Job Discussion Forums

[Lindsay]

I have been living in Japan for six months now, and there is one thing I cannot get used to: roaches. I have only had a few, but my phobia of them is quite dibilitating. Since I saw the first roach in June, I stopped opening my windows. Then came another vistor in July, the only way I surmise the roach could get in is through my oven hood, as it was high up on my wall near my oven hood. Then, last night, in my living room there was another one crawling high on my wall. I figure this one came in somehow through my air conditioner. I am so frightened that last night when I went to sleep I closed my bedroom doors and put packing tape all along the perimeter of the door, to ensure nothing could crawl in! I vacuum my apt every day and put all perishable foods in my freezer until garbage day. My apt is pretty well constructed so I do not think there are any more possible entrance ways for the roaches to get in. I really am quite frightened. I hate feeling uncomfortable and paranoid in my own apt. I have since taped traps high up on my wall near my air conditioner and oven hood. I know I sound like a whiney girl, but it really is a phobia. Does anyone have any suggestions or theories on how these pests get in my apt and/or how I could better deter them?

Winter is coming soon, right? Please tell me that roaches cannot live through winter!

And why oh why do they have to be SO big?

[Gordon]

You probably don't want to hear this, but your building, like many/most in Japan is infested with roaches. It is great that you keep the kitchen tidy, that helps. Sealing your windows doesn't help much, unless they are outside. Why would they be there, they like it dark and moist.

Try putting a plug stopper over your sink, they like to eat the food down there and get some roach traps. You are not alone in this problem and yo should try to get over your phobia. My wife is similar to you, but I am the bug killer in this household. If you don't like to squish them, then get a spray.

I too was shocked when I first arrived and my school fumigated the place. This didn't help much, they went deeper into the walls and came out a few days later.

[Gordon]

One more thing, the roach problem does get better over the winter, at least it has in my case.

[Canuk girl]

Just to let you know.. our first one was through a crack in the wall where the oven hood was. the second was from the drain in the bathroom sink, the third from the drain in the floor, the fourth from the toilet.. and on and on, they swim, fly and find any way in.. and not to scare you more, but they do bite (my boyfriend will attest to that). My advice is get a bomb, let it off when you're out for the day. Tape up all cracks in the wall, get drain nets, and put the lid down on the toilet. After we did that we found ONE over the span of six months.. before that we found one a week. Don't squish em either, cause their eggs can live out of their body.. blah.

[anthyp]

Yeah, roaches are pretty damn disgusting.

I asked this question on the China Forum, maybe you should take a look at that thread. Japanese roaches can't be all that different from our killer mutant breed here.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=13048&highlight=roaches

OK, for the lazy out there I am posting the helpful advice given me by the ever - assistive justcolleen:

[homersimpson]

I agree with many of the other postings. I have had a few of the unwanted SOBs in my apartment. They are hard to catch, indeed. I wouldn't smash 'em cause it will make a god-awful mess. I usually prop open my front door and chase them along the wall with hairspray until they scurry out the open door. Sounds (and probably) looks crazy, but it's effective. One thing I absolutely would not use are traps or insecticide sprays. I made that fatal mistake a few years back and ending up getting more in my apartment. Remember, traps and sprays are intended to attract roaches in order to kill them. After I used the spray it seemed my neighbors' roaches took up residence in my abode. If you do want to use traps or spray use them outside of your apartment on the doors or windows, otherwise you'll be picking up dead roaches in your kitchen on a daily basis. Just on a side note, on a recent visit to an izakaya quite a commotion broke out at our table when a roach made his way across the tatami ... needless to say, I lost my appetite at that point.

[Sweetsee]

I use the catch and release method.

Take a large collander or pot, something I can get my hand around, and trap the bug against the wall.

Then, slide an album, magazine, something flat between the wall and the pot and release it outside.

[Gordon]

Why not kill them? They will come back. Some of you are too nice. The bottom of a shoe works well.

Two nights ago I killed one in my 3 old's bed. She took it in stride, whereas my wife would have been committed.

[JimDunlop2]

Gordon! A shoe?? YUCK! I try to avoid leaving squished messes on my nice tatmi mats too....

The method a friend of mine and I developed and have been perfecting works well -- and isn't quite so uh... messy. It involves a spray bottle of countertop cleaner (100yen shop kind works well) and a 100yen shop strainer/sieve with a good mesh.

1. Chase roach around with sieve until tired. (You. Not the roach).

2. Crack a beer/haposhu to rejuvinate

3. With renewed vigour, slap sieve over roach with one hand. With other, beckon wife to get off the table and hand you the bottle of spray cleaner.

4. While roach is trapped under sieve (and running in a circle 50km/h) blast him with the spray cleaner. Keep spraying until he is completely saturated.

5. Wait about 30 seconds. He will slow down and die soon after.

6. Scoop up with paper.

7. Dispose.

Kills two birds with one stone.... You kill a roach AND you disinfect after him too. And the nice part about it is -- no squooshed roachbits anywhere.

Good luck!

JD

P.S. Roaches are generally quite harmless.... They're just big and GROSS!

[stillnosheep]

Keep the plugs in in your bath, sink, kitchen sink, especially your kitchen sink; empty the food trap in your kitchen sink (at least weekly); buy a pack of them little black and red roach trap thingies from the 100 yen shop.

ps You have to place the traps in obscure corners all around your apartment. Merely buying the traps is unlikely to be effective unless the little critters are getting so darn intelligent that they can read our minds and react to our intentions already.

sns

[Eleckid]

Argh! Roaches are ugly & they're so fast!

I had one last yr, it crawled passed my feet (the feeling was really gross), then it crawled up the wall, then when I tried to scoop it out the balcony window, it started flying & then ran all over the place!!! I couldn't even sleep that night!

Next day I bought a really poisonous bug spray, I sprayed it all along the wall of my apt, and all dark tight spaces. I think I used like half the bottle...then I went to work. When I came back, I found it dead on the floor. PHEW!

You can get one of those bomb thing which smokes up the entire floor of your house. I've never tried it but it seems like it works.

I think mine came from the drain in the bathroom. I put a piece of plastic wrap on it, with the cleaner bottles on top. Don't leave anything which smells good or oily around. And for women, dispose your used pads in a close lid trash box in the washroom. Cockroaches are everywhere, esp in old apt/houses & if you live on lower floors.

If bug spray attracts them, then what kind of cleaner (as suggested by some of the posters) is the best for killing them? Any specific brand? I'm gonna get some tomorrow!

[Eleckid]

hahaha I got censored! Cuz instead of writing roaches, I wrote the full name...I guess they read the 1st 4 letters & got rid of the entire word.

[Ajia]

I am actually moving out of my house at the end of this month and one of the reasons (there are lots) why I wanted to move out was because there are just way too many living things living with me. For the month that I have been staying here, I have seen really, really large garden spiders (they are so scary looking, I'm sure harmless), roaches, c-o-c-kroaches, ants, centipedes, beetles, really tiny-I have no idea what they are-bugs, and even a couple of geckos! Has anyone ever had this much company in their apt or house?

It's been quite an experience but I am glad to be done with it!

[Eleckid]

Oh my goodness! When I read your post I was like

I had a gecko in my apt before. I opened the kitchen window & I heard a "flop" sound. I then look carefully & found out I've dropped a gecko into my apt from the window. Then it started to go crazy & ran down the wall & everywhere on the floor! They were fast too! Good thing I knew that they are attracted by lights, so I opened the door & it ran out. That thing freaked me out!

Yeah, moving out of your very companied place is a good idea. Look for higher apt units which is less than 10 yrs old. I think they are more pest free.

[nomadder]

I too hate roaches. In my last apartment I had 2-both times because I left the screen door open to the balcony. First time I squished and the second time I called a friend who had spray as it went under my bed and there was no way I would have slept. Roaches are even worse when you're sitting floor level, as many do in Asia, eating dinner and see the dark invader staring at you.

In Latin America surprisingly I've seen only 2 live ones in hotel rooms. Squished and watched the ants devour in the bathroom. At first I didn't even want to go near. I have really come to like geckos though. They don't freak me out anymore. They keep their distance and they're kind of cute-eat bugs which is handy. CAn be frightening if they mistakenly come too close. Also I've seen a few gecko brawls. And you though *beep* fights were bad.