Is it safe to sprinkle boric acid inside my computer tower?

[Very_Boring_Name]

The apartment I live in is having a bit of a roach problem, and I was horrified to see this morning one of the nasty little things crawl into my computer. I opened up the case, and there were tons of them in there. I'm on my way to the store to buy some boric acid, and am just wondering if I could safely sprinkle some inside the case to kill the ones that get inside?

[hippywife]

1. Husband repairs computers for a living and

has run into this more than once. He said it "might" be okay to sprinkle it in the bottom of the case but keep it away from the main board. All they have to do is walk through it to kill them. However, he says that the mess the roaches leave can eventually kill your computer anyway. He recommends blowing it out really, really well with compressed air and that could save it if it's not already too late.

Check your other electronic devices such as TV's and radios, etc. Take everything outside if possible.


Good luck, I really feel for you. :hug:

[Very_Boring_Name]

3. Thanks, I wouldn't wish a roach infestation on my worst enemy

Its absolutely disgusting... there's nothing quite like waking up to a cockroach crawling on your face. Plus I'm a university student, my computer is pretty much my life, and if it breaks down there's no way I could afford to replace it. I'll make sure to pick up a can of compressed air, thanks again!

[Betty88]

2. try bay leaves

not ground put a few at the bottom of the tower, I always had luck with the little disks, those would not get sucked into a fan. Like the other post said blow it out real good first

[Very_Boring_Name]

4. Oh my god, that is incredible!

I've been looking everywhere for a simple remedy like this. I really wasn't happy about using boric acid, because the thought of a bunch of dead roaches lying around my place is just as nasty as the thought of live ones. I just want something to repel them and keep them out of my electronics, and the bay leaves idea is perfect.

[hobbit709]

5. Get rid of their food supply

[Betty88]

6. Its not always about food

Years ago, back in my teens, we lived in apartment that was roach free. Then what seemed like overnight they invaded our apartment. They got into everything. I think it all started when work was done in the basement, they probably kicked up a nasty nest or something and we lived on the first floor. You could see them inside the face of a clock, running on the walls to hide behind pictures, into the back of the TV it was horrible. We ended up bombing the apartment several times just to get them under control.

I now live in an apartment in Brooklyn, every so often we see one or two, if the neighbors have them then so will you... It takes work to keep the place pest free and it gets harder if you have pets that you don't want to make sick in the process.

[Kali]

7. the bay leaves are a possibility

never thought about using them for roaches - I do use them for flour weevils in the drawer where I keep my rolling pin

the boric acid is something that kills them internally so you don't need to put it IN the tower, you could put a little lid of it behind or nearby

that is really all that is on most of those roach and ant bait stations so while those are convenient they aren't cheap

other than the dust problem that I would worry about slightly, a better product for repelling and killing would be diatomaceous earth (hmm spell check doesn't like that) and it is also good for backs of cupboards edges of walls etc

lots of vacuuming, scrupulous cleaning, and calls to the management (regular pest control applications) are the only way to control roaches