If it takes time to get the washer filled, why not just wash your dishes by hand? It doesn't take long to wash a few dishes, and then there are no roaches.

Open the bottom panel (kick plate) on the dishwasher and place the bait there. You can also place it inside all your cabinets since roaches always find access to those areas.

Then, run the 'rinse and hold' cycle on your dishwasher or whatever the shortest cycle is. Using some extra water is better than attracting roaches.

Diatomaceous Earth is safe around pets and people and can even be ingested by both. Sprinkle it everywhere you think roaches might be. Eventually you will not see them anymore. I used to put this in the cat's and dog's ears for mites before I discovered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar which I now put in their water.

It is also called fossil flour and is fossilized organisms which are death to any insects who crawl over them. (razor-sharp edges which are microscopic and not harmful to us.)

You'll probably find there is a nest behind or underneath your dishwasher so if at all possible try to get bait or spray into those areas, one time I had small little roaches set up on the underside of my fridge and a pest control guy told me that it's common for them to nest in appliances like this. If there is anyway you can pull the dishwasher forward and get behind it to spray etc you'll probably find that's where they are coming from. Also if they are getting in to the dishwasher then the seal around the door is probably worn and you can replace this.

This post was edited by trancegemini_wa on Sat, Jan 19, 13 at 2:15

And here I though this was a thread about natural pest control via cats! LOL! I mean, my cats eat any bugs that manage to make it into the house, so why not control roaches with cats, right?

DWs use less water to wash than hand washing. It's perfectly OK to do a half or quarter load, and it will actually use less energy than handwashing.

For the roaches, undo the screws under the counter that secure the DW safety brackets to the counter. Pull the DW forward, and then place boric acid behind it. It's much safer than DE.

Sounds like a plan but how is boric acid safer than DE? (Food grade DE, of course) We use DE for all sorts of things - bought it in 25# bags years ago when raising chickens and still have lots. It was used to control mites on chickens feathers and put in their feed to control internal parasites. We use it on both the cats and dogs and for bug control inside the home.

ack, ew, gross.
I have this mental image of pulling the dishwasher forward and releasing a flood of bugs A la horror movies. Not sure I could get the DW out with out help, but I can take the kick plate off, so maybe a couple of applications under it would give me a headstart.

And yes, I'm beginning to think handwashing would be easier.
Couple of questions:
If I can get the washer pulled forward, and get either BA or DE behind it, how long is this effective? ONce a year? Once a month?
Where can you get the DE?
Should I include behind the drawer of the stove as well?
Nobody's mentioned outside perimter treatments--are these not effective for roaches?

Roaches seen means thousands unseen. Using bait under the dishwaasher is a good first step but I doubt it will take care of the issue. Roaches will survivie off of the glue in cardboard, wallpaper etc...
Newborn roaches will actually thrive off of the feces of adult roaches, basically securing their survival.
Best bet, call a reputable exterminator who will hoover up all the carcasses and feces and will use eugenia oil on the rest, then place bait stations out. Good luck

DE is horrifically bad for your lungs. Boric acid is roughly the same toxicity as table salt. I've seen one of my cats eat it by the pawful, with the only ill effect being that she doesn't get to go in the laundry room anymore (she really hates that).

LOL - I too was wondering if this was about cats eating roaches and whether they were in fact edible and appetizing for a cat.

My Figgy has an amazing talent- he grabs houseflies right out of the air and eats them. He is very handy to have around the house. Probably developed this skill while a stray. We don't have any other bugs that we can test out his skills.

Kaska_kat

Yes, cats will eat cockroaches. However, most will not just eat them as though they are snack. It is common practice for people to use cats as a pest control (mice, roaches, spiders, etc). The only way to get them to do this is to put the cat outside & stop feeding it (that is if they won't wonder off from the house, which is a bit of a hard thing to do). Cats will naturally eat bugs & such things, so taking the food away will cause its feline instincts to kick in, & it will start hunting out & eating the pests. It is ok to feed it every once in awhile but don't make it a regular thing. As long as the cat isn't getting itself into trouble or starving itself, doing this isn't harmful, even though it sounds neglectful. The general rule of thumb: a cat is more independent than a dog. I don't own any cats but know several who do & leave them outside as the pest controllers. They are in good health, never have any problems, & every single one is spayed or neutered.

you know I don't normally respond to posts to which I disagree but this time I have to say something. Several somethings.

1. Cats, while they may be perfectly wonderful rodent reducers (however, there's no guarantee of that--not all cats are naturally successful hunters), do not normally choose bugs as their prey item. If this is your method of pest control, you will shortly be up to your eyeballs in bugs.

2. You certainly do not need to stop feeding your cat to get it to hunt. Cats will hunt and kill prey even when they are fully fed. Do a little research on how many song birds are killed by domestic (and I don't mean feral) cats.

3. Bugs are not recommended cat food. Cats can contract any number of illnesses and parasites from bugs, not to mention those nasty rough bug legs can get caught in their throats. And although I can't personally attest to it, I suspect that a diet of bugs would not provide the correct nutrition.

4. Outdoor cats are exposed to dogs, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, diseases from unvaccinated animals, poisons, cars, injuries from other cats, parasites--the list is endless. In short, the average life of an outdoor cat is about 1/2 that of one kept indoors.

To clearify, this isn't "my" method. I can't even own cats, because of my husband. This is how I know of people get cats to keep control of their bug or rodent problem. Every person I've seen/heard of doing is, they have muliple other animals in their yard (dogs, foul, goats, etc) & don't want to risk using poison to avoid those from getting sick.They don't suddnly decide to throw their cat outdoors that has been inside its whole life or drop a few thousand on a show Persian. They adopt a cat from a shelter, have is spayed or neutered, feed it every so often so as to keep it around the house, & they just let it do "the mysterious feline workings" as my kooky sister-in-law puts it (please don't ask what she means. I don't believe she knows either).

The person who suggested tossing a cat outside for pest control. . . good grief. My brother is a vet and often cautions people about such misinformed, dangerous practices. Unless you only eat one in a while, I would not advise doing this to a domestic animal.