Pest control question?
My question is, should I get the place sprayed now, or wait until I actually see a bug?
Btw, I'm pathologically afraid of roaches. I can stand other bugs though, including spiders. But I can't handle roaches, dead or alive.
Answers:
never spray chemicals for roaches, get ortho boric acid at a hardware store, put it in little caps from food jars or pringles lids and slide under all the appliances, the kitchen sink and backs of cabinets, it will kill them within two weeks, it drys their bodies out from the inside because they breathe through gills on the side. they take it home on their feet and it kills some of the ones at home too.
Other answers:
get the place sprayed now you dont want take a chance of them getting into your clothes furniture etc.
get the place sprayed now you dont want take a chance of them getting into your clothes furniture etc.
Roaches and most pest cannot be controlled with spray. Roaches are the last thing to die from it, and their predators the first. Controlling bugs is staying clean, not leaving food on counters and having places in the home you cannot clean. The reason most tenant's are required to control pest is because most infestations(not all) are caused by lifestyle. Since it sounds like you are clean, spraying may only make your problem worse, not to mention all the known cancer causing junk in the stuff. Good Luck
I think it is best to get the place sprayed by a pro. but not always cost effective. Another thing you could try is to get the friends to use glue traps to try to catch any pests like roach motels ect.. behind appliances especially, under sink another key spot. figure this good rule of thumb every one caught means 3 to 10 in the walls.
How many sq ft are in the apt? Now go to the hardware and buy enough cans of bug bomb for this apt. Apply it just before you haul your stuff in. At least you'll have rid it of the pests present before you move in. But there could still be some roach eggs around or in the wall or in the neighbors place and so......
Hire an exterminator who is self-employed and have him come quarterly. I live in a 3000 sq. foot home in Houston, TX, and my exterminator (not a franchise or national chain), charges me less than $40 each quarter to do the house, attic, garage, and outside yard area.
Spectracide makes a product called Dursban that is available at most hardware stores. This is the same stuff that the pro's use, and it's very effective at killing roaches and keeping them from invading your home. You can't use it on food surface areas, but if you use it around baseboards, under the sink, washing machine, and stove, it will be effective. I use it in all rooms.
A very dilute solution...1/2 percent in water is very effective.
One application lasts several months.
Also in areas where bugs enter the house, you can use a stronger concentration.
You might want to spray ahead of time. But keep in mind, It's an apartment, which means you have close proximity neighbors, which means if they're slobs, the roaches can be in your apartment before the spray wears off...lol...sorry, just being real.