Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Fear of roaches.

Hummer

Hummer

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 3, 2006
1,012
0
Queens, New York NY-5
How do I get over a fear of roaches in my house? In general I'm not afraid of cockroaches because I can deal with them in school and outside etc... I just can't stand them in my home. We get cockroaches in the basement during the hot seasons and they're huge. If I see one, I wont go down there for weeks. I only end up seeing about 2 or 3 per season in unoccupied areas of my house like my basement and porch, but its enough to freak me out into not going into certain parts of my house. Once I saw one in my room and I literally ended up lived in my living room most of the summer. Any ideas on how I could get over this? I just saw one in the basement and I need to wash clothes for school tomorrow.
 
This guy was clinging to my finger night before last when I woke up.
attachment.php
 
Not to sound over the top, but according to how extreme your reactions are to roaches you may need to seek professional help. I think once you reach the state of spending most of your summer in your living room because you saw a roach in you bedroom, there is little that we could say to help. I've known people who have aleviated their phobias by seeing counselors, psychologists, ect.
 
Roaches are disgusting, vile, grimy, germy disgusting little creatures. While I'm sure they serve an important role in the ecosystem, I want them all dead.

Ew, ew ew... ew!!

and MPW, ...GROSS. Kill it!

*huddles in corner with fly swatter*
 
Roaches are awful. When I lived in Miami, there was just no way to get rid of them! They'd come in through the drains, under doors, from wherever. Hell, just when I thought I was safe at night by moving my bed away from the wall, I realized the would just climb onto the ceiling and drop from there! Bastards!

Uh... this probably didn't help you. But yes, I sympathize. By the time I was ready to move away from Florida, I was incredibly fed up with them. I am still terrified that I will do something to attract them here in Chicago, and then I'll be stuck with them again!
 
Funny, there is a show called "panic room" here (UK) where they feature a persons fears and try to get them over it. A couple weeks ago a girl with a roach phobia was on (along with a woman with a fear of buttons. BUTTONS, for crying out loud!)

They spent a couple of days on it, having her look at photos of roaches (starting with like cartooned images and onto more realistic ones) and it grossed her out less and less... all the while constantly reminding her that there's no threat. Eventually they got her to look at a dead roach and at the end she picked up a madacascar hissing cockroach and let it walk on her hand. You can say she's "cured".

Suppose the point is to get used to it and put it's "threat level" in perspective.
They are gross and not very well liked but you can't let them totally freak you out.

anyway, that's my 2¢ on it.
 
Heh, now I'm living in the first level of my house where my grand parents live (2 family home and my grandparents are away.) I saw two in my kitchen on the second level and then my mom started yelling at me about me being paranoid. She lined up the stove with roach traps, but she left too much space for them to get out. If it were my choice I would have bombarded every hole or space with traps.
 
livingfortoday said:
Roaches are awful. When I lived in Miami, there was just no way to get rid of them! They'd come in through the drains, under doors, from wherever. Hell, just when I thought I was safe at night by moving my bed away from the wall, I realized the would just climb onto the ceiling and drop from there! Bastards!

Uh... this probably didn't help you. But yes, I sympathize. By the time I was ready to move away from Florida, I was incredibly fed up with them. I am still terrified that I will do something to attract them here in Chicago, and then I'll be stuck with them again!
Click to expand...

Nope- surprisingly, there really isn't a roach problem here in Chicago. I've never had them in any apartment I've lived in.
 
iSaint said:
I like to get my wife to kill them because she screams when she hits them.

Of course, I don't want to be near them.

We have our house sprayed monthly for pests, and we still have several a year. Yes, they're gross...
Click to expand...

How is one supposed to kill roaches? I thought they laid they're eggs if you stepped on them.

I would just simply move. Now way in hell am I putting up with that. livingfortoday, your store sends chills up my spine!
 
Thats what you get for living in Queens...

I haven't seen a roach in since I was 5 (I lived in Manhattan).
 
I don't have them here in my apartment complex, but I see them at the school I student teach at.

They crawl around in broad daylight in my classroom. Then again, the town I student teach in is pretty nasty and dirty.
 
A customer brought a computer into the service department at a computer store I once worked at. When the tech opened up the machine there was a nest of cockroaches in there that immediately dispersed all over the place. Lots of bugs in that machine. :)

-T
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back