German Cockroach

[Marc]

About six months ago we let go of our $40+ a month pest control company and I have been using Ortho Home Defense ever since; spray about once every three months. Tonight I found a German Cockroach in the bathroom. House is very clean so I don't know if I have (the beginnings of) an infestation or one decided to hitchhike when we or a friend came in from the porch.

Do I need to worry? What can I do to address German Cockroaches? Should I just call my pest control company back?

thanks,

Marc

 

[street]

I would call back the pros.

When I was first starting out in life, I lived in a place that wasn't fit to live in. It was the only place I could find and had to sleep on the floor for over a year. The place had roaches and I did everything possible to get rid of them. It was a miserable to have to live in a place like that.

 

[harley]

I wouldn't worry too much about one roach. They can come in in cardboard boxes or paper bags, or anything that was outside. If you think you have an issue, I would recommed boric acid. You can sprinkle the powder around pretty much anywhere you might think they would be. It's non toxic to people and pets, and doesn't take much. It gets on the roaches, scratches off the waxy coating on their bodies, and they dehydrate and die. Very effective. Basically the same stuff as the RoachPruf that Paul Harvey used to push.

 

[Jerry1]

I wouldn’t worry about one but if I saw one more, I’d go nuclear (well I’d at least call in the pros).

 

[Sunset]

Are you in an apt or house or townhouse ??

I've seen them crawling all over some apts... pretty bad.
I lived in a nice condo apt , and they were present there, once lifted up a tv tuner box from a cloth footstool and there was a mass of them there

To me, seeing them in a house is something that has never happened.

 

[levindb]

You may want to look at sticky traps (available on Amazon)...some have a peanut butter smell that attracts bugs. Since many cockroaches move around at night, these can help you see what is happening while you sleep.

I like them because you can see what you have caught to help you determine whether you have a minor problem or a big problem.

 

[GhostofTomJoad]

If you live in the tropics or subtropics, they are going to show up, no matter how clean you are. Because not all of your neighbors are so clean. And the roaches don't notice how clean you are. They're just wandering, looking for something to eat.
I can say we are 99.9% clear, but it will never get to 100%. (Hawaii.)

 

[marko]

I would call back the pros.
.

+1. The old saying " if you see one, you've got a hundred "

 

[JoeWras]

Are you in an apt or house or townhouse ??

Roaches and bedbugs are a huge reason I don't want to live in an apartment, townhouse or condo. If your neighbor is infested, there's nothing you can do.

I see OP lives in the south. That makes it difficult even in a house. You'll see one from time to time. Just make sure it is one. See more, call in the nukes.

I use "Combat" traps and put them everywhere. They work pretty well.

American roaches are another topic and have their own idiosyncrasies when living in the south.

 

[savory]

I also looked where you live. Living in the south provides a greater opportunity for German roaches. Bathrooms and kitchens will be their favorite location. Seeing them at night vs during the day suggests an average to low population.

GR like dark places with access to moisture and food. They also prefer hiding in places where their backs and stomach are making contact with a surface or another roach. That could be under a sink in a narrow space or a loose baseboard, or ?.

I am not an advocate of spraying. I would work on building them out and using baits providing them easy to access poisonous food. By building out, eliminate entrance from sink pipes and other moisture places. But also perhaps a baseboard that leaves a hiding place where roaches will be comfortable with their bodies being touched on both sides. These sorts of places are most important to inspect in places like kitchens, bathrooms and other places you might eat.

Then place baits where you think their nest might be. As a maintenance process, I would always have them under the sink. And they should be changed per label. Then, in the future when you see a few, research the area for both moisture and the possible dark tight hiding place. It will likely be nearby if you have caught the infestation early. As their housing space gets filled, they will have more than one nest.

One roach does not suggest an infestation especially in Alabama. Stop spraying, start baiting. Also never spray near/on baits. They will no longer be appealing.

 

[JoeWras]

This topic reminds me of how I LBYM'd on my first job in Florida. I chose an older apartment complex.

Let me just say I learned a whole lot about German roach entomology. The walls were just filled with them. I discovered and watched them carrying egg sacks. I'll tell you this: if you see a German with a big long egg sack dragging on its behind, you have a problem. And I'll add to that roach scat. If you start seeing the turds, get to work immediately.

I understand the apartment next door was a hoarder apartment. Figures.

Sometimes LBYM sucks. I got out of there at lease end.

 

[Aerides]

Tonight I found a German Cockroach in the bathroom.

Was it dark, you went in and put the light on and saw it, or was it still light and just there when you went in to the room?

If it was dark, and only one, I'd probably still call back the pest co, but if you want to wait and see, and spray every nook and cranny, then, ok that might work too. Yes, like everyone says if you see one it probably means you have multiples...somewhere. If it was light and you saw it, call them today.

When we had our service first come out, they sprayed inside walls, inside sockets, and really focused on entry points. Haven't seen a roach since now in years.

 

[Car-Guy]

When I lived in Houston it seem like cockroaches were just a way of life. Using a pro was the only way we could keep them all away. Self management would minimize their "appearance" but I could never rid 100% of them.

One of the nice things about moving to the country ~15 years ago, I've never seen any! We don't even need to spray regularly for "indoor" pest. Go figure that.

 

[easysurfer]

Years back I had a roach situation but luckily was just located to the kitchen.

When I noticed one, then two and so on, I went in full exterminator mode. Washed down and cleared all the kitchen area. Bought a bunch of roach bait. Put that in the kitchen cabinets and on countertops. Bought so much bait that was probably overkill.

I then had to be away for about 2 weeks so as I was gone did more praying than usual not knowing what I'll find when I returned. When I got back my roach situation was no more.

Gross, but cockroaches are cannibals. That's to our advantage. So, one roach takes the bait, gets poisoned then goes back to it's hiding place and other roaches do their Hannibal Lecter than die. I assume that's what happened in my case.

I'm pretty sure how I got them in the first place is I was visiting a friend who had a friend who was the type who had roaches crawling out of his pockets .

 

[5Miler]

Living in Atlanta, we take no chances. I have a pest control company spray inside and outside the house quarterly. Started them a few years ago when outdoor roaches on our deck got to be too much to bear at night. Floridians call them Palmetto bugs but here we just call them big a** lawn roaches. They exterminated the issue so to speak and we wouldn't think of discontinuing the service.

 

[Walt34]

I wouldn't worry about one roach. But when 500,000 of his friends and relatives show up it's time to call in the pros.

Very loosely related story:

Many decades ago I was a service tech for residential heating and refrigeration, including refrigerators and freezers. The company sent me to a week-long school at a regional training center and after classes we'd sit around with the other guys from different areas of the country and compare customer horror stories. One guy from NYC put it this way: "You know you're in a bad neighborhood when you pull the refrigerator out from the wall, and the roaches pull it back".

 

[jollystomper]

About six months ago we let go of our $40+ a month pest control company and I have been using Ortho Home Defense ever since; spray about once every three months. Tonight I found a German Cockroach in the bathroom. House is very clean so I don't know if I have (the beginnings of) an infestation or one decided to hitchhike when we or a friend came in from the porch.

Do I need to worry? What can I do to address German Cockroaches? Should I just call my pest control company back?

thanks,

Marc

As others have said, see one, may not be an issue. See two - call the pros!

They (along with rats) were the bane of my young existence, I grew up in parts of the big city where you could not escape them. Falling into your meal while you were trying to eat. Climbing onto you while you were trying to watch TV. In you shoes and clothes hanging in the closet (to this day I still shake out my shoes before I put them on). An do not *dare* leave food out. Turn on a light in a darkened room and watch them scurry and hide... as was said, in an apartment building, if one apartment has them, all apartments have them.

I am glad to be living in a rural area where we do not have to deal with them. Coming across a cricket in the house occasionally gives me flashbacks. But I can deal with a few crickets a week, vs. what I saw as a kid <shudder>.

 

[old medic]

Wanna trade? The house we are rebuilding sat vacant for about 10 years. The crawlspace is infested with hundreds of crickets. We have traps set and supply the grandson to feed his lizard. Petco gets $20 for 250.

 

[Surewhitey]

Flashbacks to Mexico living. We found a tiny one and got to looking. 1 big one is not as concerning. If you see tiny ones that may mean an egg is nearby. 1 egg can be dozens. I found the eggs (2) and went on the hunt for any other hatched ones. I cringe thinking about the 1 and only experience. If I recall, the females can lay eggs time and again with only 1 male exchange. We have an occasional "water bug" in TX, but never any tiny fellas, knocking on wood.

 

[Sunset]

Long time ago, I went looking for an apt, it was a high rise near a College. When we went into the apt, I could see some on the walls..
I opened the oven door and it was crawling with them all over the oven, I shut it quick and we left immediately. ...

 

[tryan]

Having owned rental property in the hood for 30 years , I've learned the easiest way to deal with roaches is a gel bait (maxforce makes one).

Assuming this is the only "food" they have access to, it works. Couple funny stories:

Had one tenant say "The roaches are BAD when they are INSIDE the fridge"

Another smuggled a lizard from the Dominican ... it ran loose in the apt ....all it ate was roaches.

Can't make this stuff up!

 

[EastWest Gal]

Many great suggestions.I would do all of the above. If you see one, there are probably many more hiding. The sticky trap suggestion is a great one for determining the level of infestation.

Boric acid
Gel bait
Declutter if needed
Call pest control

I helped a patient's family get out of a public housing unit that was overrun. She was very clean, but had an infant with congenital heart disease, Down syndrome, and a leaky gastrostomy tube. I did a house call and OMG it was bad. Welfare tried to blame her, but she was neat and tidy and her infant's life was at risk. I wrote a letter and they moved her out the next day.

 

[JoeWras]

I helped a patient's family get out of a public housing unit that was overrun. She was very clean, but had an infant with congenital heart disease, Down syndrome, and a leaky gastrostomy tube. I did a house call and OMG it was bad. Welfare tried to blame her, but she was neat and tidy and her infant's life was at risk. I wrote a letter and they moved her out the next day.

When the room on the other side of the wall (different tenant) is packed with garbage floor to ceiling, there's nothing you can do. Not your fault.

In my recent work on repairing housing, I've seen some interesting hoards. A common theme is saving take out containers.

This is a Very Bad Idea.