To burn the house down?

[DitzyDoc]

We found 3 cockroaches in our kitchen on Sunday night. Obv my first thought was 'burn the house down' but DH persuaded me otherwise. We've bleached the shit out of everything and thrown half the contents of the kitchen straight in the bin. Pest control turned up this morning in a lovely sign written van to ensure the neighbours are aware of our infestation. £250 later + all of the wasted food + a day off of work for me = not a cheap couple of days. Oh and it turns out our cleaning lady had a cockroach infestation in her shared accommodation just a few weeks ago so we know how the first roach hitched a ride into our house.

I'm seething. And still want to burn my house down. Silent screaming inside my head whilst pretending to the kids we 'just found a few bugs'. Aaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!

So AIBU to burn the house down? Or failing that force the cleaner to go through a full decontamination procedure on the doorstep for the foreseeable furture? (Actually a genuine question as really worried about a repeat of all of this )

Did you not ask pest control for advice re cleaner and her roach contamination? Think I'd give her the bum's rush given her job title and failure to comply. Not her fault but not yours either.

Ugh - poor you! I'd want to burn the house down too!

Buy a pet Tarantula that'll take care of any bugs (and possibly the cleaner).

I was like this when we have had moths. We moved to the frozen north in the dead of winter and left our belongings in the van overnight, that showed the wee blighters. Might be a tad over the top in your situation though.
Cockroach's eggs stick to the soles of shoes, if you stamp on them it's worse. Maybe clean all the shoes?

Yeah, he said she just needs to be careful, check her bag etc before coming in. Her place has been treated twice (but pest control guy says it should actually be 3 times). Mum thinks we should make her bag up her handbag in a bin liner when she comes in - do you think that's unfair?

Eeekk hadn't considered eggs stuck to shoes! Although pest control man said when the eggs are laid they hatch within minutes so not sure that would actually be much of a threat? I've watched them hatching on youtube - traumatised!

ThisIs - I feel like I want to move out, really do

Did your cleaning lady tell you she'd had an infestation treated? I'd be asking her to contribute to your costs if I were you. I'd be livid if my cleaner brought pests into my house!

Yes she did tell me at the time. Stupid me didn't even really consider the implications for my own house. I felt sorry for her. It's a shared house. Can only imagine what the conditions must be like there. She won't offer to contribute to costs herself. Feel awkward asking her! How much would be reasonable?

If you're in the UK, the pest control guy is very wrong about the incubation period of cockroach eggs. A quick google has come up with days if not months for the eggs to hatch.

Why would you consider the implications if you're not a cockroach expert? I'm in a super very bad mood tonight so I'd ask her to foot the bill for the pest control man, but I'd also probably not have her back as I wouldn't be able to trust her to not reinfect the house. But like I say, I'm in a bad mood.

If I were feeling reasonable I'd say that she brought her fucking disgusting friends to our house and that I was considerably out of pocket as a result and think she bears some responsibility and how does she want to address it. Maybe a reduced weekly rate for her to cover half the costs or something?

Oh crap you're right about the egg thing! This just shows how much of a flap this has got me in. I'm normally an avid researcher and googler but I've taken his incorrect word for it. So looks like I've hired a crap pest controller too . They were the first company that picked up the phone and I was verging on hysteria.

I can't believe you would ask your cleaner to contribute to the costs. I bet she like most other people had no idea that you could bring eggs in on shoes. Given her living conditions and job I can't imagine she could even afford to contribute.

Sweary - wish I could tell her to bugger off but we are her only employers (practically full time) so can't really do that. I think a slight reduction in her weekly wages would be fair though. She looked like she was going to cry when the penny dropped that it was her fault :(

Fair point, no they didn't. In the cold light of day would I ask her to contribute - no probably not. I wouldn't have the nerve to. Just want to blame someone! But there's nobody to blame really :(

You have a full time cleaner? Is your house very large?

I would 100% foot the bill if I had clearly caused an infestation. Absolutely.

No my house isn't large. She is a kind of housekeeper too. And she works in the same role for my parents. So between us she is employed full time.

It is hardly her fault she has to live in shared accommodation, reducing wages is not going to encourage anyone to be more careful, I feel sorry you have an infestation, but sorrier for your cleaner, as her options are much narrower than yours.

If you've only seen 3 then its not from eggs. Cockroaches lay in bundles of 40 or so eggs and they will lay up to 6 bundles so if it was an egg laying cockroach you should see about 150. Depending on the type it could be anything from 28 to 90 days.

It may be the cleaner brought eggs in on her shoes before she even knew her place was infected or it may have been someone else who brought eggs in anytime in the last month.