# Cockroach!



## goingtobcn

Hubby told me this morning that he'd seen a "red beetle" in the bathroom. When this scurried into the bedroom, it became clear that it was a cockroach  Haven't seen it again since he left, but it must be around somewhere.... We've had our balcony doors open a lot as it's been nice and hot, so hoping it's just an isolated one that came in there and will leave again...

If not, and we see more/they're living in here, what's the best thing to get rid of them? Some kind of spray, powder, something natural?

Thanks in advance!


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## jojo

We had cockroaches in every house we had in Spain. The only way to get rid of them, according to one of our neighbours who also had them, was to get in a company, who spray and smoke them out??! 

We used to use some cockroach spray (in a black aerosol can) from Mercadona - it got rid of them..... temporarily!

Jo xxx


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## gus-lopez

Remember that in the event of a world-wide nuclear war, The only living thing left would be the cockroaches ! :lol:
Only two things are guaranteed to kill them , squashing/stepping on them , & they are like stamping on a walnut ! & upending them on their back as they can't turn themselves over.


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## baldilocks

There is a firm in Valencia (Vijusa) that makes very good anti-cockroach products. I did all their Health and Safety data sheets into English for them nearly 20 years ago.


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## Aron

I have seen large red beetles on my terrace, but was reliably informed it was a palm beetle that eats intp palm trees and kills them. They are a problem here in Andalucia. I'm to saying you never had a cockroach, just there are other large red beetles about


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## tonyinspain

Dont stamp on them if it the german cockroach and a female egg sack on the back then you are only going to reinfest your home by doing this
First identify it then call in a professional eradicator they eat anything and one female will invest a house within weeks usually they get in from the sewage pipe 
There are natural products that you can use on the internet that just kills cockroaches and nothing else google them


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## thrax

We haven't had a roach yet but the red palm beetles are a different story. Lots of them although the 8 cats see them off pretty thoroughly


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## jimenato

My first thought on reading the OP was the Red Palm Weevil.

Red Palm Weevil...












Cockroach...


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## goingtobcn

Thanks all. I'm 90% sure it was a cockroach; hubby first described it as red but he was still half asleep  When we both saw it, and compared with a Google image, it was almost certainly a cockroach. Bought some spray today, if we see more will contact landlord to take more serious measures!

Will keep you all up to date


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## stevelin

My daughter lived in a 3rd floor apartment and used to get the occasional corkroach as they fly used to come in her bathroom window . Used a spray from Mercodonna and always kept bathroom window almost closed and had no further problems once they worked out where they were coming from


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## Veronica

You can get cockroach traps which are cardboard tubes with very sticky stuff on the bottom.
You put bait in the traps and cockroaches go in and get firmly stuck. If you are infested with lots of cockroaches you can catch a lot of them in one trap.


Never ever step on them or squash them as you spread the eggs and will make infestations worse.


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## mickbcn

There are a little box from the brand BAYER (I think) this box have powders inside that impregnate the legs of the Cockroach and when they return to his nest kill the babys Cockroaches. I own a bar where there a lot of food and last time I used this product was 15 years ago. they never return again. But the most .most important is keep very very clean the kitchen and rooms where they can find some kind of food.


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## jojo

.... yes, we used little boxes placed in strategic places - I can say they worked with complete success, but maybe we werent using them/placing them in the right way????

I spent my first few weeks in Spain being horrified by having the things in my house, but after that, cockroaches just seemed to be no more of a menace than houseflies and mozzies

Jo xxx


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## Aron

I've never seen a cockroach in my entire life whether here or the UK. I've seen some ghastly creatures as I worked on a farm for the first ten years of my working life. One problem I heard about from other farmers were foxes. I never saw one fox the whole of the ten years of farming.


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## jonmlb748

tend to pop up out of the drains and waste pipes when the temperature rises,so more visible,but they're there all year round.paying a company to kill is probably best if you've got an infestation.otherwise spray round kitchen and bathroom areas last thing at night,they can climb plastered walls and cupboard doors like you wouldn't believe!


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## goingtobcn

A little update as I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats! Thanks for all your comments and advice 

Bought some spray and sprayed living room and bedrooms over the weekend. It said not to use in kitchens (couldn't see that info until I opened the box after buying), so we didn't do the kitchen or bathroom as it's hard to ventilate.

Hubby saw his friend again in the bathroom this morning - or perhaps a different one  I was dozing when he told me this, but when I went into the bathroom later it was still there. The war began. :boxing: I sprayed it, it ran. I sprayed it some more, it ran some more. I sprayed again - at it and everywhere in the bathroom, and closed the door so it couldn't get out. (This one certainly wasn't able to get under the door which does make me wonder where it came from). A few minutes later, it was still alive but on its back with its legs in the air. I'd read that they can't turn over from that position, so got it in a glass and flushed it down the toilet.

:fingerscrossed: it was only that one, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see more. I've bought some of the black spray from Mercadona and will get some traps too. mickbcn, where did you buy the BAYER stuff from?

Jojo I know what you mean and I know they don't bite or anything but would rather not have them in here! We had plenty of spiders and also mice when we lived in London, so it's just a different type of pest. My biggest fear is them getting into the kitchen cupboards, but there are no gaps at the back and they close pretty tightly.


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## xabiaxica

goingtobcn said:


> A little update as I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats! Thanks for all your comments and advice
> 
> Bought some spray and sprayed living room and bedrooms over the weekend. It said not to use in kitchens (couldn't see that info until I opened the box after buying), so we didn't do the kitchen or bathroom as it's hard to ventilate.
> 
> Hubby saw his friend again in the bathroom this morning - or perhaps a different one  I was dozing when he told me this, but when I went into the bathroom later it was still there. The war began. :boxing: I sprayed it, it ran. I sprayed it some more, it ran some more. I sprayed again - at it and everywhere in the bathroom, and closed the door so it couldn't get out. (This one certainly wasn't able to get under the door which does make me wonder where it came from). A few minutes later, it was still alive but on its back with its legs in the air. I'd read that they can't turn over from that position, so got it in a glass and flushed it down the toilet.
> 
> :fingerscrossed: it was only that one, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see more. I've bought some of the black spray from Mercadona and will get some traps too. mickbcn, where did you buy the BAYER stuff from?
> 
> Jojo I know what you mean and I know they don't bite or anything but would rather not have them in here! We had plenty of spiders and also mice when we lived in London, so it's just a different type of pest. My biggest fear is them getting into the kitchen cupboards, but there are no gaps at the back and they close pretty tightly.


get a cat.... mine dismember them ..................


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## baldilocks

xabiachica said:


> get a cat.... mine dismember them ..................


If the cat leaves them, legless, does it work out cheaper than using cheap Polish vodka?


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## xabiaxica

baldilocks said:


> If the cat leaves them, legless, does it work out cheaper than using cheap Polish vodka?


my cats won't drink the cheap stuff....


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## goingtobcn

:lol: I love this forum!

Do the cats actually eat them, or just leave bits lying around for you to find?! Not allowed any pets in rented flat, otherwise would be seriously temped!


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## brocher

Advice we got for one or two, not an infestation - 

- make sure you block up any holes in external walls if there are gaps where wires, pipes etc come in.

- keep plugs in and loo seats down, especially at night to help stop them coming up pipes. 

- put on light and open your eyes before you go to the loo at night, just so you don't scream quite so loud if one has appeared!

-don't put it down the loo if it's not dead-it'll come back up!

-you get plug in things that look like night lights, which also help keep them at bay, without choking yourself on excessive amounts of spray. (never saw one silly enough to crawl into the traps)

- if all else fails- move house!


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## baldilocks

xabiachica said:


> my cats won't drink the cheap stuff....


I meant the cheapo voddy for the cockroaches - should leave them legless at minimal expense.


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## goingtobcn

brocher said:


> Advice we got for one or two, not an infestation -
> 
> - make sure you block up any holes in external walls if there are gaps where wires, pipes etc come in.
> 
> - keep plugs in and loo seats down, especially at night to help stop them coming up pipes.
> 
> - put on light and open your eyes before you go to the loo at night, just so you don't scream quite so loud if one has appeared!
> 
> *-don't put it down the loo if it's not dead-it'll come back up!*
> 
> -you get plug in things that look like night lights, which also help keep them at bay, without choking yourself on excessive amounts of spray. (never saw one silly enough to crawl into the traps)
> 
> - if all else fails- move house!


Urgh, really?? How far do they get flushed down? Hopefully this one won't be back as I also sprayed it a lot!

Thanks for the advice


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## MataMata

In most cases although you might only see one or two cockroaches there will very likely be more you don't see.

If you live in an apartment or other connected block of homes then you can virtually guaranteed that if one home has them all will.

It makes me chuckle at what some regard as a big cockroach, in the Middle East it was not in the least uncommon to see them 2"/5cm long and more!


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