Roaches are industrious hitch hikers. You may inadvertently bring them in hidden in corrugated boxes (a favorite hiding spot), luggage, bags, backpacks, etc. They may enter themselves through plumbing pipes, along sewer lines, cracks in foundations, floors, walls and crawl spaces, and under door or window jambs.
Note of the location and contact a pest management professional to schedule a professional roach inspection as soon as possible. Treatment outcomes are better when caught early.
Our best advice is to institute an integrated pest management (IPM) program by a certified pest management professional. Environmental Pest’s IPM includes inspection, monitoring, and eradication using approved, safe measures. Homeowner DIY treatments and bait stations may have some effectiveness for low level infestation and the occasional problem. But they may be very temporary. German cockroaches have developed resistance to some of the most commonly-used insecticides. This makes exclusionary measures more important. We work with homeowners on sealing common entry points to help prevent re-infestation.
Sanitation and cleaning practices are the top preventative measures for homeowners. Start with the kitchen. Roaches need food, shelter and especially water and you can help to limit them all. Don’t leave out food, crumbs, spills, dirty dishes, pet food dishes or open trash cans. Don’t leave out pet liter boxes since roaches are attracted to poop. Clean countertops nighty and vacuum kitchen floors if possible. Pay special attention to dark areas under and around appliances. Look for areas of high moisture or water like over-watered plants, condensation from pipes, pet water bowls, leaky faucets. Roaches will eat carboard boxes and paper from magazines so don’t hoard them especially in your cellar. Too, cardboard boxes make excellent roach hiding spots. They will gnaw through paper and plastic packaging to consume the edible contents inside. Seal kitchen edibles in tight glass contains.
Look for droppings especially on corners, under refrigerators and sinks. Cockroaches eat a lot and as such leave a lot of dark droppings that resemble ground coffee or black pepper. Always use caution in cleaning them up since they are toxic. Look for egg sacs called oothecae. They resemble oblong brown pouches. Detection of foul smell can indicate especially German cockroaches. Roaches are nocturnal, if you see a roach in the day time you have a problem, or soon will.