Cockroach Control

Cockroaches do not mean your home is dirty. They mean a roach or an egg case hitched a ride in a grocery bag, a used appliance, or a neighbor's wall. What happens next depends on how fast the problem is identified and whether the treatment actually reaches where they hide.

Which Roach Do You Have?

German Cockroach

Small, tan, with two dark stripes behind the head. This is the roach that infests kitchens and bathrooms and the one that gets out of hand fastest: a single female can produce several hundred offspring in her lifetime, and egg cases are carried by the mother until they hatch, so sprays never reach them. German roaches live indoors only. If you have them, they came in with something.

American Cockroach

Large, reddish brown, up to two inches long, sometimes called a water bug or palmetto bug. They live in sewers, storm drains, basements, and crawl spaces and wander in through floor drains and foundation gaps, especially in summer heat and after heavy rain. Seeing one occasionally in a basement is common in older Indianapolis neighborhoods; seeing them regularly means they have found a way in and a reason to stay.

Oriental Cockroach

Dark, almost black, and slow. They prefer damp, cool areas: basements, crawl spaces, under porches, around leaking pipes. A musty smell often goes with them.

Signs of a Roach Problem

• Roaches seen during the day, which means the hiding spots are already full
• Small dark droppings that look like pepper or coffee grounds along cabinet edges and behind appliances
• Brown, purse-shaped egg cases in drawers, behind the refrigerator, or under the sink
• A musty, oily smell in cabinets or a pantry
• Shed skins in the corners of drawers and under the toe kicks of cabinets

Why Roaches Survive the Spray

Repellent sprays kill roaches that walk through them and push the rest deeper into wall voids, motor housings, and cabinet frames. The egg cases are unaffected. Two weeks later the population is back and now it avoids the treated surfaces. German cockroaches in particular have developed resistance to several common over-the-counter products.

How We Treat Roaches

1. Inspection and species ID. Flashlight, flushing agent, and monitors tell us which roach it is, how bad it is, and exactly where they are living.
2. Gel baits where they feed. Roaches eat the bait, return to the harborage, and the colony feeds on each other's droppings and carcasses. This is what actually collapses a German roach population.
3. Insect growth regulator. An IGR keeps nymphs from maturing into breeding adults, so the population cannot rebuild from the egg cases the baits cannot reach.
4. Crack and crevice treatment. Dusts and targeted applications inside voids, under appliances, and along plumbing penetrations, not broadcast spraying on your counters.
5. Sanitation and exclusion guidance. We show you what is feeding them and where they are entering so the treatment holds.
6. Scheduled follow-ups. German roaches almost always need more than one visit. We set the follow-up before we leave.

What You Can Do Before We Arrive

• Do not spray or bomb. Foggers do not reach the harborages and they contaminate surfaces where our baits need to go.
• Clear under the sink and around the stove so your technician can reach the plumbing and the appliance voids.
• Empty the dishwasher and dry the sink overnight. Water is the limiting resource for roaches. Take it away and the bait becomes irresistible.
• Bag cardboard and take it out. Corrugated cardboard is a favorite egg-laying site.

Keeping Roaches Out

For German cockroaches, prevention is about what comes into the house: inspect used appliances and furniture, unpack groceries and throw the boxes out, and watch shared walls in multi-family buildings. For American and Oriental roaches, it is about the building envelope: drain covers, door sweeps, foundation gaps, and moisture in basements and crawl spaces. Both are covered under the Comprehensive and Standard plans.

Cockroach Control Questions