cockroaches in melbourne

I hate cockroaches!!
over the last two summers i have noticed these beastly bugs turning up.

They sit in the mailbox waiting for me to smuggle them onto the kitchen bench.

They lurk under the meter cover waiting for me to take the top off and drop it on my foot.

They hide in every pole on the kids playstuff so when i take it apart they drop on me.

Will someone please tell me these are just tourists from queensland down to escape the heat.(ie poor misunderstood harmless natives)
and not illegal immigrants from new york( loud, rude and into everything)

Help
Astrid:o

Quote:

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Originally Posted by astrid

I hate cockroaches!!
over the last two summers i have noticed these beastly bugs turning up.

They sit in the mailbox waiting for me to smuggle them onto the kitchen bench.

They lurk under the meter cover waiting for me to take the top off and drop it on my foot.

They hide in every pole on the kids playstuff so when i take it apart they drop on me.

Will someone please tell me these are just tourists from queensland down to escape the heat.(ie poor misunderstood harmless natives)
and not illegal immigrants from new york( loud, rude and into everything)

Help
Astrid:o

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That depends on how big they are.

If they're big enough to wrestle with the dog, they're from Queensland....:no:

Astrid,
To the best of my knowledge, the cockroaches in Victoria are all native species. Sydney and Brisbane have the Blatta americana type. The native types live happily on decaying vegetation and tend not to exist in "disease ridden hovels" Just usher them out the way and forget about them. It does seem a little harsh to say you hate them, though, when they speak so highly of you.:)

There are two sorts but seem to hang out together, plotting.
Bigger ones black about 3 and even 4 CM
Smaller ones mid gold brown 2-3 cm.
maybe Adult and juvenile
or male and female
or maybe two separate species.
We never had them here before?

Astrid

Try introducing some huntsman spiders. They will love you, and will hapily sort out your cockroaches.

Sorry Astrid,

The cockroaches you have are named American and German varieties. Both are imports and pests. Both came over very early in the European colonisation along with several varieties of rats, lice and mice.

There are bological control systems around. Basically one gets infected and because they are so social they infect the rest of the nest. These appear to be the best treatments (ie least toxic to humans) at the moment. Get a pest controller in

Sebastiaan

ps, I thought you meant the band when I read the title.....

I'm quite fond of huntsman spiders and they're welcome to hang around in my house, had one living in the car once. its name was simon.
but since the mohogany gum had to come down we dont seem to get them anymore.

May be thats why the cockroaches are taking over,
Im not the only one to have noticed this, a japanese friend rang me the other day freaking about it.
Her place is spotless and not a bit of leaf mould or old timber to be found.

Astrid:)

the wiggles?
now that is unkind to cockroaches!

If these came over with the colonials (not the wiggles) how come we're only getting them in cental melb now?.
not disagreeing just curious

Astrid

Your not the only one with them Astrid, Metalhead on these forums posted a picture not all that long ago wanting to identify one. I grew up in Melbourne and for as long as I can remember, I have always seen them around. My parents had a particularly bad infection of cockroach at one stage a few years back. They ended up getting a pest guy in for them plus a few other probs as well. They are still around but no where as bad as what they were.

so far mine are only outside,
maybe if i clean all the old timber out from under the verandah.
theres not that many at the moment but i found one swimming in my glass of red last week.
put me off for a while:)

Astrid

Quote:

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Originally Posted by astrid

so far mine are only outside,
maybe if i clean all the old timber out from under the verandah.
theres not that many at the moment but i found one swimming in my glass of red last week.
put me off for a while:)

Astrid

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Strewth woman! Drink FASTER!!

Hi Astrid

I was doing food safety and pest control audits in Melbourne in the 80's being proudly told how Melbourne only had native cockies. Till I saw some during an audit, caught them and had them ID'd. Dont know where the natives only press came from but Melbourne like every other dense style human habitation has imported cockies. I was told that they have been found in the Antarctic stations but havent confirmed it.

If you have them now, you've had them for a while. For every one you see there will be 100 you dont. I know the weather has been warm there which speeds up the breeding cycle. They are true omnivores mainly feed on rotting vegetation and animal matter, so your wood pile would be perfect. Being cold blooded you will see more of them when the weather is warmer. Sydney has had a very mild summer, we arent seeing that many.

Google "blatella" and check the images to see what they look like. The precise species are Blatella Germanica and Blatella Americana.


Sebastiaan

Spider bombs will eliminate them from inside your house.
I don't think they like surafce spray either so maybe spraying your letterbox etc will get rid of them from there.

OK,
I googled images,
I think they're oriental cockroaches, this fits the size colour breeding cycle description and habitat.
this i can cope with as they dont seem to come inside and seem to like mulch.

Astrid

there is a black can (I think its mortein) used as a surface spray, designed for outside as well ......dont spray the woodpile ....they will move to new feeding ground .....spray a perimeter around your home .....this will stop them coming inside ...cockroaches are egg layers .....the eggs look like a tic tac ....only dark brown or black ...you will find them around architraves , skirtings, door jams ...etc .....like mice they rarely go into open ground and usually follow the room around via the edge .....if you find any..... crush them .....each egg can contain up too 100 babies .....and are impervious to sprays ......the really dark brown roach normally resides in your fence .....but since the climate has changed .....they move .....mop your floors with bleach ...they hate it

Thanks MOT,
Is ive said their not inside (yet)
but i might put a bit of bleach in the water when i clean the kitchen floor and spray onder the dishwasher and fridge.
I was a naughty girl and put the paddling pool up for the kids last week,
the roaches crept into the gaps between the supports and the vynal there were at least 20 in there:oo:
suppose it serves me right, divine retrebution from the water mob.

Astrid:U

Astrid

If anyone around your place has Palm trees the big cochies love them if the palms are then cut down or even branches trimmed they flee to where ever they like.

The small German type can lay eggs in and on boxes which may be brought into your home and the next place they head is for warm electrical appliances such as Microwaves fridge motor or freezer motor area where they can create a colony.

Then if your neighbours have had their place sprayed guess where they'll move to.

Hope you succeed in ridding of them.

we seem to have a few different types,
but they're outside at the moment, had the same prob last year they disapeared when the weather cooled down.

Astrid:)

Cockies breeding/life cycle is a 14 day one, so if you 'bomb' them, you have to hit them twice, the second one about 10-14 days later, to get the generation that will hatch from the egg cases after they hatch but before they breed.

Then its the barrier spray to keep out the relatives.

A single application is pretty pointless really - OK, you can get great satisfaction from having one of the big ones do the death scuttle, but you really have to give them the 1-2-3 treatment.

The fungus based 'traps' are also a good idea - they wander thru', get galloping footrot & go back into the wall cavities to die. The fungus then eats the corpse & produces more spores which invade the hidey hole & get into the next invader. More of an on-going no-chemical approach, it takes a while to kill them so you will still some scuttling around.

Introduce a few Maroons aka Canetoads. We usually annihilate Cockroaches!

One of the best cockroach sprays I have used is Mortein Lure & Kill. It brings them out of their hiding places and then where they cross the path of the spray they die.

Some years ago, cockies were spotted around the computers at work, so we set some of those sticky traps. Caught a big one the first night, and she laid an egg before dying. We left the trap to see if we caught any more. A few nights later, there were little footprints all leading away from the egg.
There must be a moral to this story.

Oh you liar!!:U

Astrid

Even the electronic pest free wont guarentee against german cockies, a good blue tongue is the only answer though they wont stay inside, as has been said for every one you see theres 100 you dont.
You can do like the septics cover the house in plastic and use gas,
The Lure & kill stuff workes great on normal cockies but the crouts just love it , which is a pain in my house as we only have those German types espically aropund the microwaves, coffee machine & dishwasher and I have tried heaps of remedies including removal of appliances taken to the shed sprayed everywear and checked hourly and they are still there ,
I don't want to talk about this anymore its starting to get to me , I am thinking of getting night watchmen in with small hammers aggggg :;

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Originally Posted by astrid

Oh you liar!!:U

Astrid

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Moi?:oo:

Never, it's a true story.

Well, I can tell you that a mix of instant mashed potato and Borax (not Borat, though he might work) will knock over the Americans OK, but not sure about Das roachenrunningerheiden. I worked in a commercial tropical fish importer's hot room during Uni vacation one summer. We had cockies that could carry chop bones around. This mix wiped 'em out.

Rob

which is the active ingredient?:?
Astrid

Astrid, that is a good question!! I think the Borax knocks them off and the spuds attract them. Not sure that Cockies have discerning taste buds.:)

Don't laugh, but I have heard of mixing something cockys eat like powdered spud, icing suger etc with dry plaster of Paris.

The story goes that the plaster of Paris blocks up the works when it sets and the cockys can't eat and we all know what happens when you don't eat.

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Originally Posted by LGS

Astrid, that is a good question!! I think the Borax knocks them off and the spuds attract them. Not sure that Cockies have discerning taste buds.:)

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Quite right. The borax contains derivatives of boric acid, which acts as a stomach poison and skeletal irritant. Boric acid is recognised [by many] as the best roach fighter around--non-toxic to humans, etc. Takes a bit of time to work, but thorough and safe. :)

Ive got borax in the shed.
Thats the bottle with the little scull and crossbones on it?.
i inject into borer holes.

HB i think our borax might be different. or am i confusing the names?
.
Astrid
PS my comment re the active ingredient was a joke:doh:

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Originally Posted by Barry Hicks

Don't laugh, but I have heard of mixing something cockys eat like powdered spud, icing suger etc with dry plaster of Paris.

The story goes that the plaster of Paris blocks up the works when it sets and the cockys can't eat and we all know what happens when you don't eat.

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Not sure plaster of "Paris" would work here, you may need plaster of Melbourne, or Sydney etc to really kill them off. Or maybe plaster of America or Germany??:?

Found a size 9 safety boot works well, all I need to know is how to get rid of red backs have hundreds of them and they are big buggers in the shed and under the cars.

The mechanic craps him self when I put the cars in for service, odd thing is the cockroaches don't seem to be bothered with them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by astrid

Ive got borax in the shed.
Thats the bottle with the little scull and crossbones on it?.
i inject into borer holes.

HB i think our borax might be different. or am i confusing the names?
.
Astrid
PS my comment re the active ingredient was a joke:doh:

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No, you are right on. A little boric acid in their environment and they will fall over [eventually].

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGS

Not sure plaster of "Paris" would work here, you may need plaster of Melbourne, or Sydney etc to really kill them off. Or maybe plaster of America or Germany??:?

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Plaster of OZ will kill most anything. Plaster of Melbourne is fairly toxic. I think you need plaster of Drop Bear. But it's late and I digress. :):)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phil Spencer

Found a size 9 safety boot works well, all I need to know is how to get rid of red backs have hundreds of them and they are big buggers in the shed and under the cars.

The mechanic craps him self when I put the cars in for service, odd thing is the cockroaches don't seem to be bothered with them.

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I recieved a bill for the the service of my car a couple of years ago, it included the item of "removeal spider from transmition, replacement not installed". The funniest part was they had even got a part number for the spider...:U:U