Bugs!
I am getting a serious infestation in my apartment that is getting worse and worse.
Why in the world would ants be attracted to dirty laundry? (could me being pregnant have somethign to do with it?)
I can no longer free-feed my poor kitties, and I think I may have to start washing my dirty laundry daily, because of ants.
And this morning, I went to brush my hair and see something black scurry across the top of my head. It was a ROACH! I screamed and flailed, and it landed in the bathroom sink. I killed it. I hate roaches more than any other insect ever! Always have! I have a terrible fear of them.
And then there are the silverfish. I find them in the sinks. This morning I found one among my clothes in the closet. Disgusting!
This is especially stressful I think considering that I am 8 months pregnant, and am getting the classic symptoms of "nesting instinct" and want everything to be perfectly clean.
I have 3 weeks till I move out, but if this infestation gets worse, I just may move out early and move into a hotel for the last two weeks! I am so disgusted with my apartment, I don't want to go there. I even feel like it is too disgusting for my cats to live there and felt terrible leaving them this morning.
What should I do? How can I make it through these last 3 weeks?
is getting an exterminator out of the question? there are a lot of insect repelling plants. i bet you could go to a nursery and buy then already in pots and just leave them around these areas, or find the herbs dried and sprinkle them all over.
a good overall insect repellent bouquet are rue, peppermint, tansy and basil. you could get some of these dried and leave them on the kitchen table or somewhere semi permently. tansy and wormwood will keep away ants and i've read somewhere that roaches hate catnip. i'm going to sprinkle that around my bed so i'm not woken up suddenly. ugh.
ooo just found this!!! http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Pest-Repellent-Herb-Garden if you grow things in pots they would easily be moveable to your new place
alright. good luck. when i moved to texas from PA i could not get used to the insects. we actually have gotten our house sprayed because i just could not stand the sight of another cockroach.
This is not the time or the place to tell you just how unclean most hotel rooms really are....but I'll agree, the roach thing is the grossest!
I know we live no where near each other, but we are having huge problems with ants this yr too. My husband has tried alot of nasty chemicals around the house and around this beautiful tree we have (they've seemed to have created a nest in it and are killiing it), but nothing seems to work.
Oh, do you happen to have new neighbors or some that just moved out? I've heard that things like that can make the creepy crawlys move on to other apts.
Many hugs and I hope you find something that works for you!
A lot of people in my city, including me and my roomates, have had problems with ants in their home. I don't know what happened this year, it was the first time that we've had this problem.
Well, my apartment complex has been going downhill anyway. And they are raising rent too! Crazy! :D
I was wondering if my new neighbors are to blame. I have always had a small problem with silverfish, but nothing serious. But the roaches and ants are new, and I do have new neighbors. Seems awefully coincidential that about 2 months after my new neighbors move in next door I suddenly have roaches and ants. Hmmm.
But seriously, have you ever heard of ants being attracted to dirty laundry? Why would they be attracted to dirty laundry? That just blows my mind!
That is crazy, I thought ants were attracted to sugar and food.
Ya, these ants are really wierd.
They are completely ignoring the bread crumbs in the toaster oven, but go crazy over my dirty laundry and the cat food. I don't get it.
Having that roach scurry across your head must have been the worst thing ever....hugs for you!
I would definitely suspect your neighbours are to blame. I once suddenly had ants appear in my apartment after new neighbours moved in, and they were coming in from a crack against the wall that was next to their apartment. Not sure why they would be attracted to your laundry though...it could just be that wherever they are getting into your place happens to be near where your laundry is.
Ack now I keep thinking I see bugs moving out of the corner of my eye....always happens when I hear bug stories!
I wonder why roaches are so repulsive? I mean, to me, they are the most repulsive thing on earth. I would rather have ticks on me than a roach. They are so so so gross! Having that roach on my head is my worst nightmare. I am petrified of roaches.
I'm having a pretty prominent problem with spiders since I moved into my new condo. They're eeevrythere. Big fattie spiders, too. I usually don't mind them so much as long as they are small and harmless, but...HUGE black spiders, and garden spiders are everytwhere and I'm worried about them biting my cats or dog since they like to chase big spiders. I saw one crawl out of my sink a few days ago when I went to wash my face and was a little creeped out. What else is hiding in there??
I'd say that the roaches are probably from your neighbors...The place I just moved from suddenly became infested with roaches a month or so after my neighbors downstairs moved in.
I'm glad I'm not the only one with a serious fear of roaches. I know they're harmless, but they scare the hell out of me, and I'm not afraid of bugs in general or even spiders. We had a roach problem last summer right after moving into this house, and I was ready to move right back out. I found out later it was one of the worst roach seasons ever in NSW. So I'm really hoping next summer (Nov-Jan here) is not as bad.
I've had ant problems too, and they seem to really like tissues. I find them in the trash can in the bedroom more than I find them in the kitchen (in 2 different houses, so I don't think it's just where they're coming in). And I've had them in my dirty laundry also. Weird.
Anyway, I'd probably call an exterminator, or use one of those DIY spray things. The herbal stuff is a good idea to prevent them coming in, but I don't know how fast it would get rid of them once they're already there. It's worth a try though, if you're really against pesticides.
ants, ants, ants!!! we are having a huge problem with them this year for some reason. it s*cks >:(
Ya, these ants are really wierd.
They are completely ignoring the bread crumbs in the toaster oven, but go crazy over my dirty laundry and the cat food. I don't get it.
Dry cat food often has a lot of fat in it. Particularly Purina, but I hope you're not giving your kitties that. (Don't get me started). If you cook a lot, maybe your dirty laundry smells yummy? ;)
We had the great ant invasion over the last couple of years because they ripped up the perfectly OK pavements in our barrio and laid down new. In the process they dug trenches and replaced some water pipes. When they opened the trench right in front of our building they lifted the lid on this HUGE ant's nest that was right under our front step. Instant infestation!
I GOT RID OF THE ANTS!!!
Not very vegan, but it worked.
Last night, I saw alll kinds of ants on the kitchen floor. Looking closer I realized they were eating the crumbs that had fallen on the floor and accumulated since I moved in where the carpet and floor meet. Well, then I looked closer and I found their line! So I got out the flash light, got down on my hands and knees, pushed Sidra out of my face (why do cats HAVE to get in your face when you are on your hands and knees looking at something on the floor?) and followed the line of ants.
After a few minutes, and pushing Sidra out of my face 5 more times, I found where the ants where comming in! A small hole, where the carpet met the wall.
So I was thinking...okay, now what do I do? I have to stop them from comming in that hole. I thought about the herbs you guys mentioned, but I didn't have any. I didnt' have any ant killer. But I do have wasp and hornet killer. Would that kill ants? It is not meant for indoor use and is not meant for ants.
I decided to try it. I put the nozzle of the spray right up to the hole and pushed the button really quick. Probably only sprayed a tsp of killer. Does wasp and hornet killer kill ants? YES! Damn, they died instantly! That must be some bad SH*T!
So then I got the vacuum out and vacuumed up the ants that where in the kitchen and line. About an hour later I see more ants, but when I looked at the hole, there were no ants comming in or out, but instead there were several ants going around it in wide circles looking lost. I kind of felt sorry for them. I just left them.
It was hot out, but I turned off the A/C, and put the fan in the window to air out the apartment for a few hours. I don't trust that bug spray. If it does that to ants, what is it doing to my unborn baby?
So this morning, I look, not a single ant anywhere to be found. ;)b
yay!! way to go! next are the roaches. if you think of anything let me know. last night before going to bed, we saw 2 roaches, a lizard and a grasshopper in litereally, 1 minute time. ugh. the weird thing is that we usually have crumbs in our kitchen and on the counters, but i've NEVER seen a roach there. i've only seen them in the bathroom and in our bedroom. its so bizarre.
yay!! way to go! next are the roaches. if you think of anything let me know. last night before going to bed, we saw 2 roaches, a lizard and a grasshopper in litereally, 1 minute time. ugh. the weird thing is that we usually have crumbs in our kitchen and on the counters, but i've NEVER seen a roach there. i've only seen them in the bathroom and in our bedroom. its so bizarre.
Having a lizard in your apartment might take care of it. As a child we kept a toad in our basement, with his own "pool" near the water heater pilot light. All the critters disappeared.
Now that you know where they're coming in, scrub the entry area and line with a strong ammonia or bleach solution. It eliminates their scent trails.