What can we do to end this problem! Please help :)

I our only solution to move??? Can there be a roach infestation so bad that it can’t be ended? HELP!

If you read our roach control article, you’ll learn that baiting is what we feel is the best approach for most any infestation. And from your message, it would seem that you’ve got bait being applied throughout the unit. But also in our article is a section about “repelling” roaches. This can be especially important when it comes to multiunit housing like apartments. This is because roaches can be cleaned out of one unit but because a neighboring unit has a bad problem, the cleaned out unit is subject to an never ending stream of roach activity. I suspect this is happening in your case.

I say this because really, there is only one of two things happening. One, the roaches you’re seeing are in fact living in your unit or two, they’re coming from an adjoining apartment. Now if it’s situation one, then the bait and spray that’s been applied would take of any living roaches as long as you’ve removed all the bait like you claim  you’ve done. That leaves situation two.

And if you’re getting roaches that are traveling through electric conduits, electric wall sockets, light switches, light fixtures, pipe holes in the wall, etc., the problem will be never ending until you set up a barrier through which foraging roaches won’t ignore. And how do you do this?

Apply DRIONE to every port or route of entry into your unit. Gas lines, electric lines, drain pipes – basically anything that goes into the wall or ceiling is a port through which roaches can enter. And as long as these ports remain open, you’ll no doubt keep open routes of entry that over time could allow lots of roaches to enter.

Apply the Drione with a HAND DUSTER to every void and focus attention on where you mostly see the roaches. Remember, there is no need to make a mess with the application and if you do it right, the dust will not interfere with the gel bait placements. If you stay the course you should be able to eliminate all routes of entry into your space and once you’ve achieved that goal, any roaches still in unit will no doubt consume some bait and die. At that point you’ll finally be roach free.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Roach Control Article:  http://www.germanroaches.com/roach-control

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Hand Duster:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/good/hand-dusters

Roaches are very social. They prefer to be around other roaches and unlike many mammals and even many other species of insects, they don’t fight over territory or mates. This means in general, colonies tend to get larger and larger over time and never “pushing” members away but quite the opposite. This is why they can be such a massive problem; their instinctive behavior lends itself to nests getting large.

When conditions for the colony are adverse, they will migrate. This is especially true for the larger roaches many of us refer to as waterbugs. These roaches are fast, strong and can travel long distances to avoid danger. Remember, danger to a roach could be a change of temperature, flooding or even extreme heat. Whatever the cause; if you reside close to an active population of waterbugs, chances are some will forage into your apartment if you leave it unprotected.

Since it sounds like you don’t want to spray, the WATERBUG PHEROMONE TRAPS would be a great option to start with for now. As stated above, roaches don’t want to leave where they have it so good. And yes, the traps do smell good to them but they don’t smell so good that they will lure roaches from remote areas to your apartment. What’s more likely to happen is that some waterbugs will be migrating away from a problem somewhere close to your unit. They’ll gain access to your location through a pipe or electric line power outlet and then “bam”, they’re inside! Once inside, they’ll immediately look for shelter, food and other roaches. If they are in the range of the traps, they’ll likely enter expecting to find other roaches but in fact will only get stuck.

So in summary, installing several of these traps throughout your apartment would be a wise defense for now. If you end up catching 1-5 waterbugs a month, the traps will probably do an adequate job of keeping them under control. But if you start catching more, I suggest going with some of the GEL. Very safe around mammals, this product is very effective on roaches and will keep them under wraps for sure.

Here are direct links for the products mentioned above:

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page701.html

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page12.html

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

The key to solving any roach problem consistency. As explained in our ROACH CONTROL ARTICLE, whether you choose to spray or bait, the key to long term roach control is you must be persistent in your effort. Having the pest control company spray every 2-4 weeks is critical but if you aren’t hitting key nest sites, chances are high the roaches will find these areas and live within the safe boundaries of these untreated regions. Since service technicians aren’t living in the structure and only visit periodically, it’s hard for them to ascertain these locations. The end result is a roach problem that  will remain unless these key locations are dealt with at some point.

To best deal with these areas the service company is probably missing, you can either spray or bait attempting to supplement their effort. Though this can help, in general we don’t see the homeowner can get good results when attempting to help by spraying. This is especially true if the products they employ are “old school” like a dust. Boric Acid is one of these old school products. Though it can have an impact, it’s mode of action is slow and unless the user is skilled on where to best apply it, rarely can one expect to eradicate a roach infestation by using Boric Acid alone. To avoid the short comings of dust formulations, we recommend the bait when supplementing any ongoing roach treatment program.

As explained in our article, the one problem with bait is that it can get contaminated when it comes in contact with other products like a residual dust or liquid. But there are ways to avoid this problem. The simplest is to make your placement where you are sure no one is spraying. This can be in a kitchen cabinet, up under the stove or microwave or maybe in a desk or dresser. There are many “spray free” locations if you just stop and think about it. Remember, the GEL BAIT only needs to be applied where you are seeing the roach activity. As our gel video shows, they love this stuff and will readily find it as long as you make placements close to where the roaches are being seen.

Another technique that’s equally effective is to make your placements on something non absorbing like a sandwich baggie. Small amounts squeezed inside a baggie and then laid out in sensitive areas will both keep the gel from getting contaminated as well as keeping it from touching sensitive objects. Just be sure everyone in the household knows this is being done – especially children – so no one inadvertently eats the placement. Though such placements should be small and non hazardous because only a small amount is needed, you should always avoid having non target animals like pets or people contacting the placements. Label any placements clearly and remove them when the problem is resolved.

Two last options that can really help are the ROACH BAIT STATIONS and ROACH TRAPS. The Traps are easy to use and can be placed anywhere as shown in this video.

The Bait Stations use the same active as the Gel and side by side are close in performance over the long run. Though the roaches don’t typically feed on the stations as quickly as the gel, you can get both the gel and the stations and then “inject” small amounts of gel into the stations just prior to placing them out. This will both protect the gel from getting contaminated as well as lure the roaches to the bait station that much faster. If you have further questions or concerns, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290.

We have not brought them inside, they are in our garage and greenhouse. I bombed the greenhouse 16 days ago, have not bombed boxes in garage.

A contractor told us about you, says you have better stuff than Home Depot.

1)       What can we use to treat the boxes?

2)       What can we use to kill the devils in her condo? We bombed her condo 2 days ago but there are still live roaches in there.

You don’t state if the condo is empty now or not. This will factor in on what you can use. As explained in our ROACH CONTROL article, the GEL BAIT is almost always the easiest and most effective roach remedy. But if you have full access to the key areas and locations in the condo, spraying can be quite effective. The ORTHENE PRO PELLETS with some GENTROL would be a great combination to employ. If the condo has been cleaned out and doesn’t have any readily available food around, the roaches will be ready to start foraging for food. If you’ve done a good job spraying, they’ll walk over treated surfaces which in theory should kill any that come in contact with the Orthene.

For the boxes still in storage, I’d stop “bombing”. Aerosols won’t penetrate the deep recesses of the boxes and if they did, it’s safe to say most of what you’re storing in them would be contaminated. Instead I suggest baiting with either the ROACH BAIT STATIONS or the ROACH GEL. Since there shouldn’t be much if any food close by, any roaches you transported should be real hungry and ready to feed. If so, the bait will quickly be found. Any that feed will die in a day or two.

All these items we have in stock and you can either come by to pick them up or have us ship them out. If you are in the Atlanta area, deliveries will only take 1 day. Give us a call at 770-985-9392 if you have further questions.

As explained in our ROACH CONTROL article, achieving success when treating for roaches can only be reached when three conditions are met. 1) You must have full access to the units being treated 2) You must get the tenants to “go along” with your roach control program and 3) You must use a combination of the right products.

With this in mind, I’ll assume you have access to the units you want to treat and that your tenants will follow “good housekeeping” guidelines. If this happens, you’re 95% of the way there.

The last step is insuring the right products are being applied. Though most people feel liquid spraying is the best way to control roaches, in many cases this is not true.  Currently we have many types and flavors of cockroach gel and bait which arguably works better than any spray. The great thing about using a bait is that you don’t have to be precise with where you make bait placements. Since the roaches natural do nothing but forage for food, any bait which “tastes” good will naturally attract roaches. All you need to do is get your placements as close to where the roach activity is being  reported. Since most roach infestations are identified by visual contact, it’s generally very easy to make such placements. When done right, such placements will quickly yield positive results and have a devastating impact on their numbers.

Now just what roach bait is best? There probably isn’t “best” roach bait but rather the best way to use them. This “best way” seems to be by employing two or three types at one location. Multiple flavors of roach bait applied ensures you’ll get quick acceptance by any roach actively foraging for food. Like people, roaches will vary their diet and like to change from time to time. Using a variety of roach bait ensures that any roach which changes it’s dietary consumption needs or wants will likely be switching over to an alternative bait! This strategy will yield faster and more effective roach management success.

One other benefit when using roach bait is that tenants won’t be able to complain about bad smelling spray or the amount of work they typically have to do in order to prepare their cabinets and other living spaces to be sprayed. In most situations, any of the bait we recommend can be applied safely and effectively with little to no preparation needed by tenants. ROACH GEL comes out in small doses that can be finely controlled with the use of our BLUE BAIT GUN. Small dabs about the size of a grain of rice can be placed every few feet in discreet locations that many times will not be visible to the naked eye. AVERT AEROSOL BAIT can be used for spaces, voids and other more open locations where the placement of gel will not be easy to make. And the new ADVION GEL is a great third flavor to introduce as needed; units which display an ongoing roach problem should probably be retreated with the Advion following the initial clean out or use it right from the start if the problem looks bad enough.

In summary, baiting for roaches is usually the best approach when initially trying to get a roach infestation under control. Four Plex units, condominiums, apartments  and even residential homes can all get roaches. These dwellings have so many crumbs laying around as well as great locations for roaches to safely nest and hide it’s a wonder we can ever keep them roach free in the first place. The great advantage of roach bait is the fact that it takes advantage of what roaches do most of the time: forage for food. Start setting out roach bait for your 4-Plex units and I’m sure you’ll be able to get your roach problem under control.

There’s a chance we’ll be asking them to move us to a new apartment if they’re not going to handle exterminating them here properly. My roommate and I were wondering what we do to prevent them from clinging to our stuff and taking them to the new apartment? Will washing our clothes be enough to kill them if they’re on them? And what should we do with our dishes etc? Basically just any helpful hints about moving so we don’t accidentally take them would be great. Thanks!

As you can read in our GERMAN ROACH CONTROL article, apartments are a common location to find active roaches. One of the big problems with apartments and controlling roach infestations stem from the fact that it is sometimes difficult to have access to all the units in the structure. Failure to treat the structure in a uniform fashion will make the problem difficult to control and seemingly never ending.

Keeping that in mind, we’ve learned the best way to handle invasive roaches is to take advantage of that which they want most: food. In general, roaches will only migrate and move as food and shelter becomes scarce where they currently reside. To take advantage of this behavior, apartments can prevent infestations by “pre-baiting”. The simple process of setting out some roach gel prior to acquiring a real infestation can really help. If you do relocate, it is strongly suggested that you pre-bait the new location. This will ensure a thorough baiting is both easy to do and properly applied but most importantly, it will control any roaches that may be present or attempting to invade from neighboring units.

As for your concerns regarding the moving and packing of your belongings; there really shouldn’t be much that has to be done. When packing clothes, books and other items, a visual inspection is really all that is needed. When disturbed, roaches tend to scatter so if any are uncovered during the process of packing your belongings, they’ll be seen immediately. The real risks of transporting roaches during any move or relocation seems to be linked to the boxes which are used and the time in which they are kept before the move. In other words, if you collect boxes from restaurants or warehouses that typically have roach infestations, there is a strong likelihood one of the boxes you use for the move may contain roaches. This means you must choose your ‘box supply company” wisely. Additionally, storing the boxes you intend on using for several weeks in your apartment is not a good idea. As our roach control article explains, boxes have many ingredients which attract roaches and letting empty boxes sit out is a direct “housing invite” to any foraging roach that might be around.

In summary, if you end up staying in the apartment where you now reside, I suggest you take an active pest control stance to control the roach problem you’re currently experiencing. Even though there are treatments being done, you can successfully add to it by using some roach gel. Placements should be subtle and small and focused in discreet locations where roaches are still active and the liquid spray is not making contact. These locations will almost always be high up, in cabinets, the backs of TV’s, microwaves and other applicances most service companies will not “spray”. I’m sure this strategy will help to minimize the problem currently active. If it turns out that you do relocate, be sure to use clean, new boxes for the move and try not to store them more than one week prior to moving. Additionally, a good visual inspection of everything being boxed before it leaves your present apartment should be all that is needed to make sure you don’t carry or transport roaches with you to the new location. Lastly, prebait the new residence with the same roach gel in key locations like kitchen cabinets pantries, bathrooms, closets and dining rooms. Pre-baiting the new residence before you settle in will go a long way in keeping your new home roach free and as the following video shows, roaches just love this stuff to death!

Shortly after I moved in, I saw 2 or 3 nymphs (each on different days) and one adult, all of which I killed. I have not seen any more for over a month. But this evening, my mom killed one that ran out by the dishwasher and I saw that it had an egg capsule and now I am worried. I immediately disposed of it in the toilet. Do we need to treat for them? I read somewhere that one egg capsule means an infestation within 6 months. IF I don’t see any more does that mean they are gone or is our home just waiting for an infestation? Could someone have just as easily brought them home from the grocery store? I feel terrible, like I am to blame and will be mortified if they have followed me here and cause problems here, but at the same time, I don’t to freak everyone out by saying we have a problem if we don’t.

If you read our on line article about ROACH PROBLEM CONTROL, you’ll learn that when living in an apartment, there is always the possibility that roaches will be foraging to your unit looking to start a new nest. Once they arrive, if you don’t have something in place to “greet” them, there is a chance you will be able to sustain an active population if it is left untreated. That being said, does it mean you have nests now? I cannot say one way or another. But regardless, your action should be the same one way or another: treat on a regular basis.

Since it sounds like you don’t want roaches in your apartment, I suggest you start setting out some of the MAGNUM GEL or the ADVION ROACH GEL. This way any that do arrive unannounced won’t be able to stay around long. Undoubtedly they’ll find your offering, feed and die. This will be something you should always do as long as you are living in any dwelling which has multiple units (residences) all attached to one another.

So to answer your questons… Yes, you should treat for them. Regarding the statement “one egg capsule means an infestation within 6 months”; it’s more like “one capsule means roaches in 30 days” as explained in our article!! And if you don’t see anymore you should still treat to insure there is no chance they can establish themselves. And yes, someone could have brought them from the grocery store. This is always this possibility. And you are allowed to feel terrible if that is what you choose to do but a more pro active stance would be healthier for everyone living there. Treat with the Roach Baits we have listed in our article (no spraying) and you won’t have to worry about them reinfesting anytime soon.

Living in an apartment building does present certain problems. Because you are so close to other tenants, there is an increased risk that nuisance insects will migrate from a neighbor to your living space. Since roaches like to live with other roaches and where there is a good supply of food, they tend to stay where they were born. But as populations increase and conditions get crowded (which definitely can happen in most any apartment unit) some will migrate to new locations out away from where they were born. I suspect this what you’re experiencing.

At this time you can try spraying to keep them out but this will be tought to accomplish. There are just too many ways for them them get inside most attached units and keeping a chemical barrier all around is virtually impossible. A better approach is to set out some Roach Gel where you are most likely to see them. This is normally the kitchen and bathroom but if you are seeing them elsewhere, apply some there too. If you are uncertain just how many areas have activity, set out some Roach Traps to monitor the problem. Our Roach Control article explains a lot more in detail what you might expect to happen but the main reason why the gel is so effective in apartment buildings is because it takes advantage of what the foraging roaches want: food. If you get your key areas treated I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to keep their population in check.