Ew...

[Onimua]

Well, I got a pleasant surprise this afternoon, and not in the way I wanted one either.

The place is pretty clean, despite owning several pets (birds, fish, crabs, a snak and tarantula, etc). Rarely is food out more than a day, and it always smells good.

Needless to say, there are no pest problems. Occasionally there would be little lizards running around and eating what little ants we have, some spiders too (I think little tiny long-legs or something like that). Once in a while, and I mean a long while, we usually have a roach pass through - easily flushed down the toilet or never seen again (plenty of roach traps placed stragetically around the house). They're usually small and not really much to worry about (and I'm sure most of us have seen the kind). Roughly maybe... 1/4-1/2 an inch at most? Depends I suppose:



So I went to the bathroom... and kind of jumped a second when I saw this behind the toilet, and you can imagine why. The second picture shows what it's like in comparison to my thumb. Mind you, I don't mind insects, bugs, etc., but sometimes I freak out when I come across something unexpected... especially when I'm on the third floor of a building.

[Brad.loo]

I hate roaches!

My friend's house is so bad he might aswell move, burn everything he owns, and buy all new stuff. The worse part is the little bastards try to hitch a ride to my house all the time!

[Onimua]

Well, one of the reasons it "supposedly" came up here was because of the rain from Wilma... thing is, we haven't had much in this area as much as Key West and Broward County has; in fact, on a usual thunderstorm, we usually have way more rain. It just creeped me out to see such a big one out of no where.

[wbear]

American Roach, AKA "Palmetto bug".
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomolog...8/444-288.html

[WurkAnimal]

I hate roaches!

My friend's house is so bad he might aswell move, burn everything he owns, and buy all new stuff. The worse part is the little bastards try to hitch a ride to my house all the time!

LOL, it must be bad then .

[Wayne Luke]

I hate roaches!

My friend's house is so bad he might aswell move, burn everything he owns, and buy all new stuff. The worse part is the little bastards try to hitch a ride to my house all the time!

I knew someone like that once... Went to their house once and never again visited again, nor did I ever invite them to my place. Only time I would socialize with them was at public or semi-public places (restaurant or home of a mutual acquaintance). Finally their house did burn down and they moved to Las Vegas.

[free thinker]

Funny you should mention living on the third floor and having new "roommates". The exact same thing just happened to us. We keep a clean house. Food never left out, dishes at least rinsed and stacked before being washed, garbage out daily, etc. We live in an "upper class" apartment for around our area. LOL "upper class apartment" - I'm aware that is an oxymoron.

Well, about three weeks ago, my daughter informs me that she saw a "dusty bunny, daddy". She is six. I said really. She said she saw it shoot from under our fridge to under our dishwasher. I figured it was a piece of dust that blew across...an "actual" dust bunny.

The other night, my GF says "I turned my head today and saw something shoot across the floor at the speed of light, but I can't be sure, it might have been my pony tail." I was like you guys are seeing things, whatever...

Next morning getting ready for work, all of us in the living room, well, I was in the dining room doing what I am doing right now (typing and eating Apple Jacks). Next thing I know this dark-colored "streak" of shadow shoots faster than the eye can see from under one couch to under the other one.

It looked like a tiny mouse, but it has no tail. We think it is an escaped "dwarf hamster" from another apartment. It's little turds are piled up behind our stove. Gross! There are no "tailless" mice, right?

Here's a dwarf hamster...

http://web.fccj.org/~dbyres/2011projects/hamster.htm

[Onimua]

Unless the mouse lost its tail escaping a cat...

Well, roach is gone - tossed it outside (no, not out my window from the third floor... even though i know for a fact it will be fine). Now just sitting and waiting for Wilma to make her way here.

[RHarbison]

Shouldn't this be put in the "bug reports" topic?

Once you have them, they're really tough to get rid of. Lots of traps, spotless cleaning and most important seal all your food into bugproof containers. I've heard of folks who immediately put cereal, pasta, chips etc. into plastic containers to keep them out.

Hopefully this guy was just passing through, but he's likely just the only one you've seen, with lots of buddies. The really annoying thing about being in a place like an apartment is that if your neighbor is infested, no matter how well you clean your place it will be very difficult to keep his "pets" from taking road trips to your place. Try and find the entry points, and strategically locate traps and bait etc.

[Onimua]

Shouldn't this be put in the "bug reports" topic?

Once you have them, they're really tough to get rid of. Lots of traps, spotless cleaning and most important seal all your food into bugproof containers. I've heard of folks who immediately put cereal, pasta, chips etc. into plastic containers to keep them out.

Hopefully this guy was just passing through, but he's likely just the only one you've seen, with lots of buddies. The really annoying thing about being in a place like an apartment is that if your neighbor is infested, no matter how well you clean your place it will be very difficult to keep his "pets" from taking road trips to your place. Try and find the entry points, and strategically locate traps and bait etc.

Nah. Like I said before, it's rare - don't have any kind of roach problem. Usually just one "passing through." We have traps and precautions taken to prevent any infestations. As for where it had come from, no idea. I'm guessing it snuck in through an open door or something after looking for high ground and safety from the impending storm.

[Wayne Luke]

It most likely came in through the sink or the bathtub. Both have drains which vent to the roof. The toilet does as well but standing water prevents it from being an incursion location. The vents to the roof allow insects to enter quite safely and are necessary for the drains to work properly. We get spiders in my bathroom the same way when the insect netting covering the vent pipe gets turn up by the wind and sun here in the desert.

[Brad.loo]

LOL, it must be bad then .

The house has been bombed countless times now, it just doesn't help because they aren't clean people. I used to have a habbit of leaving food and soda cans out myself, but then I got piss ants and learned my lesson.

My friend's house is just worthless now, good thing he rents. The worse part is like I said everything he owns is ruined because it is full of roaches and worse yet roach eggs.

His girlfriend also has 9 cats, and two litter boxes (the cats live inside).

[Onimua]

It most likely came in through the sink or the bathtub. Both have drains which vent to the roof. The toilet does as well but standing water prevents it from being an incursion location. The vents to the roof allow insects to enter quite safely and are necessary for the drains to work properly. We get spiders in my bathroom the same way when the insect netting covering the vent pipe gets turn up by the wind and sun here in the desert.

Ugh... thought of stepping into the shower and find something like that already in it, or brushing my teeth and looking at something looking back at me... ew.