How to deal with cockroaches?

33 comments

1. Cockroach traps [https://cdn.cheapoguides.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/06/cockroach-repellents_gdl-770×553.jpg](https://cdn.cheapoguides.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/06/cockroach-repellents_gdl-770×553.jpg) They’re pretty effective as long as your apartment is kept clean of other sources of food (dirty plates, dirty floor, etc)

2. I feel you.

   Scanning the room inch by inch and taping any potential leaks off for the night will maybe ease your mind.

   Weather is not too bad either, so maybe sleep on your roof if possible.

   Best of luck!

3. Chill. It’s not 1 huge one you should be scared of. They will go away on their own if your house is clean and clear enough.

   Hundreds of the small ones is much, much worse. At that point you should just leave your stuffs and move.

4. I can relate. When I used to live alone and when this happens to me, I would usually get a Valsan (smoke insecticide), put it on over night and sleep at my friend’s house. I know they aren’t good for your health etc. but I can’t tolerate the idea of sleeping in a room when I know it’s somewhere close.

5. Welcome to Japan life😂lol
   This type of black cockroach is typically called Yamato, and it has a weaker reproductive capacity compared to the smaller brown ones called Chabane.

   It’s most likely just a lost bug that wandered in from outside, so you can exterminate it by placing the pesticide others have suggested [(Black cap is your best weapon!)](https://www.earth.jp/products/black-cap/) If you really don’t want to see it, or if you can’t rely on anyone like friends, lovers, parents, relatives, aliens, ghosts, etc., there are some [interesting items](https://barrierhome-showroom.website/gokisupon.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmZejBhC_ARIsAGhCqnc9RryLov7bZKnkQVRmsK97qSWyg5fQw63Hd5UQ3oYkwW7k2TckzjcaAiI5EALw_wcB) sold on Amazon in Japan. LOL.

6. From my experience, cockroaches will arrive regardless of cleanliness, eg. up the drains washing machines use.

   BBC article also alerted me to the point rhat cockroaches cause fear because we consider our homes separate from nature, and their presence an invasion.

   for the future, don’t move above a restaurant. Although not a guarantee, higher floors will reduce your contact.

   I use a spray (green can from the drug store) and just gas the place myself til it comes running out and I can smack it with a thick book.

   If you really don’t like them, then tohoku/Hokkaido will probably suit you better.

   Also, if you order anything from a warehouse, ask them to check. I ordered second hand office desks when I moved in and that evening a flying fucker decided to give me a housewarming.

7. if that big dude just visited your house out of nowhere then they were wandering from outside, they will leave if your house is clean enough. Instead, if you see middle-sized brown ones, just go buy the bomb there is no turning back lol

8. Sounds like it’s time to move! Someone else can be roommates with that cockroach.

   More helpfully, you can get cockroach traps to capture and toss away.

9. Call the exterminators that’s one of the very few ways you can get rid of me

   If you want a different way, freeze your home ac 24/7 for 2 months or open ur doors and windows during winter

   No other method works trust me I’m older than dinos

10. They like warm and humid conditions, turn on your AC 24/7. We are doing that since yesrs from June till October and haven’t seen any since.

11. The big black ones are generally outdoor living that get driven inside by rain. They’re not usually a problem like the little brown ones.

    I find having a high prey drive feline is the best solution. It’s common to hear squealing by the female contingent of the house followed by screaming the cats name followed by a strong request that I pick up the still twitching remains of her most recent victim or whatever legs are left.

    Sealing your place up might help. If they really get to be a problem glue traps near the entrances will probably give you nightmares with what they catch. If it was the small brown ones sprinkling diatomaceous earth around works but they’re colonial and prefer to live indoors so you can take out the colony the big black ones are solitary and like I said outdoor by preference.

12. I feel you man.

    One morning, do my usual routine, brush my teeth. Then I see something from the corner of my eye and i see a HUGE red/brown cockroach walking across the mirror. I panic internally, but remain calm. I leave and go grab my bug spray. But that fucker was hiding. I was looking all over my bathroom: the floor, the edges, the sides, everywhere. And then i found the fucker and he was hiding right next to my toothpaste on the counter!! it was so simple yet ingenious. i spray the roach a couple of times but it ends up falling down and escaping and i dont know if it died or not.

    but yes, gave chills lol.

13. Amazon and your local home center sells a freezing spray for insects. It’s great because it won’t hurt pets or humans. It just freezes the bug you spray it with and has a long range so you don’t have to get close. Korasu jet freezing insect spray I think is the name. I’ve successfully used it on those large outdoor roaches, black/brown widows , and centipedes.

14. It’s most likely nothing you did but just a part of life in Japan. You need to actively keep pests at bay beforehand or else they will likely come. Buy covers for your drains and put the bathtub plug in to help block them. Also bucket flush your pipes once every few weeks to help keep pests out of your drains by pouring bleach down them, and using a 3 full buckets of water to flush the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and bathtub. When I was living in an older ground floor apartment many years ago this helped me keep pests at bay and was really effective.

15. https://preview.redd.it/sqthgv9hjp0b1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=ccef5305e859d3b9455609aa82df6d94ac922fea

    Buy some cockroach spray for killing it. Other people’s suggestions are good for prevention but the fact that you have one right now in your room, it’s fastest and easiest to just kill it with some spray if you see it. Black caps are good for small cockroaches but I honestly don’t even think the big ones I’ve seen would even fit inside one of those.

16. It depends on the age of your apartment/dwelling and if your neighbors – not just you – are clean.

    That being said, I spent some time in a 15-year-old apartment and simply ate out. All the time. That stopped the problem. As a university student that may not be an option.

17. Personally, I succumb to primal rage and whack the shit out of them with whatever is at hand. Or break my fists hitting places if necessary. Never tell my wife I once accidentally beheaded one with a shamoji.

    It’s fight or flight. Fuel your rage with your fear.

18. I have been in Japan 4 years, 3 of which were in Aomori and my clean house never had a single cockroach. Fast forward to this year, in Kanagawa, my clean house had a cockroach, the first one I have ever seen in Japan. I have clean, mopped floors, no food out, no dishes or clutter around and still got one. I ordered boric acid and spread it around the perimeter of my house. I also plugged the hoses that are connected to my A/C units as cockroaches have been known to enter homes that way as well. Unfortunately, it is a part of living in Japan. I feel like as long as you are regularly cleaning, you should be fine. You may have a freak encounter once in awhile, just sometimes they get lost and a sheltered home is their best option.

19. A nice friendly 4″ huntsman spider is what you need. It can live by the fridge and give you a neighbourly wave and ohayo each morning.

20. Hi, I used to live above 2 restaurants. This is what I did/some tips that helped me:

    – fumigated the house every 2-4 weeks starting from around March/April, until fall when I got cooler. It was a pain in the ass to prep the house for this every time but as a result we saw maybe 2-3 roaches max in the house per year.
    – We also put black caps everywhere … we had one behind every door, genkan, bathroom, many in the kitchen (including cupboards), behind the fridge, near the washing machine etc. you may call it overkill but it worked.
    – froze my food garbage. I do this in my new house too. I never leave any food scraps in the garbage bin. Also clean out your sink net daily. Actually scrub it.
    – also you should do the dishes asap.
    – vacuum frequently.

21. Can’t say for this time but you can try to get this type of bug net for bed. Just in case if you find yourself in the same situation in the future, you can at least sleep.

    https://preview.redd.it/67csqbkx9q0b1.png?width=1289&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=248838fd6ee7d687a778be326af5e0054bf55867

22. I have the same phobia as you do. Once I saw a huge one scurrying on my wall and couldn’t sleep for a week.

    I looked at the roach sprays on Amazon and I found one with reviews that said something like “After I used the spray, it looked like a horror movie.”

    I started using the spray, I sprayed monthly in every nook and cranny and let me tell you, I would find at least one giant one DEAD in the morning. I swear by this spray, it saved my sanity.

    https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/aw/d/B08WCNPT51

23. One thing that is almost never mentioned for some reason is to simply call a pest control company. They have chemicals you are not allowed to use. They know all about how to deal with whatever you’ve got and what you need to do to deal with them. If you’re scared of the cost, just ask for a quote.

24. listen to me OP, get this https://www.amazon.co.jp/フマキラー-ゴキブリ-ワンプッシュ-プロプラス-約80回分/dp/B07BBF9WJL/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&crid=1NW3DI8HDRJBJ&keywords=フマキラー+ゴキブリワンプッシュ&qid=1684459373&s=hpc&sprefix=フマキラー+ゴキブリ+ワンプッシュ%2Chpc%2C327&sr=1-2

    This is literally all you need. Spray under the sink, between refrigerator, or anywhere you might doubt there being a Gokiburi. It will suffocate them and they’ll die by the time they will try to escape. The only bad thing about this is that, you will find the dead Gokiburi. Use this with black caps and you’re golden.

25. One good thing to remember; you will never get your house clean enough that cockroaches can’t survive there. They can survive on anything.

    The trick is to make your house clean enough that the cockroaches resort to either eating the traps you set out for them (black caps are best) or heading across the road to your neighbors house.

26. I was in a temporary flat when I arrived in Japan and unfortunately the previous renters where very dirty. There was a cockroach infection inside so I used different solutions to get rid of them :

    – insecticid to kill them when I see them

    – muender cockroach to kill them when I don’t see them ([https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Cockroach-Muender-Extermination-Tatami-Smokeless/dp/B084ZKJP88/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LCMD6EHM3I3D](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Cockroach-Muender-Extermination-Tatami-Smokeless/dp/B084ZKJP88/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LCMD6EHM3I3D))

    – black caps

    – glue traps

    I got traumatized by this experience so in my new apartment I did some proactive things :

    – I read here that it’s not good to but black caps if you don’t have a nest because it could actually attract them. I don’t know if it’s true but I followed this advice

    – I put a drain cap on the a/c to prevent insect from coming inside from there : [https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Inaba-Denko-Insect-Proof-DC-1416-2-Pack/dp/B003UL8ZQ2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=WCDIFUXXKHEH](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Inaba-Denko-Insect-Proof-DC-1416-2-Pack/dp/B003UL8ZQ2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=WCDIFUXXKHEH)

    – I also put a cap on sink drains, bath drain and washing machine drain

    – I also chose to live in a mansion on high floor and without restaurant on first floor

    I hope I won’t see them this summer, and I’m sending you energy to get through this !

27. This happened to me and I had to spend the night at a manga cafe…

28. As someone from a place with no cockroaches keep in mind they fly. That was not fun to learn when I sprayed one on the ceiling.

    I just set up some traps. It’s good it’s a big one since that means it probably just wandered in and there isn’t a nest. The little ones are the ones you need to worry about

29. Bit late now but for next winter: it’s an old wives’ tale but it works for me. If you live on a high floor and therefore don’t have to worry about burglars just leave all your windows open on days when it’s absolutely freezing. Leave the house chilly and cold (go down the pub for a few hours or something) a few times during the winter and the thousands of cockroach eggs under your floorboards won’t hatch come the start of spring (some will, I see one or two each summer regardless but not the hoards other complain about).

30. 1. Don’t ever kill spiders , they are your friend. They’ll help keep other bugs down.
    2. Don’t leave any food out even crumbs.
    3. Try and keep everything clean counters and floors. Pine oil , vinegar or lemon all work.
    4. Lots of fresh dry air is also good.

31. I bought a bunch of cockroach traps when I thought I had cockroaches. Turned out to be a cricket that just hopped in.

    But I completely understand your fear. I am also unable to look at pictures, sometimes I can’t even buy bug killing sprays and stuff because they have the bugs realistically pictured on the boxes. It really sucks and I’ve been trying to work on it.

32. Thank you all so much for the responses, I genuinely appreciate all of them. Just to clarify; I live in a dorm room. My room is 8sqm, I have a balcony, a small kitchenette, a tiny bathroom and an aircon. I have since reading this placed two black cap traps outside my room in the hallway, as everyone else seems to be doing here, and also one under the fridge. The fridge is located in the genkan.

    I have NO idea how this big boy came inside my room. I always have the windows closed, the sink holes are tiny both in the bathroom and the kitchenette, as well as the drain. Someone PMed me and told me to buy a womans nylon stocking and place it over the aircon tube on the outside, keeping it in place with some rubber bands. I will do that. And I will also go buy some of the sprays you recommended for me and just blast all the nooks and crannies.

    I slept 2 hours tonight according to my smartwatch. Since I work full time and I study full time I really need my sleep, I hope I can fix this issue. 🥲

    Once again – thank you so much!

33. You new to Japan?

    You eventually learn to get used to em. Theres a spray you can by at donki/home centers that freezes them. And they have the dome shaped traps