How to get rid of roaches in NYC apartments!

led6777

I'm moving to NYC in a few weeks and my roommate is already there. He said he's already seen several roaches in and around our place. He's freaked out and I am too. I've done lots of research but I'm just wondering if anyone here has some good advice, especially regarding how to convince the landlord to get all the units in the building sprayed!

MILICA1986

Stomp out the monsters ! ! !

victoria4321

Eww clean the place up. My nyc apartment doesnt have roaches so its not a normal ny thing. If you have dirty neighbors you'll probably have to move. Or you can live with roaches like that movie Joe's Apartment.

led6777

Eww clean the place up. My nyc apartment doesnt have roaches so its not a normal ny thing. If you have dirty neighbors you'll probably have to move. Or you can live with roaches like that movie Joe's Apartment.

good, i'm so glad it's not a normal nyc thing.. that's what everyone says and i just don't believe it. I WILL NOT LIVE WITH ROACHES.

crazy8ts

I've lived in NYC all my life...

Boric acid. You can find it in most hardware stores or 99 cent stores... run lines of it along the base of the cabinets and walls where you see them most... Note: Not safe if you have pets... Every couple of months, sweep it up and reapply.

NotThePest

Roaches will eat anything, wallpaper paste, some wiring insulation, food crumbs, so living roach free in NYC, or any place, means doing due diligence. I've been living in Brooklyn, NY for a long time and fighting roaches is a constant battle. Up until recently the Roach Baits really worked, especially the ones made by Combat. But they probably developed an immunity to them so it was back to exterminators but I don't want the toxins they bring. Then I fell in love with Mrs. Meyer's products, specifically their Lavender products then I noticed my battle lines seem to retrench as I didn't see them anymore.

I have her All purpose cleaner, kitchen counter top spray, etc. and no roaches. I just put two and two together and began looking up natural pest control and lavender was one of the many scents used to keep pests at bay. I already knew about peppermint and rodents, they don't like it 'cause it messes with their sinuses, but I didn't know about Lavender.

Mrs. Meyer's is a natural based, not toxic cleaning product company, you may want to check them out.

laurielie

Lol..just curious, what roach free state are you moving from? In fl we have "giant" roaches! (not us) cause we pay.for pest control. I really dont think all 8 million plus new Yorkers live with roaches!

led6777

Lol..just curious, what roach free state are you moving from? In fl we have "giant" roaches! (not us) cause we pay.for pest control. I really dont think all 8 million plus new Yorkers live with roaches!

i'm from seattle. i had never seen a roach in my entire life until i went to college in chicago and I HATE THEM!

MermaidFaith

Lol..just curious, what roach free state are you moving from? In fl we have "giant" roaches! (not us) cause we pay.for pest control. I really dont think all 8 million plus new Yorkers live with roaches!

I am originally from florida and i laugh at what people in indiana refer to as roaches. But up here they are more rare than florida. usually just dirty people who let food lie around in their house instead of cleaning it up have them here.

skinnylove00

HIRE WILL SMITH! :drinker:

marywanoKC

Lol..just curious, what roach free state are you moving from? In fl we have "giant" roaches! (not us) cause we pay.for pest control. I really dont think all 8 million plus new Yorkers live with roaches!

OMG, YES! Palmetto bugs are SO gross! I kinda never want to go back to Florida because of those things. *laugh*

led6777

Lol..just curious, what roach free state are you moving from? In fl we have "giant" roaches! (not us) cause we pay.for pest control. I really dont think all 8 million plus new Yorkers live with roaches!

OMG, YES! Palmetto bugs are SO gross! I kinda never want to go back to Florida because of those things. *laugh*

why oh why did i choose to google that?

NotThePest

Ugly and gross as they may be, roaches do serve a purpose, they are scavengers. So don't give them anything to scavenge.:smooched:

barongaston

Some object to it but there is always your friend the Gecko. Buy a couple and turn them loose in the appartment, you wont see them or roaches again. So you dont think I am crazy I remember reading something about it and found the article for you.

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/12/nyregion/buyers-snap-up-geckos-a-cockroach-s-tyrannosaurus.html

znm100

Stomp out the monsters ! ! !

don't stomp on them!

I was an exterminator all throughout college. If you stomp on them, pieces of the smashed little buggers get into the tread on your shoes. Including the eggs. Then you spread their eggs all over by walking around. (This is especially important if you do not currently have roaches. NEVER step on a roach that isn't in your home and wear those shoes inside your house).

Have your roommate call the landlord and get the exterminator in there. Really what he will do is add your apartment # to the list of his monthly accounts, as I'm sure they already come at least once a month.

Best thing that you can do, is stay clean. Don't leave food, cat food, dog food, dirty dishes, etc laying around. That's for german cockroaches. American cockroaches are bigger, and are associated with warm, dark, damp areas. You may see those in your bathroom, and they are probably coming up from the boiler room or laundry room in the building. Make sure the exterminator is treating there as well, which i'm sure they already are.

Hope this helps

NotThePest

znm100 - No stomping - that is great info to have. Thanks.

EmCarroll1990

Stomp out the monsters ! ! !

DO NOT STOMP ON THEM! That is the worst thing you can do, they automatically release their eggs once stomped on.

Foxypoo61287

Are you POSITIVE they are roaches.



or Palmetto Bug



try to see if your room mate can catch one ( alive or dead) and bring it to an exterminating company or something so you know your treating for the right thing... and if your landlord does nothing about it, im pretty sure it violates health code.

SofaKingRad

You can collect them and substitute them into this recipe.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/620116-cookies

scapez

I can't personally vouch for this, but I've heard about it and would give it a try if I was looking to get rid of creepy crawlies:

Diatomaceous Earth:

http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

Lil_MiSsSunshiNe

Tell him to go get a room at a hotel and bomb the apartment. Order some room service as well. I have never done that but its on my bucket list.

angieleighbyrd

If it's an apartment, the whole building needs to be cleaned, not just your apartment. We had roaches when I lived in town homes and they didn't even start in my home. You need to call your landlord to call an exterminator. You can clean all you want, they won't go anywhere. Just fwi, for every 1 roach you see, there is about 1,000 others you don't see.

mfpcopine

Tell the landlord to call the exterminator. Interesting, because roaches have not been a problem in New York City for decades. There's this weird thing that looks like silver fish that I see occasionally, it seems to like wood or cardboard, and very rarely, there is a huge water bug, but roaches, no.

You can also try "bombs" and roach motels.

GasMasterFlash

I would think that the rats would eat them.

mfpcopine

Lol..just curious, what roach free state are you moving from? In fl we have "giant" roaches! (not us) cause we pay.for pest control. I really dont think all 8 million plus new Yorkers live with roaches!

I spent some time in Florida. The Palmetto Bugs were absolutely DISGUSTING. Some of them flew.

Old joke:

Question: What's the best spray for a Palmetto Bug:

Answer: A hammer.


DISGUSTING.

Unknown

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L00py_T0ucan

The pigeons, mice and rats usually scare them away!

Don't forget to look for oversized cutouts around the piping in the backs of your cabinets, around radiators, etc.
You can stuff w/ steel wool and/or expanding spray foam.





Good luck! :flowerforyou:

AlbaAngel25

aaaah i wish i didnt read into this thread lol. I also moved from the west coast(B.C.)to the east (ontario) and i am so petrified of roaches. My hubby used to live in NY and when i would go and see him his building i guess was infected, super nasty. So now, i have this fixed thought that all of the east coast and especially metropolitan areas get roaches. Am i wrong?? I really hope so. My dad even scared me saying, enjoy that, make sure u do ur dishes etc etc... Ughhhhh I feel ur pain!

brattyworm

Are you POSITIVE they are roaches.



or Palmetto Bug



try to see if your room mate can catch one ( alive or dead) and bring it to an exterminating company or something so you know your treating for the right thing... and if your landlord does nothing about it, im pretty sure it violates health code.

Roach ... Palmeto Bug... the only difference in my opinion is one is freakin huge compared to the other, but that one looks like a huge one of the other. Lived in Florida for a bit. I ended up staying somewhere else the first time I saw one of those evil things in my room. My roommate and I fumagaged our room (it was barracks) and sent them packing. Evil looking things.

mfpcopine

Are you POSITIVE they are roaches.



or Palmetto Bug



try to see if your room mate can catch one ( alive or dead) and bring it to an exterminating company or something so you know your treating for the right thing... and if your landlord does nothing about it, im pretty sure it violates health code.

Roach ... Palmeto Bug... the only difference in my opinion is one is freakin huge compared to the other, but that one looks like a huge one of the other. Lived in Florida for a bit. I ended up staying somewhere else the first time I saw one of those evil things in my room. My roommate and I fumagaged our room (it was barracks) and sent them packing. Evil looking things.

I regularly saw Palmetto Bugs as big as the palm of my hand.

Megandarae

Ew...ick... I live in Hawaii so I'm no stranger to these nasty creatures. What worked best for me in my old apartment was the Combat Roach Gel that comes in a tube. After a few days, I didn't see roaches for like six months. It'll eventually need re-application but it seemed to be an inexpensive fix.