Comments on: The best way to kill a Parktown Prawn

By: sammi

sammi — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:42:26 +0000

Oh my soul! I hate parkies!

I had one in my room the other night and before we could catch it it climbed into a gap btween my woodem flooring and the wall. Needless to say I vacated my room for the night. Sigh. It was a wasted effort though, since another one decided to join me in the other room, on the bed at 02:00! Worst night ever!

A couple of days ago another one climbed into the gap. I taped it in with masking tape so it couldn’t come out and torment me. This might seem cruel, but I was suffering from sleep-deprivation and I really do hate them.

Its kind of funny, I suspect there might be one in my room at this very moment. I can’t seem to find it, but I definitely heard SOMETHING and the dog isn’t interested in helping *rolls eyes*. Let’s hope its just some other little bug, like a christmas beetle or a moth or something like that

By: Geoff

Geoff — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:32:16 +0000

Tonight when I turned around in my chair a PP was approaching my shoe, so I instinctively stomped on it. Its guts burst open and within 30 seconds, thin 1 to 1.5 mm diameter tubes started to unfold from its stomach. I thought it was intestines, but the tubes continued to get longer even though I couldn’t see the ends. After a minute or two the ends of these tubes appeared and it was clear that they were some sort of worms. Two complete worms slithered out of the PP and began to writhe on the ground. I have taken a photo of the worms and I have placed them in a sealed bottle. One was at least 250mm long and the other slightly thinner one about 200mm.

I can not believe that these “parasites” were inside the PP as there could not be enough space for them and still leave enough goo from the squashed guts. This is so creepy and confirms that these insects are straight from a science fiction horror movie, the creepy crawly from Hell.

Does anyone know what the parasite worms could be and has anyone ever seen this before?

By: Wally Barber

Wally Barber — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:45:45 +0000

Although the Parktown Prawn is not pleasant looking, it is a docile, harmless creature, and extremely beneficial to have in your garden, it eats snails and dying vegetable matter. I have also never heard of any person being bitten by this very useful creature.
It is very unlikely that the cat would bring them in because when a cat tries to catch them or pick them up they will spray a horrible tasting black fecal liquid into the cats mouth and the cat will let it go. Chickens don’t even eat them because of the spray.
Parktown Prawns can climb walls, and they will enter any gap under a door or open window. They are mostly active at night and come in in their search for food.
The best method of keeping them out of the house is to make sure there are no gaps under your doors where they can get in. If they do get in just take a bottle and calmly place the bottle over them, they are slow moving creatures if they are not scared but can jump and run if threatend, once under the bottle slide a piece of cardboard under the bottle and you can take it outside again.
Avoid having things lying around the garden where they can crawl under during the day, especially in damp places. They burrow under the ground and breed there so a well kept garden with little place to hide during the day would keep numbers down to a minimum.
Parktown Prawns are very beneficial to the enviroment, don’t kill them, rather place them in a bottle and take them away from your property. They will also attract the Hadida bird to your garden.
Best regards,
Wally Barber

By: Naturteboy

Naturteboy — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:58:34 +0000

Hi
they are harless, packed with protene actualy. You can eat them. Just burst open the outside and them suck the black stuff out. It tasts like marmite.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:24:34 +0000

Hi,
Loved the blog, if you come up with a plan to kill these things that I can do on my own please let me know. My cat brings them into the house, love my cat so getting rid of cat isn’t an option.

By: Malcom

Malcom — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:27:01 +0000

Ok a method that has worked quite well for me…. Coke bottle trap and Doom (the Doom seems to work in the closed space of the trap)

Ok so cut the top of the bottle off about 1 or 2 cm before it the cone part ends. Find something tasty for the prawn (anything basically but they love bones or meat leftovers, something smelly) and put it into the bottle. Put the top back into the bottle reversed so it makes a funnel for the bastard to climb in. Angle the cone so the opening is right against the side. Tape together firmly.

Most important the trap must lie so that the opening is as high as possible to help prevent it climbing out (happens sometimes, they are actually intelligent aliens). Tape some paper on the “ramp” up to the hole so they dont slip on the plastic and can climb up and into the bottle. Now dribble a bit of food or scent on the paper to attract them up it.

Ok so trap ready to go, lay it on its side against a wall as they always stick to the walls. Make sure its lying with the opening at the top, logical I think.

Wait untill you see your target is inside and trapped. Now put the bottle upright and give a good solid 5 second spray of Doom into the bottle. WARNING it will go crazy!! now is when you pray it doesnt find the hole, you might want to plug it with something. After 10 min or so it should be dead, if not give it more Doom to suck on.

Good luck, I am glad I dont have to deal with these nightmares anymore!!!!!

By: She’s been living in a Parktown lawn – Rob in South Africa

She’s been living in a Parktown lawn – Rob in South Africa — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:46:37 +0000

[...] did happen. It involved a lot of nervy waiting (according to one guy the best way to kill them is with a tennis racquet) to see what the thing would do, as Wikipedia told me it has the following [...]

By: SANDRA

SANDRA — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:00:27 +0000

It’s the most disgusting creature I have ever come across. Not only do the take over your privacy, but they still have the audacity to turn and confront you. I have several articles; unfortunately none inform us how to get rid of such a creature.
My experiences thus far seem to be the easiest, in how to kill a PP.
• Get yourself a / few bottles of dishwasher (sunlight preferably) and have it around your house.
• If you come across one or more, from a distance just squirt, enough to slow them down or from jumping.
• Switch on the kettle or get someone to help you, while you keep an eye on this famous creature.
• Once the water is hot / boiled, just simply throw over it.
The sunlight is just a way to slow them down, in order to throw the hot water. Trust me it works like a bomb. They die immediately and no mess or fuss from their side.

By: Kate Boddington

Kate Boddington — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:02:37 +0000

Dear All

I’m intrigued by this thread about Parktown Prawns, I’m based in the UK so we don’t get them over here and I’m currently researching for an Animal Planet series about infestations.

These creatures sound curious to me and we are looking for case studies of extraordinary infestations and it certainly sounds like the Parktown Prawn could be a contender!

Would anyone be interested in chatting to me about their experiences?

Do get in touch on kate.boddington@darlowsmithson.com

Thanks

Kate

By: Riaan

Riaan — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:26:24 +0000

We’re staying in Roodekrans, West Rand. For the past week, we have found at least 2 of em per day! Today I had to kill two already! (And it’s only 10am!) I’m really tired of them and are going to try blue death and sunlight in a spray bottle. Going to the store right now!

I’ll also ask the gardener on Thursday he must look for them in the garden so we can put poison at the nest. 80-200 eggs!!! I do not want to keep a single one alive that’ll bring another 80 into the house!

I have 2x English Bulldogs and will make sure not to put any poison where they can reach it.