Can't get rid of cockroaches in my apartment?

[Anonymous]

I’ve been living in my apartment for over 2 years now. We’ve seen cockroaches & contacted the manager about it. We’ve had exterminators come over twice and I’m still seeing a few cockroache months after. I keep my apartment clean. Dishes are washed and put away every night. Trash is taken out every night. Our food is tightly stored & I sweep every night & clean the counters. I’m doing the best I can to prevent cockroaches but I don’t understand why I’m still seeing them since our place isn’t filthy. There is the possibility that the roaches are coming from a neighboring unit (I know my neighbors unfortunately aren’t as worried about cleaning because I hear them yelling about food being left out for days etc) But when I tried mentioning this to the manager they didn’t bother trying to see if the problem was coming from another unit. They send the maintenance guy to do a quick check but since he isn’t an exterminator I doubt he knows how to check well. When I first mentioned cockroaches, they came to check and said there was nothing but surely enough i kept seeing them. Has anyone else had this issue? What can I do? I reached out to the manager once again, I’m really hoping to be able to get rid of roaches once and for all

[hahahmm]

I grew up in a place with zero roaches -- unless you were a slob. I moved to the southeast where people can get roaches just because their neighbors have it - so I learned how to fight them. People who are used to living with them don't seem to care. I had to learn by trial and error... at first I tried fogger bombs but the bugs would always come back 3 days later like clockwork. I tried this dust powder they say kills roaches. The roaches would laugh at it. Eventually I found combos that work:

1. Optional. Use fogger bombs on day 1 just to kill everything off and give you peace of mind. This isn't a long term solution as I mention above.

2. Put weather seal on all exterior doors. There's fancy weather strips you can buy at the hardware store that get drilled into the door... BUT even just some tape will work. You put something like clear packing tape on the inside bottom of the door so it hangs off the bottom of the door and just touches the floor. This keeps bugs from walking in under the door. No bugs won't get stuck to it.

3. Get roach bait traps. Place 1 under every sink and behind each toilet (these are water sources that roaches like).

4. Get Ortho Home Defense spray. Spray it along the bottom edge of the exterior walls, bottom of the inside of your exterior doors. Spray the bottom edge of windows for your first time too. Spray where water pipes go into your walls. This is your barrier to keep new bugs from coming into your home. Spray entire door frames if you can see a gap that looks big enough for bugs to come in through the side of doors. This is where foam seal can be installed too. Also spray the vents of bathroom exhaust fans (but be careful because the stuff could drip down. Don't be under it before it dries). This Ortho stuff can have a fine mist you can't see in the air sometimes. Don't have dishes/cups you're going to use out in the open when you spray. If you feel the need to spray on kitchen counters, limit it to the edges furthest away from where people stand.

Something gross I remember.. when I rented a place eons ago it was infested and one time I cooked some mashed potatoes on the stove. Looking in the potatoes I noticed a ton of baby roaches. They fell in form the air vent above. Yeah, I would take out any such kitchen vents, clean them. Hose down the exhaust hood with the bug spray. But, of course, wait till everything is totally dry before cooking again. I only saw this problem in a badly infested place. Once your place is clean you shouldn't have to ever worry about it again.

Longer term:

You probably won't need bait but having some around is safer than not. Make sure you re-apply Ortho:

a.) Every 6-8 months, no matter what. But if your home is already clear of roaches I wouldn't worry about the windows (unless you're trying to stop ants). Just hit the pipes and doors and edges as before. Thus is VERY important. Do not forget to re-apply on a schedule or you will be sorry.

b.) If it rains outside and you track water into your home, re-spray the bottom of that entry door. I have seen places where this had to be done every time it rained. And other places where you never had to worry about it. Think it just depends on how good your outside door mat is and how wet it is where you step outside. More water: more need to spray.

It actually doesn't matter if you keep your place 100% clean or not. You won't have any roaches. I do like to keep a clean place, just saying once you have established your barrier and everything IN your house is dead... they won't magically appear. Even if you left a cake on your kitchen counter.

IF you ever see a visible roach after doing all of the treatment, it means they came from OUTSIDE... they were not born in your home. They got inside by walking in through a place where you didn't have a barrier.

[hahahmm]

And I disagree with those saying have the management spray the place, blah, blah, blah. I lived in rental places where they had companies spraying and it NEVER solved the problem. I just learned to do such a good job myself that it didn't matter. A lot of those pest control companies are scammers/lazy. Wouldn't bet my life on them fixing a cockroach issue. And even if they're great it's NOT going to help you if your neighbors live like filthy pigs and roaches from their place walk over to yours in the walls.

[hahahmm]

Forgot to say.. spray *outside* of tub and showers... close to the edges where they meet the floor and ceiling for the first time. After that just the floor edge is good. This is because those places are sources of water. But when your place is 100% free of roaches it's less important. Then just the pipes/exterior stuff I mentioned matters more. Plus the vents. Although vents are WAY more of a problem when you live in an apartment compared to a house. I'm writing that for anybody who's in a house & reading this.

[hahahmm]

So did you try Ortho?

[FunkyMonkee]

Have you tried baking soda? You squirt some in the areas where they nest or where they're most likely to crawl around, they'll not only eat it but, if they walk through it, they'll carry it back to their nest where the others will eat it FROM the body of the one that got it on them. Cockroaches can't fart!! So, they eat this stuff and it give them such terrible gas that they can't get rid of that they die from their inability to fart and, thereby, get rid of the built up gas in their system.

[lottiebannotie]

It's almost certainly coming from a neighbouring unit if the relevant landlord and or residents won't do anything can you report to environmental health or something similar?

[Nikki1989]

You might have to spray it yourself.

[PrettyPriya]

With troll spray I suspect.

[magiusX26]

its because at least one neighbor didn't or doesn't keep their apartment so clean. now when an exterminator comes and does its thing, they just migrate to another apartment till its safe tp go back into yours. probably other neighbors are having simular issues

[jshm2]

Probably due to your neighbours. Check with them first.

Basically if they are producing the roaches, then it doesn't matter what you do.

[Texaskid1]

Multiple roach motels around the the apartment especially in the kitchen and bathroom.

Like others here have said. It could be your neighbors. I would call the managers and complain about the neighbors yelling.

[AngryCarl2]

I think you're right and they're probably coming for a neighbouring apartment. Are you renting? If you can't get a satisfactory resolution you need to move.

[Iron_Man]

Have your apartment sprayed don’t wait around for people spray it yourself you can buy some good decent sprays that will work

[Asker]

I’ve had it sprayed twice by exterminators, I also put out some cockroach bait myself. The exterminator is coming for a third round, it’s just frustrating that they haven’t gone away no matter what i do.

[Iron_Man]

That’s strange if it’s that bad move out

[Avicenna]

Try Roach Motel

[In_Trance]

Hire an exterminator

[Asker]

I’ve had exterminators come twice. They’re coming for a third time. I’m just worried that if the problem is coming from another unit, no matter how many times I get my unit treated, the problem won’t go away if it’s coming from another unit

[Anonymous]

I hate that.