Got cockroaches?

You might have those unwelcome icky pests a lot longer unless you’re not afraid to bust out the rubber slipper.

HoyHoy Trap-A-Roach — a staple in many Hawaii households — is trapped in U.S. Customs and Border Protection just in time for the hot and humid summer conditions that are ripe for those flying B-52 bombers. HoyHoy has been sold out at many Hawaii stores for weeks.

Wismettac Asian Foods Inc., distributor of the roach houses (complete with foot mats), said in a June 7 letter to customers that HoyHoy traps are temporarily unavailable as its manufacturer, Earth Chemical, relabels its packaging to comply with federal regulations set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A letter was taped to a shelf at the Don Quijote store on Kaheka Street.

“Earth Chemical is diligently working to conform to the concerns as addressed by the EPA,” Hiro Ikejiri, Wismettac Hawaii assistant branch manager, said in the notice. “At this time, we hope to have the product available for distribution (in) late August-early September.”

Ikejiri, who did not return calls for comment, also wrote that the roach traps remain safe for use.

“HoyHoy is basically a glue trap, but the bottom line is there needs to be the proper labeling to meet the federal requirements,” said Dean Higuchi, a spokesman for the EPA in Hawaii. “It doesn’t sound like the product is canceled. It sounds like they’re needing to fix the labeling on the packaging.”

It is unclear what the company needs to modify on the label to meet federal EPA requirements. The EPA regulates all pesticide products, as well as products that claim to kill germs.

Kapahulu resident Steve Oshiro, 50, was shopping at Don Quijote on Thursday but did not find the brand of roach traps he’s been using since he was a kid.

“That’s the one we usually buy, HoyHoy. It’s been around for 40, 50 years, I think,” he said. “We just found that it’s effective for our problems. We have a washroom, and for some reason there’s a lot (of roaches) … so we set the traps in the washroom. It’s pretty bad, especially when that room is dark because it’s connected to the garage. When you flip on the light, you can see the roaches running around.”

There are 19 species of cockroaches in Hawaii, the most prevalent of which are the large, flying American roaches (known as B-52s); small but plentiful German pests; and the so-called burrowing cockroach found frequently in yards, according to Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions.

“I hate it,” said Christina Urayama, 34, who moved to Hawaii last year after living in Northern California for more than a decade. “I can’t even get close to the room where the cockroaches are. Last year I was living in Northern California and there’s no cockroaches over there, and then I moved here to Hawaii and there’s tons. I think the warm temperature will bring the cockroaches in. I need (HoyHoy).”