So these gross roaches (??) have made their way into my Aerobin, after 2 years without any issues. I assume there are millions and I absolutely DESPISE roaches. Like, arachnophobia level of roach fear. I’ve heard they can be good for compost but… uuugh. I need to empty the bottom of the bin but the thought of opening the door and having a million roaches climb out and run all over me is freaking me out, plus the bin is right up against my garage so I also have nightmares of ending up with a garage infestation. Is there anything I can do other than sell the house and leave the bin to someone braver than I??
by empathie_00
12 Comments
I just use my compost for my flowers so I’d put some little dabs of Advion cockroach gel nearby my compost. That stuff works great
I would consider adding Boric Acid dust to your bin. Its beneficial to the compost, by capturing some additional greenhouse gasses and keeping them sequestered. It also breaks down into elemental boron, which is a great nutrient that we often miss. Its best use is it kills roaches.
Oh no, bugs that help compost in your compost
this is a native wood roach, they can’t infest a house. They help the compost.
I’d also just like to chime in about your compost location. PLEASE MOVE IT AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE! Even just a couple feet, this will help keep bugs and critters out of your house.
I find wood roaches nesting in my compost when I let it get too dry and neglect it for too long. Regular attention seems to keep them from setting up camp. Get a mapp gas torch or something similar when you open it up and reign down hellfire as they scatter.
If you don’t want to put stuff in your compost to kill them you can try “deadly tomatoes.” The recipe is 3tbs corn starch, 3tbs sugar and 1tbs baking soda mixed and applied on a slice of tomato. It kills rats, mice, and roaches and is safe around pets.
If they freak you out, lookup what eats them and order some eggs to place in your yard. Don’t over do it obviously, but hatching a few hundred won’t upset the ecosystem very much since that’s the scale they’d probably hatch in the wild. Just make sure you ONLY get the predators that are native to your area
If you dislike roaches another trick is diatomaceous earth (DE).
I have these in my compost bin, as well as ants, beetles, pincer bugs, millipedes, etc. What you are doing by creating a pile is creating a great source of cheap food for bugs, those bugs feed other animals, and your compost will suffer very little. Also the more cockroaches are attracted to the outside, the more likely they’ll be to avoid your house.
Ive been dealing with these mofos for a year now. They even i invaded my worm bin, then started crawling all over the yard at night. One crawled on my foot while taking the dogs out. I declared war after that!
I used Diatomaceous earth on dry days, cedar shavings and removed/ broke down all cardboard/ wood that they would infest. My friends, the lizards in my yard, alongside neighborhood chickens reduced the pipulation. I just let nature be nature.
But now, I break down cardboard/ big trunks of spent banana trees.
Good luck.
Invest (or borrow) in some chickens!!! They will sort them out no end , plus free eggs!!