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popcorn
Where can you buy boric acid? Mark Unseen   Aug 13 23:00 UTC 1994

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71 responses total.
popcorn
response 1 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 13 23:20 UTC 1994

This response has been erased.

chelsea
response 2 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 13 23:28 UTC 1994

I try a real pharmacy like the one that's located on Washington 
behind Tally Hall.  It's a hospital supply type of item they 
may carry.

Good luck.
aruba
response 3 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 01:32 UTC 1994

I can verify that it is possible to buy boric acid in Ann Arbor, and that
it does work on cockroaches.  My roommate bought some a couple of years
ago and we never had problems afterward.  I don't know where he got it,
though.  :(
danr
response 4 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 01:55 UTC 1994

Try Ace Hardware or pehaps Schlenker Hardware.
alfee
response 5 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 01:58 UTC 1994

As someone who unfortunately has dealt with a lot of cockroaches in her life,
I can attest that for all practical purposes, a box of Borax has the same 
wonderful effect.  It's a lot cheaper and easier to find.  If you read the
box, it's mostly boric acid, anyway.  Next to the detergents in any store.
..
alfee
response 6 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 02:03 UTC 1994

As an afterthought, when i had my war with the roaches, I mixed the Borax 
with instant cocoa mix, because the sugar and chocolate attract them to the 
acid, which they would otherwise avoid.  Believe me, it works.  You can then
vacuum the mess up when you think you've finished them off.  I was told when
I moved down south that cockroaches were just a part of life here, but they
are not a part of MY life.  Try it and let me know how it works.
kentn
response 7 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 02:26 UTC 1994

(agora item 97 "Where can you buy boric acid?" is now linked as
consumer item 15)
aaron
response 8 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 03:11 UTC 1994

Many hardware stores sell boric acid.  Consider getting, also, a bulb
duster or atomizer with which to apply it and a dust mask to wear
during application.

There is an extensive discussion of roaches on M-net that you may wish
to consult, with regard to their elimination and prevention of
recurrences.
aruba
response 9 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 03:19 UTC 1994

My roommate woke up and says that he got boric acid at a drugstore (he's
not sure which one), and remembers it being near the iodine.  We just put
it in little dishes around the kitchen and it seemed to work.
mdw
response 10 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 04:03 UTC 1994

Boric acid works wonderfully on roaches.  It's also extremely effective
at killing ants.  Unfortunately the survivors quickly learn where not to
step "most of the time" and the colony survives, albeit with a higher
mortality rate.  Fortunately, roaches aren't sociable insects, so they
aren't nearly as hard to eradicate.
rcurl
response 11 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 04:19 UTC 1994

Re #5: true borax contains no boric acid. It is sodium tetraborate
decahydrate. Both boric acid and borax are quite toxic. About FIVE GRAMS
of either is the FATAL dose for children. For what it's worth, borax would
taste bitter and boric acid sour; I would expect some difference in the
preferences of cockroaches for the two. However, I recommend against the
exposed use of either if children or pets ever enter your home. 

aaron
response 12 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 05:50 UTC 1994

Marcus raises a valuable point.  Roaches tend to follow paths, and if you
don't poison along the path you will miss a lot of them.  Paths, of course,
can move to avoid poisons.  For the fastest elimination, roach traps can
be used to locate paths (they aren't very good at eliminating roaches, but
can indicate where the roaches are) and poison can be placed accordingly.
But the only way to "get rid" of roaches is to reduce or eliminate their
potential places of residence, places of access to your apartment, and
food and water sources.
shf
response 13 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 14:40 UTC 1994

boric acid is indeed available from most pharmacies. it is also poisonous
to pets and humans in large ( comparatively ) doses ( see above ).
I mix it with pancake syrup, anything sweet will do. Then spread this 
on a small piece of paper or cardboard and place it in the path of
the roaches but not somewhaere where pets or children can get at it.
Roaches will all be gone within a day or two.
steve
response 14 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 16:48 UTC 1994

   (I'm sorry: I have to do this Valerie: tnt hasn't been here yet.)

   Boric Acid?!?  Valerie! How could you--you're being roachist!
DO YOU REALIZE WHAT BORIC ACID DOES TO THE LITTLE CREATURES?

   It makes them fall apart!

   It gets inside their little joints and messes everything up.
It's the exact opposite of oil!  Instead of lubricating their
tiny, fragile, God created and delicate joints, it pulverizes
them.

   You'll have roach parts all over your floor!
popcorn
response 15 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 16:51 UTC 1994

This response has been erased.

remmers
response 16 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 19:36 UTC 1994

I thought that possession of roach parts was illegal in Michigan.
omni
response 17 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 19:39 UTC 1994

 Not THOSE roach parts ;)
tnt
response 18 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 20:43 UTC 1994

  ROACHES HAVE RIGHTS TOO!
steve
response 19 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 14 23:39 UTC 1994

   Damn straight!
popcorn
response 20 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 15 02:53 UTC 1994

This response has been erased.

srw
response 21 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 15 04:22 UTC 1994

"used chiefly in the manufacture of ceramics, cements, glass, enamels,
 for fireproofing, and in medicine in aqueous solution as a mild antiseptic"
-Random House Dictionary of the English Language
dang
response 22 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 16 02:10 UTC 1994

spoken like a true six-letter-word-gamer
srw
response 23 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 16 04:32 UTC 1994

Yeah, well, I got that dictionary out to play the game, and now it's too
heavy to put back, so I gotta use it.
rcurl
response 24 of 71: Mark Unseen   Aug 16 05:21 UTC 1994

Hmmm..the only six letter word there is Random, and it is "not permitted".
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