Exterminator said.....

[Kingsley_Reef]

So recently over the past month our house has had a explosion of water bugs /American cockroaches whatever you wanna call them I’m embarrassed even posting about it ;Vomit we keep our house spotless never leave food out I’ve sealed any gaps n cracks I can find and insecticide sprays from the hardware store just made the issue worse instead of seeing one or two of them running across the floor we’d find 30+ dead the next morning yes 30! or more even outside the perimeter of the house I was fed up I even blamed the neighbor! I was defeated So I hired terminex to come take care of the issue today they came out and did a inspection and said your fishtanks is causing the attraction due to moisture and humidity Even said should be removed to prevent the problem has anyone ever experienced this ???

 

[CollectOyster04]

I am in no way an expert on the subject, but we had a similar issue at our old house with oriental cockroaches. Seemed like the whole neighborhood was infested with them. You could go outside in the middle of the night and see them coming out from underneath the sidewalks, and everyone's yards would be crawling in them. Neighbors thought I was crazy as I would collect a bunch sometimes (middle of night with a flashlight, lol) to be used as fishing bait. During the summer we would have a company cookout with all of the families, and we would set all the kids up to catch bluegills and such with them. They would have em hooked as soon as those bugs hit the water !
The novelty wore off though, and we sprayed inside and out constantly to try to keep them at bay. Nothing worse than seeing a bunch of dead ones laying around the house every morning. It wasn't bad until they started coming into the house. At the time we had a 300 gallon set up, and I will not say they came inside because of it. We weren't the only ones with the problem (neighbors as well), but we were the only ones with the fish tank(s).

 

[vetteguy53081]

The moisture can but as a child, we had some (yuk) and they are attracted to dirt, food, moisture, heat and darkness
If they favor the fish tank.... simply apply borax around and under aquarium which will wipe them out.
i agree, the origin is neighbors, trash or a huge colony that will need regular bombings to defeat them.
Problem is: THESE THINGS DONT DIE !!

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

We always had them outside just always tossed it to living in the city limits with the sewers and all not to mention my neighbors connected to my house are absolutely disgusting and don’t take care of anything issue started in basement then kitchen then half bath now your turn the living room lights on in the morning the flloor moves lol I’ve only seen one scoot under the tank it never crossed my mind that the tank could be the issue until the exterminator mentioned it in his inspection I hate it can’t stand it

 

[Eggs]

i came across two or three in the house recently and a neighbor who has a regular exterminator said to spray around the exterior of the house to prevent them from coming inside.
I’m in south Florida where apparently they are common. I’ve only noticed one outside so I don’t think the neighborhood is loaded with them.
None were found near the tank.
If after spraying you’re finding that many dead on the inside there may be hidden colony already inside, walls?
Fortunately since spraying I haven’t seen any.

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

The terminex quote was pretty hefty much more then I expected I ordered some diy pest control and a pump sprayer and gel bait hopefully it works

 

[fish farmer]

I had a roach problem in a studio apartment in Phoenix. They came up from the neighbors downstairs. The complex would spray each apartment every couple of months, but his place was packed with stuff it probably didn't make a dent. A couple of weeks later they would crawl back upstairs. I was able to keep them at bay with room foggers, but that is extreme with fish tanks. I covered my FW 10 gallon and it survived the first treatment. The second treatment with two foggers killed the roaches and my catfish.

Good luck!

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

I had a roach problem in a studio apartment in Phoenix. They came up from the neighbors downstairs. The complex would spray each apartment every couple of months, but his place was packed with stuff it probably didn't make a dent. A couple of weeks later they would crawl back upstairs. I was able to keep them at bay with room foggers, but that is extreme with fish tanks. I covered my FW 10 gallon and it survived the first treatment. The second treatment with two foggers killed the roaches and my catfish.

Good luck!

A lot of the chemicals and sprays I’ve been researching are not very pet friendly sorry about your catfish

 

[Jeeperz]

So, bought a 1927 house with finished basement in Portland Oregon. Few months later ants all over basement. Can't control them. Call ecocare pest solution. They come out, spent hours doing eval. Because of my saltwater tanks they took extra care to pin point spray anywhere near them. I had moisture ants, I guess worse than termites as they eat wood and won't go away until moisture does. Termites can be sprayed for. Needed to gut basement then trench outside of house and seal foundation.

Find a good exterminator. Most are just paid lackeys that don't know anything. Mine was the owner's son.

 

[Scottmac]

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your home issues. I've never fully understood why America has cockroach problems while the UK generally doesn't, as our climate is similar to your northern states (cold wet Autumn & Winter, mild springs & hottish summers). The first time I saw a cockroach was on holiday in Portugal when I was about 7. Mind you I have never lived in or near a densely packed city (and never would for tonnes of reasons, some of which you Americans are just finding out now politically).

But I can certainly sympathize with the embarrassment. We had a bed bug infestation after a "greeny" house guest stayed over. Took ages for my wife and I to get rid of them and guests were bitten at nights which was extremely embarrassing. We has to replace two mattresses and scrub everything down with bleach and fumigate the house, so compared to that a cockroach problem could be worse!

I would be very cautious using any toxic insecticides in case one God forbid managed to get in your tank. I don't even allow any air fresheners or most cleaning products in the room with my tanks, never mind anything toxic.

 

[Katrina71]

@sfin52 might be of help here

 

[Shon]

There is a joke among rednecks.

If it flies, it's wild, if it runs and hides, it's domesticated.

Also, they can become addicted to cigarette butts.

Make sure your window and door seals aren't out of order, dryer vent has a screen guard and a gold fish bowl with chocolate syrup + water makes a decent trap.

 

[sfin52]

No it's not your fish tanks!!!!!!!!!! Tell terminex to pound sand.

If you live in the south these are call palmetto bugs

To understand your issue you have to understand oriental or American roaches. They live in the sewer systems and on the exterior of the home. They eat organic stuff. The first issue is to figure where they are coming from. Make sure your plumbing traps are full. The second is look at the sump pump if you have one. If you havent already install a dehumidifier

Next survey the exterior. Look for anything that may provide harborage. Piles of wood close to the house. Any thing like that. Survey the neighborhood. Any work on the sewer systems around your house subdivision.

Next is treating. Use sticky traps to find the areas of activity. Treat the exterior of the house with a long lasting barrier treatment. Hardware stores are not the place to get these. Follow the label for treatment. (Higher dosage than recomended is not better) you can pm for more treatment options.



Good luck and tell terminex to pound sand.

 

[CoralVue_Marketing]

No it's not your fish tanks!!!!!!!!!! Tell terminex to pound sand.

If you live in the south these are call palmetto bugs

To understand your issue you have to understand oriental or American roaches. They live in the sewer systems and on the exterior of the home. They eat organic stuff. The first issue is to figure where they are coming from. Make sure your plumbing traps are full. The second is look at the sump pump if you have one. If you havent already install a dehumidifier

Next survey the exterior. Look for anything that may provide harborage. Piles of wood close to the house. Any thing like that. Survey the neighborhood. Any work on the sewer systems around your house subdivision.

Next is treating. Use sticky traps to find the areas of activity. Treat the exterior of the house with a long lasting barrier treatment. Hardware stores are not the place to get these. Follow the label for treatment. (Higher dosage than recomended is not better) you can pm for more treatment options.



Good luck and tell terminex to pound sand.

 

[sfin52]

@VB313 these are not the kind associated with dirty houses. I've delt with these in multi million dollar homes and low income homes

 

[Eggs]

@VB313 these are not the kind associated with dirty houses. I've delt with these in multi million dollar homes and low income homes

+1. For the south I think water bugs is a more accurate term, not a typical cockroach found in dirty places.

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

+1. For the south I think water bugs is a more accurate term, not a typical cockroach found in dirty places.

I like the term water bug better then roach lol

 

[jcarlamere]

If moisture is the culprit then try adding a dehumidifier near the tank. Worth a try before taking down your tank.

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

If moisture is the culprit then try adding a dehumidifier near the tank. Worth a try before taking down your tank.

Taking down the tank is not a option just couldn’t believe that it was listed as a problem source , humidity is definitely a issue even before the tank old stone house no central air barley if not any insulation And it’s been hot tanks been running high chiller crapped out on me hopefully will replace it soon and evaporation is definitely at a high so I’m sure it doesn’t help Air conditioners went in lastnight and a dehumidifier is running in the basment even hard plumbed it the other night directly into a drainpipe

 

[sfin52]

Taking down the tank is not a option just couldn’t believe that it was listed as a problem source , humidity is definitely a issue even before the tank old stone house no central air barley if not any insulation And it’s been hot tanks been running high chiller crapped out on me hopefully will replace it soon and evaporation is definitely at a high so I’m sure it doesn’t help Air conditioners went in lastnight and a dehumidifier is running in the basment even hard plumbed it the other night directly into a drainpipe

Eveperation is going to be high because of the dehumidifier. Do you have a crawl or basement?