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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / May 2007Where's the Bug Patrol?
Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom sink. And they are vile, disgusting critters. Really just very large (flying) roaches (aka water bugs). I think they come up through the drains. So I arrived home on Wednesday and it was sitting in the bathroom sink. It actually looked like it was trying to go back down the drain. Yes, please, flee! Hi thee hence! Next time I went in the bathroom it was gone so I thought "whew!" And happily washed my face and brushed my teeth. Now this morning it's back and uglier than ever. I'm terrified of these bugs. I know it's irrational but I simply cannot reach in there with a paper towel and grab it and flush it down the commode. It now looks like I'll be brushing my teeth in the shower. And Persia is usually so fascinated with the running water in the sink; she'd surely take this critter on if she saw it! Alas, she appears to be on strike at the moment. Jill > Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, except for > the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom sink. And they [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Jill Spray it with some Raid, then wash the basin and counter before using them. You could also put a roach trap under the sink (out of Persia's reach). If you are seeing one roach, the chances are that there are many more -- and you may be seeing some cousins instead of the same roach each time. MaryL >> Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, >> except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > MaryL Oh good, scare me more than a tornado! Eeeek! Cousins! OMG. I bought some "all natural" roach sticky traps. Did they catch one? Nope. Allow me to state here my apartment is not overrun with these bugs. Just the occasional gross, really disguisting thing in the sink or bathtub. I'm sure it would have made an amusing video when I first moved in here and one was walking towards the tub... and I leaped out over it and ran screaming (naked) into the bedroom and then on to the living room. I've had a horror of these water bugs since we lived in Bangkok. My parents went out to a Marine Corps Ball and left my brothers in charge of me (that's a whole nuther story!) Scott ran a bath for me and one of these huge flying roaches jumped off the window ledge and landed on his head. He slapped his glasses off and yelled! We dashed out of the bathroom (Scott was literally blind at that point; always had very poor eyesight) and down the hall. I have been terrified of them ever since. If I venture back into the bathroom I'll take a can of RAID with me. But even when they are dead they creep me out. Jill >>> Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, >>> except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > Allow me to state here my apartment is not overrun with these bugs. Just > the occasional gross, really disguisting thing in the sink or bathtub. <snip> > Jill Yes, they are absolutely disgusting...revolting...or pick your own description. Unfortunately, all the literature shows that one roach is usually an indication of many more. This does not mean that your apartment complex is overrun with them, and it has nothing to do with cleanliness. Actually (as you said in your original message), they are a form of water bugs. They spend a great deal of time in trees and get into our apartments and homes through attics, water lines, etc. I once saw a roach flatten itself and come into an apartment *under the door* -- a door that did not look loose to me. However, I have found that I can spray on *heavily* with Raid, and that works -- but only for that one roach, of course. My suggestion for a roach trap was really for one that has roach bait in it (not one of the sticky traps). There are several brands available, and there are also some bait gels. I think Maxforce is one. Of course, everything has to be kept completely out of contact with our cats. A gel or spray could even be applied in cracks around water lines (a favorite location of roaches). MaryL > Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, except for > the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom sink. And they [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jill Raid MAX works best on roaches. I've had several apartments that were quite overrun with them. Believe me, you get used to it, disgusting and all. Fortunately, my current apartment appears to be rather clear, except for these weird big black beetles that I rarely see alive. They make great cat toys, so I often just throw the body away later. Spiders totally wig me out, though. That's my grand phobia. Eight- legged freaks. Jane - owned and operated by Princess Rita >> Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, >> except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Jane > - owned and operated by Princess Rita Spiders don't bother me. Cave crickets and these water bug things gross me out. But I only see a couple about two, maybe three times a year inside. They are mostly tree dwellers; I think this one came in out of the rain (up the drain) given all the storms of late. Jill > >> Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, > >> except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > They are mostly tree dwellers; I think this one came in out of the rain (up > the drain) given all the storms of late. Winnie says "dat bug too BIG for little Persia. I cud beet id up for her or send my d*g Bear." Will in New Haven -- > Jill- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - > Spiders don't bother me. Cave crickets and these water bug things gross me > out. Don't ask me why as I have never seen a living one as far as I know (perhaps the explanation is I saw one as a kid and was so grossed out I've supressed the memory) but the mere idea of a male stag beetle... A good few years ago I was in the Natural History Museum and they had a big exhibition on bugs, which didn't worry me I find most insects fascinating and spiders I even quite like. At the entrance of the exhibition they had a huge model of a fly over the doorway.... Going out I looked up to find I was standing under a ten foot plus model of a stag beetle taking off- If it had fallen on me I would have died! Gonna have to prepare some of Ginger-Lyn's bug traps after thinking about that! Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, > except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom > sink. And they are vile, disgusting critters. Really just very > large (flying) roaches (aka water bugs). It's gone. Whether it managed to go back down the drain or crawl out of the sink, I've no idea. I put the drain plug in and hopefully won't see it or one of its cousins for a few months! Sprayed some RAID around the area just to be safe and will keep Persia out of the bathroom for the time being. Jill >> Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, >> except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Jill I really meant to suggest that you spray the Raid *on* the cockroach because it would work as a contact poison. I really don't think Raid will be very effective against roaches when just sprayed around the room, especially since you will need to wash all the surfaces that you or Persia might contact. That's why I also suggested that you use some cockroach *bait* or gel and place them in inaccessible places -- inaccessible to Persia, that is, but often favorites for cockroaches (cracks, the small space above floorboards, etc.). I have an exterminator who comes every three months. He uses a type of pyrethrin indoors that is safe around cats and uses a different product to treat around the perimeter of the house. You would not have any control over outside premises since you live in an apartment, but you could do something similar in your own apartment. I have not seen any roaches since I started this process (and they are *huge* in this area -- East Texas). MaryL > Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, except for > the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom sink. And they [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jill When I lived in Florida, my apartment was overrun with Palmetto bugs. They were even eating my *cookbooks*! Someone told me to leave out wine bottles, uncorked, with a little bit of wine in the bottom. Darned if the bugs didn't crawl into the bottles (but they can't crawl out). I don't think I had a single Palmetto bug when I left. It's worth a try :-) Ginger-lyn > When I lived in Florida, my apartment was overrun with Palmetto bugs. > They were even eating my *cookbooks*! [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > It's worth a try :-) And even if it doesn't work, you've had the pleasure of getting the wine bottles into the appropriate state!  SignatureNik Simpson >> When I lived in Florida, my apartment was overrun with Palmetto bugs. >> They were even eating my *cookbooks*! [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >And even if it doesn't work, you've had the pleasure of getting the wine >bottles into the appropriate state! That sounds like the way my father used to deal with a cricket problem. He had "cave crickets" living in his basement, and they would occasionally find their way into his bathroom. He ended up putting several open wide-mouthed glass jars under his sink as cricket traps. Apparently, they can't jump straight up, only at an angle, so, once they jumped into a jar, they couldn't jump back out again. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria >>> When I lived in Florida, my apartment was overrun with Palmetto bugs. >>> They were even eating my *cookbooks*! [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >traps. Apparently, they can't jump straight up, only at an angle, so, >once they jumped into a jar, they couldn't jump back out again. Jill gets cave crickets too, sometimes. They're a treat, aren't they, Jill? ;) Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh Make Levees, Not War > Jill gets cave crickets too, sometimes. They're a treat, aren't they, > Jill? ;) Are they anything like the New Zealand giant cave weta? (at 13 inches long, the biggest insect there is). A google image search for "weta" is not recommended if long-leggity things with mandibles like surgical forceps and feelers like car aerials give you the willies. When I was living in Auckland I had some of the smaller weta species mistake my shoes for a cave. ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 <http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557 >> Jill gets cave crickets too, sometimes. They're a treat, aren't they, >> Jill? ;) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >When I was living in Auckland I had some of the smaller weta species >mistake my shoes for a cave. Fortunately, our cave crickets aren't that large. The largest I can remember seeing had torsos about 1 1/2 inches long, with legs about 3 inches long. The average size is about 1 inch of body, with 2-inch legs. My father finally blocked them out of his bathroom by stuffing steel wool into the hole where the pipes came through the wall. There was only a small gap there, but the crickets were apparently able to squeeze through. Once the steel wool was in place, it was apparently too scratchy for them to squeeze by. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria >>>> When I lived in Florida, my apartment was overrun with Palmetto >>>> bugs. They were even eating my *cookbooks*! [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Jill gets cave crickets too, sometimes. They're a treat, aren't they, > Jill? ;) They also gross me out and you well know it! And Nik is right, they hop sideways so you can't even tell if they'll leap over onto your foot or your leg or away from you! They could at least behave like normal crickets and hop forward! >> I'm terrified of these bugs. I know it's irrational but I simply >> cannot reach in there with a paper towel and grab it and flush it [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Ginger-lyn Hmmmm, too bad the liquor store isn't open! (Darned antiquated laws in TN; you can't buy wine in a supermarket or convenience store and liquor stores are all closed on Sunday). I'll have to buy a bottle next week and keep a smidgeon in the bottom for Palmetto bug emergencies! <G> Jill > Hmmmm, too bad the liquor store isn't open! (Darned antiquated laws in TN; > you can't buy wine in a supermarket or convenience store and liquor stores > are all closed on Sunday). That's terrible! Over here liquor stores (we call them off licenses or offy's) open on a Sunday and even if they didn't we'd just go to the local supermarket or convenience store in fact I haven't used an off licence in years because I can buy my alcohol same place I buy anything else...as it's Dave's birthday I am just popping out to get some steak, stockings, vegetables and a bottle of something half decent (Not wine through neither of us can stand it- so a few lagers and maybe....hmmm...how good has he been today that I should buy Drambuie? On second thoughts...he'll just have to be good to stop me drinking it I LOVE the stuff but I don't get it very often) Dave's birthday dinner is looking like steak with all the trimmings followed by me setting up a Ginger-Lynn bug trap with a bottle of Drambuei while he begs for some Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, except for > the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom sink. And they [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > it was trying to go back down the drain. Yes, please, flee! Hi thee > hence! Out! Out! Damn Bug! > Next time I went in the bathroom it was gone so I thought "whew!" And > happily washed my face and brushed my teeth. Now this morning it's back [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Jill > Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, except for > the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom sink. And they [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > happily washed my face and brushed my teeth. Now this morning it's back and > uglier than ever. Living in Florida I used to like to take walks in the evening. Dang things used to drop from the trees, and then some would crunch inderfoot...GROSS! By all means keep the plugs in the drains. We also used to keep our toothbrushes in the fridge after realizing roaches love toothpaste (dunno if Palmetto Bugs like the same things). In fact, the fridge was our "safe house" and we kept a LOT of odd stuff in there!LOL Had a big one in bed one time...I still shudder...ewwwwwwwwwwww! PatM >> Persia is usually so good about tracking down and killing bugs, >> except for the one Palmetto bug that keeps showing up in my bathroom [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > things used to drop from the trees, and then some would crunch > inderfoot...GROSS! I totally agree - GROSS! And they don't crunch all that easily, either. They must have a hard carapace under those wings. > By all means keep the plugs in the drains. I plan to! This is an older apartment; the plugs are those rubber stoppers that hang from chains in the sinks and bathtubs. > also used to keep our toothbrushes in the fridge after realizing > roaches love toothpaste (dunno if Palmetto Bugs like the same > things). In fact, the fridge was our "safe house" and we kept a LOT > of odd stuff in there!LOL Had a big one in bed one time...I still > shudder...ewwwwwwwwwwww! I was visiting my mom in South Carolina, staying in her guest room, and I happened to glance up and there was a Palmetto bug on the ceiling directly over the bed. Mom! Got any bug spray?! I sure as heck didn't want that thing dropping down on me in the middle of the night! I may never have slept again ;) Jill |
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