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seal any holes anywhere in the room with several healthy layers of duct tape.

it works. really.

	06-09-2003 07:25									#3
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Duct tape??

You still have huge stockpiles from that panic of the advice from the Homeland Defense a year ago, don't ya?

	06-09-2003 07:28									#4
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The damn headless cricket is still alive.

	06-09-2003 07:30									#5
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what? calling me a DHS reactionary? idiot. duct tape fixes ANYTHING, before or after His Majesty Ashcroft tells us to use it. anyone knew that.

	06-09-2003 07:36									#6
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quote: Originally posted by mrmitchell what? calling me a DHS reactionary? idiot. duct tape fixes ANYTHING, before or after His Majesty Ashcroft tells us to use it. anyone knew that.

I was

J

O

K

I

N

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Oh, I finally killed the headless cricket with a blast of Raid.

	06-09-2003 08:35									#7
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First, keep your apartment clean. Cockroaches eat anything. Second, seal all crevices that you can find, including the tiniest ones. Third, seal any and all grates in the floor or near foot of walls in places such as kitchens and bathrooms with duct tapes. Forth, there are other non-toxic devices to off roaches. For example, there are roach traps (they can go in but not out). There are also these little boxes that are said to be very effective, one brand goes by the name of Combat.

	06-09-2003 09:03									#8
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger First, keep your apartment clean. Cockroaches eat anything. Second, seal all crevices that you can find, including the tiniest ones. Third, seal any and all grates in the floor or near foot of walls in places such as kitchens and bathrooms with duct tapes. Forth, there are other non-toxic devices to off roaches. For example, there are roach traps (they can go in but not out). There are also these little boxes that are said to be very effective, one brand goes by the name of Combat.

Hey guess what -- I'm a clean type of guy in the first place, so the main problem are those damn crevices.


Thanks for the other info though.

	06-09-2003 09:08									#9
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quote: Originally posted by MrFun Hey guess what -- I'm a clean type of guy in the first place, so the main problem are those damn crevices.

That's excellent, maybe you need to be extra clean for awhile, though. Also, you could contract an expert to check for crevices.

How old is your apartment?

	06-09-2003 09:13									#10
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Fire, and lots of it.

	06-09-2003 09:21									#11
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger That's excellent, maybe you need to be extra clean for awhile, though. Also, you could contract an expert to check for crevices. How old is your apartment?

Well, since I live in a student apartment for graduate singles and married people, maintenance will probably be responsible on that end.

But on my own, I can try the duct tape method after I find as many crevices as possible.

I think these apartment builidings are from the 70's??
not sure

	06-09-2003 09:22									#12
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quote: Originally posted by elijah Fire, and lots of it.

Guys -- don't let him anywhere near matches.

	06-09-2003 09:22									#13
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MrFun: God made pesticides for a reason

	06-09-2003 09:22									#14
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So I can choke on the toxic fumes?

no thanks

	06-09-2003 09:26									#15
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quote: Originally posted by MrFun Well, since I live in a student apartment for graduate singles and married people, maintenance will probably be responsible on that end.

Ah, that could be a problem. If your neighbours are sloppy, the pests will inevitably invade your place.

quote: Originally posted by MrFun But on my own, I can try the duct tape method after I find as many crevices as possible.

Eh, probably not duct tapes, but some kind of sealant (usually some polymer). Also check for a large gap underneath your apartment door. You can find something in a hardware store to fix that too.

	06-09-2003 09:28									#16
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I don't think there is any significant space between the door's bottom and the floor.

What exactly is polymer?? I mean, I have some gaping holes in some corners of my apartment that need to be shut off too.

	06-09-2003 09:32									#17
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poly = many
mer = pieces or things

A polymer is a long chain of organic molecules.

	06-09-2003 12:02									#18
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first of all crickets are good because they eat other bugs. And crickets don't bother me nearly as much as roaches. I have no problem having a few crickets in the house. I think crickets eat roaches. And I they don't crawl around creepily like roaches.

I ****ing hate roaches!

I never had a problem with beetles though.

As for getting rid of them. Call an exterminator. Once you get them, they are there forever. If you have messy neighborhoods they will return. But it helps to have them spray their high powered pesticide stuff under near all access points to the apartment.

	06-09-2003 12:16									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Dissident first of all crickets are good because they eat other bugs. And crickets don't bother me nearly as much as roaches. I have no problem having a few crickets in the house. I think crickets eat roaches. And I they don't crawl around creepily like roaches. I ****ing hate roaches! I never had a problem with beetles though. As for getting rid of them. Call an exterminator. Once you get them, they are there forever. If you have messy neighborhoods they will return. But it helps to have them spray their high powered pesticide stuff under near all access points to the apartment.

There has to be less toxic, yet effective ways rather than fill up our homes with toxic fumes.



skywalker -- thanks for the definition

	06-09-2003 12:38									#20
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you fill up your apartment with bugs that eat roaches.

I just told you.

Or you spend you entire life searching for bugs and kill them manually.

	06-09-2003 12:47									#21
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Get a couple of mice or rats to deal with the insects.

	06-09-2003 12:57									#22
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Just be thankful you don't have giant poisonous centipedes or deadly spiders from Australia.

	06-09-2003 18:31									#24
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ew

bugs = bad

	06-09-2003 20:30									#25
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Boric acid bait is far supior to spray posion in all aspecs except visible quick kill. Cheaper (particularly if you skip the stuff with the duibiously additive of sex attactatn, they go for the plain stuff nearly as well), more effective, safer. I am not sure how well it work on crickets, but it obliterates raoches and ant. You get it is basic form of white powder or tablets, and the more expensive stuff with extra attractant in mnay version of roach trap/ roach hotel/etc.

	06-09-2003 20:53									#26
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line spots on your floor with duct tape, sticky side up. wait a while for the bugs to try to crawl over it, and bam, they're stuck.

	06-09-2003 20:54									#27
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Yeah, there are plenty of bait and trap devices out there to try. You may have to cycle through a few as the stupid bugs are quick to build tolerances.

Polymer resins are o-k to seal small holes. Most common ones that are used is apoxy resins. For larger holes/cracks go with a Caulking agent (you know, the stuff in the tube that hooks into the gun thing)...

We use to have pest problems but I got Terminix service and they seem to have vanished (an ant now and then towards the end of the quarter) and we have huge holes in our walls under the sink and stove...

Good luck, the guys at hardware stores usually know how to handle this kind of stuff. So, go find and corner a cute one

	06-09-2003 20:56									#28
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Don't leave food sitting in the sink or anywhere else where you might be encouraging the little bastards to live.

	06-09-2003 21:00									#29
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Rocahes come for other than food as well, around here the biggest raoch house invasion come when they are looking for water during a dry spell.

	07-09-2003 02:02									#30
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Swithy -- thanks for telling me the obvious -- insects like to eat food.

quote: Originally posted by Japher Yeah, there are plenty of bait and trap devices out there to try. You may have to cycle through a few as the stupid bugs are quick to build tolerances. Polymer resins are o-k to seal small holes. Most common ones that are used is apoxy resins. For larger holes/cracks go with a Caulking agent (you know, the stuff in the tube that hooks into the gun thing)... We use to have pest problems but I got Terminix service and they seem to have vanished (an ant now and then towards the end of the quarter) and we have huge holes in our walls under the sink and stove... Good luck, the guys at hardware stores usually know how to handle this kind of stuff. So, go find and corner a cute one

thanks for the info