I didn’t hear this radio programme, but apparently there are a lot of cockroaches in Melbourne at the moment. Danny Katz had a funny piece on them in yesterday’s Age.
I’m glad its not just my house that has them. In fact I almost used yesterday’s Age to squash one I found in a glass on the kitchen table. Eeeuuugggghhh.
The morning before that, there was one creepily-crawling around the picture rail in the kids’ bedroom, which certainly got them up and out of bed with more than their usual speed.
Thankfully apart from those two, I haven’t seen any others in the past few weeks. Hopefully they’re finding somewhere else to sup.
Where precisely does one buy boracic/boric acid, anyway?
PS. Maybe the next one I catch I’ll call Ted.
8 replies on “Roaches”
Ick! Hate the creepy crawlies!
I would guess that Bunnings or a place like that would sell that acid stuff you need.
can you get Robo Cans in Melbourne? it’s an insect repellent – “natural pyrethrins” (sp?) with an automatic squirter that goes off every five minutes… works a treat to keep the house creepy crawlie-free. I saw them in Bunnings…
You should be able to get boracic acid at a chemist shop. It used to be used as an eye wash and some people still do (I asked a chemist once). I had never heard of it being used as a cockroach killer.
We have the most revolting huge cockroaches here in Perth – up to 3 cm long. They breed in the bin store in our block. I put down those plastic bait thingies and that keeps the flat under control.
I don’t really like spraying, either. Did you see that Mythbusters show where they filled a house with aerosol cockroach ‘bombs’ and then blew it up with a spark?
You can buy boracic acid in the supermarket.
well i’m sure i’ve seen it here in perth in them
Les, Mythbusters were not the only people to use cockroach bombs as an explosive.
Apparently last year the owners of a restaraunt in Melbourne set off over 30 of them in their premises. They left them going overnight. A short while later the whole place blew up, apparently triggered by a gas pilot light in the kitchen. The place was completely destroyed.
It makes me wonder how severe their infestation was to prompt them to use so many of them!
A rolled-up Green Guide is a good weapon. I’ve used the commercial roach traps which seem to work.
I’m from Peru, and I understand you perfectly. Here we have those pests in every home… the very little ones… and the big ones also.. i don’t mind them… but my wife hates them.
We are about to migrate to Australia… she will die when she finds out you have the same problem.
One morning about two weeks ago I was dozing in bed and had this tickling just near my ear. I scratched it once but it continued on. The second time I went for it I brushed off a cockroach. Within seconds the coackroach was an oozing pile of shell and “gizzards” on the carpet. Never have I felt so violated!