The St. George Tenant's Guide to Cockroaches in Apartments

Are you seeing roaches in your apartment, but you don't know what to do about it? Maybe what you saw wasn't a roach at all!

According to the National Center for Healthy Housing, cockroaches can heavily infest and create several issues including:

• Food contamination
• Prolonged odor issues
• Onset of allergy or asthma symptoms

For tenants concerned about cockroaches, the first step is to identify and eliminate any conducive conditions they may be contributing.

SOME QUICK ADVICE FROM THORN: Don't keep old cardboard lying around! In pest control, a conducive condition is anything that makes a pest feel at home. Whether it's food, water or hiding spots, do everything you can to make sure you're not attracting roaches, or bringing them in.

Roaches LOVE cardboard, especially cardboard that comes from the grocery store where it can become moist. Whether you're moving into a new space using boxes or bringing groceries home, make sure to look your cardboard over for roaches. Once the box has served its purpose, dispose of cardboard quickly in an outside receptacle.

Is it Normal to Have Cockroaches in Your Apartment?

If you've lived in apartments for any length of time, you probably know that it's not uncommon for some buildings to have ongoing roach issues.

Maybe you've even spotted a cockroach yourself.

The problem? Cockroaches are nocturnal, with most of their activity taking place in hours of darkness. If you are seeing cockroaches during the day, this can indicate that the issue has already reached severe proportions.

If you are certain there are roaches in your apartment, it is vital that you report this to your building management immediately. Oftentimes, if there are daytime roach sightings in one unit, it is because there is likely a building wide issue and professional pest control services are likely needed to remedy this.

SOME QUICK ADVICE FROM THORN: Because apartment buildings are prone to systemic cockroach problems, it is best to inspect an apartment as thoroughly as possible before you move in. Afterall, the last thing you want to do is move into an apartment with a serious cockroach problem.

Not only do cockroaches come with certain risks, but they can also end up hitching a ride with you when you move. You don't want to bring roaches along with you to a new place.

Thorn Pest Solutions St. George specializes in low-stress, low-prep cockroach treatments in apartment buildings throughout Utah. Our goal? To help you feel more at home. Contact us if you have questions about roaches in your Utah apartment.

Are Landlords Responsible for Pest Control in Utah?

Title 57 Chapter 22 of the Utah Code (the Fit Premises Act) requires both tenants and landlords to do their part to keep apartments free of unsafe or unsanitary conditions.

It is the tenant's responsibility to maintain their individual unit in a way that does not create safety or health concerns, and it is the landlord's responsibility to maintain the entirety of the building and property in order to protect the health and safety of their tenants.

If you are interested in passing our name on to your landlord so we can schedule an inspection and treatment, you can refer them to our landlord's guide: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Apartment Building.

How to Get Cockroaches Out of Your Apartment

There will be more on how to get rid of cockroaches below, but the main key to getting cockroaches out of your apartment for good? Don't bring them in!

Cockroaches are commonly brought into apartments on items such as:

• Cardboard boxes and food packaging
• Grocery bags
• Used appliances (like microwaves)

Avoid these items when possible and inspect them thoroughly for roaches before bringing them inside. Also make sure there are no unsanitary conditions in your apartment that could be encouraging cockroaches to hang around.

According to Utah state law, it is the tenant's responsibility to keep their apartment clean and free of unsanitary conditions. Part of the reason for this? Unsanitary conditions can be the start of a cockroach infestation.

Cockroaches can find food in the following places:

• Dirty dishes left on the counters and in the sink
• Easily accessible garbage
• Food debris and residue, including crumbs and grease

Keep your apartment tidy. Avoid feeding roaches and ensure that you won't be blamed for starting the roach problem if management gets involved.

How to Get Rid of Roaches in Your Apartment

If there are already cockroaches established in your apartment, it's time to take a more pro-active approach. Immediately notify your building supervisor.

Be sure to get the neighbors on board. Have they seen roaches too? The more people ready to assist with effective treatment, the better. Cockroach control in apartment buildings often requires building wide co-operation.

If roaches are left in even one untreated, unaddressed spot, they can keep repopulating.

Make sure the pest control company hired to come out has experience dealing with cockroaches in multi-family dwellings. As it is with many pests, there is no one-and-done, fix-all solution for cockroaches. Treatment methods will depend on a variety of factors, and a knowledgeable pest control company will know what to do according to the circumstances.

A well-rounded pest control program utilizes a number of tools to get long-term control of pest issues, including:

1. Inspection, identification and assessment
2. Removal of conducive conditions
3. Monitoring
4. Preventative treatments

Types of Cockroaches in Utah

There are three species of cockroaches found in Utah: the German cockroach, the American cockroach and the oriental cockroach.

German Cockroach - If you're dealing with interior cockroaches in Utah, German roaches are the likely culprit.

German Cockroaches are:

• Small in size (only about 1/2-5/8" long)
• Light brown (younger roaches are darker)
• Two dark stripes behind head

American Cockroaches - Found in southern Utah but not in northern Utah, these are the largest species of common cockroach.

American cockroaches are:

• Up to 2" long with wings (unless juvenile)
• Reddish brown color
• Lighter border of brown around head

Oriental Cockroaches - Also called "water bugs", these cockroaches are most drawn to moist, dark environments, especially bathroom floor drains.

Oriental cockroaches are:

• About 1" in length
• Dark brown to black in color
• Wings that are difficult to see

American Cockroach --- German Cockroach --- Oriental Cockroach

Bugs that Look Like Cockroaches

Finding pests inside can be alarming if you don't know exactly what you're seeing. Beetles and other insects can often be confused for roaches.

There are a few Utah nuisance pests that don't pose a major threat but can cause concern, especially in the spring (when waking from overwintering) and fall (when getting ready to overwinter).

These pests can include:

• Elm Seed Bugs
• Western Conifer Seed Bugs

Luckily, these pests will not infest your home and there are some easy ways to identify them. Learn more about elm seed bugs in our Utah spring pest guide!

SOME QUICK ADVICE FROM THORN: As a tenant, always try to get photographic evidence of any pest activity you're dealing with. Not only will this help you identify what you're looking at, it will also help your landlord understand what you're seeing and can seriously help when it comes time for professional pest control treatment.

Thorn Pest Solutions St. George: Rid Your St. George Apartment of Roaches

We take a low-stress approach to cockroach control in apartment buildings throughout our beautiful state of Utah.

Whether you live in a tri-plex or a large apartment complex with dozens of units, we've seen it all. Over the years, we have fine-tuned our cockroach control methods for maximum efficacy while simplifying our protocols to cause as little disruption for tenants as possible.

Don't hesitate to reach out to Thorn in St. George if you have questions about cockroach control in your Utah apartment, and if you want to make sure your building manager or landlord hires the right specialists, recommend they contact Thorn. We look forward to bringing you (and your landlord) peace of mind.