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We were talking about cockroaches with my friend the other day.
The interesting dance black people have been doing over the years with these dirty crawlies.
Pest control has been one of the perennial challenges in overcrowded townships and informal settlements.
My friend told me about the latest craze of an unnamed solution that everyone swears by on social media. This craze happened during one of my social media detox periods and I missed it. The clear solution is sold in a micro spray bottle that is so small it will not even fit a child’s hand.
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Apparently you just need a drop to kill hundreds. You are advised to spray a small “pssst” measurement, as you would when dabbing on expensive perfume.
Tons of testimonials shared on TikTok, where this craze went viral, say that when you open the door the next morning, you will be met by a black carpet of dead insects. There is a big warning that the product is dangerous and must not be inhaled.
It is not unheard of for a buyer to say: “I don’t need to know the ingredients of this product, I need to see many dead cockroaches.”
Apparently, the sales of this solution skyrocketed so high that a well-known insecticide company issued a press release, warning buyers about the dangers of using an industrial chemical that is harmful to humans.
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The little spray bottle is but one of the many mysterious products on pest control that have flooded the informal market over the years.
Some years ago, a product, only known as borotho (bread), to eliminate cockroaches became a staple in many a home until a new kid simply called The Chalk toppled Mr Bread over.
As long as many people still live in inhabitable human zoos where overcrowding, lack of sanitation and uncollected waste are a challenge, these unconventional methods of pest-control will keep making an appearance. Beware!
