Monday's mass insect infestation has subsided, but this morning I found myself eye to antennae with a baby roach while taking a bath. It was skittering around, probably looking for water, proving the hypothesis that our 1917 built apartment home must have a nursery inside it's aged guts. So no matter how clean we keep our place, they might occasionally come into our place to scout for water or wayward crumbs we missed.
So during lunch today I plan to pick up some borax powder and make an anti-roach concoction I found on Dollar Strecher, all in the hopes of poisoning whatever hidden nest of roaches reside inside the walls and inbetween our floors with a more offensive measure.
Known as roach balls, this little cucaracha appetizer entices the pests to bring back the small poisonous snacks to their nest and kills them, which in turn poisons other roaches that eat their carcasses. At least that's the hope [crossing fingers].
Roach Balls
1 cup borax
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Here's something I've noted. In the years before this infestation, we've never had a roach problem (we saw one roach, but that was when we first moved into a formerly dilapidated space). But now we've got air conditioning, I'm wondering whether the cooler temperatures has inadvertently tempted insects to make our house their home too? Has our temperature controlled rooms become a vacation destination for the six-legged? No more passports into our house, pests! I guess if I can get desperate for a natural roach remedy, I could just get a couple pet geckos and let them loose (I jest).
hi gregory,
i just got back from the store to make the sachets that you and emily suggested. i guess i'll be making roach balls as well. are the roach balls supposed to be instered into anything like hosiery?
my friend from l.a. is coming tomorrow night for the weekend and told me she had a nightmare about finding a roach in her salad. i neglected to tell her about the roach i saw crawling on my dresser.
oy.
view j-girl's profile
I've used the following recipe (complements of "The Bugman" Richard Fagerlund) in NM with great success: 1 part each of cocoa, flour, and borax powder. I fill used beer bottle caps and hide them where the cat can't get them.
view nmbosque's profile
From what I gather, the roachballs are supposed to just be rolled into little "meatballs" that you leave in dark corners for the roach to find, eat and take back to their nest. I'll know a little more tonite when I get back from work and make some myself...I'll comment again tomorrow!
Haha, great, I just had a salad for lunch now. Glad I didn't think of roaches and their eggs beforehand (I was horrified to know the eggs look like tic-tacs!).
view gregory's profile
Ugh. I'll never see tic-tacs the same way again.
view Genevieve with a smile's profile
so nmbosque is giving me permission to drink a six-pack just for the bottlecaps...i'm ok with that.
view j-girl's profile
thanks for the "meatball" description, gregory, that clears it up. meatballs, beer and tic-tacs. delish!
view j-girl's profile
i use this stuff i got at the hollywood farmer's market that's made from the shells of prehistoric microscopic animals. it looks like a white powder. bugs step on it and bring it back to their nests & the whole colony dries up. it's worked for me!
view abby's profile
That Diatomaceous Earth sounds fascinating!
view gregory's profile
thank you. i was just eating.
view design milk's profile
I know it's not as fun as making borax meatballs but Combat works wonders. I live in a 1917 apartment too, filled with endless cracks, crevices and openings to the outside world and no more roaches after the Combat discs.
view perejil's profile
-Not to put a damper on the 'roachball' making festivities but you can use the borax all by itself. I used it in our current place.
Buy borax. Sprinkle everywhere you usually see them; along walls, under cabinets & stove, behind fridge. I was told... The roaches can't breathe because the powder is so fine- so they just clear out. Any way they're gone, and neighbor lady is constantly complaining about roaches at her place.
view Jet'set's profile
I had a roach in my sink. I turned on the hot water washed him down the drain, poured bleach in and put the drain cap on. A day later I took out the drain cap and not 30 seconds later the little *&^%$ came crawling out. Ugh!
I will be putting borax down this weekend.
view SleepyDweller's profile
oh my gosh SleepyDweller! well, that's proof for "the only things that can last a nuclear fall-out are twinkies and roaches...."
view elizabeth in AL's profile
Darn, didn't get time to pick up the borax because of a late dinner. Anti-roach meatballs will have to wait till this weekend.
view gregory's profile
oh my gosh SleepyDweller! well, that's proof for "the only things that can last a nuclear fall-out are twinkies and roaches...."
...and Keith Richards.
view gttim's profile