Couldn't tell you about the roaches, but you really don't want to decrease the spider population. Spiders are one of the most active and effective predators of just about everything else.

To the extent you have spiders it is due to things for them to eat (other bugs). To the extent you rid your property of them the other bugs increase in number.

Spiders are the last thing you want to kill.

Can you post images of the roaches? Might be something else.

Spiders, or at least many of those spiders are not necesasrily the most effective predators around since they depnd on the prey, for many, to land on the web something that at best is pretty chancy. Some spiders also go out and hunt prey, but they do not spin the webs.
The most effective control of cockroaches is Boric Acid sprinkled where they are most active. Every cockroach control you can buy has as the main ingrediant Boric Acid. DE has not been found to be at all effective for roaches unless mixed with Boric Acid. Jean001 is right that you need to be sure that what you have is cockroaches, however.

I wonder if the 'roaches' are earwigs.

Spiders are your friend.

Send us pics for a 'roach' ID.

Dan

Is boric acid considered an organic product?

I have a family of centipedes living in my basement. When we first moved in, my wife killed them on sight. After years of praising the goodness of centipedes, I have changed her mindset a bit. Now, when she sees them, she only screams, yells at me, but doesn't kill them. Deep inside, I think she hates roaches and ants more than centipedes.

If you have centipedes living in your basement you have a problem called moisture. Someplace in your basement you have someplace, or places, with excess moisture that needs to be fixed. Centipedes are benficial, just not in the house.

kimmsr, These are house centipedes. We only finished our basement two years ago. When it was unfinished, we never had any moisture problem and plenty of centipedes. I just did a walkthru of my basement and didn't notice anything wrong. House centipedes do prefer moist areas, but it doesn't mean there is a problem.

"The house centipede is a common pest in many parts of the United States. Unlike most other centipedes, this species generally lives its entire life inside a building." One man's pest is another man's treasure. When we eventually move to our next house, I plan on sneaking a few along. shhh... don't tell my wife.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quote Reference

If you have been buying plants in flats from big box or garden/farm stores those roaches may have been transported to your house from the stores. My sister got 3 flats of plants on sale yesterday and when she unloaded them from the trunk there were two giant roaches under the flats in her trunk. She said they were a light brown and didn't look like the normal outdoor roaches.

Roach proof's main ingredient is boric acid. I find that boric acid eye wash that is premixed is as effective as straight boric acid crystals that you get at the pharmacy. Since the bugs can apparently fly. You should also spray your outside window sills and doorjams.

My reasoning behind the wash is that when it drys the crystals remaining behind are smaller and in my mind more likely to be enjested when they clean their bodies. Also your pets and children could have a problem with the larger amount that they could place their skin in contact with.

My mom used to put a paste of boric acid, flour, sugar and water (equal proportions) in empty match boxes and leave them scattered around roach-prone areas. The roaches disappeared. I don't know if the last three ingredients were even necessary but FYI.

It does not make any difference whether you have "house" centipedes or garden centipedes they still need that moist environment to live and if you have them in the house tht is an indication that you have a too moist area they can live and breed in. Find that too moist area and dry it out, no matter what your favorite pest "control company" tells you, and you will eliminate the wee buggers.

Digginfool, I had the same problem. Brought some nursery plants and such into the house, and voila, roaches when we had never had any. Killed the few I saw, cleaned well, looked for leaks under sinks, removed several boxes I'd been saving, and no more problem. If it's just a few, try these methods. They like to have a place to drink and food. Remove those things, and they will be easier to get rid of. Also, keep all new plants out of house for awhile, and inspect any you bring home.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice. We are still finding a few a week in the house - usually just walking across our carpet - have not tracked down where they are getting in. I will try to get a picture of one and post for identification. Yes, it is possible they originally came in from plants purchased at the nursery - but they are both in the front yard (although I have not seen them there for a week or so, and at the far end of our backyard where my compost, vericomposter, and tomato garden is - they can stay back there, but I don't want them in the house or flying around my front door. Spiders, I have been hosing them off the front of the house and shrubs to keep the webs from looking so bad. It is amazing how resilient the webs are when attached to stucco and even window glass.

Is boric acid considered an organic product? I think the answer is "yes". I searched the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) website. There are restrictions, but it's permitted. (It seems most pesticides have restrictions.)

I use Niban and Intice, which are weatherized granules that resist sunlight and rain degradation. They recommend 1 application every 3 months. I apply 1/3 every month around my house, which has consistently given me very good results.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.omri.org/OMRI_datatable.php?search=boric

Boric acid is not an organic material but it is allowed for use in organic agriculture. That distinction might make a difference to some people.

Living in San Antonio I have become immune to the occasional roach. I don't tolerate them but at least I don't run screaming when I see one. When my house was being remodeled I talked to the builder's exterminator. He told me that boric acid would work against roaches, earwigs, termites, and wood ants but it had to be everywhere in the walls. Based on that advice I had the builder put a tablespoon of boric acid into each space before blowing in the insulation. I have not had more than a handful of roaches since then. That stuff really works. Every time we have seen a roach, we can attribute it to bringing in a cardboard box from a grocery store. Boxes from our local Sam's Club are always good for a roach or two.

Boric acid is good against most all insects. Use it only indoors because your soil might be very sensitive to additional boron. Whenever I move I go in to a new house or apartment, the first thing I do is dust the entire place with boric acid. It is amazing how many roaches can die in a month. I counted them in my first apartment and got about 300. After that I never saw another one in five years. I even had the manager stop spraying my apartment. For normal prevention I use it in the corners of every drawer and cabinet and behind the stove and refrigerator. By doing that I have lived roach free in the land where roaches rule since 1981.

What are they eating? Anything from fungus to food.

What eats roaches? Lizards, geckos, birds, and toads. If you are fully organic, you should have those in abundance. If you want more of one of them quickly, put in a bird bath, bird house, and bird feeder.

Regarding spiders, their most effective natural predator is the mud dauber wasp. Mud daubers shun publicity so you will most often see them in out buildings and in the garage. Leave them alone and they will not bother you but they will rid the garden of most spiders.

I noticed a dramatic reduction in webs on my porch when I stopped leaving the light on at night. Some neighbors wanted to leave lights on as part of the neighborhood watch. As a result lots of insects were attracted to the light and in come the spiders to get a meal.

I still see a lot of spiders in my mulched beds, but the webs on the porch and other areas that I might walk through have been dramatically reduced. Only change was turning the lights off at night and keeping the blinds shut on the windows at night.

Hope this helps.

I hope it helps too, Gurgler. Spider populations are directly proportional to the population of other bugs. Anything that increases bug populations (beneficial or otherwise) sees their numbers increase and anything that decreases the population of other bugs (even something as simple as turning lights off at night) reduces their population as it reduces their food.

While there are some really nasty, poisonous spiders in some areas, for the most part they are a gardener's best friend. It's unfortunate that many of them have appearances that freak many humans out and thus end up killed.

Every night I turn on a yellow fluorescent bulb right above my front door. I just looked and there were no spider webs in the vicinity of that bulb. Before, I used regular fluorescent bulbs and bugs just swarmed all over it, which attracted the spiders.