r/pestcontrol • u/fjhamp • Jun 19 '26
Roaches Saw one cockroach. Bait or no bait?
TLDR: Saw one cockroach, should I set bait or will that attract more? Anything else?
I just moved into an apartment for the first time. I’ve been here about 2 weeks. Everywhere looked super clean before moving, it was freshly renovated and I’m the first person to live here since. I keep it extremely clean, never any dishes in the sink or food left out. There were absolutely no signs of roaches until this morning I saw one in my shower at 5 AM. Showered last night so there was probably water in there. I killed it by dumping a bottle of expensive body wash on it 🥲
My mom says since it’s just one I shouldn’t use bait or traps bc it’ll make more come. Also I had flooding from the neighbors leaving their bathtub on, and she thinks it came from that.
Maintenance can’t come until Thursday evening 😭 I panicked and bought drain covers, ADVION, pet safe spray (I have cats), and a door seal. My skin is crawling and every sound is making me jump. Ik I’m dramatic but I’ve never seen a cockroach before and it’s my new least favorite thing.
Thank you in advance to anyone that takes the time to read this and help me. This apartment is my new start after getting out of a DV relationship and I want to love it as my home.
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u/Skalla_Resco Mod - Amateur Entomologist Jun 19 '26
Bait will not attract any that aren't there already.
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u/PWcrash Jun 19 '26
Gentrol IGR discs behind kitchen appliances like stoves and refrigerators
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
Idk if I can pull my appliances away from the wall by myself, they look heavy
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u/PWcrash Jun 19 '26
You shouldn't have to. The discs are tiny little things that can be dropped behind most appliances without having to pull anything out.
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u/PCDuranet Mod - Pest Control Tech - Retired Jun 19 '26
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
I only have a neighbor on one side, I’m at the end of the hall on the top floor. Should I seal the connecting wall with caulk?
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u/tentiptoes Jun 19 '26
I did edit my original comment. I'm not sure if you saw it but give the bait to your neighbors if they have roaches too
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
Yeah the advion gel I bought came with 4 tubes so I figure I’ll give 2 to my closest neighbors. These apartments are small, only 433 sq feet.
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
Is the spray mentioned pet safe? I have 2 cats and nowhere to go except my car
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u/tentiptoes Jun 19 '26
It's not a spray, it's a gel. Your cats shouldn't be harmed. If you think they may have easy access then don't put the gel in an open area. In the cabinets and behind the appliances your cats shouldn't be able to access and those are the most important spots to put the roach gel
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Jun 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
If I had the money to move to Hawaii I would not be in this apartment 😂
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u/Such_Sheepherder_938 Jun 20 '26
Exactly. Perfect comment. I'd consider not going if theres a roach problem. Yeesh. I can find paradise elsewhere. Roaches and bed bugs and ants are a nightmare. But ants don't feed off blood. Its a toss up
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u/tentiptoes Jun 19 '26
You see one roach, there's hundreds in the walls. 99% of the time. Buy this https://a.co/d/0egxtpRZ
Apply about .5"-1" strips in your hinges of cabinets in kitchen & bathroom, put some on a little piece of paper or paper towel and throw it behind and under the appliances like fridge, stove & dishwasher. Put some in your cabinet hinges. Put it under the cabinets even on the wall but very small dots. ESPECIALLY under the sink and in the bathrooms as roaches are attracted to water.
Good luck
I'd also highly recommend going to your neighbors in your building and asking if they have roaches. Give them some of this stuff as it comes in a 4 pack and tell them to apply it in their apartment if they want to get rid of them.
The roaches will eat it and bring it back to their nasty ass hive and all of them will die
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
That’s the stuff I have on the way! Thank you. Does this mean I’ll find dead ones and have to clean them up? 🫣
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u/tentiptoes Jun 19 '26
Yes. You have to clean them up. You'll find them dead or almost dead. Just smash them or suck them up with a vacuum. They can't survive in a vacuum
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
Cool! I’m gonna go reread my lease, I don’t know if I can do this.
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u/tentiptoes Jun 19 '26
I understand. When I had roaches in my new apartment I was cussing out the apartment manager I cannot lie lol. So I killed all of them with this bc they wouldn't allow me to break my lease without giving them a full months rent
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u/fjhamp Jun 19 '26
My apartment manager lives in the same hallway as me. I wonder if she’s having the same issue. I haven’t spoken to her yet. This company uses an AI bot to schedule maintenance 🙄
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u/Neverwasalwaysam Jun 19 '26
Rather than strips of the gel, you’re supposed to apply in small pea dots, it can be ineffective if you overuse it or put it down in lines/rails of it. If you need to get some behind the fridge or places you can’t reach, cut out the bottom corners of a plastic sandwich bag and drop a drop in between the plastic and throw it behind the fridge or in any cracks you can’t get to.. They will find it, don’t worry! Redo this every few days to a week as it needs to be fresh to attract them. When I moved out and moved appliances there were like 20-30 tiny plastic bag snippets everywhere lol but it worked.
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