Cockroaches — best elimination approach?

[Emmi Smith]

I must be really lucky.  Only had about three in the house during 7 years and I leave my doors open all the time when at home. Occasionally see them  in the garden,but not in any numbers. I do use ZUM as a precaution though both inside and outside.

[Pho]

What a pleasure to see a really useful discussion on this forum without it being taken over by dross. I have now stopped visiting the other place. Thanks all for a problem solved

[Johnrgby]

"I have one more idea for you Ducks - High pitch noise. Apparently, it'll scare the cockroaches out, 

This is exactly what Vermatics do, with a lot less hassle than anything else suggested, plug them in and forget about them Job done.

Obviously, the floors are all mopped and vacuumed twice a week, but other than that we do nothing else and all our doors with the odd exception are open all day and one is normally open through the night.
I have been a great believer all my life that the simplest solution is often the best, and it certainly is in this case.

[Ducks]

Update: did a big spray this morning, and saw nothing run for cover, and as yet, no bodies have turned up. Not sure what to make of all that!

Spitfire58 — no, there's no damp, fortunately. It's very nicely kitted out; I've obviously made it too nice for them... There is a kitchen sink, a bathroom with shower/toilet/handsink, and the water tank is down there, too, but there is no damp in the walls/floors and it's kept very clean. 

Decho — DESIC is on our list for tonight, thank you!

Johnrgby — thanks for the tip! We will pick some up and bring them back next time we have to head home. I use something similar at home to deter spiders, but if that brand has worked for you, I will look into those specifically.

Emmi Smith — where do you buy the ZUM? Mercadona? Spar? Dinos? Looking for all available solutions, haha. 

Sam — thank you for the tip! I will leave that video on tonight and hopefully that will drive the little buggers out if any are remaining. Will also invest in the Preben Laca for spraying when we are heading home (or before, if the gentler solutions don't knock the problem on the head in the next couple of days). 

Thank you all so much for your support and information! I really appreciate it, and hopefully can sleep better tonight for it. 

[Emmi Smith]

ZUM is available from most supermarkets. The large one is most economical.  Says on the spray can, it protects for up to a year. I'd say that is so. It pongs a bit, so beware of the fumes .  I usually do it on my way out so to shut in the fumes to do their work.

[Ducks]

Back from Spar with the following:

ZUM Spray (the stronger cucaracha one)
DESIC Floor Solution
ZUM Floor Solution (can't hurt to try both?)
ORION Colony Exterminator (which you leave in high traffic areas like under sinks and they will take it to their base)

Unfortunately, they did not have any traps. They had an attractant version of the colony killer, but I decided against that as I didn't want an attractant if it wasn't going to trap them after they came to it!

Will keep you updated as the situation progresses; there's still no sign of anything living down there, but I am staying out until bed-time to let it air a little more! I had to open the window earlier as we went a little overboard with the spray and it really was too concentrated to be healthy.

[Spitfire58]

Back from Spar with the following:

ZUM Spray (the stronger cucaracha one)
DESIC Floor Solution
ZUM Floor Solution (can't hurt to try both?)
ORION Colony Exterminator (which you leave in high traffic areas like under sinks and they will take it to their base)

Unfortunately, they did not have any traps. They had an attractant version of the colony killer, but I decided against that as I didn't want an attractant if it wasn't going to trap them after they came to it!

Will keep you updated as the situation progresses; there's still no sign of anything living down there, but I am staying out until bed-time to let it air a little more! I had to open the window earlier as we went a little overboard with the spray and it really was too concentrated to be healthy.

You bought so much arsenal you'll get rid of all cucarachas in the whole Caleta. Overnight.

[Ducks]

You bought so much arsenal you'll get rid of all cucarachas in the whole Caleta. Overnight.

Chance would be a fine thing! Mopped out the entire place this morning and there was no sign of anything. No droppings, no dropped bodies, no eggs, nothing. Will spray again tomorrow if I see anything tonight, but maybe there were only a few and we've dealt with them now?
Thanks again to all for their suggestions; it really helped me tackle this issue, and I appreciate it!

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

If all else fails, call the ghost cucaracha busters!

[waggy]

This all reminds me of my time as a junior engineer in the Merchant Navy in 1966 on general cargo ships. It was my job on the night watch to look after the fridge rooms. The outer one was the freezer ready/thawing room, warmish but separate from the veg room. You had to put on an outer light when you'd taken the padlock off the outer door and then step over the bulkhead cill and into the room. As you did so a great susurration went up from all sides, so you gave them a minute to settle - a bit like the orks in the mines of Borea - and it was safe to go in and check the thermometers. Once, just once, I wondered what would happen if I didn't put on the light first and just sneaked in: they fell on my head and went down my overalls top: they writhed in my hair, went up my trouser legs, crunched under my workboots like walnuts and scuttled everywhere.
I reached back an arm and switched on the light and, hell, there were hundreds of the things on every surface, including me, imaginable, rustling like two rats in a party size bag of crisps.
I retreated rapidly until they'd hidden away again and then ventured in to pick up the hob-nailed casualties. They were the size of walnuts, very dark and stripey and were aptly nick-named Bombay Tigers. I often wondered what would have happened, if I'd slipped in the dark of the fridge, in the almost deserted engine room area, whether anyone would have found me before they'd stripped the flesh off my still warm body. I'd have been a skeleton by the end of the watch, I reckon.