We didn't have cockroaches in Berkeley.
Now we live in Texas.
And my kids are really into gingerbread houses.
So I don't have to be Grinch-mama, I need to come up with alternate building materials so they can make a gingerbread house that won't attract insects the size of my thumb.
Thick cardboard for the walls seems like a given.
I'm sure I can find some plastic beads or something at Michael's that will look like candy.
But other than buying a tube of caulk at the hardware store, how do I get an adhesive to glue everything together that will have the weight and look of royal icing?
Who has ideas?
This lady is doing exactly along the lines of what you are thinking and used caulk. However that was for looks and I think she hot glued the actual components on. I wouldn't use hot glue, I'd try something kid-safer but durable like ModPodge.
Another option might be white clay or sculpting putty that dries after application; check out what Michael's has while you're there for the beads. You could also use any goop and then paint it white.
Another thought: make tiny edible gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, and eat them or store them in the freezer away from critters. And then for something you can display, make a NON-gingerbread themed diorama using supplies from the hobby store which you can display (the idea being if they CAN have their gingerbread houses and eat them, then maybe whatever you put on display can be something different).
Have you tried shoe boxes.
Have you tried shoe boxes.
no, they love that stuff. Perfect for nests.
This lady is doing exactly along the lines of what you are thinking and used caulk. However that was for looks and I think she hot glued the actual components on. I wouldn't use hot glue, I'd try something kid-safer but durable like ModPodge.
Another option might be white clay or sculpting putty that dries after application; check out what Michael's has while you're there for the beads. You could also use any goop and then paint it white.
Another thought: make tiny edible gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, and eat them or store them in the freezer away from critters. And then for something you can display, make a NON-gingerbread themed diorama using supplies from the hobby store which you can display (the idea being if they CAN have their gingerbread houses and eat them, then maybe whatever you put on display can be something different).
deathquaker is on the right track here. Best thing to do with roaches is to deny them food and comfort- but the ones I am familiar with around here LOVE to eat glue...or anything that isnt poison(and even then they will sacrifice a generation so the next is resistant). I would say make your usual gingerbread homes, but store it under glass so kids have access to it and it isn't a frozen, tooth chipping piece of art.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Oh, and Borax powder is cheap and looks a lot like snow AND chokes the life slowly out of cockroaches.
But you need to be really sure kids don't ingest it themselves. And it can be a bit of a pain to clean up when it spills. On the other hand, it also helps get your undies nice and clean.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The big box home improvement stores used to sell 4' x 8' sheets of luan "plywood" that was just under 1/8" thick. It's technically plywood because it's laminated from opposing grain layers, but it was very easy to cut. It'd be more than sturdy enough for a gingerbread house, but it's too flimsy for anything much more demanding. (We used to cut the sheets into pieces to wrap the surfaces of hardwood stairway stringers & treads, protecting them from accidents/clumsiness of other contractors on the same job.)
And if you're at the home improvement store, instead of caulk, you could pick up a tube of construction adhesive ("liquid nails") to glue the house pieces together. Just use the basic, unfancy, generic version not the heavy-duty or specialized application stuff. A tube of it fits into a caulking gun, which might be unwieldy for the delicate work, so you might need to squeeze a bit onto some scrap cardboard like an artist's paint tray/palette and use a sliver of wood to spread/paint it on. Be careful though, it's sticky as heck, and can get everywhere until it sets up. You can probably squeeze a bunch into an empty Elmer's glue squeeze bottle, then use the squeeze bottles smaller tip for precision work, but it starts to set up when exposed to air, so you'd likely only have about 10-15 minutes or so working time.
Regular inexpensive caulk that cleans off with soap & water (not the silicon stuff) until it sets can probably be thinned down with a little water in an empty Elmer's glue squeeze bottle, then squeezed out in a thin bead through the small tip. Maybe you can use it to decorate the house trim like you would thin piped icing?
Oh, and Borax powder is cheap and looks a lot like snow AND chokes the life slowly out of cockroaches.
But you need to be really sure kids don't ingest it themselves. And it can be a bit of a pain to clean up when it spills. On the other hand, it also helps get your undies nice and clean.
It's also great for creating slimes.