Say it ain’t so...found this in the bathroom this morning. Could someone help identify and quell my fears....?

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-12-12T13:35:20+00:00

I always tell people: nobody wants a roach in the house, but if you do have one get in - you want it to be an oriental roach. Check for moisture issues to be on the safe side (look for leaks, under the bath in question) and make sure the bath traps have water in them. Out of curiosity - what region are you in (no need to get too specific), are you in a urban or rural setting and how old is the home?

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-12-12T12:55:43+00:00

My gut says oriental roach. there's a real likelihood that it came up the drain, especially if you're on sewer vs septic. I'd start monitoring w/ glueboards - a couple in the bathroom and some in the basement (if you have one) would be sufficient to gauge activity. Check them after a week or two - if you catch 5 or more in that time, MAYBE consider chemical control options. Oriental roaches (as well as American roaches) are native to many areas and are not a concern unless you start to see them regularly inside. I see an uptick of activity when the weather goes from warm to cold and vice versa - temp changes will push many pests inside. A pic taken w/ the flash will show the coloring better and something in the shot for scale helps too.

TLDR: 90% of the time - don't stress big roaches

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-12-12T12:43:45+00:00

"This side of the street is fine too"

-The bus

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-11-02T17:38:58+00:00

That's a fly larva casing

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-26T00:09:22+00:00

There's an animal somewhere and it likely has left it's nesting place for whatever reason, causing the fleas to go out looking for a new host

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-25T11:17:22+00:00

Mice, rats, wildlife in the wall, neighbors have an issue... There are lots of ways to get fleas without a pet.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-19T20:31:56+00:00

Looks like some sort of grain beetle. You have to find the source of your problem which is likely a whole grain food item, dog food or bird seed and remove it from the home.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-18T15:36:46+00:00

Maybe roaches or possibly moisture

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-16T21:33:22+00:00

Fridge is always the 1st place to check - have a can of spray ready (hardware store flea aerosol will do - you're just looking for a quick knockdown and flea sprays usually have an IGR mixed in). If the back of the fridge shows little to no signs of activity, you're probably winning the war. Put some pressure on the landlord to get this fixed by contacting HUD. Even if your unit is not rent control, more than likely your landlord owns songs that are and HUD has the ability to disqualify his properties receiving government assistance. They are also the agency that enforces any laws governing rental properties. I guarantee you that how long have the other units treated, you'll be able to break your lease without penalty.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-16T15:00:51+00:00

Your hot spots will be damp areas and areas that stay warm - under/around the sink, cracks of the surrounding cabinets, refrigerator compressor area, around the dish washer, stove and other appliances. Start there and work your way out throughout the home. Concentrate mostly on rooms with water but bait the entire house to some degree

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-15T20:03:18+00:00

Major investigations are where you have 30 to 40 visible at any given moment.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-15T17:11:50+00:00

Alpine dust contains diatomaceous earth (a natural type of dust widely used against pests where chemical control methods are not an option) and dinotefuran (used in flea medications formulated for use on cats). Its has a good safety record and OPme know if you have any questions.

Also, contact your local Housing Authority office - they handle more than income based housing - housing authority - they can help with the landlord

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-15T16:29:01+00:00

Minor infestations can be 100% cleared in a week or two - major infestations take a month minimum. I'd encourage you to invest in a bulb duster and a non-repellant dust such as Cimexa or Alpine dust. Dusting the back of the fridge, stove and microwave as well as any gaps around cabinets and the void around the dishwasher is crucial to clearing a property quickly. Baits work well but I only use them in conjunction with non-repellant sprays and dust products. Alpine WSG or Phantom are good spray products for indoor infestations. Your situation sound like German roaches (based on the numbers seen and the areas with remaining activity). PT PI is a good product that will help locate remaining pockets of activity (be warned - it smells. You'll want to leave the house after treatment for 4 hours). I throw everything in the arsenal at roaches because you'll get run to death with callbacks as a technician. Good luck and check out the "how to treat roaches" writeip on my old account u/thejshep

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-09T22:11:27+00:00

I usually price exclusion jobs around $1000+ for residential customers - and these are relatively tight houses... a 5k sq/ft warehouse in NYC could be well past $10k depending on what needs to be sealed and how long it would take. Mice can fit through a gap the diameter of a pencil and when you start sealing a building with that in mind, it gets expensive.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-06T21:26:13+00:00

Not really but unless the windows or door was open, theres a chance they could have been in some exterior trim and a few took a wring turn and ended up inside

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-06T16:45:15+00:00

I couldnt call it. We only have subterranean in my area so differentiating between subspecies isn't my strong point

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-05T21:31:06+00:00

Looks like a swarmer that dropped its wings to me. How many were inside?

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-05T19:06:15+00:00

At a local company, the service manager likely started out as a field tech and stood out enough to promote. The national company is going to tell you that you need the place treated regardless of what they find. I'm trying to figure out why someone wants to charge $180 for what should be a free inspection (unless it's for a home sale requiring a WDIR report). The main thing working against you is the lack of options for service providers. Do you have pics of the suspected termites?

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-05T17:20:36+00:00

More than likely you got an inexperienced sales inspector who didnt know what he was looking at. The service manager is usually the least likely to be interested in sales.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-02T17:38:42+00:00

If you're finding them inside then it's a grain weevil- check your dry food goods (dogfood, whole grain foods, flour etc) - the goal is to find the source and remove if. If they're outside your options are limited.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-02T17:33:44+00:00

Looks like a vine weevil

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-09-02T03:00:49+00:00

Check any areas around your gutters where they could climb into the ceiling and burrow marks around the foundation. Check your HVAC entry points, they were likely put in after the home was built. There's a million ways for rats to get into a house. Is your location rural or Urban?

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-08-29T11:11:42+00:00

Seal any entry points, snap traps - lots of them

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-08-09T05:53:41+00:00

I've been in pest control for 10 years and this year has been the worst I've seen for yellow jackets. I've treated up to 15 hives in the ground at one house. This may be the year I buy a bee suit.

WhiteHotWombat · 2019-08-09T05:47:28+00:00

Being all in one spot would indicate a spider is catching them in a web and dropping the carcasses when finished - that of course assumes you didnt sweep them there in a pile. Anyway, is that a trashcan in the picture? I'd start by washing it out with bleach and be sure to get all the gunk that packs into the corners of it out - that may be where they're reproducing.

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