cockroaches
 

Okay you live in Florida...there's gonna be bugs.

We have had a pest control service since moving into TV and have never had a cockroach or any bugs inside the house in the five years we've been here

Last week I got up during the night, turned on the bathroom light and noticed one in the bath tub...I squashed the bugger and flushed it down the toilet (and was thankful that it was me and not my wife or guests that saw it)...the next day I called our pest control company, they came right over and placed some traps around inside the house and sprayed the outside of the house and yard

When I mentioned the roach to a first cousin that lives a half mile away one village over he said that he had found one in the tub recently too...

Last night I found another roach in the tub and it quickly ducked down the drain...it was still dark when I got up to put out the trash this morning so, decided to check the tub....there it was...flushed that one down the toilet too

I had suspected that they may be coming up through the drain pipe as it seemed odd that both times they were seen in the tub

I just googled 'can roaches enter a house through drain pipes?'

here's what came back....

"Cockroaches are crafty enough to crawl in and out through drains and pipes; this is especially a problem in apartment buildings, where drain pipes are used as highways between apartments. ... Above all, keep all drains squeaky clean!
What do you pour down the drain to get rid of cockroaches?
Pour a mixture of white vinegar & baking soda in the drain to kill roaches. A great alternative to bleach is a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Mix equal amounts of baking soda and white vinegar in a cup."

So, now I have one more item on my 'things to do list'

I'm wondering if there's an infestation of roaches in the village sewer lines?

Coming from the north and never being a city dweller, roaches were never a concern...it was carpenter ants and yellow jackets we had to control

Where do you think they are entering the sewer lines in TV? Are they not all sealed from a house to the treatment plant?
Your report indicated apartment buildings. That seems more possible.

It is highly unlikely that roaches will enter your house through the sanitary sewer pipes. Every drain fixture has a P-trap that holds water to prevent gases and insects from entering your house. But, you do need to ensure that there is always water in the traps, and they don't dry out. It is more likely that the roach you saw was attracted to the drain to get water. But, the sewer lines are not sealed to the treatment plant. There are plenty of roaches and other insects in the manholes, but, they usually cannot get through the P-traps in your house. Vinegar and baking soda is not needed in the sewer line.

Are they larger than your average roach? Our city suddenly became infested with them in an area of California that never had roaches before. We found out from pest control companies they are an imported variety, haha, called Turkestan roaches from the Middle East. They are sewer dwellers and pest control companies claim they come into homes when city utilities flush the sewer lines. The good news is that they are not the kind of roach that gets into your pantry or the kitchen crawling on top the counters, etc. You can Google images to see if it looks similar to the one you discovered in your bathtub.

Thanks for the insight retiredguy....I do question where these things are coming from though

I'm not a roach expert, but I think the large black ones are called Palmetto bugs that mostly breed outside and only visit your house occasionally. But, if you see small brown ones, they are called German roaches, and they will move in and breed in your house and are more difficult to get rid of.

Seeing cockroaches/palmetto bugs gives me a mini heart attack every time. I hate using chemicals to get rid of them, but I may have to go that route. UGGGGHHHH!

Question:
Are you a snowbird?
Drains not used for some time can attract all kinds of bugs in sewer lines.

Call the folks running the systems. Should get more than just opinions.

District Utilities Customer Service Division/Finance Department is located at 984 Old Mill Run, The Villages, FL 32162 and representatives are available daily from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., except weekends and holidays.

Phone: 352-750-0000
Fax: 352-674-1999
Email Contact: utilities@districtgov.org.

Yes, if they are large and have wings, they’re palmetto bugs and like water. As long as I’ve lived here I’ll never get used to them. Or those giant grasshoppers or mole crickets (google them if you don’t know):ho:

All adult (mature) cockroaches can fly. Most of them don't, but they are all capable of it. Only nymphs are wingless.

A palmetto bug is just another term for cockroach. It's not a separate insect, or a distinct, unique species. It's just a regional term. Up north we call them "really big cockroaches." Down in Florida we call them "Palmetto bugs." They're the same critter either way.

The really big ones (no matter what you choose to call it) are usually the American cockroach. The German cockroaches are smaller.

Neither of them are as freaky as the Madagascar hissing cockroaches, which can get up to 4 inches long, and are sometimes kept as pets and bedazzled with rhinestones on their exoskeleton.

According to our single neighbor who was widowed 2 years ago looking around The Villages many can't even walk. She said that, not me. :shocked:

Most of these "palmetto bugs" are no match for a Texas-sized cockroach. Better Half killed a cockroach in Houston with a BB gun.

I'm not aware of any fully successful other way then having a Professional take care of all the little varmints that are new to many from the north. Our guy, a one man band comes our every other month and sprays inside and puts granules of something outside. $65 per treatment.

It is not risk free to use this service, chemicals are used. Before I hired him 4 plus years ago we had several roaches, tiny ants, bees etc. Within the first 2 or 3 visits he got rid of all of them.

I looked at the product safety sheet for each thing he uses and felt comfortable with the treatment instead of blood curdling screams from my poor wife. She freaks out. Many people also take care of these little PIA'S themselves with stuff from Lowes. Not my thing to handle.

Our Deans pest person, mentioned that all of our drains have a Ptrap, and roaches can’t enter through them. They can flatten out and fit under your doors, I caught one to show deans, in a disposable coffee cup with lid, tiny opening to drink from. Sat it in the lanai, sure enough it crawled out of that tiny hole, dean found it, identified as a palmetto.

Once in the house will crawl down the drain to get water. They can go 30 days without food, but only 3 days without water, then they die.

Those who don’t have a home watch, need to cover drains, and use Saran Wrap on toilets. If the toilets dry out the roaches will come in the hundreds through a dry toilets from the sewer. That will be an infestation. This is the advice from my Deans pest rep, who is a wealth of information on even the tiniest bug.