Pest control questions

[Android raptor]

So my apartment got German roaches and the leasing office said they have to go. Exterminators have come over and sprayed/put down traps three times so far (my collection was moved to a friends house prior). I have a few questions.

First, when will it be safe for my collection to be moved back in? I have colonies of hissers, B. giganteus, five Ts, tailless whip scorps (damon sp.), s. subspinipes, one rhino roach, two ball pythons, and a couple other things. I assume I need to keep them away for at least a month or two, should they stay away longer? Also are some animals more sensitive than others and should stay away longer?

Second, what are some methods I can use to control the German roaches that are safe for my collection? The leasing office said I can't let them get as bad as they did again or my lease might be terminated. I've tried Vegas roach traps (cups with vaseline on the inside and a bit of beer poured in, it attracts and drowns them) and they seem to catch them pretty well though they seem to attract gnats and get gross if they aren't cleaned out on weekly basis. I've also tried releasing geckos, both golden geckos purchased at a reptile show and house geckos caught wild around my complex. One of the golden geckos was eating the Germans but then died mysteriously, the other I found alive but really skinny, and I haven't really seen the house geckos. Either way while those methods were killing some, it wasn't enough to keep them from getting crazy out of control.

Thanks.

 

[myrmecophile]

Shop vac is your friend. Keep up with the glue boards, they are very effective in finding trouble spot. Hint, hint refrigerators are the absolute worst offenders for trouble spots. they love that motor compartment. Microwaves, coffee pots and stoves also. Chemical baits are very effective provided you do not over apply it. No caulking gun applications. If the chemical is dry and you ventilate the place it should be safe. Growth regulators are your friend, make sure the PCO is using them.

 

[The Snark]

Shop vac is your friend.

Could you repeat that a few dozen times? For example, the best 100 flea insecticides combined can't get close to the eradication from one or two thorough vacuumings. Spending a few hours on hands and knees with a calking gun beats the heck out of life in pesticide central. Combine the two.

 

[MintyWood826]

Could you repeat that a few dozen times?

Not sure exactly how many this is, but:
Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend. Shop vac is your friend.



(And most importantly, shop vac is your friend.)

 

[The Snark]

I remember our house with a thick carpet and a big dog I named Flea Circus. Working as a bio-med tech at the time I experimented with all sorts of gadgets and nasty chemicals to control the critters. Microwave, ethrane, CO2, lighted sticky traps and you name it.
The winner by far, the shop vacuum I borrowed from the wood shop. Pulled 26 amps with 120 volts = 3120 watts / 746 = 4.1 horsepower. Yanked the eggs right out of the rugs. Tried to yank the rug off the floor too.

 

[Android raptor]

Shop vac is your friend. Keep up with the glue boards, they are very effective in finding trouble spot. Hint, hint refrigerators are the absolute worst offenders for trouble spots. they love that motor compartment. Microwaves, coffee pots and stoves also. Chemical baits are very effective provided you do not over apply it. No caulking gun applications. If the chemical is dry and you ventilate the place it should be safe. Growth regulators are your friend, make sure the PCO is using them.

The first time they sprayed at least the guy said one of the chemicals was a growth regulator. Will it affect my roaches though?

 

[myrmecophile]

It would depend on which one was used.

 

[The Snark]

It would depend on which one was used.

That is just like going to a doctor and getting some pills prescribed. People toddle on home with the pills and start gulping them down without a clue what they are taking.

Combination pesticide. USDA and FDA approved or a mix the pesticide company came up with? Will the chemicals interact into something completely unpredictable. Pervasive? If so how far and through what mediums? What vehicle and did the combining of chemicals alter or accelerate pervasiveness? Residual? How long? What half life? What interactions if any do the chemicals have with common household materials?

The chemical sprayed could be harmless in 24 hours, or in the case of the now heavily regulated and banned in some areas DDVP, the chemical migrated to some household plastics and presented a hazard to humans and pets for well over a year.

Get the low down. Don't just go by sales pitches even if the pitches come from doctors or supposed pest removal experts.

Example: https://www.wired.com/2014/01/cdc-warning-misuse-pest-strips/

4 hours maximum exposure time. Not for use in living spaces. Banned in Europe since 2002.
I clearly recall a smiling happy mother hanging a Shell No Pest Strip over a baby's crib. I wonder how many millions of kids got a hefty dose of that toxin to give them cancer and neurological debilities later on in life.