cockroaches

[jelisa]

please tell me anything you know about these and how to get rid of them - PLEASE

[Impret-Sir]

Firstly, they can not harm you, dont panic! they are more scared of you than you are of them. Having said that, they are creepy and unfortunately they are a ****** to get rid of because they hide in tiny places and breed like crazy, so if you kill a lot, there are still loads left! Making sure the place is clean will help, they live where they can find food, so clean every scrap of grease, crumbs etc from every surface and nook and cranny. Is it a council flat? If so then their exterminator should clean them out before you move in, if not, then find a pest controller in Yellow Pages and get the job done professionally, tyring to eradicate them yourself may be cheaper, but I doubt it will be successful.

[RATTER15]

Cockroaches in the UK are usually associated with food premises, have you got a restaurant or cafe adjacent to the flat, if so, you will need to get your landlord to approach the owners, or contact environmental health and explain the situation.

If this is not the situation, you will need to bring in a Pest Control company to sort this problem, a Cockroach infestation is not a problem you can tackle yourself, believe me, I'm a pest controller and we have a problem eradicating these things ourselves sometimes.

I cant give you much idea of cost as I don't know the situation but likely to be well over �100.00 and could be an ongoing problem, especially if they are coming from an adjoining property.

Good luck

[RATTER15]

Impret-Sir, sorry they can harm you!! they walk all over your floor, your toilets, your bins and then all over your food!!
But they don't bite or sting if that's what you mean.

[wilsarnie]

Is it true that you can't stand on them to kill them because it releases all of they eggs and then they hatch anyway?

[RATTER15]

Willsarnie, no that is not true, I would stand on every single one I see, the trouble is you don't see very many of them.

[dave2222]

they dont like aircon also wilsarnie there eggs are very fragile and would be lucky to survive if you stood on them.

[KARL]

I once took over a house my employer rented for their staff in North Africa where commercial pest operatives did not exist. It was infested with different pests when my predecessor moved out but two to three weeks later the house was clear of them. One of the pests was cockroaches and they and the fleas went the same way, via a thorough spraying room by room (left sealed and unoccupied for at least 24 hours thereafter) along floor-wall lines and up corners, around all windows and doors and under furniture with Baygon (the original green/red can). The trouble is I think Baygon is difficult, if not impossible to find in the UK. Individual cockroaches occasionally found their way in from outside again but there was never an infestation in the three-plus years we lived in the house. One thing to note, they are cannibals and will eat a dead one of their own, thus prolonging their food supply options.