Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Paladin Brewer]

My apt has cockroaches the size of small infants. I tried to just ignore them, keep my food closed tightly, laid down traps, etc. But last night one skydived off the wall onto my bed in front of my face, and that's about all I can handle there. I've been in this apt for a little over a month, so I'm hoping I can request a different apartment? My apt is behind a restaurant that is built into the apt complex, so I imagine that is the problem

[bobranger]

If you do move, make sure you bug bomb your electronics. Roaches love to live in these items.
In the meantime:
Remember that cockroaches will live wherever they can find good food and water sources. So don�t leave food lying around. Cockroaches will find it. You may have heard that they can go for days, even weeks, without food. This is true, but they can�t go for very long without water. So make sure you patch leaks and provide adequate ventilations for areas of your home that are prone to high humidity. Cockroaches generally like still, unmoving air, which is why they live behind things. Ensuring good air circulation is part of roach control.
Bay Leaves: Cockroaches can�t stand bay leaves. They�re certainly not a final solution for major bug problems, but try putting them in cockroach pathways or entry points to stop their travels into and through your apartment.

[Senior]

I had them at my old joint, and it was a matter of finding where they were coming in, in order to eradicate them. There was a crack above my bathroom, and after that the traps killed them. The place was infested in my first 5 months then after that I never saw another for the better part of 18 months.

[bde2]

I never had to deal with cockroaches where I grew up, and I've only begrudgingly accepted co-existing with them here. Their presence has turned me from something of a slob into a kitchen-cleanliness nazi. I can certainly sympathize with you OP.

If you make a fuss about it, maybe your school will hire an exterminator. My guess is that they're more likely to do that than find you a new place.

One thing that's given me some peace of mind has been having a mosquito net around my bed (properly weighted at the bottom to ensure that the roaches can't get in). It's the only way I can get to sleep, knowing that they're crawling around out there somewhere. Man, if one ever landed on my bed, or I woke up with one on my face... I don't even wanna think about it. Game over, man. Game over.

Good luck, man.

[caribmon]

Bay leaves do not work. I tried them for years but no luck .
What does work is flying bug and insect killer. Just spray it on the ground they come our running, squirm and die. Kinda brutal. In Barbados I just named them because I didn't really care. One was called Britney and I had a lizard named Kevin who lived behind my stove.

[salgichawa]

[OiGirl]

1) Pay for an exterminator to come spray toxic chemicals around your place. He knows what he's doing! (You will, of course, have put away all your food and dishes before he comes, and wash down food-preparation surfaces afterwards.)

2) Get the brown gel at the store. It comes in a tube somewhat like toothpaste and has a picture of a cockroach on it. Squirt it on scraps of cardboard and leave it in strategic places around the house. This may be what the exterminator does.

[Paladin Brewer]

Well when I got here they originally gave me a choice of 2 different apts, and I chose the bigger one. The 2 rooms are in 2 buildings right next to eachother, and are owned by the same guy. I know someone who lives in the other building and they have 0 cockroach issues, so Im sure it's just the restaurant that is right in front of me.

I don't doubt they are easily crawling under my door. The door was not placed over the metal lip on the ground, so there is ample crawl space. Actually whenever they mop the halls, it floods the front area of my apt, yet another issue

But yeah, I was making it until they started landing on my bed. Now ill be sleeping with my lights on for the next few days heh

[dumpring]

My hagwon has a major infestation of these things, you'll hear sporadic screaming throughout the day.

Cockroaches have presence here, I hadn't found any in my house till I came home late one night and just felt like there was a cockroach somewhere- looked around and there was one as long as a cigarette on the side of my fridge.

[thegadfly]

Go to a pharmacy and get a few boxes of boric acid -- a box the size of a deck of cards costs about 700 won. It is a white powder, and it is mixed with water to make an eyewash. It is not dangerous if accidentally ingested in small quantities, but do not sprinkle it on your oatmeal.

Sprinkle the powder along baseboards, in corners, under your fridge, and anywhere else you think roaches may wander at night. Every couple of days, sweep or vacuum it up and lay down fresh.

Personally, I have never had to do this for more than five days to get rid of roaches, though I keep putting down fresh stuff for a week or more, just to be sure -- I learned about this in Texas, where the roaches can literally be bigger than the mice.

The boric acid has no smell that I could detect, it was not airborne, and is safe enough to wash your eyes with (as that is its intended use). It sticks to the roaches feet, which the roach then cleans. It ingests the crystals in the process, which kill it.

It took two boxes (1400 won) to "treat" a 24 pyoung apartment for a week. If you write "boric acid" down, the pharmacist should recognize it, even if (s)he does not speak English. The boxes I got were dark blue writing on a white background, and about the size of a deck of cards, with a baggie of white crystals in it.

Good luck, and try it -- you'll be a believer.

[lifeinkorea]

[kinerry]

[TheChingu]

Hmm good luck. I moved here from Hawaii, we had some huge roaches there. I've always heard they come inside for water more than food, and that they LOVE beer. If they are really huge roaches they arent likely living in your house but probably just come in at night for water.

Maybe put a towel against your door so they cant get in as easily? Also check your cupboards for stuff, my room mate once found an abandoned pancake mix box with a thriving cockroach city inside it.

Good luck, thankfully I dont have roaches right now...

[ladron]

When I first came to Korea, lo those many years ago, I took over the apartment of this foreign teacher who was leaving. He turned out to be the single filthiest human I have ever met. despite assurances that he would clean before he left, there were massive stains all over the walls (including a lovely dirt rainbow where his greasy head had been rubbing again the wall while he watched tv).Anyhow, he also left the place infested with cockroaches. I got a few tubes of silicon sealant and filled up every crack I could find: around the cabinets, under the sinks, etc. I also got this stuff from a (I want to say) pharmacy that was a little can that you lit and this smoke would come out. A few of those over the course of a week, and I never saw a single roach ever again. The smell was a lot better (almost pleasant) and it really seemed to be more effective than the chemicals/bait traps I was using.

This apartment was also haunted and surrounded by dogs that never stopped barking, but those are other stories.

[venus envy]

I recently moved from Mok-dong to Haebangchon, and I'm experiencing the same problem. I've used the goo on cardboard trick that my landlord gave me, but it's not working. I have to keep pet food out while I'm away, so I sincerely doubt the problem is going away without professional help.

Does anyone have the name of an English speaking exterminator?