Cockroach problems are commonly found in restaurants. The massive amount of food, the never ending ordeal of keeping everything clean and abundant space for insects to hide and thrive make it a wonder every restaurant doesn't have an active cockroach population. As our COCKROACH CONTROL ARTICLE explains, getting control of this pest requires patience and this is never more true then in food processing facilities.

Based on the information provided above, it doesn't sound like you'll be able to get help from your current service company. When confronted with this scenario, it would seem as though your best course of action will be to either purchase more service or supplement the current initiative. If the company treating now is using bait as their main weapon, get some more baits and add to the selection inside the establishment. As explained in our cockroach control article, making multiple baits available will assure greater acceptance and in the end, both faster and more complete control of the infestation. There are many cockroach baits available these days and though most companies tend to rely on 1 type or brand, using multiple products is always a better approach. A combination of the MAXFORCE MAG, the ADVION GEL and some AVERT is a good combination/mix that we've found effective in food processing plants. If your service company is only using one flavor of bait, add variety and that will no doubt help.

If the current program involves mostly if not nothing but spraying, more frequent applications can help. However,  it's almost always best to try and achieve more precise treatments when spraying and the applications don't seem to be helping. In other words, a good roach clean-out should knock most of the population down and eventually out. DRIONE applied throughout the establishment can obliterate any established population and when used properly is the single most effective product around. Unfortunately it does require skill to use Drione correctly and most companies these days don't have the personnel available who know how to use it. If the current program involves nothing but liquid's being sprayed to the baseboards, there is no way you'll ever get control. Roaches have proven time and time again they'll simply move to a region or area which isn't being sprayed. In other words, baseboards are amongst the least likely places that need to be treated. Again, you'll either have to get them to change their service techniques or supplement the routine with some different products applied in different areas to get the results you want. In most cases the ORTHENE WP is an excellent residual to be applied and when mixed with some GENTROL, will provide long lasting residual that can wear down any cockroach population.

In summary, cockroach problems in restaurants and other food prep areas can be a challenge to control. If you have a problem and the service company doing the work isn't skilled enough to deal with the problem, chances are it will continue on and on. For this kind of situation, either a change of company or a change in service will be needed to reign in the problem. The good news is it can be accomplished. If you have further questions or concerns, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 and one of our tech reps should be able to assist.

We always suggest using the ROACH GEL when you are living in the home which is being treated. The gel is so much easier to use and does not require exact or precise applications in order to get good results. As explained in our ROACH CONTROL ARTICLE, you really only need to get the product applied where you see the roaches. They'll quickly find it, feed and die. Unlike sprays which require that you get it where the roaches are nesting, the gel will work as long as you make placements close to the nest but on or in it. Roaches can nest and hide in remote locations and if you're not dealing with them day in and day out, trying to get control using sprays and dusts can be frustrating. This is not the case with the gel. All you need to do is get it close to where they live and you'll impact them dramatically. If you have further questions, please give us a call at 1-800-877-7290.

Roaches will migrate from room to room as local populations expand. In apartment buildings, this means adjoining units will many times "share" the same infestation. To keep any one unit roach free is near to impossible unless all the units are treated equally. With that being said, it's still possible to prevent foraging roaches from nesting in your boyfriends unit. The key is making sure there isn't anything around to enable them to sustain themselves once they arrive. Keeping the place clean is paramount for roach prevention and it sounds like you're doing this for now. But since the landlord doesn't sound like he'll help much, it's time for your boyfriend to take matters into his own hands.

To start, the best thing he can do is set out some of the ROACH GEL we have listed in our ROACH CONTROL article. The great advantage of this product is that it will take advantage of what the roaches are doing and why they are moving in the first place: the need for food. Roaches love this stuff and can't resist as shown in our roach gel video here:

Make placements around the sink and mostly up underneath this area in any cabinet that's located below the sink. Roaches love to nest in this area. If you bait it they'll readily find your offering, eat some and die with no chance of nests being established. It's quite common for roaches to use the pipes and electric wires in buildings as "highways" to move from unit to unit. I'm sure that's happening here. Mind you they aren't moving "inside" the pipes but instead will walk on the outside of them. Pipes are routed throughout the entire structure and present the best way for roaches to "network" from unit to unit. Remember, there is almost always a space around the pipe where it comes through the wall which is more than enough space for any insect to fit. Make your bait placements on and alongside these exposed pipes where they enter your unit and I'm sure you'll keep the problem under control.

If you have further questions or concerns, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290.

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.

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.

Baiting for roaches is one of the safest ways to treat so you are on the right path to solving your problem. The fact is that most all insect baits use active ingredients which have little to no impact on mammals even if your pet was to eat some! That's right, even if they eat some. This doesn't mean you should feed the bait to them but if you have it out the normal placements, which are supposed to be real small as explained in our ROACH CONTROL ARTICLE, there just isn't anything being placed out that could cause a problem for most all pets or even people that might accidentally eat some.

Additionally, bait placements can be made in hard to reach places where only roaches can get to compared with the sprays which must be out in the open and therefore be more likely to come in contact with non-target animals. Cupboards, behind appliances, up high behind furniture and other objects are great places for roach bait placements like MAXFORCE GEL and ADVION GEL. Spraying some of the AVERT GEL into small voids where roaches are suspected of nesting is almost always somewhere the average pet cannot access so again, there should be little or no bait out in the open for them to find when the treatment is done properly.

In summary, baiting for roaches is one of the best ways to go about treating an ongoing roach infestation. We always prefer our customers go this route so I think you were thinking in the right direction. If you have further questions, please give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 and we'll be glad to answer any more questions you might have.

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!

Smoky brown roaches are commonly found outside around homes and will move inside if given the chance. They like the same food as we do and if you leave known activity alone, they will undoubtedly grow in population and eventually become a real nuisance. For now it sounds like they're feeding on your pets food so they have no need of coming inside. But as the air temperature cools and fall turns to winter, the chances of some migrating into living areas will only increase. I recommend you start doing some pest control now to get the problem under control before this happens.

Fortunately there are some products that can be used in close proximity to where the pet is eating without posing a hazard to him. The safest product you can apply outside will be roach baits and there are two forms of it which can help. First, if the deck is close to the ground and you think these roaches are coming from land onto the deck, treat the area with some MAXFORCE GRANULES. These granules are tiny and when applied right won't be noticed by your pet. Sprinkle some around the area paying extra attention to pine straw, wood chips or any mulch close by. Such locations are great nest sites and common breeding grounds for smoky brown roaches.

If the dog dish is close to the home and there is house siding along it's placement, roaches could be coming from above. They love to live in gutters and up under roof shingles so be sure to look overhead, above where the dog dish sits, since this is many times a key nest site. A good product to use in this area is the ROACH GEL. It can be used outside in areas where it can be applied and not be in direct view of the sun or rain. This is usually possible up under overhangs. Small dabs in these areas is all it takes. Smoky brown roaches love this stuff and will readily eat it. Once they find it, the local population will be reduced dramatically and you should be able to keep them under control without having to do any kind of spraying.

Once the problem is resolved, I would consider locating the dogs feeding station to somewhere in the home. If you keep feeding him outside, it's only natural for pests like roaches and ants to find some of his food. This in turn will get them too close to the house for comfort and in the end, you could get a problem inside. Dealing with any of these invasions is a lot harder compared to what you have now so it would be wise to not have any attractive nuisances around at all.

But yet ever time I visit to do work, I find roaches all over the place.

Why are they coming in to the house when there is no food to be found???

Love your website by the way.  Also had a chance to visit your store last week.  Great service, great help.  Thanks!

There are several reasons why this happens. First, roaches don't do much except look for food and nest sites. When food is scarce, they are forced to forage more than they'd like. I suspect this is happening at your second house. When food is plentiful, roaches are able to get their fill when they feel most secure and will spend more time hiding out of sight. But if the local food supply is limited, they'll have to come out more and forage more so in the end, there is a greater chance of them being seen. Clearly this is happening at your location.

Second, as explained in our GERMAN ROACH CONTROL article, roaches can live 6 months or longer without food. So even if you removed all there was for them to eat, you would still expect to see them foraging around for a good 6-12 months under normal conditions expected life spans.

Third, roaches are cannabilistic. They love to eat other roaches. I'm sure there are lots of dead roaches hidden behind walls and under things which are providing ample nutrition and food for the local population. These carcasses can conceiveably sustain an active roach population indefinitely.

Fourth, roaches will commonly feed on things people don't consider to be food. These items include fabric (furniture, drapes, carpets, etc), paper products (boxes, paper plates, paper), wall paper, wall paper glue, insulation and basically most any construction component found in most homes these days.

In summary, roaches are great survivors. They're both adaptable and persistent. They're able to survive on material commonly found around most any house that most people don't consider to be "food". With this in mind, it's no wonder they can remain active in an abandoned house indefinitely. So if you wish to get rid of them, you'll need to do some baiting and the ROACH GEL is ideal for this type of problem. Since it's so much more attractive to what they've been forced to feed on, the gel will readily be accepted and in most cases, the population will be knocked out in 3-6 weeks once it works it's way into the bulk of the population.