Roach's love, and this is a phrase used in the pest control world, is cracks and crevices.

So a roach is extremely happy if they have their feet on one surface and their back is against another surface.

I'm Christine Zier-Clissette. I'm Kyra Blackwell. I'm Rosie Sirclicette.

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

I'm Rosie Garan.

And you're listening to The Wirecutter Show.

All right, Kyra and Christine, it's time for us to finish a task we started months ago.

Ooh, what is it?

Well, last fall, you'll recall, we did an episode about how to get rid of mice and rats.

Oh, how did I forget?

Yes. It was a real skin crawler.

This spring, we did one, of course, on combating mosquitoes and ticks.

Yes, everyone's favorite. Everyone's favorite. How to keep those off your clothes in person.

Now the trifecta is completed because sadly, we have to talk about roaches and ants.

I don't really like this sequel. This is the worst. This is the worst of the trifecta, I think. Have you all dealt with them? You both live in New York. I've had them, but not like roach infestations. I've never had that problem. I have. I sure. I sure have too. I have. This is my second apartment in New York many, many years ago. I met a friend over who came out of our bathroom, white as a ghost.

And she was, like, trembling said that she found a giant roach on the head of one of our toothbrushes.

I thought we were never going to see her again.

It was horrible.

Well, okay, obviously a roach infestation is disgusting. An ants are pretty bad too. Ants are gross, too.

These are not fun problems to have. And sometimes the solution is pretty simple, just clean up,

but sometimes the answer is not so simple. Sometimes it's like pervasive. It's really hard to take care of. And so today we are going to call our favorite pest management expert, Wirecutter senior staff writer Doug Mahoney, who has also shared with us how to get rid of other creepy, crawly things in your home.

If you're a regular listener of the show, you probably already know Doug, and you might also remember that he lives on a hobby farm in New Hampshire, where he has combated rats in

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