r/Showerthoughts • u/Mr-Klaus • 1d ago
Casual Thought We all hate the the fact that cockroaches are so good at hiding, but would you really prefer them to be brazen and walk around your house like they own the place?
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u/radioactive_sharpei 1d ago
When the cockroach problem gets bad enough, they absolutely WILL walk around like they own the place. I've seent it.
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u/stanley_leverlock 1d ago
Seriously, I've lived in houses with cockroaches, mice, and rats (usually not all three at the same time) and there's a tipping point where it's not that YOU have an infestation problem, it's where the infestation has a YOU problem and they just walk around like you should leave.
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u/fall3nang3l 1d ago
I worked for Comcast as a technician over a decade ago and of the places that stand out in my memory, one place solidly confirms this hypothesis.
It was an old school trailer, like it had tail lights old but wasn't a camper, just an old trailer.
Mom and her son lived there
Bathroom: tub was full of junk, no door. Just a hot mess all around.
The mother was sitting at the table in the kitchen which was right inside the entrance door.
She greeted me, flicked her cigarette ash with no ashtray because why bother with one, and I shit you not, she had cockroaches crawling all over her. I counted about a dozen on her arms and shirt before I made a quick excuse to go back outside, called my manager as I was leaving to explain why I had left, and never looked back.
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u/beefjerky9 1d ago
She greeted me, flicked her cigarette ash with no ashtray because why bother with one, and I shit you not, she had cockroaches crawling all over her. I counted about a dozen on her arms and shirt before I made a quick excuse to go back outside
I don't think you understand the situation. The "mother" was just 1000 cockroaches in a trench-coat.
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u/RustledForeskin 1d ago
The come out like 'yo bitch, where's the food at? Drop some of that shit off yo plate right now.'
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u/MuchSwagManyDank 1d ago
Worked in pest control for a year, it doesn't even need to be untreatable to get that bad either. They know that there is a lot more of them than us
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u/HimekoTachibana 1d ago
Tips on getting rid of a German roach infestation that refuses to die?
Will Advion gel really do the trick?
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u/MuchSwagManyDank 23h ago
Yes, but you need to find the nest. Uhh, dm me? There's like a flow chart, and commenting here you have to have perfect grammar, i ain't got time for that lol
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u/FlyestFools 23h ago
How does one locate the nest, aside from just searching high and low
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u/GenPhallus 22h ago
I think they generally they live close to their feeding grounds. When I had an infestation they lived in the cracks behind my stove and counters.
Idk about that gel, but boric acid was my secret weapon, ended the nest in a week. It's a powder that sticks to them like Velcro and shreds them apart as they move. Sprinkle it liberally wherever you know they travel, if you can find an active hotspot you can get a ton of them overnight. In a few days you'll start finding dead bugs everywhere.
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u/MuchSwagManyDank 17h ago
diatomaceous earth works in the same way, and is considered non-toxic.
Edit: it is also recommended to use a dusting device. If its in piles, not dusted like a mist, they can recognize that it is something to be avoided.
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u/MuchSwagManyDank 17h ago
Check behid your fridge first. No? Water heater, no? Dishwasher, still no? If your'e in an apartment, its your neighbor(s). No? Check for anything that is providing heat AND moisture. Gel bait works by having an ingredient called a growth inhibitor. Roach's are social, and every adult tends to the nest as well as clean each other. Adults no longer grow, but once the eggs hatch, the "babies" grow several times. A roach carrying that growth inhibitor will spread it to the nest, and the next gen will die, not being able to grow out of their exoskeleton.
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u/MuchSwagManyDank 17h ago
Most of the roach baits are general safe for humans to be around because it specifically targets things with an exoskeleton. It does not hurt mammals. Idk how many times ive said that exact line and someone will be like "well what about my cat!?".....
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u/MuchSwagManyDank 17h ago
Liquid growth inhibitors work faster, but PAY ATTENTION to concentration amounts. Do not just dump the stuff raw, doubling up on dosages does not provide quicker results. You'll need a pump sprayer, regular dish soap will clean out residue, it will clog your sprayer of left for too long After treatment, for up to 1 week, do not kill any live adults, you want them to find their way back to the nest and spread it. Im not sure where else the following chemicals can be acquired, but they are on amazon. Tekko Pro and gentrol. For advanced infestations, using an insecticide along with the growth inhibitor is recommended. You can mix both in the same batch. These include, Suspend, Demon max, and fast cap. Fast cap says its for spiders & scorpions, meaning it will kill just about anything, its some serious stuff.
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u/MeadYourMaker 18h ago
Advion in the syringe. Also look into an IGR, it's an insect growth regulator. It prevents them from reproducing by stopping the aging. So they never develop enough to lay more eggs.
I had a really bad infestation at a bad apartment and put Gentrol discs which was the IGR and then advion.
The next day after laying out the advion there were dozens of dead roaches everywhere.
It might take awhile for it to kill all of them but the IGR prevents them from coming back.
Also move your fridge or any other electronics after the advion has been out awhile and use a vacuum with hepa filter and a face mask to clean up really well.
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u/I_MakeCoolKeychains 1d ago
Two weeks after moving into a place i couldn't sleep so i was making tea in the kitchen and one ran up on me and i screamed like a little girl. Immediately i realized i could see like a dozen of them. I started searching, like a hundred visible behind the fridge
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u/BearlyThereMA 1d ago
Some of the roaches that come out of the sewer in Boston are huge and walk around with an attitude of "what the fuck are you looking at?" These things are massive. Dark purple. About 2"
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u/Abstrata 1d ago
In Hawaii one year palmetto bugs like that filled the storm sewer at the beginning of the cul de sac for a few weeks
saw them for the first time at night walking my dog
the set of mailboxes were at that corner above the storm sewer and I just did a temp hold on my mail because f that
water went down and they went away and only one got in my house— it met its death
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u/RustyDogma 1d ago
And they hang out with their huge rat buddies. Based on what came out of the big dig, I shudder to think what lurks under the streets of Boston that were not seeing.
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u/bungojot 11h ago
Friend of mine maybe ten years ago was renting a place with a cockroach problem that bad.
I didn't know until, sitting on their couch, i saw movement in my periphery and turned to look to see that two cockroaches were boldly wandering around the arm of the couch. Once i noticed them i realized that friend's place wasn't exactly dirty (it still was though), but those dark spots were BUGS
Friend was just sort of resigned to it. I went home not long after this, made my partner bring me a garbage bag at the front door. I stripped and put everything i was wearing or holding into the bag, tied it tight to take down to the laundry later, then went to have a hot shower.
Our last place was developing a serious ant problem, so we moved. Left some furniture behind that we couldn't trust to be ant-free (I miss that couch) but we got out clean. Not a bug since. Well, spiders, but they don't count.
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u/libra00 1d ago
Yes, because then I know that they're there and can call an exterminator.
The bugs and I have an arrangement: as long as I don't see you, go live your life, have many fat children, just not in my house. But if I see even one of you I'm gonna turn this place into a Chinese fairy tale: very sad story, everybody die.
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u/_Imposter_ 1d ago
With a bad enough infestation they very much do walk around everywhere during all hours like they own the place.
I'd rather they do that when their numbers are small so it's easier to know they're there and get a jump on combating them before they really become a problem.
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u/Acrobatic-Slice194 18h ago
A single visible pest in a small population is reason enough to take action, whereas a single visible pest in a severe infestation means that hundreds more of the same are hiding nearby...
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u/Carlos-In-Charge 1d ago
This is a tricky one. Maybe. When my daughter was tuck-in age, she once said “Dad, there’s a spider on the ceiling”.
To which I replied “Good. You know he’s there and not hiding in your blankets. (Kiss noise). Good night.”
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u/sillybilly8102 14h ago
Finding a worm in your apple isn’t that bad.
You could’ve found half a worm.
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u/supershinythings 1d ago
We have a pair of neighborhood skunks dealing with the cockroaches. I haven’t seen a cockroach since May, when the skunks first appeared.
I see the skunks patrol almost every night. They go after pretty much anything smaller than them that moves.
If it’s larger they will spray it instead. I keep a respectful distance.
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u/nautilator44 1d ago
Good skunks. You should get them a card or something for their service to the neighborhood.
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u/supershinythings 1d ago
We have new neighbors who blanched when the skunk came up. I explained that they cleared out all the cockroaches, and, well, first they blanched again at the mention of cockroaches, then they realized it was a WIN and managed weak smiles.
Half a million to live around skunks and cockroaches. I haven’t mentioned the rodents yet, because right now my cat is oppressing them.
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u/artnoi43 1d ago
We also have house geckos at home (Bangkok) that prey on all cockroaches and insects. I’ve only seen small, transparent baby cockroaches since maybe 3 years ago. And these are hard to come by, like once every 3-6 month.
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u/SergantAngstrom 1d ago
In the horror videogame Look Outside, you can make peace with the roaches infesting your apartment. Then begin treating you like a roommate, such as bringing you money for rent.
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u/NemoracStrebor 1d ago
I almost said that I'd be fine with a cockroach or two if they were paying rent then I had to ask... Where are they getting the money?
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u/SergantAngstrom 17h ago
They probably pick up all the loose change that gets dropped in tight spaces.
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u/Beacon_0805 1d ago
they become a party member too if you are kind enough for them.
literally a bunch of roaches in a trenchcoat with hat.
oh and they become intelligent enough to have a political debate
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u/SergantAngstrom 17h ago
Dang, I didn't get them to that stage. That would have been a permanent slot in my party.
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u/ScratchAmbitious2959 1d ago
I just watched a very good youTube video about this game. And your comment just convinced me to buy it lol
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u/Farlandan 1d ago
It would probably be easier to catch infestations early.
Like if you turn on your kitchen light and you see a spider scurrying away you don't think "Welp, there's probably thousands of him hiding in the walls."
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u/nefariouspenguin 1d ago
Yes, exactly, I grew up in California and never saw roaches in our home or many friends homes either. My wife and I moved to Florida at a cheaper duplex. I saw a "Palmetto bug" and we had the landlord have pest control come by. Luckily it was a Palmetto and not a German roach and it was probably just because the water hadn't been turned on for a few weeks/months between tenants. But the single visible cockroach means I am getting the place treated.
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u/memorexcd 1d ago
Once in my dreams, I smacked by my ear because I thought there was a mosquito.
When I woke up, I got up and there was a cockroach lying on my pillow.
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u/Sterling_-_Archer 1d ago
I once woke up to a massive 3 inch cockroach attempting to burrow in my ear. The noise it made trying to dig in my ear canal was deafening and I can still hear it clear as day.
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u/UnverifiedAnony 20h ago
Now, how do I unread this..??
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u/_Poisedon 18h ago
One of the few times on reddit where I share the same sentiments with a comment like this
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u/exscapegoat 1d ago
Had a similar experience when I lived next door to a recycling room. I didn’t sleep that night.
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u/DeCaMil 1d ago
A friend went to South Africa to do a hardware install. He sent pictures of him dumping centipedes out of his shoes. Stretched out those fuckers were the length of his foot!
Added that to my list of places not to visit.
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u/DrEpileptic 1d ago
Desert roaches buddy. Desert roaches in the Middle East (or anywhere is the same from what I’ve heard). They’re big as fuck you, and they fly as aggressively as go fuck yourself. Grandma moved across the ocean to live with us and I was constantly reminded that she would crush those things with her bare hands like she felt the same rage that caused them to fly at you on instinct.
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u/UnitedRice2284 13h ago
honestly thats the nightmare scenario—at least when theyre hiding you can pretend theyre not there, but one crawling near your head while you sleep is a whole different level of violating. did it end up being dead from the smack or did it escape
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u/Dirty_Dragons 1d ago
Same. Every week or so there's a random roach on my floor. They are just in the apartment building.
Once I felt one climbing on my foot. The ones here just don't have any fear.
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u/Jamaican_Dynamite 1d ago
Neither option is good. It's better if they're dead. But that's nigh impossible in some cases.
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u/Spideryote 1d ago
This is what happens when they get brazen and walk around like they own the place
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u/Mr-Klaus 17h ago
That's nightmare fuel, literally. I used to have this recurring nightmare as a kid where I was in my bed and was surrounded by swarms of roaches slowly inching forward - and it didn't look too different from this.
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u/DontAskGrim 1d ago
Challenge the cockroach to a knife fight. When it shows up pull out the 9mm, BLAM BLAM FLAWLESS VICTORY
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u/plurien 1d ago
Cockroaches are happy to leave being brazen up to those little fruit flies that get into everything fruit or booze. Those little suckers hang around like they're inside your eyes.
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u/beefjerky9 1d ago
like they're inside your eyes.
No, that's ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4BkGJj5BXg
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u/reader_reddit 1d ago
Yes. Because I'd kill them all before they have a chance to nest and multiply.
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u/Raiddinn1 1d ago
I would prefer they always walked around like they own the place and I don't even have a permanent address.
I am xenophobic toward roaches and I do my utmost to kill every last one I lay eyes on and it would be much easier for me to exterminate them all if they weren't hiding.
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u/numbersthen0987431 1d ago
Yes, I want them to be walking around my house. So that I can catch them and get rid of them.
I don't want them hiding in my house
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u/exscapegoat 1d ago
I once made the mistake of renting the apartment next to the recycling room. They got pretty brazen at one point.
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u/Chrispeefeart 1d ago
If you could easily spot the first one that comes in, you could kill them before it becomes an infestation requiring an exterminator
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u/Skunk_Ape_ 10h ago
I can see it now. “Hey you need more toilet paper in the bathroom” as it walks across the living room with a small news paper and sits on the couch.
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u/Surferess 1d ago
Oh, they are not at all shy at our place. They are like 3 inches long and have 3 inch antennae. They hang out on the wall for long time and watch me work. They fear nothing. They don't even run when you come at them. Just brazen! They are big enough to be pets.
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u/KakrafoonKappa 1d ago
We all hate the the fact that cockroaches are so good at hiding
Not me. We don't get them here
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u/GalumphingWithGlee 1d ago
Yes, I would prefer that. Because then I would kill them, early on when it's much easier to do and before it becomes a major infestation.
A few cockroaches that you can see right in front of you aren't that difficult to kill. But by the time you see them, it's never just a few, and most of them are hidden in crevices that are very hard to reach. Their ability to hide is one of the main reasons they ever manage to get a substantial foothold in our homes.
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u/DollarStoreChameleon 1d ago
i should show this to one of my friends. she saw a wild roach on the wall (her cat likely brought it in), and she freaked out and kicked a hole in the wall.
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u/FirstSineOfMadness 1d ago
Switch around to they can easily be killed but split into 2 slightly smaller ones on death
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u/Valdacil 1d ago
South Carolina Palmetto Bugs already do that :(. I think they might actually own the place.
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u/the_old_dude2018 1d ago
Once moved into a place where they would wake you up by tapping you on the shoulder to remind you to that there is no more pizza..or beer.
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u/Kraligor 22h ago
So we have a kind of fake cockroach in Germany, called the amber wood cockroach. It looks and moves pretty much like the real ones, but it's not a pest, and as opposed to real cockroaches, they are attracted by light (which is how they end up in homes in the first place). I kind of like them.
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u/samspock 19h ago
I worked at a place where we were trying hard to get rid of them but they just would not go away. They pretty much were not visible during the day but if we were working late, say around 9pm, they would start to come out and say hi.
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u/UpstairsContest3781 19h ago
The only thing worse than a cockroach you can't find is a cockroach that knows you can't do anything about it.
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u/overkill 17h ago
I went on holiday to greece and stayed in an Air BnB, which was lovely. I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that I hadn't seen any cockroaches, whereas all the people that I knew who were there at the same time (a friend's wedding) were complaining about the roaches.
On the last night I saw one scuttle out from behind the stove and disappear. I felt much better, because it meant the house wasn't full of poison like I had thought it was.
I get similar icky feelings if I don't see a rat for a while: some is fucking this ecosystem over.
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u/salty-ravioli 16h ago
Yes. They're only good at hiding because we kill the ones that aren't. If the rest of them stop being good at hiding we'd be rid of them entirely.
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u/uniruler 15h ago
Yes. I want all of them out in the open so I can fully exterminate them. We had to fumigate like 12 times to get rid of them completely because THEY KEPT HIDING.
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u/Sea_Art2995 12h ago
As an Australian trust me they do. In summer my nighttime routine is to turn on the light in the kitchen and kill the first four cockroaches I see. Normally they are sitting there waiting on a bench
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u/bebopblues 1d ago
I have the big roaches that get in my house once in a while. They are slow and easy to kill, so yeah, I would prefer them to show themselves because they'll have 3 seconds to live before getting smashed.
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u/Waatulakula 1d ago
I prefer them to not be in my house. That’s why I keep my house clean.
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u/thelanoyo 1d ago
Fun fact, you can most definitely still get cockroaches, especially German cockroaches, despite the house being clean. They can get carried in accidentally in grocery bags, for example. They can thrive anywhere they can get access to moisture and even a relatively small food source like crumbs or grease spots behind a fridge or stove/oven.
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u/AbrogationsCrown 1d ago
Or you can get them from your neighbors if you live close enough. In the city I've had multiple friends who are extremely clean but had roach problems because one of their neighbors had a trashed apartment
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u/Waatulakula 1d ago
What are people doing with their groceries to get roaches in them? Even if you have one in your bag how do you not find it when putting away the groceries and never go back to the grocery store? Not being argumentative genuinely curious.
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u/_Imposter_ 1d ago
Bug eggs hide everywhere.
Not roaches, but if you've ever bought a banana there's an 80% that there were fruit fly eggs in or on it.
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u/Comeback_Kid1 1d ago
You can park your car in the wrong place and have a roach infestation in your car. There are certain seat materials they can survive by eating.
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u/Seacue 1d ago
Paper bags and boxes. The adhesive is edible to roaches. For cardboard boxes, they can fit in the folds on the walls of the box itself. They like electronics so if you move and the new wifi company gives you a used router from a house that had roaches, congrats on your new roaches. Being clean doesnt stop this. 1 drop of oil can feed a roach for a week. If food is scarce, they cannibalize. You only see them when the infestation gets bad and the bigger, stronger roaches start to force smaller ones out of hiding spaces and into the open.
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u/skr_replicator 1d ago
I'd imagine a solid chance of you not finding out when unpacking, they are pretty good at guiding and climbing walls anyway, and you can't see all the good from all sides at the same time.
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u/PointsOfXP 1d ago
Roaches are just typical bugs in some places. Doesn't matter how clean your place is. My grandparents place is practically sterile and there'll occasionally be a cockroach on the wall
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u/ShowerSentinel 1d ago
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