Friday, March 15, 2013
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I haven't lived in New York City for almost six years, and there aren't any cockroaches in the town where I live now (that I know of). But I know how to get rid of cockroaches, so I might as well share it.
I remember reading a study in which they compared insecticides, roach baits, boric acid, and other cures for roaches. The problem was, they didn't use the boric acid in the right way. They sprinkled a little here and a little there, and it didn't work particularly well.
If it's used correctly, boric acid is the cure for roaches. You have to spread a line of it everywhere roaches might walk. Most importantly, you have to separate the roaches from the food. Thus, you must dribble a line of boric acid around the entire perimeter of your kitchen counter. It also helps to dribble a line of it around the perimeter of your entire kitchen. You should then use your judgement as to where else to dribble it. If roaches are getting into your stove, raise the top and sprinkle some inside; then close it and dribble a line around the perimeter. Or if the roaches are actually nesting under the top of the stove, dribble a line of boric acid around, or in, each burner well. If the roaches are getting on the breakfast table, dribble a line of it around the perimeter of the table (you'll then have to eat somewhere else for the next few days, but it's worth the inconvenience). If the roaches are attracted to the refrigerator, dribble a line of it around the refrigerator. If there is a pipe running into the floor with a gap around the pipe, and you think that roaches are nesting in there, then dribble a line of boric acid around the pipe.
In short, you have to put down the boric acid in such a way that the roaches must walk over it to get to the food. The line should be at least an eighth-inch thick, so that they can't just step over it. Once the boric acid gets on them, they will get it in their bodies when they clean themselves, and it will kill them. Specifically, I believe that it gets into their respiratory system and suffocates them.
Since roaches come out at night, you can clean the boric acid up in the morning and then put it down again before you go to bed. That's a good technique for any surface (breakfast table, kitchen counter) which you use a lot.
Roaches may not be smart, but they will instinctively avoid the boric acid if you just put it in little piles here and there. Boric acid isn't like roach baits; the roaches aren't attracted to it.
Boric acid is available both from the drug store and the hardware store. Either should work. If it gets wet, I believe (though I'm not sure) that it loses its effectiveness. Thus, you should replace any boric acid that you have put out which has gotten wet. If you buy boric acid which has caked up, break it up into a powder before you use it.
Boric acid contains boron, an element. Pure boron doesn't occur in nature. As a compound with other elements, it has a wide variety of uses in industry, in medicine, and in the home. It is toxic in large quantities, but it is not poisonous in small quantities. Indeed, we all have boron in our bodies. If you have a baby, keep your baby off the floor while the boric acid is on the floor. If you have pets, don't put the boric acid where the pets are likely to step in it. If they do get a little of it in their systems, it shouldn't hurt them.
Once you have put the boric acid down in the way I recommend, you can expect to wake up every morning to find dead roaches on the floor. When you stop seeing dead roaches, you will know that they are all gone, and you can vacuum the boric acid up. If new roaches return, just go through the process again. When I first used this technique, I eliminated an infestation of thousands of roaches, and they never returned.
I remember reading a study in which they compared insecticides, roach baits, boric acid, and other cures for roaches. The problem was, they didn't use the boric acid in the right way. They sprinkled a little here and a little there, and it didn't work particularly well.
If it's used correctly, boric acid is the cure for roaches. You have to spread a line of it everywhere roaches might walk. Most importantly, you have to separate the roaches from the food. Thus, you must dribble a line of boric acid around the entire perimeter of your kitchen counter. It also helps to dribble a line of it around the perimeter of your entire kitchen. You should then use your judgement as to where else to dribble it. If roaches are getting into your stove, raise the top and sprinkle some inside; then close it and dribble a line around the perimeter. Or if the roaches are actually nesting under the top of the stove, dribble a line of boric acid around, or in, each burner well. If the roaches are getting on the breakfast table, dribble a line of it around the perimeter of the table (you'll then have to eat somewhere else for the next few days, but it's worth the inconvenience). If the roaches are attracted to the refrigerator, dribble a line of it around the refrigerator. If there is a pipe running into the floor with a gap around the pipe, and you think that roaches are nesting in there, then dribble a line of boric acid around the pipe.
In short, you have to put down the boric acid in such a way that the roaches must walk over it to get to the food. The line should be at least an eighth-inch thick, so that they can't just step over it. Once the boric acid gets on them, they will get it in their bodies when they clean themselves, and it will kill them. Specifically, I believe that it gets into their respiratory system and suffocates them.
Since roaches come out at night, you can clean the boric acid up in the morning and then put it down again before you go to bed. That's a good technique for any surface (breakfast table, kitchen counter) which you use a lot.
Roaches may not be smart, but they will instinctively avoid the boric acid if you just put it in little piles here and there. Boric acid isn't like roach baits; the roaches aren't attracted to it.
Boric acid is available both from the drug store and the hardware store. Either should work. If it gets wet, I believe (though I'm not sure) that it loses its effectiveness. Thus, you should replace any boric acid that you have put out which has gotten wet. If you buy boric acid which has caked up, break it up into a powder before you use it.
Boric acid contains boron, an element. Pure boron doesn't occur in nature. As a compound with other elements, it has a wide variety of uses in industry, in medicine, and in the home. It is toxic in large quantities, but it is not poisonous in small quantities. Indeed, we all have boron in our bodies. If you have a baby, keep your baby off the floor while the boric acid is on the floor. If you have pets, don't put the boric acid where the pets are likely to step in it. If they do get a little of it in their systems, it shouldn't hurt them.
Once you have put the boric acid down in the way I recommend, you can expect to wake up every morning to find dead roaches on the floor. When you stop seeing dead roaches, you will know that they are all gone, and you can vacuum the boric acid up. If new roaches return, just go through the process again. When I first used this technique, I eliminated an infestation of thousands of roaches, and they never returned.
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