Keeping the Cockroaches Out!

Whilst campaigning for the 2010 Federal election, Julia Gillard said “There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead”.

She won the election.

Yesterday, under the government led by Julia Gillard, carbon tax legislation was ratified.

So today I want to talk about……..

Cockroaches.

Of all the critters in all the world, there is no doubt that the cockroach is the one that makes Mrs BobinOz’s toes curl. I don’t always notice her toes curl, but I do always hear the shriek.

Cockroaches are, therefore, always ejected from the premises with great speed in order to return our home to its usual calm.

The cockroach situation is very strange as far as I am concerned. I very, very rarely see a cockroach when I’m out and about. I only ever see cockroaches when they manage to find a way into my house.

Why is that? Where are they all before they break in?

I just don’t know. Anyway…..

Imagine Mrs BobinOz’s delight when, on returning home from our two-week holiday, we discovered 22 cockroaches in the house. That was the bad news, the good news being that almost all of them were dead.

Here’s one I prepared earlier……

…….with the remaining few slowly dying.

Further proof, if any were needed, of the efficiency of our annual pest control treatment. Even more impressive, considering we are due for a respray next month.

But the question remains, how were these cockroaches getting in?

At least half of these cockroaches were found in our ensuite, so I didn’t need Sherlock Holmes to tell me they were coming in through the drains.

Drains like these…
drain in bathroom
Another drain in bathroomAs a temporary fix, I placed objects over these drains, like this shampoo bottle…..
covered drain in bathroomThat certainly did the job, but leaving shampoo bottles, soap dishes, bleach bottles and the like placed strategically over the drain holes in your bathrooms is not a long-term solution.

So I ventured outside. I soon found the culprit….
drainLet’s take a closer look…
drain closerA perfect hole for an inquisitive cockroach! In fact, I’d say all these holes are perfect for a cockroach, it’s just that the big hole would accommodate a really fat cockroach.

Cockroaches could now freely dive into the swimming pool of our drain and hold their breath, as they swim merrily through the piping until, eventually, they pop their ugly little heads up in the very place we want to go to keep ourselves clean.

Eeeewwww!!!!

The fix

Remove drain cover….

remove drain coverTake it to the garage and cut out a piece of window mesh (I already had some stored in the garage, I’ve done this before) slightly bigger than the drain cover all round…..
drain cover in garage with meshOf course, this window mesh is the same material we use on all of our windows and doors to keep out all kinds of insects, including cockroaches. Readily available in any DIY store and perfect for the job.

Next, grab a couple of nylon ties…
plus 2 nylon tiesThen put them together like this, because one isn’t big enough for this job.
join 2 nylon tiesI imagine you have all now completed this task in your heads for yourselves. But I’ve started, so I’ll finish.
attatch mesh to drain cover

replace drain cover

job done!Done!

Here are some I did earlier…..

covered pipe

another covered pipeNo more cockroaches. Mrs BobinOz happy.

Right, I’ve got to go and wash my hands. Just like Julia.

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{ 23 comments… add one }
  • Jasmine April 2, 2017, 8:28 pm |

    What a fab idea. Thanks, just when I was about to start and believe that we live on top of a gianormous cockroach infested nest and was thinking I have to call the exterminators and pay a bucket load of money to kill and maintain that cost over a year!! We keep our house so so so clean and I give my better half such a difficult time if he ever leaves anything in the sink ever, let alone over night! We are so clean. Yet every now and then we get cockroaches.. mostly I find an odd one running around in the kitchen at night or dead in the bathroom..
    My God, these bugs businesses make so much money into fulling people to believe that there’s a real BIG bug issue, when in fact.. most of the times there isn’t!
    Awesome website, many thanks, super dooper helpful:)

    • BobinOz April 4, 2017, 7:23 pm |

      Thanks, glad you like 🙂

      Cockroaches, yes they get everywhere, even clean houses. Blocking any holes will certainly help, but of course they can still fly in through an open door as you yourself walk through it.

      As for pest control, I currently pay $200 a year and it works very well, I think it’s money well spent. They will still sometimes get in, but they will definitely be dead within 24 hours. You can also buy similar pest treatment from Coles and some other major stores and do it yourself much cheaper.

      Death to all cockroaches, it’s the only way 🙂

  • Sílen November 17, 2014, 11:49 am |

    Great solution! My mother used to put window mesh over all drains, but without nylon ties in our homes when I was a child!

    • BobinOz November 17, 2014, 5:30 pm |

      Well, yes, those nylon ties would have been just an idea floating around in the nothingness back then, so I’m not surprised. There are other ways to keep the mesh in place as I’m sure your mother found out.

  • Dan September 5, 2014, 8:10 pm |

    Yes, well someone had to Bob, it may as well be me!! I hate ’em mate. I Love your site by the way, brilliant job.

    • BobinOz September 6, 2014, 8:23 pm |

      Thanks mate, and keep up the killing 🙂

  • dan August 1, 2014, 10:31 am |

    Hey Bob, great idea with the mesh there, loving your photos, nice and practical. Hey if you have trouble getting rid of the little critters here’s another good little resource for you.

    http://www.togetridofroaches.com

    have a good day

    • BobinOz August 1, 2014, 7:02 pm |

      Ha ha, a website devoted to killing cockroaches, love it!

      Destroy… Destroy… Destroy!

      🙂

  • Sam June 16, 2014, 9:43 pm |

    What a fab idea!! After seeing this post I have done this to the drains in the laundry, bathroom and shower!!
    Looks like it has worked!! I’m also planning on doing the same to the extractor fan in both bathroom and laundry too!!
    Give them a double whammy so fingers crossed iv eliminated their main entrance points!
    I have also bought gards for the plug holes too! With tiny holes so the water can go down but will stop the roaches coming up!
    Thanks so much for posting this idea as I had tried scrubbing the place, 2 lots of bombs constant sprays and heaps of bleach!!
    Our place is spotless and I was really coming the point where I wanted to move to get away from them (only been in the place 3 months aswell)
    So easy and cheap to do too!!
    Thanks so much!

    • BobinOz June 17, 2014, 11:54 pm |

      Hi Sam

      You will be pleased to hear that it’s still working for me after all this time and I’ve only had to replace one of the nets. It developed a little hole, maybe the smart ones realise they can chew through it?

      Danged roaches!

      Good luck, I hope it sorts them all out for you.

    • Rachel March 11, 2015, 8:52 am |

      Hi Sam,

      Where did you purchase your guards for the plug holes? Thanks!

  • Megan March 14, 2013, 8:57 pm |

    Just found your blog today and I am hooked. We just moved here 2 months ago (me from the US and my husband originally from UK). This post was a huge help as I am trying to understand how the beastly cockroaches we have seen in the house this week are getting in. Off to Bunnings this weekend for some mesh and ties. Thank you for a fun, informative read!

    • BobinOz March 15, 2013, 1:52 pm |

      Cockroaches will get into any small gap, so have a thorough check. You should also get a pest control company around to treat your house (about $200). It won’t stop cockroaches getting in, but there’ll sure be dead within 24 hours!

  • bahar November 15, 2011, 10:28 pm |

    Cockroaches are the scariest insects I’ve ever seen!
    That was awesome. I always wanted to know if this giant lives in Australia or not! And unfortunately it is obvious that the story in Australia is worse than here!
    Know I think I should find another continent to live!!!!

    • BobinOz November 16, 2011, 9:36 pm |

      No, it’s not that bad here, really! As I said in the article, I never see them when I’m out and about. Not sure about finding another continent, aren’t they everywhere? Unless you want to live somewhere really cold.

      • bahar November 17, 2011, 5:16 pm |

        :)))
        I was just kidding about finding another continent.
        But I’m scared of cockroaches to death!!!
        So thanks for your kind information…

        • BobinOz November 19, 2011, 1:54 pm |

          Nothing to worry about, read my post about annual pest control.

          That’ll put your mind at rest.

          • Anne January 9, 2016, 11:27 am |

            thanks. ive been pouring bleach down in drains once per month and will do this too : the cockroaches are feral at the mo.
            also…..they are visiting the back of my fridge : any suggestions if bait is better than spray ?

            • BobinOz January 11, 2016, 6:13 pm |

              I’ve never tried bait, so I don’t know. Spray has always worked well for me, it doesn’t always keep them out, but if they do get in they don’t last long before their feet are sticking up in the air.

  • Sunny November 10, 2011, 10:22 pm |

    LoL — brilliant photography and great DIY instructions! However, its not just the cockroaches, its the gekkos (read ‘independents’) that one has to really look out for — did you know that when you touch them, they drop their tails (and re-grow them later)? This tail dropping type of defense is called autotomy (not to be confused with autonomy) and if it happens to your gecko do not panic. See http://exoticpets.about.com/od/geckos/qt/geckolosttail.htm. Just don’t let them come near electricity, or carbon …. Cheers, Sunny

    • BobinOz November 11, 2011, 10:09 pm |

      Hi Sunny

      Yes, I know all about geckos. I did have one shed its tail on me when I tried to pick it up, that was in my early days in Australia. These days I use a dustpan and brush to show them the door. Works like a charm.

      As for keep them away from electricity, search this blog and you will find a couple stories; a ghetto blew up my electronic garage doors costing me about $290 and in a second incident another gecko blew the electricity for the whole house, that cost me a hefty drink to my electrician pal who had to come out late on Saturday evening.

      I’m not a big ghetto fan!

  • Hector November 10, 2011, 7:48 am |

    hahaha what a brilliant idea Bob!!

    Good job!

    • BobinOz November 11, 2011, 10:04 pm |

      Thank you Hector, I thought of it all by myself too 🙂

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