Exposing cockroaches to 254-nm light

[cronxeh]

Ok I'm fed up with those cockroaches. I've had enough.

Im going to set up a tank where I'll keep cockroaches under otherwise normal conditions - water bowl, some sugar cubes, etc. With a slight catch of human touch from above - I'll have a germicidal lamp on 24/7 on them. A 254-nm UVC light source covering pretty much entire surface of the tank

My question is - how fast will they die? Will they die at all? Mutation? Or perhaps just a chipping away of their exoskeleton?

 

[Moonbear]

Knowing roaches, you'll probably just have a germ-free batch of them under that light.

You should do what the Museum of Natural History did when they couldn't get rid of their roach infestation...they started studying their behavior. Yep, they paid someone to stick little number tags on all of them and observe them. That was years ago; I used to know the wacky woman who had that job...her name doesn't come to mind at the moment though. Last I heard, she was working at the Liberty Science Center, but that was years ago too.

 

[cronxeh]

GRRR

A few weeks ago I decided to leave the lamp on for the night at the kitchen.. I had a few plans growing near the window...

few days later I had to throw away about 10 different plants, and one of the biggest one who just had a fresh new green leaf growing on top turned all yellow. The cockroaches at first seemed to have disappeared and some even died openly in defiance on the sink. But alas 2 weeks passed and they are back in full force, some are even bigger.

Have the reinforcements from other appartments arrived? What is this? I understand they've been here long before us and would stay long after, but this is my kitchen damnit

 

[Moonbear]

By the time you see roaches out in the open, the infestation in the walls and out of sight is immense! *shivers* I hate roaches. I would probably fire-bomb my kitchen if I found a roach in it! Typical roaches should shy away from light, so if you leave a light on all the time, they might choose to stay in the cracks and crevices out of sight, but then again, even that doesn't work for the bolder ones.

Welcome to New York City apartment life!

 

[DocToxyn]

Knowing roaches, you'll probably just have a germ-free batch of them under that light.
.

Yeah, I think you'll just end up with some really clean bugs. Try getting some house geckos and letting them loose. They love roaches and as long as the roaches aren't too comtaminated with pesticides they should live quite a while and happily consume your roaches. They are primarily nocturnal (just like the roaches) and you most likely will not see them often. Leave some water dishes out for them and if you want to see the fun get some red light bulbs and stay up late to witness the massacre. Your local reptile store should be able to find them for you.

You could also try this: Make a non-toxic roach bait and set it out in roach infested areas:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening or bacon drippings
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup flour
8 ounces baking soda

Combine sugar and shortening. Add onion, flour, and baking soda. Mix in just enough water to make a dough-like consistency. Put small balls in plastic sandwich bags (other alternatives: spread some on margarine tub lids, or put in a lidded plastic container with small roach-sized holes cut in the bottom of the sides for the roaches to use to get in and out but that will keep pets out) and place in roach-infested areas. The bait creates gas in the roach when eaten. Because roaches can't belch, their digestive tracts explode . You should probably keep them out of areas where children and pets play. (From first-hand experience -- when our neighbor's cat comes over she always wants to taste the bait; I believe it smells very appetizing to her. So this bait would only be useful if it was inaccessible to your animals IMO). This is from Rhonda Barfield of St. Charles, MO from the book the Tightwad Gazzette, by Amy Dacyczyn, NY, Villard Books, 1999; 912 pp. (Christa Boroskin)

Good Luck!

 

[cronxeh]

Yeah I'm not sure about the biological/chemical weapon against them.. hence the physical means of owning them. I think getting a gecko is a nice idea, but just a thought of some big lizard crawling on my bed.. or worse on me is not very pleasant

and i do sleep naked often..

 

[DocToxyn]

and i do sleep naked often..

Too much information!

Would you rather have roaches crawling on you, besides those geckos aren't that big!

 

[cronxeh]

Roaches only seem to live in the kitchen though.. but a gecko is like a turtle I used to have - it can and does go everywhere

 

[Moonbear]

Well, if you don't like geckos (which wouldn't frighten me to have crawl into the bedroom as much as a roach would), you can always get centipedes. Centipedes eat roaches too, though, centipedes also bite people! I think I'd stick with geckos.

I do like the idea of making the roaches explode with that bait. Has anyone verified if it really works? Heck, I'd try it just to find out if it really works (except I'm not going anywhere near a roach-infested apartment...keep your roach eggs for yourself!)

 

[Artermis]

I do like the idea of making the roaches explode with that bait. )

Moonbear... you are so evil.

 

[cronxeh]

Ok ok so I'll get 3 chambers:

1. UVC light
2. Gecko
3. The bait

Lets see which one works fastest

 

[Artermis]

Ok ok so I'll get 3 chambers:

1. UVC light
2. Gecko
3. The bait

Lets see which one works fastest

My bet's on the gecko. :P

 

[cronxeh]

I do hope they beat him up though.. good show

 

[Moonbear]

Wait, once you let the geckos loose and they are all happy and well-fed and start breeding, you're going to need a cat to eat the geckos. And then the cat box will attract the roaches...I see a pretty good, self-sustaining ecosystem forming in Cronxeh's apartment!

I think you need to add some plants. Do Venus Flytraps eat roaches? They're a bit slow, but as long as you have the geckos doing most of the hard work...

 

[cronxeh]

I thought maybe if I changed my diet.. started eating mostly fruits and veggies..

but then I'd probably expire before them

 

[Moonbear]

I thought maybe if I changed my diet.. started eating mostly fruits and veggies..

but then I'd probably expire before them

Maybe you should find some good roach recipes; I hear they're very high in protein, and you can pick them fresh daily. Unlike cereal, they don't get soggy when you add milk, and they're a readily available snack.

(Okay, I'm going to go vomit now. )

 

[bross7]

Well, if you don't like geckos (which wouldn't frighten me to have crawl into the bedroom as much as a roach would), you can always get centipedes. Centipedes eat roaches too, though, centipedes also bite people! I think I'd stick with geckos.

I do like the idea of making the roaches explode with that bait. Has anyone verified if it really works? Heck, I'd try it just to find out if it really works (except I'm not going anywhere near a roach-infested apartment...keep your roach eggs for yourself!)

I can't verify it for cochroaches, but I can say that this does work quite well for ant infestations. Silly little buggers cause their own demise by bringing the stuff to their queen.

 

[DocToxyn]

Unlike cereal, they don't get soggy when you add milk, and they're a readily available snack.

MMmmmmm!...Mommy can we get a box of Choco-roaches?! I love it when they turn the milk brown, and there's a free respirator in the box so we don't have to worry about respiratory problems from the fecal material.

 

[cronxeh]

Hey! Are you two done hijacking my scientific thread about the senseless slaughter of the roaches??

I need more practical solutions without having to actually feed them or feed a lizard. Something so mind blowing that I don't even have to clean up.. perhaps making them eat each other and then the last roach would collapse upon itself under its own weight