HELP! Roach Extermination

sandrachameleon

sandrachameleon

Chameleon Enthusiast
Last night I tripped while carrying a container of M Hissing roach nymphs. Not a little trip, a complete crash - resulting in a broken toe and nymphs escaping everywhere. These were mostly tiny ones, destined for the mounts of mantids, and a few about 2cm in length meant for the chams. I know this isnt a chameleon question, and perhaps I should therefore not be posting this, but I'm desperate! Many of you keep roaches as feeders, as I do, and I'm hoping you can help me. I need to know the best way to attract / kill the escaped nymphs, without killing off / hurting the chameleons or the roach colonies that are safely in their bins. We're experiencing a "heat wave" (well, its warm for Victoria, 30C /86F) so the whole house is more than warm enough for these little hissers to set-up new lives in comfort.
 
Your post made me think of when my daughter visited and brought some of her chams and roaches. She droped the roach container in her bedroom and all the roaches escaped. (I am terrified of roaches) She told me she thought she found them all. We live in warm sunny Florida but so far have not had a problem. Good luck with your clean up. Jann
 
I don't think they will survive no food or water or your winter they are a tropical species. You could always set off a bomb or two, fallow directions carefully.
 
I wouldn't use a bomb...that gets in the air. Buy roach hotels....they will go in and die. Also, an exterminator will use stuff that will keep your chams safe and you will find them dead all over the house for a couple of weeks which is why I like the roach hotels.
 
thank you for your suggestions!

I'll start with a roach hotel (where does one buy these?), and if necessary move on to an exterminator. Its true they wont survive even our mild winter outside, but I suspect they will thrive indoors. Especially in the nice warm, humid chameleon room. The thought of having to relocate all my pets (many of which are insects) to somewhere else while an exterminator does the job is overwhelming. Let's hope it doesnt come to that!
S
 
LOL - I forgot to mention the first time I let my hubby help me de-box my crickets he dumped about 1/3 of the box on the floor. Our exterminator comes 1x/month and we found the dead crickets all over.
 
That might be a good idea if they are mostly small nymphs. I think an adult Hisser would eat a house gecko!:eek: J/K I kept hissers for a while, I actually have a small colony I am raising...(the local pet store gives me nymphs for free, whenever the ones in their tanks have babies). I am always so paraniod on how to house them because of their ability to climb! They are interesting little bugs. I keep them in the tall plastic deli cups that roaches get shipped in, with the lid fastened tight. I am trying to think of a clever way for you trap them... Maybe some kind of heat pad, with fly paper on it, and stick it under a dresser, or under your washing machine.
 
We live very near Victoria, and have pretty much the same climate. I had been feeding our chams dubia roaches for many months (still do), when we remodeled a room adjacent to the cham room we found countless roaches hiding here and there. It was a total shock to my husband and I. They must have been escaping from the cham's cages. No doubt they weren't the healthiest specimens, but somehow they had survived for months without food or water being supplied (the cham room and this adjacent room are out in a shop on our property- so I know they didn't have access to the kitchen (thank God)). Dubias will not be able to breed if released here indoors or out, but they will survive indoors, probably for a normal roach lifetime (2 years?). DOn't know if it's the same for your hissers.

I would try the roach hotels, too. And don't invite company over for a looooooonng time.
 
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If you still have them come fall they will die due to lack of heat. For now I would use sticky traps and hotels. Put them along wall lines and in corners. Dark places that are hidden from day light are also good places to nest a trap.
 
Hissers are slow growers, So I'm sure you'll get most of the strays before breeding size is met. I have good-sized outdoor enclosures and the loose adult
dubia's that get away, usually get dealt with via a spider,or wild lizard. Find them caught in a web, week or two later.
 
Vegas Chad said:
If you still have them come fall they will die due to lack of heat.
Click to expand...

I dont think so. I do heat the house afterall, so its never cooler than 18C (65F). And I've kept Hissers in my basement before, with no ill effects, and its not warm down there at all. They didnt have as many babies (which was the desired effect) but they still ate, males staked out territories, and behaved normally.
 
SSimsswiSS said:
Hissers are slow growers, So I'm sure you'll get most of the strays before breeding size is met. I have good-sized outdoor enclosures and the loose adult
dubia's that get away, usually get dealt with via a spider,or wild lizard. Find them caught in a web, week or two later.
Click to expand...

We did find a nice sized salamander living in the adjacent room with the escaped dubia roaches. He seems to reside under the cham's little refridgerator (where we keep meds and produce, etc.).

I agree- the heat pad and sticky paper sounds like an excellent idea. Under the fridge, or the stove, in closets, under dressers. Normally I find escaped dubias beneath potted plants.


And, yes, current temps, in the mid 80s are adequate for breeding. But your guys were tiny, and won't be ready to breed for sometime. By then temps will have dropped back into the 50s-60s.
 
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SSimsswiSS said:
Hissers are slow growers, So I'm sure you'll get most of the strays before breeding size is met. I have good-sized outdoor enclosures and the loose adult
dubia's that get away, usually get dealt with via a spider,or wild lizard. Find them caught in a web, week or two later.
Click to expand...

I'm feeling better about this mishap now. I do have a resident wolf spider in my cham room and he gets the stray crickets, moths and pill bugs. He (or she) is a good hunter and will hopefully make meals of the roaches too. I dont know why that thought didnt occur to me before! I'll encourage a few more spiders to visit (though my husband is afraid of spiders, I think he would rather a few of them to the roaches!).
 
I had an adult female hisser escape once and she was gone for months. I put sticky traps down every where and never found her. After months I figured she was dead. I unpacked a box that was stored in the same room and low and behold, there she was! She didn't hiss to which I am thankful as it still scares me. She was very skinny and small but still very much alive. I don't have an answer for you but I thought I should share my story. I feel your pain though.
 
darla said:
I had an adult female hisser escape once and she was gone for months. I put sticky traps down every where and never found her. After months I figured she was dead. I unpacked a box that was stored in the same room and low and behold, there she was! She didn't hiss to which I am thankful as it still scares me. She was very skinny and small but still very much alive. I don't have an answer for you but I thought I should share my story. I feel your pain though.
Click to expand...

Thanks Darla! and everyone else for your helpful advice
Hard not to be impressed with the tenacity (sp?) of roaches and their ability to survive - just would have preferred to not dream about them under my bed!
 
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