Cockroaches, help :/

[natv]

Losing the battle, need advice on new weapons...

I live in South Florida. Ever since we got our parrot we stopped using the chemical pesticides inside the house. (we still spray outside the house)

I researched what is safe to use around birds/pets and read about 'Diatomaceous Earth'. So I've been using that, to the point where my husband gets on my case about white powder everywhere.

Problem is - it's not working. It's just not killing the cockroaches. We bought cockroach traps and set them around the house, also hasn't helped. We also bought a "safe for pets" pesticide at Home Depot but it doesn't work well either.

(this isn't just an issue with cockroaches around his cage, but we see them in the kitchen and other places. We are as clean as we can be but I guess no matter what there are crumbs here and there that they are attracted to)

My husband wants to go back to using whatever pesticide we used to, which I know isn't safe for pets.

I'm wondering though... is it unsafe if a bird steps on where the pesticide was sprayed? Or is it unfafe in general to spray in the same room the parrot lives in? (is the issue with contact, or in general)

I could put him in another room for a few hours while the we spray the perimeter of all the walls/corners and wait for it dry.

He doesn't walk on the floor at all. Only if he happens to fall or land on the floor but that's very rare, and that would be in the middle of the room not where we'd be spraying (which is along the walls/baseboards)


I need some advice... on either a certain brand of pesticide that is safer than most (and works on cockroaches..) or some feedback on using regular pesticide and if it's just direct contact that is a problem (as he rarely walks on the floor)

If we're going to use regular pesticide (which I'm trying to avoid but may have no choice) I'd at least like to use it in the safest way possible for our little guy.


Thanks

 

[goalerjones]

Aerosols go everywhere, so unless the areas the bird will touch are all cleaned (and birds go lots of places we never anticipate), the bird will come in contact with the poison. If you must use OTC poisons, make sure it only goes in areas your birds can't.

 

[natv]

I read about a method using Baking soda and Powdered Sugar mixed in equal parts and spread around infested area as a non-toxic roach killer. (another article mentioned to also leave a small dish of water nearby too). Apparently the baking soda causes gas in the roaches they can't release and then they die (the water helps speed this up)

Going to try that next, just hope I can find something that works I really don't to resort to chemical pesticides.

 

[goalerjones]

I use bait for our occasional ant problems. I place the bait dispensors in areas the dogs and bird don't go, but is directly in line with the ants. Within 3 days the ants stop coming.

 

[Merlee]

We live in GA and we get the occasional cockroach too. I suggest you find out how they are getting in and sealing it. I had my husband put door sweeps in and that helped along with putting pesticide granular out in the flower beds around the house. If you do not have other pets I would use sticky traps on the floors where you find them the most. Until I moved here, I never saw a cockroach before.

 

[SoCalWendy]

I would contact a professional company, they would know what to use or what not to use.

 

[Mike17]

I used to work in a food factory, where we couldn't use pesticides. We used to put down a powder, which was essentially ground silica- sand (but not sand from beach, it needs to be rough). The theory is that it grinds away the carapace of the roaches, and it seemed to work in the factory, we rarely saw cockies. I believe I've seen a similar product on the shleves here in Oz but I think they mix a little pyrethrum with the ground silica. Either way you put it down where the cockies are likely to wander (in the factory, it was always against walls due to that being where dirt collected, and the floor was all glazed tiles, so sand+tiles=slips & falls).

I think I can see where the diatomaceous earth might work- as a dust to block the cockies' spiracles (breathing holes) but it would settle quite fast and be ineffective.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

This may sound weird, but some roaches got into our laundry room after some rains in our area. My husband sprayed vinegar on and around them and they died. Initially, they flailed about on their backs but then they croaked. We can go in the laundry room again. Yay!

 

[Yve]

Hi,

I moved to Puerto Rico last year with my parrot and we live in the country. Here we encounter all kinds of critters particularly red ants that at times crawl up Taino's cage. I spray dishwashing lotion/water on them and they die. I also don't leave food like fruits or table food in the cage. I immediately clean the cage with that solution. Once a week I wipe the cage with Clorox and water. This seems to help. Taino also eats Harrisons pellets--amazing though ants don't go near the pellets. We have huge flying roaches where we live too. At home depot, I bought a product called Terro mosquito repellent which is 100% natural and I put it in corners on the floor in my room. So far, any critter that walks over the pellets dies quickly!! I don't put a lot and it seems to do the job. I hope this information helps.

 

[MikeyTN]

With most bugs if you mix some dish detergent with water in a spray bottle and spray them with it, you soak'em, they will die pretty quick. When you go into battle with roaches, it's major work you have to go through in order to rid them. Years ago when I moved in with my partner at the condo, there was a roommate there, she brought roaches in when she moved in. She was very messy and roaches infested the whole condo and it was disgusting. I went into battle mode, first I kicked her out and threw out all her stuffs cause she wasn't paying rent for two months in a row where I had to pay her part for 2 months. We cleaned up her room full of trash. We empty ALL cabinets free of food from the house, even the fridge! Do not store paper sacs or any cardboard boxes, they can feed off the glue. Have someone watch the bird and we bombed the house. After doing so we had to wash everything in the house! For the cabinets we mix bleach with water to wipe down inside and outside of the cabinets, flooring, fridge, etc. I placed roach motels everywhere. I yank out the fridge on a daily basis cause they like to hide in the back of it and I spray the back of it to kill it. We had to eat out everyday for a month. By the end of the month, all roaches died. Then it was safe for us and the animals. From then on, be careful when you buy groceries, use plastic bags, any boxes, remove the content from within and leave the boxes outside. We brought one here at the house not long ago from the grocery store, not sure where he was hiding in. But my partner caught him and spat, he's gone. I freaked out and start flashing lights through the cabinets to check for traces but there was none and haven't seen one since.

 

[Merlee]

The problem with living in the southern part of the states is that roaches are like flies and mosquitos. They are nocturnal and find ways to come into the house. Your house can be clean, somebody opens a door, and one slips in. That is what happened to me while bringing in the dog. One can only dump so many chemicals on the lawn and you or your pets will pay a price because somehow it will get into your body.

I tried the DE and it did not do anything for us and the powder is not safe if it is inhaled so I do not use it any more.

 

[Echo]

Sprays are dangerous for the birds to breath in. So when you spray, how long before it settles? Is it scented where it stays in the air? If you must spray, I would make sure to bring the bird outside for the day (or the furthest away) and open all windows and fans on to ventilate as much as possible.

 

[henpecked]

I have used a product called TalStar. The liquid form can be sprayed (i use a small "garden" sprayer). TalStar kills about everything so be careful where you use it. I would remove the birds from the house and spray. You could "air"out the house but it doesn't have much of an odor. It's used in restaurants and food service industry. I think if you where careful and cleaned up well it would work well on the roaches.It's water soluble and last up to 1 year.

 

[aliray]

I live in Fla and have a company come every three months and I remind them I have birds and have never had a problem. they do inside and outside. One of the owners has a parrot so they know which ones to use here. I also have two little dogs and a cat.