It was already quite a lot to see 3-4 roaches on a ~200m walk but today I was thinking “I often see roaches outside” and then seconds later I saw one, then two, then five… by the time I got to the store barely 200m away, I’d seen at least 25+ roaches, including one inside the store at the entrance… Most were killed already of course but still, I’ve never seen anything quite like this before and I’ve been to 5 different countries and plenty of different living spaces within them… I’m in Taipei if that makes a difference, maybe it only happens this often here? I’m lucky and glad they don’t come inside…
At times they would spray the sewers with poison. The roaches are trying to escape to the street, but are still dying on the run.
10 Likes
Ah I see, that makes a lot of sense, thanks for the clarification!
I wonder if it’s sprayed more commonly than most other places, or if they just have more open sewer graters for roaches to escape from? 
Sewers spraying happens like twice a year where I live. (Not Taipei)
2 Likes
Any tips on keeping the little fuckers out of an apartment? I keep my place very clean and don’t even have a trashcan in my apartment (I take it to the trashbin on my apartment floor) so there’s nothing for the roaches to eat in my apartment.
I do cook, but even after being away for 5 days and not having cooked for a total of about 10 or so days I have noticed and killed even more roaches than before I left for a short trip.
I’m at a loss for what to do because it’s become a serious sanitation issue for me.
-Apartment is on the upper floors
-Trash is collected daily from a communal trash bin near the elevator
-Outside of the apartment building are some 菜房點 that I know attracts some of the urban wildlife, but that is on street level and far away from me
So I don’t know if there is some unsanitary neighbor I haven’t noticed yet or some other cause, but I’m getting really frustrated with the constant issue.
Have you tried roach traps? We’ve got the Combat (not Raid, soz) ones and Black Cap. I don’t wanna jinx it, but it’s worked pretty well for us so far.
2 Likes
Yeah I was well impressed with the Raid ones. I had a serious infestation and they were gone in two weeks and never came back.
2 Likes
I used Raid brand traps before. Will try the Combat brand next.
But no joke, if this solution actually worked I’d be ecstatic. I would never have to worry about buying cans of raid or roach traps again and spiders would be more sanitary (not waking up to the bastards crawling over my face or my neck would be nice).
Oh, another thing I just remembered. Are your bathroom floor drains covered up? In that other thread about nasty drain smells, someone suggested using a drain valve. That might work. We have drain covers like this, which I think helps keep them out too.
Bayer roach bait works well to keep them away. It looks expensive but it really isn’t because you use “dots” here and there. There is no smell.
1 Like
I sealed my doors with sponge tape ^^ I think they can also go through large slots and gaps.
Not really solvable even in newer buildings since you may have an unsanitary neighbor. I lived in three newer construction buildings and they all had cockroaches find their way in.
Best to move somewhere where you have no neighbors with cool weather such as Lishan if you want to avoid cockroaches.
Because Taipei is densely populated, and a warm/wet climate that’s highly favorable to life, so roaches are everywhere. Not to mention a huge density of restaurants/convenience store that produces tons and tons of food waste.
If that’s a problem, get a cat. Cat eats them.
I hate spiders more than roaches. If I see those huntsman spider I’m getting the flamethrower out. Cats are more cute.
2 Likes
How do you make a cat go woof?
They sometimes do.
I’ve used the glue traps with pretty good success. Also, you want to figure out where they’re coming in and out of. I live in a rather old building. Lots of cracks and old appliances. Any crack being used should be filled in immediately. Put out the glue traps and pay attention to the size of the roach. You want to get the big ones that are laying eggs/pods. Also check underneath furniture for the eggs/pods. If you see one, destroy it right away.
1 Like
When you find a cockroach pod/nest, get your squirt gun and shoes ready because when you shoot some chemicals there will be a dozen cockroaches running in different directions
1 Like
Will buy some of these when I have a chance. Do you know if Showa sells these or is it mostly online?