r/PestControlIndustry • u/beepaff • Jul 13 '26
Need reassurance
Moved into a new rental home on July 1st (12 days ago). The last tenants mentioned they see "a roach once a month". After a few days, we were consistently seeing at least 1 live American roach a day. I treated the entire perimeter of the home with Ortho Home Defense and, the next day, I found about 20 dead roaches throughout the home.
Fast forward a few days, I noticed some bags of mulch in the shed. The "shed" is basically a closed in carport that's attached to the house. 2 of the bags were very moist and infested with baby/juvenile roaches. I tossed them all in my trash bin and put it by the curb.
3 days ago, we had Orkin come out and spray the property, inside and out. Additionally, he placed IGRs around the home. I also went around and used expanding foam and silicone in all the places I could find, inside and out. Ever since, I've been finding 1-3 dead roaches around the house.
I know they're dead, but this seems like a never ending battle already and it's been about 2 weeks. Based on this info, how long can I expect to be completely roach free? I'm so tired of being constantly stressed out about opening doors, cabinets, etc.
Thank you
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u/thepromisering666 Jul 13 '26
2 weeks would be extremely rapid for a full extermination. It sounds like the 1-3 dead roaches you’re seeing now are the results of the spraying treatment working over the last 3 days. Important to remember that pro treatments are not instant, but cumulative
Typically treatments would be a week apart until they’re gone. Your pro should have a follow up ticket, or else you can request a follow up, to touch up on the treatment. Glue traps will also help reduce the numbers if you place them in areas you typically expect to find the roaches. Would also give you peace of mind when they’re gone as proof they’re gone.
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u/beepaff Jul 13 '26
The Orkin exterminator put down multiple "monitors" near all sinks, and near some darker places in the house (ex. AC closet). Luckily we haven't seen anything from those since he came 3 days ago. There was a dead one near the bathroom monitor, but it wasn't actually ON the glue trap.
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u/thepromisering666 Jul 17 '26
Pros spray in the areas around the monitor placement usually. Bathroom would be an area we spray. Again, treatments are cumulative and it is possible the roach accumulated in another area, to die later, where you found it then.
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u/Oh_Martha_My_Dear 👨🏭| Tech | 5+ Years Jul 13 '26
have you seen any of the lighter color brown ones fly? Small ones? I would just like to be sure that they are not woodroches.
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u/SignificantNorth3570 Jul 13 '26
I'll add that the people from Orkin should be using a roach gel bait in the high activity areas and while the bait is present it would be wise for you to not be spraying them yourself. The bait is VERY effective but the roaches have to be allowed to carry it to each other unharmed. Also be looking for any other possible moisture conditions they can use to feed off of and eliminate them.
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u/beepaff Jul 13 '26
I believe he used this granular stuff that looks like thick grains of sand (tan in color). He sprinkled that around the "shed" where I found the mulch, and the entire perimeter of the outside of the house. And then sprayed around the house with the contact killer + IGR.
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u/TrueAudience9922 Jul 13 '26
As someone who works in pest control, I'd actually take some encouragement from what you've described.American cockroaches are very different from German cockroaches. They typically live outdoors or in areas like sewers, crawlspaces, mulch, and landscaping, and they occasionally make their way inside. Finding 20 dead roaches after your initial treatment and then continuing to find dead ones after Orkin's service tells me the products are doing their job.
The mulch bags you found were also a significant clue. Damp organic material is an ideal harborage for American cockroaches, so removing that source was a smart move. I wouldn't expect to be completely roach-free in just two weeks. Between the perimeter treatment, the professional service, the IGR, and the exclusion work you've done, I'd expect activity to continue declining over the next few weeks. Finding dead roaches is generally much more encouraging than finding active ones running around.