I agree with you about the pesticides. The first step is to clearly identify these pests and then go from there.

In NY our biggest pests are cockroaches. My husband loves to spray; I have asthma and try to discourage him; I have made homemade remedies catching these pests with something sweet in a jar; they go in but they can't get out; it doesn't completely solve our problems but it reduces the population. They really love soda or coffee with sugar. We have placed boric acid in corners of the kitchen and my husband buys those things they eat and then die and some gels that have the same results. I wonder how toxic these things must be for my house. These guys can crawl into a microwave and still live after being zapped many times.

Bleach seems to kill everything but that is full of chemicals too; I wonder how unhealthy that is. i learned about the benefits of plastic bags when my children were in elementary school and their school had a lice epedemic; I went nuts and bagged everything; our pediatrician suggested this; some parents threw all linens, clothing and stuffed animals away; I left everything in plastic bags for 4 weeks; and stripped all the rooms in our house; it was a nightmare but I did not want to take any chances; I also kept my children's hair in braids and made sure they kept their belongings in plastic bags away from everyone else's things.

Because of my allergies I never use an exterminator so I look forward to any suggestions you may have in regard to NYC cockroaches.