Me vs the roaches. Boric acid. Soy oil. Roach traps. Raid in various forms. Roach bait. You name it, it's been (or still is) part of the arsenal.
Today the war continues. Deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen (for the umpteenth time) and another deployment of weapons of mass roach destruction under and behind the refrigerator and into every visible crevice.
Still, I fear that as long as we live in Georgia and have cats we'll also have roaches. The cats' water dish is for the roaches* what a waterhole on the Serengeti is for wildebeest. When I flip on the light switch late in the evening that's where the little scuttling bastards scatter from. I zap as many as I can with the soy oil, but in my mind I keep seeing the cockroach general in the Fabulously Furry Freak Brothers comics reacting to a loss of troops: "No problem. I've got a million more."
*Roaches can go a long, long time without food, but they die in 7 days without water. If roaches have a religion, they probably worship large furry gods who generously share an unending supply of both manna (aka Meow Mix) and water.
I fear nothing but roaches. When I was a little girl, young enough to love my subscription to Little Lulu, I dreamed I was being chased by Tubby and a hoard of cockroaches. I ran as fast as I could until I came to a naked tree and a cliff. I chose jumping off a cliff to escape.
ReplyDeleteI lived briefly in Kauai, Hawaii and due to the diuretics I was on, always had to get up in the night to pee. The cockroaches were so big that when I turned on the light in the bathroom they would stand on their hind legs and make a hissing noise at me. I was always on the verge of shrieking hysteria. The only good thing about this climate in Utah is it's so damn hot and dry it isn't the most hospitable to either cockroaches or termites. Doesn't mean we don't have them, just means they are easier to get rid of. Poison is my weapon of choice, but I haven't had to use it in years. Wasps on the other hand are a huge problem here. It you want to eat outside this time of year here, you need to be prepared to fight the wasps for your food, as they are meat eaters.
I freak out when I see or hear of the possibilities of roaches. I never get paper grocery bags and check potatoes closely when going to the store. I suppose if we are to get them...not much I can do. I would have the exterminators on speed dial though!
ReplyDeleteDon't have them here. Recall reading something about putting concrete mix (not readymix) in food they like with water next to it. Stiffens them right up as I recall.
ReplyDeleteOr put water and food outside the foundation of the house for them?
I try to not let roaches get to me, but I can't help it. they are just so gross.
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