DXB2OZ Posted September 8, 2014 Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 Ok, I know it isn't logical but order of fear factor starts with cockroaches and ends with snakes, with spiders in the middle (yes, below cockroaches).So do I find a nice friendly snake in my kitchen this morning? Or a huntsman crouched in the corner? No, it's a giant cockroach (at least three inches, I swear) dying by degrees next to the sink. Just when I think all is well, it gets a zest for life and manages to flip itself off it's back displaying the war paint colours on its back (what's with that).So now the kitchen stinks of bug spray, the extractor is going full ball and I am crouched in the lounge wondering if it is too early for something deep fried and covered in chocolate!!Do these Melbourne cockroaches fly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted September 8, 2014 Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 Cockroaches usually travel and settle in packs of at least 400,000, so I'm surprised you only saw the one! The good news is - I've never seen one fly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DXB2OZ Posted September 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 Thank you so much, you've really put my mind at rest.Am now going to crouch in the corner behind a barricade of gin bottles and wait for the other 399,999 to just walk in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted September 8, 2014 Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 I wish I could say that spiders aren't that bad, but we have come across a fair few. Spiders are not my favourite thing. One positive is that I'm actually not that bothered by them as I used to be because I'm so used to seeing them now Snakes are only really an issue in certain areas and in certain conditions. We live in a snake-prone area - the previous owners of our house lost their dog to a snake bite :0In winter, I go trail running in the bush near our house. In summer, I used to, until last October. I was plodding along when I nearly stood on a fat brown snake. Having never encountered a snake in the wild in my life, this rattled me, so I ditched the trail run and turned around and hit the suburban footpaths instead... cos that's safer, right? Wrong. 15 minutes later, a tiger-snake casually crossed the footpath in front of me. I'm not really helping am I? I console myself when I read the statistics of serious snake and spider related injuries and deaths in Victoria... they're thankfully not as bad as we think. :0Still, in summer, I now run in the burbs or only run in the bush on very cold mornings, or when I have company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted September 8, 2014 Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 Oh my goodness, this is really making me chuckle, not the fear, but the 399,999 that are going to still walk in.I have never seen one in any of the homes we have lived in, however, they were all new homes, even the ones that we rented. You could ask your house agents to get an exterminator in to clear the house of them, the owner should pay for it as you have only been there a short while.After this has been done, make extremely sure that there are never any dirty dishes waiting to be washed, as that will just attract them back again. Of course, if your neighbours have an infestation, it may be a lot more difficult to keep them away permanently.May the force be with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DXB2OZ Posted September 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 The silly thing is I would rather have snakes and spiders - totally irrational. At least thanks to a friendly neighbour, the corpse is gone (yes, it is that bad). Eucalyptus oil down all drains and around all entry points. Now off to scrub the kitchen. Makes it easier when you can get to the sink without having hysterics. Pathetic, I know.I think this one came in after getting the garden overhauled yesterday. At least the bug bombs from when we moved in seem to still be working as it was dying by degrees before I drowned it in a puddle of bug spray.If "it" becomes "them", I may have to resort to sleeping in the car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadEnoughofJuju Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Sorry, had a good laugh. You do know that roaches are the only creatures on this planet that can survive a nuclear attack so I hardly think bug spray is an issue for them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurferMan Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 We have dugites (2nd deadliest snake on earth, apart from JZ) where we live far north of Perth. The best part was we told the agent during an inspection the reason we have not weeded the back was due to my wife seeing a couple of dugites. As they came around the corner a massive dugite came at them. To this day the agent does not bother about the weeds anymore, nor does she go to the back of the house, she looks through the window. :jester: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 My brother in-law saw a dugite in his carport when they lived in Woodvale (Perth). Armed with a broom, spade and running commentary from his wife who all of a sudden became an expert snake catcher (from the safety of the locked house whilst giving instruction through a window which was cracked opn only a few millimetres) he managed to flush it out from under the car before it turned on him and gave chase! It became a "him or me" situation so he pinned it down with the broom and hacked its head off with the spade. At this stage they had no idea what make and model snake it was so the googled it. To their surprise they discovered that not only was it highly venomous but also a protected species. Having only been in Oz for a few month they did not want to mess with the law so after making sure that it was very dead (lots of little pieces) they put it in a bag and dropped it in the neighbours wheelie bin We have dugites (2nd deadliest snake on earth, apart from JZ) where we live far north of Perth. The best part was we told the agent during an inspection the reason we have not weeded the back was due to my wife seeing a couple of dugites. As they came around the corner a massive dugite came at them. To this day the agent does not bother about the weeds anymore, nor does she go to the back of the house, she looks through the window. :jester: careful of weeding the garden. This bloke was bitten whilst pulling out weeds a few weeks ago! http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/snake-bite-victim-flown-to-perth-20140830-10afi2.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DXB2OZ Posted September 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Did you see the story about the chef who died after being bitten by the decapitated head of a cobra? Watch out for those little pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 They fly!!???Paper apparently attracts them so dont have wine cartons or newspaper stored in the cupboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 I hate to tell you that Queensland cockroaches are much bigger than other states and definitely do fly!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronwyn&Co Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 (edited) We get a big roach in the kitchen occasionally, I hate them!!My friend here is absolutely fanatical about cleaning & she says they come out of her dishwasher! ? Edited September 9, 2014 by Bronwyn&Co Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 (edited) Seriously! I know people have joked about them here but they really do fly. I went to the Gold Coast for a conference and had the most horrible experience trying to flush a flying cockroach down the loo. We also had ghastly see through geckos in Brisbane. I hate them and was so pleased to move to Adelaide to avoid these two things. Edited September 9, 2014 by Crisplet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Why the gecko hate folks? They're the best! Harmless, and they eat insects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Geckos crap everywhere and have a nasty habit of falling on me - once while in the bath so yes I hate them. As for eating insects - I have a bug zapper machine for that. Luckily it's too cold for them in Adelaide. There are generally far fewer problem insects down here due to being cooler and no humidity (okay 4 days a year of mild humidity). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 (edited) What about Huntman spiders? When we lived in Bne I was watching some late night telly and saw something move on the tiles by the front door. I'd usually not worry but having witnessed some of the Qld wildlife I thought I'd better check it it. Well, there it was, a HUGE Huntsman spider making it's self at home. It ran up the wall and the only thing I could get my hands on was a tennis racquet that was by the front door. Of course the walls in the Qld houses are made of cardboard so after waking the household up with numerous strikes to the wall, I also had some explaining to do when we had our next rental inspection! My 4yr old daughter was bitten by a fire ant in the pool, we had see-thru geckos and don't forget the fruit bats who :censored: on your car and it's like paint stripper! One Xmas holidays we drove up to Airlie Beach and all the way we had these postcard picture images of white sands and crystal clear waters in our minds. About 100km before arriving the kids started changing into their costumes. It was so hot we decided to go straight to the beach and check into the accommodation later. You can imagine the disappointment when we bailed out of the car at the beach and there was not a soul in the water. We stood staring at the sign "beach closed - box jelly fish" for about half an hour before we slunk back to the car and headed off the to the caravan park where we spent the afternoon swimming in luke warm water with 90% chlorine levels and the rest urine! Edited September 10, 2014 by Johnno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I'm not fussed about the cockroaches or the geckos, spiders are my thing. When a cockroach lands on my deck it has a lifespan of about 5s if it can't scuttle to safety or my shoe will get it. Agree gecko poo not great but on the whole I don't mind them. Spiders freak me out if I land up touching their silk or they jump on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.