It seems to be approaching the apocalypse at our house as this summer we've been inundated with vermin and pests of various kinds - in particular we're seeing too many cockroaches, flies and even some mice in the house, and have spotted a few bits of borer around the house. The cockroaches are those big ones, with bodies up to about 4cm long; they 'arrived' with the firewood we used to get from a friend's farm.

When my wife wakes up to a mouse trying to make its way up the curtain in our bedroom it's certainly time to deal with them (again!). This time we've ordered the trap that someone linked to off Amazon last year (an electric rat trap), as it seems far less hassle than setting spring traps, but I'm looking for help with the other problems.

It seems that people still use Ripcord as a solution, including many singing its praises on a thread here a year or two back; I'd imagine this would deal well with the fly and cockroach problem indoors? Is it effective outside at all, eg if put around the eaves? The thing that worries me the most, and I've avoided using it thus far as we've had young children, is any negative side effects (and the warnings around food and therefore I assume ingestion are substantial). Should I be worried about this at all? Any advice on the best way to apply would be appreciated as well.

Any alternatives to Ripcord or other recommendations regarding dealing to flies and cockroaches would be gratefully received.

As to borer: this is in our piano, and also in a door, and one panel of the weatherboards outside. Looking at a site like the Kiwicare (No Bugs etc) suggests that for treating non-bare wood (eg varnished, painted) the only option is a direct injection into the borer holes, with such products as this one. Can anyone recommend a better approach than this?

Many thanks.