[LobsterSan]

Well, one detractor of living in an Asian country is that the roaches here are not only rampant, but HUGE. I had heard early reports from my roommate that Percy (the name of our new visitor) was roughly the size of a cat. I thought this was an exaggeration. However, this morning, as I stepped into the bathroom to brush my teeth, I found Percy messing about near our toothbrushes. And indeed, Percy was quite large. I have seen larger, but only in a controlled lab environment, and only alive for the time that it took to asphixiate and dissect them. I gave a gutteral yelp and stepped away from Percy, thoroughly revolted and shivering with the heebie-jeebies. And I hadn't the strength to smash Percy with [nearby object], for I feared the splatter of guts would make me lose whatever I had in my stomach.

This is the first report of cockroaches in our relatively new, relatively highly elevated apartment, as previous ESL instructors have stayed in our apartment for years and never experienced a roach. I guess it's a testament to the amount of filth that three twentysomething-year-old boys can build up in just a short amount of time.

So now my question to you all of you is...

How do I get rid of these suckers? And how do I keep them from crawling on me at night? I'm planning on picking up some roach traps... you think I should get the kind that poisons the colony or the instant kill variety?

 

[bangraman]

Hold on... You're in the anti-gokiburi-gadgets/potions capital of the world and you're asking us?

 

[LobsterSan]

I need a quick solution, as it is quickly becoming nightfall and I fear the wrath of the approaching roaches. I've sealed off the drains, but I need a way to insure that my futon stronghold will not be breached this evening.

Please, any assistance or suggestions would be kindly appreciated.

 

[Permonic]

Hope these are not the killer cockroaches from the almost forgotten movie Damnation Alley.

BTW, off the topic, in this movie there was a pretty cool vehicle called Landmaster.

 

[SteeleBlayde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LobsterSan I found Percy messing about near our toothbrushes.

This line is killing me!! LMAO!!!

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LobsterSan but I need a way to insure that my futon stronghold will not be breached this evening. Please, any assistance or suggestions would be kindly appreciated.

Once when knowing I was moving into a highrise and fearing the very same thing, I opted to have a traditional 4 legged bed so that I could device some barrier around those legs if I had to (something sticky). You might put your futon on a 4 legged platform?

Fortunately I never saw a roach. But did that keep me from being bitten in the night by something on occasion, no. (I'm not refering to my species).

 

[chadbang]

I never had a roach physically come near me. I think they're pretty shy. I wouldn't worry about a bodily invasion.


Roaches in Asia I can deal with. Come to Thailand and try and live with the MOSQUITOS!! AAAARRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH THEY'RE EVERWHERE!!!!!!!

 

[Ticky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadbang Roaches in Asia I can deal with. Come to Thailand and try and live with the MOSQUITOS!! AAAARRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH THEY'RE EVERWHERE!!!!!!!

Oh, remind me. These suckers kept me awake many nights in Bangkok. I swear, they are must quicker and smarter than the N. American counterpart. Damn things would wait until the lights go out before doing their "runs." Try hitting one and the sucker starts doing "evasive manuevers" that would leave the best airforce pilots in awe.

About the roaches. Can't you just buy one of those roach traps that should be abundant in supermarkets?

 

[KR...]

I want to see a pic, just how big is this bug?

 

[chadbang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ticky Oh, remind me. These suckers kept me awake many nights in Bangkok. I swear, they are must quicker and smarter than the N. American counterpart. Damn things would wait until the lights go out before doing their "runs." Try hitting one and the sucker starts doing "evasive manuevers" that would leave the best airforce pilots in awe.

No kidding. Killing an American mosquito is like knocking down a huge, fat Elvis of a mosquito. These Thai mosquitos are just impossible to hit.

 

[mbriant]

Quote:

Once when knowing I was moving into a highrise and fearing the very same thing, I opted to have a traditional 4 legged bed so that I could device some barrier around those legs if I had to (something sticky). You might put your futon on a 4 legged platform?

That won't help. They'll just crawl on the ceiling directly over your bed and drop down on you while you sleep.

I went through the same trauma when I first moved from a small town to a highrise in the city. I had never seen a cockroach before. I managed to get into the apartment to take some measurements a few days before I was to move in and after the previous tenants had moved out. The kitchen and even the fridge was crawling with them. I couldn't sleep for two days thinking about it. The first thing I did was purchase two kinds of poison ..... one, was non-toxic chaulk dust ( which apparently gets under their shell, lacerates their bodies and kills them) while the other was a spray chemical pesticide. I sprayed the chemical pesticide along the base of every wall and inside window frames, etc. Then I pumped the chaulk in behind every foot of baseboard, inside every electical outlet and switch box, around the perimiter of every cabinet, around my bed, and into every hole, nook, and cranny I could find. The cockroach has to walk through the chaulk for it to work. I lived there for 8 months and never saw another cockroach.

 

[Permonic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadbang No kidding. Killing an American mosquito is like knocking down a huge, fat Elvis of a mosquito. These Thai mosquitos are just impossible to hit.

Maybe they are pretty sensitive to any pressure change. I simply use glass cup and slowly come close to the target. After the mosquito is trapped, I use a paper to separate it from the wall. It works in about 80% for the first time....

Hence I have to agree that there is a difference between European and Asian mosquitoes. Mosquitoes here in HK seems to fly faster, change the direction many times and tend to fly rather nearby a floor than a ceiling.

 

[Ticky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Permonic Hence I have to agree that there is a difference between European and Asian mosquitoes. Mosquitoes here in HK seems to fly faster, change the direction many times and tend to fly rather nearby a floor than a ceiling.

Perhaps its the warmer weather and also good o'l natural selection. Slow & fat ones are already extinct. Yes, I do notice that mosquitoes tend to duck-dive towards the floor. This is quite a good evasive strategy - from the blood-suckers' point of view - as floors tend to be darker (away from light sources) than the surrounding walls or ceiling. I noted that I had a hard time trying to kill a mosquitoes when it dips and "disappears" against the dark floor.

Over the years, I've developed a "wait-and-bait" strategy. I'll dim the lights and sit still, keeping any exposed skin infront of me (arms and legs). After a few minutes, the darn thing is bound to come out to take a bite. I'll wait till it lands on my skin. Then... SMACK! Let loose the "slap-of-death."

The only problem with this strategy is that its usually late at night and I might actually nod off before the darn thing takes the bait. I wish I have one of those motion tracking device from HALO.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

first off i gotta ask, who the hell named him "percy?"

secondly, you have to forget about naming your pests, it will make it easier to get rid of them the old fashioned way, with your foot!

i have read that it is better to use roach traps as opposed to sprays and powders which can easily be spread around your home, they are highly toxic and not good for human consumption.

 

[D-EJ915]

I've heard of the "foot-long" cockroaches that they have in the Phillipines...from my friend Kevin. Of course they aren't really 12" long, but large...

and "the fires" and rockets...lol