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jonathan18

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#191674 12-Feb-2016 09:25
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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.


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jmh

jmh
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  #1490907 12-Feb-2016 09:30
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I believe that flies particularly are worse this year due to warm weather.  Your problems seem worse than most.  I would be tempted to get a pro in.




timmmay
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  #1490908 12-Feb-2016 09:32
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Get a pest guy in. It doesn't cost all that much more than DIY, and they do a MUCH better job. They have access to restricted chemicals which the public can't get. He's done borer treatments for me, and his charges for grass grub treatment were only a bit more than buying all the stuff to do it myself - and he does a much better job.

 

I can recommend Brian in Wellington, Integrated Pest Management. He has a masters degree in pest control, believe it or not, he does all the government work. I use him exclusively. He charges very reasonably.


Handsomedan
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  #1490909 12-Feb-2016 09:36
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jmh:

 

I believe that flies particularly are worse this year due to warm weather.  Your problems seem worse than most.  I would be tempted to get a pro in.

 

 

Personally, I'm not sure what  pro would do...

 

 

 

But a pest controller might be a good option. tongue-out

 

 

 

 





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jonathan18

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  #1490910 12-Feb-2016 09:36
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jmh:

 

I believe that flies particularly are worse this year due to warm weather.  Your problems seem worse than most.  I would be tempted to get a pro in.

 

 

Yeah, I have a feeling it's all due to the two large vermin we have no choice but to have infesting our home, namely our 4- and 8-year-old boys. I really can't remember being as filthy and slovenly as they are... (and it's not like we don't expect/require more, just they seem incapable of changing their habits).

 

Yeah, pros are an option, but I don't feel that any one of these is particularly dreadful or not DYI-fixable - it's more that it's been a perfect storm. Happy to give a DYI solution a go and, if that doesn't work, get in the pros... edit: ok, given the current direction of feedback I'll give some pest control companies a call. Last time we had the house treated it was using some relatively mild and child-friendly solution that did jack-sh!t to control anything; only thing it reduced was our bank balance. Hence why I'm assuming, but wanting to avoid, something more heavy-duty will be required...


Rikkitic
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  #1490927 12-Feb-2016 09:59
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Old farmhouse, also mice, flies and cockroaches. I haven't found an enduring solution for the latter two, but a couple of years ago we adopted and domesticated 5 feral kittens and since that time the rodent part of the problem has completely vanished, even through this year's plague. Occasionally they bring one inside to play with, but they never hang around. We have stopped using traps because there is no longer any point to them. Cats really do keep the mice and rats away.

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


geoffwnz
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  #1491057 12-Feb-2016 11:29
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I had two mice inside earlier this week.  One was pre-chewed, the other was still fully alive until I got the attention of the feline rodent disposal unit again.

 

Had one in the bedroom a few months back also.  Again, got the attention of the FRDU and the problem went away.





jonathan18

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  #1491064 12-Feb-2016 11:43
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Yeah, clearly felines generally make great mice catchers - just not that compatible with a wife who's basically allergic to anything non-human with hair! If it came down to a choice between keeping my wife and having mice or getting a cat and having no mice the former will win: I don't think a cat would make as good curry and roti as my wife does, for example. Or be able to drop the kids off at school.

 

That said, we did look into these Siberian cats that apparently produce far less of the allergy-causing thingy in their saliva, so allergy-sufferers tend to be far less affected by them - put off by the price, which I think was well over $1k for a kitten!


 
 
 

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pctek
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  #1491273 12-Feb-2016 16:51
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jonathan18:

 

The cockroaches are those big ones, with bodies up to about 4cm long; they 'arrived' with the firewood .

 

 

 

 

They're harmless, native type that lives in wood/bark etc. Put it out the door and stop worrying about it.

 

 


Rikkitic
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  #1491285 12-Feb-2016 17:13
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pctek:

 

jonathan18:

 

The cockroaches are those big ones, with bodies up to about 4cm long; they 'arrived' with the firewood .

 

 

 

 

They're harmless, native type that lives in wood/bark etc. Put it out the door and stop worrying about it.

 

 

 

 

The problem is they keep coming back in the door. Not sure they are harmless, some carry disease, but I loathe them anyway.

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


Fred99
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  #1491293 12-Feb-2016 17:52
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pctek:

 

jonathan18:

 

The cockroaches are those big ones, with bodies up to about 4cm long; they 'arrived' with the firewood .

 

 

 

 

They're harmless, native type that lives in wood/bark etc. Put it out the door and stop worrying about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eh?  The native ones are small, so unless they're eating nuclear waste, the 4cm ones are probably periplaneta americana - the last part of that name indicates where they came from.


cldlr76
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  #1491342 12-Feb-2016 19:14
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Fred99:

pctek:


jonathan18:


The cockroaches are those big ones, with bodies up to about 4cm long; they 'arrived' with the firewood .


 



They're harmless, native type that lives in wood/bark etc. Put it out the door and stop worrying about it.


 



 


Eh?  The native ones are small, so unless they're eating nuclear waste, the 4cm ones are probably periplaneta americana - the last part of that name indicates where they came from.



If they came from firewood they are more likely to be the gisborne cockroach (http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/gisborne-cockroach). Despite the name they also aren't native but are harmless in the sense that they aren't disease ridden.

Athlonite
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  #1491344 12-Feb-2016 19:20
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11000ltrs of petrol and a box of matches sealed


jonathan18

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  #1491345 12-Feb-2016 19:21
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Fred99:

pctek:


jonathan18:


The cockroaches are those big ones, with bodies up to about 4cm long; they 'arrived' with the firewood .


 



They're harmless, native type that lives in wood/bark etc. Put it out the door and stop worrying about it.


 



 


Eh?  The native ones are small, so unless they're eating nuclear waste, the 4cm ones are probably periplaneta americana - the last part of that name indicates where they came from.



That's a useful link, thanks, but it provided proof I must have been exaggerating the size of them! Based on that site, the ones we have are the Gisborne cockroach, which the site states are 20-30mm, ours definitely at the bigger end of this range (TBH I am sure ours are sometimes longer).

https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/bug-id/what-is-this-bug/bugs-with-legs/6-legs/cockroaches/gisborne-cockroach

I for one are not keen on these buggers infesting our house, benign or not. @pctek, feel free to provide me your address and I can forward you the live ones to keep as pets, eat, or even just to breed in your house.

Athlonite
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  #1491346 12-Feb-2016 19:22
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seriously thoug Rip Cord is the best for roaches spiders n flies

 

 


jonathan18

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  #1491347 12-Feb-2016 19:27
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Athlonite:

seriously thoug Rip Cord is the best for roaches spiders n flies


 



One of the pest controllers I spoke to today said they won't use Ripcord inside as it is not odourless and isn't as relatively benign as the one they use, which is used in childcare centres etc.

Does anyone know of any alternatives to Ripcord?

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