Ages ago I blogged about my experiences with Parktown Prawns.
I have just approved a comment from Mike on that post that I couldn’t help but republishing.
We found out about parktown prawns the hard way. One morning, my father woke up one morning and opened his eyes to see the underneath of a large adult prawn sitting on his face. Well, let me just say that his head hit the light fitting.
Since then, I have had a few incidents. I put on shoes, tied the laces and only then did I feel something walking around on my foot. I’m so glad I wear socks with shoes.
A few days ago, I put on a pair of jeans and sat down to put my shoes on and felt a prick in the side of my leg, like a black jack or something. So I rubbed it a bit and the spikey feeling moved all the way down my leg as I prodded at it until a small parktown prawn popped out the bottom.
In the last two weeks, I have had at least one parktown prawn in my house every 2 days. I must have a nest in the garden and my stupid cats seem to enjoy bringing them in to play.
I think the best way to get rid of them is with a tennis racket, a container that can close and a brick. (This is a two man approach):
Step1:
Approach slowly with the tennis racket while your partner stands by with the container and lid.
Step 2:
Prod the prawn to make it jump.
Step 3:
When it jumps, take a full swing with the racket, if you hit it against the wall hard enough, you may knock it out temporarily.
Step 4:
Quickly, get the prawn in the container before it recovers, move fast, it does not take long.
Step 5:
Find a solid piece of ground outside, this is the messy part.
Step 6:
Shake the container rapidly to knock the prawn out and chuck it on the ground.
Step 7:
Flatten the prawn with the brick.
Step 8:
Clean up the mess before the other prawns find out.
Step 9:
Run inside and lock all the doors and windows.
Step 10:
Seek councelling..
claudie 10:42 am on October 17, 2008 Permalink
I absolutely hate summer because of all the goggas that come out at thi time of the year, especially parktown prawns. Can someboby please tell me how to get rid of these gross creatures. I have tried snail bait, it worked for a while but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything anymore.
I don’t sleep at night because I fear waking up with one in my bed or on my pillow. I find that I am always tired because of not sleeping and all I hear all night is their constant noise from my garden. Please Help!!!!
Michelle 1:54 pm on October 28, 2008 Permalink
Hi. I had my first encounter with these disgusting!!!! alien-like!!!! yucky things two nights ago and EVERY night since then. I am a single mother with a son of 6years old!!! We hardly sleep at night either. I am so afraid TERRIFIED of being confronted by these things. I also found that the only way to kill these things is by throwing something hard on it and stomping on it!!! I’m a hefty girl and this morning not even my weight helped kill it!!!! I had to actually throw a brick on top of the thing to make sure that it was DEAD!!! All I know is – I want to move from where I am staying!!!!! they are horrible scarey creatures and anybody who hasn’t experienced it wouldn’t understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kim 1:59 pm on November 12, 2008 Permalink
Eeeiw! I had a 45 minute war with a Parkie this morning – horrible horrible !! Eventually, a whole tin of Doom ( a large tin) sprayed directly onto the parkie whilst it was in a small space (under the sewing table – so the gap was rather small..) and this helped kill this horrible creature! Anyone watching would have a classic for candid camera…. I dread going home – there are about 15 tupperware containers ( I don’t know why I bother with them because I cannot get close enought to put the container on top of the horrible creature!!), shoes, empty tims of Doom , Target and the like…. I can feel them all over my skin – they are my worst nightmare come true! I hate the rains because it brings these horrible things out…. I was all alone – no-one to even protect and be brave about…. so I screamed and sprayed the thing to death…… My worst nightmare may still come true – maybe when I get hiome, he is not under the sewing table… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK !!
jenine 2:06 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink
Eish.. Where exactly in Jhb are these horrid things prominent. I don’t live near Jhb nor do I want to.. I’m terrified of these insects! As Kim says… a nightmare come true.. It’s boiling hot today.. yet the mere thought of them sends shivers down my spine… Please someone tell me.. If I ever visit the Lovely city of Jozi.. what areas do I avoid???????? PLEEEEEEASE!!!!!
Dee 11:37 pm on February 3, 2009 Permalink
Hi there
I stay on the West Rand (Honeydew Area) and we have alot of these yukky park town prawns especially when it rains. I really want to move as I cannot handle them. If there is one around, I scream for my husband to get rid of it.(the only way that seems to work (without getting goo all over u) is to take a plastic packet inside out, grab them so that they are inside the packet. Tie it tightly and throw away. They are absolutely ghastly and scare me to bits…….(they also stink quite badly..they let off a smell when threatened)…i want to move because of them..they are like aliens or something..hideous creatures!!!!
I am going to move back to CT!!!!!!!!!! We have one in the house somewhere. They are extremely fast…one minute they are here and the next minute gone….never ever in my life have I seen such ugly things….well now u know.
VAUGHAN 12:58 pm on February 9, 2009 Permalink
Easiest way to kill a parktown prawn is to get sunlight liquid, throw a bit over its face and the thing will suffocate, trust me tried and tested
Janine-Lee 2:30 am on November 3, 2009 Permalink
A can of doom does not work. I recently moved to a new area in Jhb and in my 2 years living up here I have never experienced any encounters with them until now. A can of doom does NOT work. Dyroach does seem to do the trick though. I get woken up hearing these things trying to get in after the rains. They are horrid. I dont sleep at night and I hate being at my place at night. I have an empty jar at hand with the can of Dyroach now. They die down after a few minutes. I want to move. My boyfriend has little sympathy and says I can’t let an insect dictate my sleeping hours. He sleeps like a rock and doesnt live there anyway, I need to know what can repell them. Stupid Pest Magic works for everything else except the. Please help…anyone.
Ruth 2:53 pm on November 5, 2009 Permalink
I had an experience this morning with one on my pillow………I did a Matrix Keenanu Reeves move out the bed. I was screaming the previous night as it was in my room, I have wooden floors and you can imagine the attraction.
Ruth 2:56 pm on November 5, 2009 Permalink
Vaughan – I see the sales curve of sunlight liquid escalating….!!!!!!!!!!!
i will get a water gun !!
Lynda Bacon 11:05 am on December 4, 2009 Permalink
We live in Bromhof and have an infestation in our garden!!! Originally we were loathe to kill God’s creatures who were said to be good for the garden. The odd one or two were fine, but two nights ago killed 6 inside our house and last night our visitors discovered a nest and one brave lady just stomped on about six of them at the front gate. While enjoying the braai on the patio we could HEAR them moving amongst the plants before they decided to join us on the patio. Where the stomper was again summoned ! The hardware store has recommended Slugem, so let’s see…….
Tania 9:51 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink
Hi, my cat drags them into the house still alive!!! He brings them into my bedroom, and this morning one jumped onto the bed!!
Is it the wooden floors that attract them? I had wooden floor put in 6 months ago and with all the rain lately the cat has brought about 30 into the house in the past two months!!!
I have a mortal fear of roaches, so just imagine my fear of these things!! I even want to get rid of the cat!!!
Apparently they kill all the cut worms and slugs in your garden, and in turn the Hadida eats them again, but they are not doing a good job of it!!! Maybe I should keep a flock of Hadida as pets?
Please help, I am going to have a heart attack one of these days!!!
J 2:29 pm on January 4, 2010 Permalink
You can squish them. You have to stand on them pretty hard though… and they pop. That’s pretty gross though. And then you have to clean up all the gross squishiness even if it’s outside or it stinks… horribly.
The other way is dishwash liquid… I’m guessing this does something similar to what jik does. You can dilute it with a little bit of water and pour it on them. If you get a decent amount on it, it usually dies within seconds but it’s pretty difficult to get close enough to something that creepy looking to pour the solution on properly. I’m thinking of getting a really good water pistol so I can shoot it from a distance cos they pretty much jump straight at you… and if that works, I’m going prawn hunting.
Here’s something scary that I’ve read though… they can lay anything between 80-200 eggs…it creeps me out just typing that.
Jacques 8:23 am on January 19, 2010 Permalink
If you think they only in Joburg think again .I stay in Centurion and this morning my wife alost gave me a heart attack when she came out the bathroom and one was walking towards her. I also think the only way to get rid is to chase them into a bucket and the put them on a hard surface and throw a brick on them .
CP 10:42 pm on January 19, 2010 Permalink
Imagine my suprise when I’m sitting on the loo one day, minding my own business in the middle of doing my business when one walked past my foot …. WTF !!!! That’s shortest recorded “you know what” in history of man. Oh boy, did I have trouble stopping the unexplained diaree (LOL) We have a good laugh now … I found that throwing boiling water on them works quite well !!!
Anne 12:17 am on January 23, 2010 Permalink
You can’t throw bricks in the house…. I use a stack of old magazines (about 6 of them) that I lift as high as I can, wait for it to get away from the wall and then throw down with all my might. The size of the magazines makes it easier not to miss and only once was it not completely dead when I missed half of the body. Also, if you leave the magazines there for a day or three it’s sort of easier to clean and I haven’t smelled anything yet. But I will try the sunlight (and jik just in case) in the water pistol – should be less messy. O yes, my two cats, two small dogs and 33kg Labrador are also scared of them…..
Janice 6:24 pm on January 25, 2010 Permalink
Aha! I have finally figured out a way to get rid of the damn things. I’ve trained my Daxie to catch them – he savours pulling them apart limb by limb. If anyone out there has a dog training school – here’s something useful you can train dogs to do – go get ‘em!!
Livio 3:06 pm on January 26, 2010 Permalink
Solutions to Get Rid of Parktown Prawns:
These creatures love damp and wet areas where moss grows and where there are lush vegetation of plants. After the rain, most gardens become wet and this is when you are most vulnerable to find one of these PP in your house. Here’s what to do:
1) Use BLUE DEATH insect killer powder, and lavishly pour it at the entrances of your door, this immediately repels them, but be generous and careful that your cat does not walk on the BlueDeath powder. This protects the home entrances form other insects such as spiders and roaches. Last night I applied some at my door and there was one large Parky Prawn waiting and as soon as I threw Blue death on it, it immediately jumped into the fishpond.
2) Apply sunlight liquid on it if you encountered by a Parky prawn. Sand far, aim carefully and squirt / shoot at the parky that will immediately jump.
3) Cut tall grass and lawn as these buggers loves to hide in your gardens and come out at night. Dilute sunlight liquid in a bucket of hot water and be generous with enough sunlight and make a thick foam bucket of water and pour it outside your entrances to prevent them from coming
Hope this was helpful and let me know if you were successful.
Livio