Tripod member owltotem asks:
How do I get rid of cockroaches once and for all without harm to my cats and turtles?

Handy Girl Al suggests:
You can't — cockroaches are an evolutionary marvel, they can live on virtually anything (hair, toothpaste, grease) and anywhere. Your cats and turtles may catch and eat a few, but just one female roach can ultimately generate 100,000 other roaches in a year.

Roaches can be controlled with constant attention, but never totally eliminated. Identify their hangouts (often around water — water is critical to their survival, but only one drop a day). Reduce access to water. Seal up as much food as you can. With other pets in the house, the best least-toxic controls are baited sticky traps. Don't skimp on them, place where you've seen roaches and replace them as directed. Unfortunately, this is a slow control at best. Not all roaches will walk through the trap, and survivors are apt to just move to a new hangout. Buy baits that use birth-control poisons to cut down on breeding. When vacuuming, apply the suck to any cracks and crevices, where roaches tend to live. You won't get many live ones (plus they'll escape from the vacuum bag later!) but you'll suck up eggs, dead roaches and roach poop. Free and non-toxic: ALWAYS squash any roach you see, but clean up the mess. Roaches eat other roaches.

The best prevention is a coordinated battle plan, involving dozens of minor actions combined to provide a maximum assault. It's very helpful to KNOW your enemy. I highly recommend reading the Cockroach Control Manual at the University of Nebraska Web site. It's a scientific, yet readable, comprehensive guide to North American cockroaches, their habitats, behaviors, and every possible method of eradication, with an emphasis on the least toxic solutions.

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