When you live in a tropical climate, like here in Florida, you have to wage a permanent war against insects, especially spiders and cockroaches, so you don't know how bad I felt with the news that a million and a half of the latter had escaped from a farm in China. I think I had never been so glad that China was so far! I guess the first thing that came to my mind was: Why raise cockroaches? Well, they use them there for various things, but since here we don't, take advantage of my home remedies to stop them from becoming a problem in your house.
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According to reports, entrepreneur Wang Pengsheng had invested about $ 15,000 in the cockroach farm in the town of Dafeng, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, hoping to sell them to manufacturers of Chinese medicines. Supposedly, cockroach extract functions as a stimulating agent for the immune system; so, in China, it's traditionally used to combat a wide range of diseases, including cancer. And I spend a good part of my days thinking about how to permanently eradicate them and there they're using them to cure diseases!
An unknown person reportedly destroyed the plastic greenhouse where he was raising the roaches on fruits and biscuits. The Chinese government has indicated that five of its pests researchers are in the area to develop a plan to eradicate them. The problem seems to be that the cockroaches got into a corn field, which rules out the use of strong pesticides.
I'm sure tonight I'll have nightmares about some of these insects managing to get on a boat, one of those who bring us the millions of Chinese products, and that they'll end up setting camp in my house. I already started again with my arsenal of homemade and not-so-homemade recipes that I apply whenever one of those expensive exterminator treatments is on the verge of expiring. I mention a few:
1. Regular insecticides. I hate them; I think they are harmful to our health–smell or no smell. But sometimes I give up and use them against my archenemies.
2. A mixture of lavender and rosemary in the places where they appear. In my house they come through the pipes. It is unnerving.
3. Boric acid and sugar. My dad did this in Venezuela, it's a magic remedy. After he started using this mix they disappeared almost as if by magic. The problem is that I can't place this in the corners because I have children and pets, but if no one is at risk in your home, you can put it on bottles caps all over your house.
4. Vacuum often. Sometimes they go, but they leave the eggs. A regular vacuuming ends the problem.
5. Call the exterminator. This was what I had to do, because we didn't have an alternative. The treatment is not cheap and only lasts one year. I still don't give up and keep trying with natural remedies.
Image via mgrimm82/Flickr
