If you scrap outside in the south, you'll always find the large American cockroach in cool moist hidden spots. They definitely get indoors, but are primarily adapted to living outside and are pretty easy to control as you move inventory inside. The German cockroaches are the real pita. They breed profusely, hide well, and seem to tolerate higher temperatures and less moisture. They can run amok indoors if they are not managed and love to hide in electronics among other places. In the south, if you don't spray regularly they can get out of control pretty fast.
I do all my initial breakdowns outdoors, in part because of the roach issues. Like olddude says its just part of the cost of living and scrapping in the south. I'd say about 1/4 of all consumer electronics I open have some level of infestation in them so I'm no stranger to the problem
Anyway, last week I had a cleanup and I've got to admit I got beat and conceded defeat at about 98% completion. I got the bulk of the stuff out but there were some rooms and areas I just could not work in any longer. When the walls and floors appear to be moving because of the bugs and the roach smell is burning the back of your throat, it's time for a strategic retreat to do some exterminating. You know it's bad when you're happy to get to the dump to unload the trailer, and you feel cleaner being at the dump than at the load site.
On the last hour of the cleanup, finishing out some odds and ends outside a little girl, maybe 8 years old walked up started following me around "helping". She finally asked me if I found any of her toys, could I save them for her. Obviously, all her toys were long gone, but Mrs. erewen found a few new toys and found out where the little girl had moved to.
Happy to be back scrapping under my shade tree this week, and thankful for my blessings.
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