[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/diy/ - Do It Yourself

View post   
File: 194 KB, 1200x900, german-cockroach-pest-id-card_front.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1446455 No.1446455 [Reply] [Original]

Hey /diy/, not sure if this is entirely on-topic, but I know you all are a knowledgeable bunch.

TL;DR: How to best kill and clear roaches and eggs from valuable electronics, especially gaming consoles, laptops, desktop computers/components, and large televisions.

So we have been dealing with a light but persistent roach infestation in the apartment I live in for months. I will be moving in a month to a new place, and want to guarantee none of the bugs follow us to our new place.

I've been doing research all morning to figure out how to prevent this. We already got an exterminator for the place, will be leaving many replaceable appliances behind, thoroughly washing and hot drying all the fabric things we have, and disposing of old carpets, mattresses, and couches. I'll be washing and treating all furniture we bring like bureaus and desks and tables. Dishes and the like will all be washed and packed immediately.

I'm VERY concerned about my laptop, expensive gaming rig (which I'm SURE is housing some critters), and fancy 4K 55" TV. Especially the TV I'm worried about treating, as the computer I'm used to taking apart and rebuilding. I'm thinking about applying some boric acid around the TV and computer for the time being, cleaning them with strong isopropyl alcohol, and using a gel treatment around the inside of my computer case and the TV's vents and openings.

Has anyone dealt with this before? How do you take care of your large electronics, especially before a move?

>> No.1446456

burn everything and make new ones

>> No.1446458

>>1446456
haha fuck you I can't be rebuying $3500+ in computers, components, televisions, and monitors, not to mention my classic consoles.

>> No.1446459

>>1446455
Get plastic roll from hardware store. Get devices. Tape all but small opening for pressure and your hand. Shove 3 cans of roach bombs in it and let set 24 hours. Or judt put in trash bags in a freezer for 3 days

>> No.1446461

>>1446459
I've heard of the freezing method but doing that with electronics, especially anything with an LCD screen, and ESPECIALLY in a home freezer is begging for condensation and thus, destruction.

The bug-bomb-in-a-bin idea is probably the strongest after the machines get a thorough cleaning. I don't know how I'm going to manage that with a very large and fragile television though.

>> No.1446462

>>1446455
you need to fumigate
bug bomb your whole apartment

>> No.1446465

>>1446462
>>1446462
Unfortunately my fiance is a stickler about poison and pesticides or I would. It was hard enough getting an exterminator in the place to treat the baseboards and cabinets.

>> No.1446474

>>1446465
Then you're fucked.

>> No.1446478

>>1446474
So you don't think fumigating just particular machines will be enough?

We're not bringing things like mattresses or couches or pillows that can't be thoroughly washed.

>> No.1446479

>>1446455
>valuable electronics,
>gaming consoles

Stopped reading right there. Go drink your söy and let the adults talk.

>> No.1446485

>>1446479
>TVs
>Computers
>high end kitchen appliances
All valuable electronics

>> No.1446487

>>1446455
Put small items in a plastic bag then into the freezer. After a few hours/days, take them out, and allow them to fully warmup before taking them out of the bag. If you take them out and they are still cold, they will condensate and cause electrical problems so don't do that.

You can also open and covers on the electronics, bag them in plastic, then vent all the air out of the bags using CO2 canisters. Make sure the room you are in is ventilated with fresh air when you do this. The CO2 will remove all the oxygen in the bags and kill suffocate anything in there. This is the best "non-poison" method. You can us any gas you want to do this, but CO2 is readily available in most locations and safe to use if you ventilate the room you are in so it doesn't pool and suffocate you too.

>> No.1446494

>>1446487
That's a great tip for the freezer, I think I'll test that out on some books or the like that I'm not so concerned about.

CO2 gassing also sounds like a good idea, since I can do that safely in an apartment.

Good post.

>> No.1446499
File: 196 KB, 779x722, CO2 Bed Bugs.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1446499

>>1446494
Glad to help. Here's a good read on a study for controlling bed bugs using the same CO2 technique, The Abstract has all the info needed really (pic.)

https://entomology.rutgers.edu/personnel/changlu-wang/pdfs/Wang2012CO2fumigationbedbugs.pdf

>> No.1446502

>>1446458
>spend 4000 on toys
>don't even own your own home
hahaha fuck you

>> No.1446505

>>1446502
>buying a home in a place you don't want to live long-term
What the fuck

>> No.1446520

>>1446499
Okay so I'm reading into this, found a forum for some pot growers who do this to deal with bug infestations. They set off a CO2 tank in their grow rooms and then blow them out. Their /diy/ nature and candidness is kind of comforting.
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/using-co2-to-kill-pests.10083/

This doesn't look like it will do anything about eggs, so it wouldn't be a one-shot cure-all for an infestation, but damn if it isn't a good idea. I wonder if this could be pulled off in a garage with some extra air sealing.

>> No.1446533

>>1446520
Eggs just take 100% CO2 concentration and 48 hours of fumigation.

>garage

Yes, you can do a whole house if you tent it correctly. You just need to remember it can kill you via suffocation, so don't allow anyone to be able to get into a large room filled with nothing but CO2.

>> No.1446536

>>1446533
Okay, so taped plastic sheeting over the garage doors, regular door to the garage, and windows should do the trick I imagine. Set off a big CO2 tank in the garage, wait a weekend for results?

This is very helpful, thank you.

>> No.1446587

>>1446536
That should do it, yes. If you have containers and such, you may want to open them. Like drawers and cabinets. You'd need to do some math to find out how much CO2 will replace x cubic feet of air space. Otherwise, you may use too little and be wasting your time. You'll of course need to allow air flow out a small controlled, "vent, "until the tank is done putting out CO2.

>> No.1446591

>>1446587
So I'll just wait to seal up the exit door completely until the tank is depleted.

This is a great idea if I can't talk the misses into fumigation.

>> No.1446595

>>1446591
Remember, suffocation is a legit and dangerous concern. When the process of fumigation is complete, that CO2 has to go somewhere. You'll need to make sure that isn't into your house where people or pets are residing. I'd get some box fans and place them in your house windows to suck air into the house so that when you vent your garage the CO2 will be forced away from the house.

https://www.westernfarmpress.com/miscellaneous/epa-approves-safe-pesticidal-igi-carbon-dioxide-pest-control-fumigation

>> No.1446598

>>1446595
Oh definitely, but I figured throwing open the garage doors would be an instant clear out of the CO2 away on the side of the house where there are very few windows left open.

Thanks for the help. I think after going the methodical route this would be the best way to kill off anything I might have missed.

>> No.1446608

>>1446478
I read that as no fumigation.

U can freeze cloth and fumigate electronics.

>> No.1446610

>>1446608
Cloth can be washed and hot dried which kills the bugs and eggs, and anything that can't be dried hot can be frozen.

Fumigating the electronics is probably my best bet. I might just do it in my folk's garage to keep things safe.

>> No.1446659

>>1446610
Make sure it's electronics friendly.

Me personally I'd just disassemble the electronics and air blast it out. The chems may cause more heartache then good. Plus, cost.

>> No.1446663

>>1446659
I don't see how a CO2 environment would be bad for electronics as long as I wasn't exposing them directly to the cold blast of condensed CO2.

Other fumigants though I agree, a regular bug bomb might leave a film on things.

>> No.1446667

>>1446455
I feel bad for you anon, I hate Turks too

>> No.1446670

>>1446667
Yeah and they're a bitch to get rid of once they start breeding.

>> No.1446688

>>1446610
>hot dried

Don't know if its still summer where you are but I'd be tempted to sit things out in the sun for a wile.

If you fumigate with co2 in bulk at least you can smell that in concentration. I know someone who bulk stores fruit in nitrogen. Inexperienced people can easy walk in and pass out before they know it.

>> No.1446689

>>1446688
I would set things out if I could conveniently but
>condo
kinda sucks. Don't have a lot of outside sunny space.

>> No.1446730

>>1446663
Which is why it's not for beginners. May as well use sf6.

Compressed air and a screwdriver seem to be a better choice. Besides, CO2 doesn't kill eggs.

>> No.1446745

>>1446689
Got an accessible roof area? Otherwise take them to the park for a few hours then wrap them?

>> No.1447060

>>1446745
>Taking expensive electronics to sit out at the park for a few hours in the sun

Oh how I envy wherever the fuck you live

>> No.1447213

>>1446505
>Renting a home in a place you don't want to live long term
What the fuck

>> No.1447218

>>1446461
Easy main. Painters plastic. Cheapest roll you can find and a roll of duct tape. Maybe a razor knife.

>> No.1447219

>>1446587
Unhook central heat and air vent. Duct tape to c02

>> No.1447228

get a powder puffer/planter duster and liberally dust the insides with borax. This will kill adults, larvae and eggs that come in contact with them. it is perfectly safe and not considered a poison.

100% guaranteed to work, takes a few days. cleaning out the corpses afterward is gross, suggest a lot of canned air and a vacuum.

As a bonus, you can use the leftover borax to clean your house and clothes

>> No.1447402

>>1446455
Why do you think there are eggs and roaches in your electronics. That isn’t really where they nest.

>> No.1447698

>>1447402
I've had many of my computer's fried by cockroaches nesting in the power supply, GPU heatsink, and other heatsinks on the motherboard.

>> No.1447702
File: 335 KB, 1000x997, 2_large.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1447702

>>1447698
>I've had many of my computer's fried by cockroaches

"many" means like 5 or more? where do you live, in a garbage dump?

>> No.1447985

>>1446465
Leave out a shallow container with baking soda/ sugar mixture, and a container of water near that. Roaches will explode.

>> No.1448039

>>1447698
I really find this hard to believe. How do you know roaches were there reason?

>> No.1448044

Does OP live in Turkey by any chance?

>> No.1448231

>>1446455
maybe heat?

https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/roach/roach6eng.pdf

>Because cockroaches cannot survive
temperatures above 115° F to 120° F, it is possible to
use heat to eradicate cockroaches from restaurants
and food service establishments. After heatsensitive
equipment is removed from the building,
the temperature is increased to about 140-150° F
for five to six hours. It may not be possible for the
homeowner to increase the heat that much inside
the home. But if a small, infested appliance has
many small crevices and can withstand 150° F heat,
a similar procedure can be used. The procedure
is simple — place the heat-proof appliance in an
oven, and after several hours at 150° F, the roaches
will be dead.
Cold can also be used to kill cockroaches, but
it takes a prolonged exposure to low temperatures
to kill egg cases. Appliances or furniture can be left
in a garage when temperatures are below 0o F for
several days. If moving, leaving possessions in a
truck or van will do the same thing. Infestations
in wall voids or indoor cavities can be subjected to
extreme cold by using a CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas
canister. This will freeze a localized area.
Infested small appliances can be fumigated
with CO2. Place the small appliance in a plastic
bag or other airtight container and inject carbon
dioxide gas. Allow freezing to occur. If a small item
can be subjected to freezing, it can be placed in a
freezer for several hours (or overnight) to kill the
cockroaches.

>> No.1448397

>>1448231
>heatsensitive equipment
what would this be? like in a restaurant

>> No.1449582

>>1446455
For smaller things you can seal them in bags with toxic vapor like bleach or alcohol.
Just be sure it's dried before you turn them back on.

>> No.1450838

>>1446465
fumigate when she isnt home
go on vacation with her
and someone fumigate

>> No.1450846

>>1446461
Get one of those TV transport boxes from home Depot. Plug the holes.

>> No.1450848

>>1446479
Valuable as in fucking expensive you sperg

>> No.1450854

>>1450848
valuable != expensive

Only in /diy

>> No.1450973

I see nobody has mentioned that if OP Wasnt a disgusting shit and kept his place clean he wouldnt HAVE the roach problem... clean your fucking shit up, kick your fiancee to the curb and fumigate that fucking place.

>> No.1451272

>>1446455
you open them up, discharge the caps, unironically blast them a bit with a hose, nothing strong, and then dip the circuitry into a ultrasonic cleaner for a few hours. Then alcohol bath to displace the water, stick into an oven at temperatures hot enough to boil alcohol for a few hours.

Do NOT use an oven that you plan to cook food in. You'll leach heavy metals into it.

>> No.1451711

>>1446455
I work with water dispenser, the clean up is easy

open up, spray raid, use compressed air to remove bodies and close it

>> No.1451992

>>1446520
>This doesn't look like it will do anything about eggs
Diatomaceous earth. When they hatch, everything they touch and attempt to eat will be like ingesting broken glass to them.

>> No.1451994

>>1447702
>where do you live, in a garbage dump?
Pigsty neighbors also count as well. Good lord it's awful.

>> No.1451995
File: 2.66 MB, 300x169, 1533657418085.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1451995

>>1448044
Heartily kekked

>> No.1452802

If you live in a hot/sunny place you can leave them in your car for a few days.