Roaches

[bilbo]

As part of my Florida experience, I saw a cockroach inside my pickup this morning. It's the first one I've seen in there in the month or so I've been here. Maybe I'll eventually reach the level of calm regarding cockroaches that everybody else seems to have here, but for now I'm seriously contemplating torching it. How do I keep the things out?

I knew I'd eventually have to confront these things when we decided to make this move. I appreciate any good advice anyone can offer as well as general "I told you so" type harassment!

 

[Uncle Gump]

I say try moving to North Dakota

 

[rumblecloud]

It probably identifies as a "Palmetto bug."
Drive it over to Disney and let it out.

 

[Ranger850]

Palmetto Bugs are a "roach". But not the kind that live in your cupboards. They do not like dry places. They live in dark, dank, moist places like in old rotting logs or a piece of plywood that's been laying on the ground for a few weeks. If you only see one, your good, it will go away as long as your truck stays warm and dry. If you have a lot of stuff in the bed, it lives there now and consider it a neighbor or unwanted house guest.

 

[bilbo]

The palmetto bugs are the huge ones from what I've learned. I've only seen those outside. This one was on the armrest in the cab as I opened the door. The back does have stuff in it as I'm living in the camper for a while and it has totes and stuff in it. The cab has stuff in it too, valuables that I need to keep locked up, in boxes. I've read they like cardboard. So how do I handle them, knowing that I can't permanently remove contents of the cab/box quite yet?

I did spray barrier spray around the camper and any entry points and it seems to be helping in there. Can/should the same be done with a car?

 

[Ranger850]

The palmetto bugs are the huge ones from what I've learned. I've only seen those outside. This one was on the armrest in the cab as I opened the door. The back does have stuff in it as I'm living in the camper for a while and it has totes and stuff in it. The cab has stuff in it too, valuables that I need to keep locked up, in boxes. I've read they like cardboard. So how do I handle them, knowing that I can't permanently remove contents of the cab/box quite yet?

I did spray barrier spray around the camper and any entry points and it seems to be helping in there. Can/should the same be done with a car?

Even Palmetto bugs have babies. Palmetto Bugs ARE in the same family as CockRoaches and can be treated the same way. As I mentioned before, moisture is the enemy. They HATE to be disturbed, so move stuff frequently, when your car is parked, put a air blower in the cab and try to dry up anything holding moisture. They love cardboard because it holds moisture and has lots of places to lay eggs. They generally go to a food source, so don't give them a reason to stay. Also cats chase them away ... or eat them.

 

[Fast Eddie]

"Also cats chase them away ... or eat them.". Chickens too. I stayed at a campground that adopted a seemingly lost chicken. It would hang out in a coop at night the campers built for her. During the day, she would scratch any debris that lay around or under the RVs there. Palmetto Bugs (German Cockroaches) were on the menu and that chicken ate REAL well. They named her Goldie. From what I understand, she's still there and the eggs are REAL good (if you can find them before the resident black snake does).

The "I told you so's" will be about the heat. And see? "We told you so".

We forgot to give you a heads up on the spiders, snakes and other things that go bump in the night. If you feel something crawling on you in the middle of the night, remain VERY still. And please...enjoy your stay.

 

[superj]

cock roaches can't bite or hurt you in physical way so no need to freak out if you see one. just flick it off or squish it

 

[bilbo]

Haha so far the heat has been about what I expected. The way the thunderstorms form, move, and behave is totally different and kind of interesting. I kind of knew about the creepy crawlies going into this. Speaking of that, what are the little black millipedes I always see coiled up on the concrete?

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Play "La Cucaracha" very loudly on a continuous loop until they go away.

 

[Ranger850]

Speaking of that, what are the little black millipedes I always see coiled up on the concrete?

Rollie Pollies ?

Or these

The Florida Blue Centipede is likely the only true centipede native to Florida. Unlike millipedes, centipedes are aggressive carnivores that eat insects, worms, snails, – essentially any other creature small enough for them to overpower and consume. They are nocturnal and prefer dark, moist areas.


They come out at night and then get caught by the sun and dehydrate to death.

Here you might want to read this.

Centipede & Millipede Identification South Florida | Native Pest Management

Millipedes are mostly nuisance pests. They are annoying to find & can be difficult to keep out. Learn how to control & prevent them!

www.nativepestmanagement.com

 

[Blmpkn]

Sometimes I like to save my roaches til I have enough to roll another.

Call the new one an ancestor.

It's gross.

 

[bilbo]

I think it's the one that looks sort of like a black earthworm. I don't mess with them; they seem to just be around on the sidewalks in the campground I'm at now. It's weird, the only thing my previous campground had was fire ants in the grassy areas. This one has a menagerie of creepy crawlies.

My days of the saveable roaches are long over. I get randomed for work. Back when I was into that stuff I never really rolled it much, mostly used glass. I do remember cleaning them out with alcohol and making resin hits. That was gross, I'd imagine it's similar.

 

[Ranger850]

Sometimes I like to save my roaches til I have enough to roll another.

Call the new one an ancestor.

It's gross.

This young guy I smoke with calls it a"Genesis Blunt" ( we smoke blunts, papers are weird to me, but that's a whole other conversation NOT for TRS.)

 

[Chapap]

We had a house in probate that sat vacant for a couple years. All the drains dried up and the house was overrun with palmetto bugs. I learned that they very rarely infest houses. They venture in, but live outside. Killed and removed them all… like shovel style. Stuffed rubber balls in the toilets and clogged all the drains. Didn’t have any real issues after that.

German cockroaches, on the other hand, are the infestations you have to worry about.