For my non-Filipino speaking friends out there, an ipis is a cockroach. Eeew, I know.
This morning, after my usual driver duties, I happily changed back into my PJ’s and settled into my favorite spot (aka my bed) to start mapping out my schedule for the week. And then, horror! I looked up and saw a huge, and I mean HUGE cockroach above my bedroom door. It’s been raining and so our village sewers have been seeing a lot of activity lately. I think this one sneaked its way in through the bathroom. Ugh. The good news is I am not afraid of ipis. That doesn’t make them any less gross, though. Right?
One thing that I have resigned myself to as a mom is that I will have to deal with these creepy crawlies, along with the icky slimy green creatures that I so fear, dark and possibly mumu infested areas, and whatever else it is that my son is uncertain about or afraid of, too. I have to be the brave one because I am mommy. I actually always believed that situations like these are what daddies are for, and he’s a macho man so he has to be the brave one. But there will be times, and I know this from experience, when there will be giant cockroaches on your pants or lizards on the bed just when daddy isn’t around. And you just have to hold in those screams and tears, and deal with the buggers for the sake of your little boy or girl.
The memory of those lizards on my bed just made me shudder. There were two of them. On separate occasions. Why, universe, why???
So, going back to my early morning ipis encounter, upon seeing the nasty thing on my wall my first thought was, “Oh please do not be the flying kind.” I threw a shoe at it, missed, and thankfully it didn’t take flight. It only moved a few steps and then stopped. I felt like it was staring me down or something, sort of like a battle of wits. There was only one thing left to do. I whipped out my handy dandy bug spray.
I got ready, I aimed, and I fired. After the first spray, the cockroach only shuddered a little. I fired again and it lost its footing and sort of stumbled while running away. It was the third stream of bug spray that finally got him. He fell down to the floor and ran straight for the back of my bookshelf. I suppose he’s gone there to die and I will just have to figure out how to remove his corpse from that corner of the room. Pinahirapan pa ako, diba???
We’ve been using the odorless Advanced Aerosol Multi-Insect Killer at home because, really, no one wants to subject themselves to the yucky pesticide smells that other brands have. And no, this is not a sponsored post! In fact, I’m open to suggestions to a better or more effective solution for mosquitoes and cockroaches, one that is preferably organic and chemical-free. Plus, even though this one is definitely the most odorless among all of the odorless bug sprays available, I still smell something in the air whenever I spray it. But that’s just me and my sensitive nose. Other people do not mind.
What cockroach and mosquito killers do you guys use at home? The ones that really work, ha? Thanks in advance! 🙂