Getting Rid of Cockroaches in Apartments
Recognizing and Handling a Cockroach Infestation
Sep 9, 2009
The old saying goes that there are dozens of roaches in hiding for every cockroach spotted, so it's not unusual for apartment renters' stomachs to turn when they flick on the light and see a lone roach skittering across the floor or wall for safety.
Cockroach Identification Tips
Many people aren't sure whether their bug problem is roaches or not. So what does a cockroach look like? There are several varieties of cockroaches, but in general roaches:
- Are brown, beige, or reddish in color
- Are between 1 and 1.5 inches long
- May have a body like a smooth shield pointed toward the tail
- Have two long, thin antennae on the head
- Have six legs with short, spiny protrusions
- Can fly although they are usually spotted crawling on floors and walls
If two or more of these bugs are spotted around the same time period, especially during the daytime, it's likely that there is a roach problem in the apartment.
Causes of a Cockroach Problem
Roaches require moisture and food, which is why they are most often spotted in the kitchen and bathroom. They are often attracted to open sources of food including crumbs or dirty dishes. The best way to prevent a roach infestation is to keep a clean house, seal all food tightly in containers, and do dishes immediately after using.
Roach Apartment Infestation vs. Home Infestation
Apartment living is great in many respects, but cockroach control is not one of them. Apartment-dwellers face a more significant challenge than homeowners when it comes to roach infestations, because no one can control how their neighbors live. An extremely tidy person may find that they have a roach problem because of the messy apartment next door.
Contact Management about a Roach Infestation
The first thing an apartment owner should do in case of a roach problem is contact management. They will probably contact pest control services for cockroach extermination, saving the renter time and expense, but at the very least they will want to be aware of the problem.
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches
Two methods are generally used to kill roaches:
- Roach traps. Roach motels and cockroach traps are generally not very effective ways to handle an apartment infestation. They kill individual roaches only, leaving the majority in the apartment.
- Cockroach poison. When applied to cracks and behind the kitchen sink, boric acid-based poisons get on roaches who then lick themselves clean (with the help of their families) and die. These poisons are also dangerous to pets and children so use caution.
Cockroach pest control can be done professionally or DIY.
Cockroach infestations are equally disturbing to homeowners and apartment-dwellers, but renters usually have more of a challenge. One untidy neighbor may attract roaches, but the entire building suffers the consequences. Identify roaches when sighted, contact management, and use borax when possible to get rid of roaches.
Apartment renters will also be interested in Dealing with Noisy Apartment Neighbors.
Source:
Jeffrey D. Hahn and Mark E. Ascerno, "Cockroaches." University of Minnesota Extension: 2005.
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