any bug spray that's safe for tarantulas??

[kev48584]

well i'm starting to have roach problems mainly in my kitchen and sometimes in my room. i want to use something to get rid of these guys but the thing is will the bug spray hurt my T's??? i'm thinking about spraying on the bottom walls & inside the kitchen cabinets. i also have b. dubias & b. lateralis in the kitchen but they're not the ones who are causing problems. any advice or tips would be much appreciated thank you.

 

[MB623]

Being as that tarantulas fall under the "bug" category I don't think there would be any bugspray that would kill roaches and not harm t's through direct exposure. That being said you wouldn't have to worry about spraying if you remove your t's from the room, spray, then move your t's back in the room after it has aired out really well (a day or so). I noticed a few roaches when I first moved into my house, so I told the landlord and she sent an exterminator over the next day. The exterminators were quite shocked to say the least when both of them saw all the aquariums, kritter keepers, and deli cups stacked around my house. I showed them some of my t's then moved everything to my room which wasn't being sprayed and was made as airtight as I could get it (towel under the door). Then the exterminator proceeded to spray my house. I moved everything back the next day and all was fine. "Sprays" (aerosol) doesn't really linger in the air for that long although the smell may. Bugspray is applied locations where the roach will come into contact with it and it is this contact that kills the roach or allows the "poison" to be carried back to other groups of roaches inturn killing them. The spray won't be harmful once no longer airborn. Although if you say accidentally spray part of your countertop then forget to wash the area, your hand may later come into contact with the poison then onto your t's, so beware of where the spray is applied.

 

[Drezno]

Eh, maybe put out some roach motels? Maybe use some cockroach poison that comes in a gel and doesn't have to be sprayed?

 

[MB623]

Eh, maybe put out some roach motels? Maybe use some cockroach poison that comes in a gel and doesn't have to be sprayed?

This works great if you just have a small infestation and would not require moving your enclosures. If it is a moderate to severe infestation you will want to go with a spray along with motels and baiting. The reason why is that a spray can be applied in such a way that it creates barriers the roaches will have to cross at some point in time therefore guaranteeing you are killing roaches. The roaches may not go for the bate or may not find the bait and even if they do they can only bring back so much to share with others, but chances are they'll go for the bait though. A little persistence goes a long way as well, better than one time apply and hope they die.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

I am wary of using any kind of poison at all . I worry about a poisoned roach getting into on of my enclosures . I just take a funnel , coat the outside it in Vaseline , then put it inside a wide mouth jar that contains some rotten fruit . The roaches crawl in through the funnel opening and can't get back out because of the Vaseline . These traps are cheap and easy to make and there is no poisons covering the surfaces in your kitchen . A few other tips for dealing with roaches are : take your trash out daily and make sure that all food items are stored in sealed containers . Also spray a small amount of weak bleach solution into your sink after doing the dishes . If you remove their source of food and water they will stampede to your roach traps . IMO , there is no need to introduce poisons into your home . Pests are easier out smarted .

 

[sugarsandz]

The only thing I can think of is to go through and clean everything well and put foods into tightly sealed containers. Try to eliminate hiding places and place glue traps everywhere you know the little guys are hanging out. I also read that leaky pipes or sinks provide them with water, so try looking for leaks and plug them up, use tight fitting lids on your trash bins. Also keeping food off the counters or out in the open in general should help with the problem but that's where the tightly sealed containers come in. Plus I'd vacuum as often as you can manage, especially around the wall, fridge and stove where tiny crumbs tend to accumulate. I hope some of this is helpful, it's going to take some time to rid your place completely this way but if it doesn't hurt your spiders it's worth it!