It's coming. The rainy season. And there's nothing you can do to stop it! You can, however, take some actions to avoid the number one nasty sign of summer - cockroaches.
First, let's learn a little bit about our resilient friend, the cockroach. They like dark, wet, warm, and narrow places. They eat anything that humans eat, plus paper, hair, animal food and poop - in short, just about anything. They particularly, according to my sources, like beer and onions. Cockroaches are extremely hardy and can, it is said, survive on one drop of water for two weeks. As tropical bugs they become more active at above 18 degrees Celsius, and particularly "genki" at 30 degrees C or more.
There are three main methods to avoiding cockroach infestations, particularly in Japan. The first is simple: avoid getting cockroaches in the first place. Leaving doors or windows open just invites critters inside your house. If you must leave your doors or windows open, at least close the screen. Small cracks in walls, doors, or floors are one way many cockroaches infiltrate a home. Find, and cover up, these areas as much as possible. In apartment complexes or condominiums, a whole building can host infestations even if your apartment is clean. Are there cracks in the ceiling or the "oshiire" (futon closets)? Another often overlooked entry for roaches is pipes and drains. Plug your sink
and bath faucets and drains when not in use. Roaches can also enter the house through your exhaust fan or air conditioner exhaust hose: use a filter for the exhaust fan and old pantyhose or a net to cover the hose.
The second major tip is to keep your house clean, particularly in
the kitchen where food is stored. Dirty dishes in a sink are a waiting feast to cockroaches, and leaving dishes out overnight is particularly dangerous. Make sure no crumbs are left on the floor or table either, and it's best not to leave food out (even under plastic wrap). Pet owners would also do well to clean up pet food at night too. Rinse out empty beer cans well, and be sure to close the lid on garbage tightly.
Method three is also simple: avoid giving cockroaches a place to nest. In particular, avoid having potted plants or flowers inside your home. Cockroaches often use them for nests or lay eggs in the dirt. Also, cockroaches particularly like spaces generally one-centimeter wide (such as a one-centimeter gap between furniture and the wall) to nest in. Try to leave larger gaps. Finally, cockroaches also love cardboard boxes, as they also remain warm in winter. If possible, try and avoid using cardboard boxes for storage, choosing plastic instead.
But what to do if you already have cockroaches? Well, there are a few pointers. First of all, note that most aerosol sprays, bug bombs, roach hotels, and other traps are quite expensive (as you may have figured out already). In terms of safety and cost value, adhesive traps like the Gokuburi Hoi Hoi traps (http://tinyurl.com/pglqu) are recommended. They work well in dark, moist places like the bathroom or kitchen. However, be sure to move the traps around occasionally: roaches are smart creatures who quickly learn where danger is. Boric acid traps are also available commercially, but you can learn how to make them cheaper here (http://tinyurl.com/qgyxb) using, oddly, onions as a lure.
You can choose to fight the roaches head on. An aerosol roach spray may be an effective weapon, but experts advise actually spraying the roaches, waiting until they weaken, and then whacking them for the best effect. In fact, kitchen cleaners, toilet cleaners, mold removers, and antibacterial sprays are all more handy, cheaper, and more effective roach killers. When whacking a roach, always approach it from the front. Roaches have a special sensor for detecting wind changes on their rear ends, making you easy to spot.
Finally, for those of you that vacuum up cockroaches in the vacuum cleaner: while they may be stunned by the initial suck, they usually emerge fine at the end. Be sure and throw away your vacuum bag immediately afterwards. Some people vacuum up bug poison after vacuuming a roach, but that can damage your vacuum cleaner motor. Also, at the very worst, sometimes female roaches can actually breed when they die, turning your vacuum cleaner into a mobile roach nest. Yuck!
Good luck avoiding roaches this year!
PS: Find this article interesting? So did I, in the original Japanese. Much credit must go to the original author, Yuki Wada.
She is a rather famous "setsuyaku expert" in Japan who appears frequently on television, and I owe her a debt of gratitude for the original information in Japanese (http://allabout.co.jp/family/yarikuri/)