Well, I have the same 'situation' here in NJ. But I planted mine! I am going to try to 'cook' my problem--no, not stir fry. I have read about the technique of eliminating running bamboo but doing the following...

1) cut all growth to the ground
2) apply fertilizer
3) cover with clear pastic tarp
4) let the summer sun bake te rhizomes (they will rot away)

I am only wondering about the clear tarp part. Wouldn't a dark colored tarp also work? Well, that is what I am doing. I am not about to dig out all those roots! Live and LEARN!

Yes. Dig up all plants and runners. Sorry you are having problems with this, but in GA bamboo will even break into foundations and grow into homes. Covering with a tarp will not rot any rhizomes - it will keep them moist and they will multiply faster. Digging is the way to get rid of them, and they can be quite deep in the soil.

I had a huge bamboo patch in Atlanta and got rid of if. Here is how I did? I posted and add on Craigslist saying free bamboo. All sorts of people wrote to me. I gave my address to the ones that did not sound crazy. I told them that they had to cut themselves and clean up. They took care of the cutting part which is the easy part. Then you have to deal with the stalks. I used a sledge hammer to break them off but my neighbord paid someone to till it. Next you have to deal with the re-sprouts. Once the whole patch is gone the plant will resprout with a vengeance. For each new sprout I cut it to the ground and applied round up (actually i bought remuda 40% from ace hardware for 1/3 of the price of round up - it is the same active ingredient glyphosate). I kept doing it for 6 months. First I cut new sprouts every 5 days, a couple of weeks, and then kept inspecting it each month. We got rid of the bamboo in less than a year, and most people would agree that it takes 5 years. I have to say that if you consistent and apply round up to every new shoot you will succeed, miss one shoot though and it will grow back again. Hope this helps

I basically used the same method as hpdutra except for the first time - I was brushing on Roundup (I thought), spent hours crawling around, clipping at the base, brushing with my mix. At the end of the day I found I'd reached for the wrong gallon container and had used Insecticidal Soap by mistake. Doh.

So, waited for a bit of regrowth, used a strong Roundup mix. Second time was a success, with followup brushing as new shoots emerged. Long story short, it's very do-able.

Rosie, in Sugar Hill