Cockroaches?

[Triggerfish]

Hello all. My wife and I were all set to go ahead and make the decision to make the big move and live in Hawaii. Then I heard a story about the big, bad cockroaches of the islands. I started to think about it, and I remember the last time I was there, I found a cockroach sitting on my beachtowel on Waikiki beach in broad daylight! I was pretty surprised, but I dismissed it because I figured it was rare. Now, I'm not so sure.

Does anyone know just how bad the cockroach situation is over there? Are we going to have to share our breakfast with 2,000 little roaches? I'd appreaciate any light you might shed on this matter!

Triggerfish

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Cockroaches?

Are we going to have to share our breakfast with 2,000 little roaches?

Nah - none of 'em are little. There's a reason they are called "B-52 cock-a-roaches" - they are big, and they fly. One of the prices of living in a tropical climate.

[Jewlipino]

Re: Cockroaches?

little roaches!? Wait till you see the 1-2 inch long flying B-52 roaches... that attack! I've walked into rooms and one of them will be on the wall twiddling its antennae and it'll launch toward your face!

Jewlipino

[helen]

Re: Cockroaches?

Depends on which island you will be living. Oahu seems to have the bulk of the roaches in the state, Hilo side on the Big Island you worry about fire ants, seen three of them haul a dead roach once and Kauai is centipedes.

Just don't leave food lying around and you should be okay.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Re: Cockroaches?

I remember the last time I was there, I found a cockroach sitting on my beachtowel on Waikiki beach in broad daylight!

That was probably one of them brown, ground roaches. Those are the ones you can play with. I bury them with 3 or 4 inches of sand and pound on them for abit. Dig them up to see if they're still alive. Now, the B-52's, THEY play with you. <LOL>

Depends what area you're moving to and then if there's an access manhole cover to a sewer either on the property or right in front the house. Also if the neighbors have a trash pile for a backyard. We get neighbahs who get big avocado trees in da backyard. Dey nevah clean up da mess so we get B-52's and their mechanics (mice) coming through da fence. Sheesh, I even saw one mongoose come through one day. Dey get all kine critters living in da yard. Yeah, it's getting to the point where I'll be calling the Dept. of Health and ASPCA to come check them out.

Also what I noticed. B-52's love moss rock walls. They live in the holes and cracks. Same with hollow tile if it's in bad shape. Also what kind of house will you be living in?

New homes, the roaches will probably be coming through the front door or gaps in ill fitting screens or the "pockets" for hidden sliding doors they use for some bathrooms.

Older single wall homes need at least half a case of silicone caulking to plug all the holes along the roof line and flooring. You'll also need 1/8" thick adhesive back foam insulation for the screens. They usually never seat flat and have gaps big enough for them roaches to get through. Louvers, fugetaboutthem. Even closed they have gaps. Seal the screens. These older homes also have a double wall between the main and 2nd bath where all the plumbing is. Watch for these types of walls. The open beam ceilings of these homes have 1/4" x 3/4" decorative grooves that are basically access holes for roaches to that double walled space. You'll need to plug any of these holes along the common walls. Look good. Sometimes, they build walls along these grooves and only cover them over. The hole can exit several feet from the double wall. They will find a way through it. Deny them access to the rest of the house for food and such and they'll eventually all die or leave.

How do I know? I live in a house that was built in the early 60's. Single wall, tongue and groove construction with open beam ceiling. The foot of our bed is at the 2nd bathroom. One night I'm reading a book and I see movement at the ceiling line. A roach. Darned thang went back through, then I noticed, a hall closet is on the other side. So I get a flashlight and check it out. DANG! An army!. Well, 2 or 3 of them. I done kilt them and found where they were coming from. Holes along the ceiling leading into that double wall. I plugged only the holes I could see from the bathrooms and didn't think about the hall closet. Cleaned the closet up good and caulked all the holes. Haven't had any invaders from that part of the house since. We still get the few, but they come in because someone's wife and daughter never seem to close the screen door securely after letting the dogs out.

Okay, getting back. Spray the perimeter of the house on a regular basis, depending on what type of insecticide you use. Most are good for up to 3 months. For spot kills, I keep a can of brake cleaner on hand, with the plastic tube. Concentrates the spray and you can shoot farther. Das wai good fo cane spidahs. Just watch the backstop. You don't want to shoot the wife with this stuff. If you get the roach good, it'll die in a few seconds. Your wife will survive and you will be wearing your butt up around your ears for a few days.

If you have fruit trees in the yard, make sure to police up the fallen fruit as often as possible.

If you have open drains in the bathrooms, either get new drain plugs or get those screens that fit in the holes. They do occasionally come up through the sewer and can swim.

If you don't want to use pesticides because of children or pets, go down to your nearest Longs Drugstore and buy several pairs of the largest rubbah slippahs you can find. Also, find the most colorful. Harder to see all da guts aftah you squash one. Keep one slippah in easy reach in each room of da house. Btw, these are useless on centipedes. Another critter you gotta watch out for.

If you go outside the house and happen to see a roach, don't let it go just because it's outside. Kill da buggah. Don't matter if it's high on a wall. Get a broom, anything, but kill...dat...buggah! I hates cacaroaches.

[tutusue]

Re: Cockroaches?

[...]Does anyone know just how bad the cockroach situation is over there? Are we going to have to share our breakfast with 2,000 little roaches? I'd appreaciate any light you might shed on this matter!

Triggerfish

Well, if you find 2000 little roaches in one place, breakfast or no breakfast, there's something very, very wrong!

Roaches are a part of life in a tropical climate and are definitely not rare. They're gross. They're dirty. They're ugly. If you're truly phobic about them then you might want to reconsider living in Hawaii. If you're just disgusted by them know that you can keep them under control in your own surroundings. I probably see only 2 roaches a year in my condo whereas, in my office, I'd guess I see 2 a week; probably 'cuz of all the construction in the neighborhood. In both places I'm on the 2nd floor so those buggers have to do some climbing and/or flying in order to share my space!

[Jewlipino]

Re: Cockroaches?

yea kill em all! My friend got one of those electrified tennis rackets and I tagged a b-52 with it. They SIZZLE!

Jewlipino

[waiz4kooks]

Re: Cockroaches?

trust me once you get there and get settled in to your new surroundings, you won't think twice about them, they're everywhere so your bound to see a couple in your house every now and then, and some dead ones when you go to sweep the floor. Centipedes on the other hand......Those things are scary.

[tutusue]

Re: Cockroaches?

[...]Centipedes on the other hand......Those things are scary.

Well...I've had my share of encounters with both centipedes and scorpions but not nearly as often as roaches. I find the former tend to live in wetter, more foliage prolific areas. I got stung (bitten?) by a centipede in Manoa and also had a scorpion find it's way into my car thru a window that wasn't all the way closed...just slightly cracked. Again...in Manoa. I didn't discover it 'til I got home in Makaha! That car had broken a/c so I drove from Manoa to Makaha with the passenger side window down. As I was pulling into the condo's parking garage I closed the window. When I pulled into my parking stall and reached over to the passenger seat to get my purse, that's when I saw the scorpion dangling by it's tail from the closed window. AAAAAACK!! Then there was the huge scorpion that wrapped itself around the (clothed) leg of a crew member during a Beamer Bros. shoot on Tantalus. Double AAAAAACK! Not to mention the swimming centipede in the toilet in the middle of the night...in Manoa! Thank goodness that wasn't the one that got me!

[oggboy]

Re: Cockroaches?

Those B-52, scary bugga`s. I remember my wife was like 8month`s hapa`i. One bumbucha B-52 when land on top my face and I wen slap da bugga off, but wen end up land up on my wife. Oh S***, I neva think, just automacation cause the next thing was
, I had to try relax on full on hestrical wahine with baby on the way Still remember that incedent 30years ago.
OGGBOY .

[Da Rolling Eye]

Re: Cockroaches?

Eeeeewwwwwww, Tutusue. I get chicken skin just reading it. Where's dat can of brake cleanah?

[MadAzza]

Re: Cockroaches?

little roaches!? Wait till you see the 1-2 inch long flying B-52 roaches... that attack! I've walked into rooms and one of them will be on the wall twiddling its antennae and it'll launch toward your face!

Gawd, Jewey, wipe the loco moco off before you walk in!

[MadAzza]

Re: Cockroaches?

That was probably one of them brown, ground roaches. Those are the ones you can play with. I bury them with 3 or 4 inches of sand and pound on them for abit. Dig them up to see if they're still alive. Now, the B-52's, THEY play with you. <LOL>

Woo hoo! Who was it who was asking where to have a bachelorette party?

[MadAzza]

Re: Cockroaches?

Well...I've had my share of encounters with both centipedes and scorpions but not nearly as often as roaches. ... Not to mention the swimming centipede in the toilet in the middle of the night

I'm guessing the original poster has run screaming for the hills after reading all these posts!

As for me, I'm LMAO!

[Mahi Waina]

Re: Cockroaches?

I'm guessing the original poster has run screaming for the hills after reading all these posts!

And you never tell 'em about da cane spidahs!