Battling Roaches Without Pesticides

Not only are roaches really gross, they also cause asthma attacks. And they carry bacteria and disease organisms around on their little feet, and in their little roach turds. But what can I do? I am surrounded by sprayers. The first Wednesday of every month, there's that trusty exterminator man in the elevator with his shiny canister.  It seems like everyone else is signed up for the poison plan! Should I too take the easy route and spray my apartment, or figure out a less toxic solution?

For me, pesticides always top the list of things to avoid. With children, the path from surface to mouth is direct, and frequent.

So how does one get rid of those nasty bugs without harming their family?

I discussed my situation with the exterminator. He chuckled at my concerns, saying he had used the stuff for years. "Perfectly safe." I told him about my venture into dusting, namely dabs of boric acid behind the sink, where the cats and the kids can't reach it. He couldn't believe it. He would never use that. "Much too toxic."  Told me I was fighting a losing battle and I should just spray like everyone else. Join us.

That made me even more determined to stop this problem on my own terms. Found a great website, Beyond Pesticides, http://www.beyondpesticides.org/, and boned up on "IPM" - Integrated Pest Management. Who knew that bug products don't have to disclose all their ingredients. And the site offered no info on specific products, just suggestions on types of products to try. Good stuff. But I was in my pro-active mood, needing to buy!  

Back to the trusty Internet, found a site called: http://www.battlethosebugs.com/. Bought me some Battle. (the product is actually called that.) "Long lasting" "non toxic" ...talk to me, bug killers.

So? I found it little messy. Left a white film everywhere. Seemed to get rid of the bugs but my surfaces were all dusted. Not ideal.

I thought about sticky traps, but those just bummed me out. I do have a curious mind, but I don't want to view dying cockroaches on a strip of tape. Not for me.

So now I am trying boric acid gel, which seems to leave no residue.  I have also been diligently caulking up all crevices to keep the roaches out.  

I now have a nightly ritual of cleaning out all dishes from the sink, emptying the garbage can, putting away the cat food and wiping down the counter tops. No open bags of food get left out.

This do-it-myself approach seems to be working. It takes a little more work than that shiny spray bottle filled with poisons, but it is a lot safer for my family.

To get rid of pests, get tidy! Clean spills immediately. Sit and use plates, don't wander around eating and spilling crumbs.	Rather than using toxic sprays to kill roaches, lay out boric acid in crevices and places where children and pets won't come into contact with it. And wipe down all surfaces of spills and crumbs, even stove grease.	Get out the caulk and seal all cracks around water pipes, electrical fixtures and outlets, baseboards, etc. Vacuum under and behind the refrigerator, in addition to any other nooks and crannies where crumbs might have drifted.

In 2006, friends Francesca Olivieri and Susan Gluck Pappajohn started their company, sage baby

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