Anyone Deal with Roaches?

Question

Has anyone had roaches in a property? Any tips? There were 6 spotted over a month. Pest control came 2 weeks ago, but since, two more have been spotted, and we are bringing pest control back. Tenants are fairly clean, but they have little kids (read: sometimes crumbs) and also use cardboard boxes for storage in the basement.

Divin Kanyama · Answer

@Alyssa Rea Six sightings over a month are worth taking seriously, but they do not necessarily indicate a severe infestation. Roach treatments often require multiple visits because eggs and insects hidden in wall voids may survive the initial service, so bringing pest control back is a sensible next step. Ask the technician to identify the species, inspect likely entry points and moisture sources, and outline the treatment and follow-up schedule. In the meantime, replacing basement cardboard with sealed plastic bins can remove a common hiding place. Food should be stored in closed containers, crumbs and grease cleaned promptly, trash removed regularly, and each sighting logged by date and location. It is also helpful to check under sinks, behind appliances, around plumbing penetrations, and anywhere leaks may be present. With young children in the home, avoid adding store-bought sprays or foggers unless the licensed pest professional recommends them, since they may interfere with bait treatments and create unnecessary exposure. Consistent follow-up, sanitation, moisture control, and sealing entry points will give the pest company the best chance of resolving the issue.

Patrick O'Sullivan · Answer

Ask your tech which species they found, because the fix is different. With kids in the unit, leave the treatment to the pro.

Jim Johnson · Answer

A couple more sightings two weeks after treatment wouldn’t make me panic yet, especially with pest control already coming back. A few things I’d stay on top of:

• Get the cardboard boxes out of the basement.
• Keep food and crumbs cleaned up as much as possible.
• Ask pest control to identify where they’re likely coming from, not just treat the visible activity.
• Check for moisture or leaks around kitchens, bathrooms, and the basement.

Get the cardboard boxes out of the basement.

Keep food and crumbs cleaned up as much as possible.

Ask pest control to identify where they’re likely coming from, not just treat the visible activity.

Check for moisture or leaks around kitchens, bathrooms, and the basement.

The follow-up treatments are important. Roaches usually aren’t something I’d expect one visit to completely solve.

Richard (Ryszard) Cieplechowicz · Answer

The chemistry is covered above, so here is the process side from the management office.

One visit almost never finishes roaches. Whatever the company applies, plan on follow-up treatments every two to three weeks until you have had two to three weeks with zero sightings, and get that schedule in writing up front instead of calling them back ad hoc. Seeing a couple after the first treatment is normal. The gel baits work by being carried back to the nest, and that takes time.

Since the neighbor's house is the likely source, treatment alone will not hold. Ask the tech to treat along the shared-wall side and seal the entry points on that side: gaps around pipes under sinks, behind the stove and fridge, baseboard gaps, and outlet boxes on the shared wall. A roach needs a gap about the thickness of a dime.

On the tenant side, the cardboard boxes in the basement are a bigger issue than the crumbs. Cardboard is shelter and food, and egg cases ride in on it. Ask the tenants to swap boxes for plastic bins with lids, and frame it as helping the treatment work, not as blame. You want them reporting sightings, not hiding them.

And keep a simple log: date spotted, date treated, what was applied, what they recommended. If this ever turns into a habitability dispute, that log is your whole defense.

Marc Winter · Answer

@Richard F. is correct about the Boric Acid. Additionally, use the bait syringes widely available. Put smaller-than-a-pea drops around the area where they spotted the bugs, and under sinks, around dishwashers, stove, and refrig. Roaches love toasters, too.

The idea is to get one to eat or brush up against the chemicals, then go back to the nest to die. Roaches are cannibals, so when they consume the dead roach, they themselves will die from the chemicals from the corpse.

Ugly, right? But that's the cycle. Keep baiting monthly--just small drops will do fine. Not recommended for consumption by any human, tenant, or pet (or service animals, lol).

Richard F. · Answer

For every one you see in daylight, there are likely 1000 behind the walls.

Good housekeeping is critical, but you need to get to the source. Boric acid (which is a powder) work well when appropriately placed. The bugs track it back to the nest, and help with the eradication. It is low risk around kids and pets when safely applied. Under and behind range and refer, along the back corner of sink base cabinet interiors, under carpet before installation, especially around the edges, and behind baseboards with gaps at top edge are all great locations. Also, if you open a wall, or remove a tub surround, sprinkle some in the wall cavities and around any plumbing or prior water damage areas.

They reproduce at around 10 days, so a second treatment is not unusual, but a lot will depend on how thorough the treatment was. The critters also become adapted to chemical treatments that are repeated over time, you need to change brands/ingredients for both sprays and staionary bait stations. They do not become resistant to boric acid, as the action is actually physical. The crystals are ingested and attacks their nervous system.

Diana Khan · Answer

@Alyssa Rea, I would keep working with the pest control company, especially since you are still seeing activity after the first treatment. I would also keep a record of when the tenants reported the issue, when pest control came out, what they found, and what they recommended. I would not assume the tenants are causing it just because there are occasional crumbs or boxes.

I’ve worked with landlords where a maintenance issue later became a bigger tenant concern, and having good records of how quickly the landlord responded and what was done made a big difference. I like to see landlords address the problem early and keep the communication with the tenant clear along the way. I like this topic, @Alyssa Rea, because maintenance issues can quickly cross over into the landlord-tenant side of my real estate work. It sounds like you’re already taking action instead of ignoring it. Happy to stay connected, and I hope the next treatment gets it under control.

Anyone Deal with Roaches?

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