r/Marietta 2d ago

Help! Roaches!

Post image

I moved into an older house over by the big chicken and this house has a HORRIBLE roach infestation. I put out a sticky trap on the kitchen counter and waited a week to check on it (I’ll attach a picture) and it was already super packed with roaches! What should I do? Has anyone else been through this that can give me advice or point me towards a good pest control company?

63 Upvotes

102 comments sorted by

41

u/acmorgan 2d ago

Well first and foremost, you gotta get pest control out. You don't have a small infestation, you have a big problem.

Next, you want to minimize all food sources. Throw out any cardboard the second you get it, keep your sponges into a plastic bag, never leave unclean dishes in the sink. Get those big plastic containers to store any and all food stuff, no more just closing the cereal box or clipping the chip bag. If you just moved you might have things in storage, you want to carefully remove them (the roaches could be hiding in them) and store them in a plastic container that is very tightly shut. This won't keep them all out of your things, but it will help.

You also need to vacuum, sweep, mop, regularly take out the trash, clean out any crumbs from the cabinets, etc.

In a pinch you can just put foodstuff in the fridge generally, or at least that works for me.

Next you want to put out good roach poison. I use this stuff. https://a.co/d/inmAChs It's effective and easy to use/apply. Be wary of using this if you have cats, I think.

I would also recommend this stuff. https://a.co/d/6R8VeTi

I recommend it because once you do what you can to eliminate all their food sources, you become their last remaining food source. This poison in particular acts like a food source and kills the bugs at the same time. I'd put up like, no joke, 4-6 of them for every occupied bedroom in the home. And then probably a dozen in the living spaces, but I'm excessive so that may just be me.

15

u/Dino-chicken-nugg3t 2d ago

This may sound extreme but acmorgan is right. This is all the things you need to do. They will also eat their dead so make sure to clean up the bodies frequently. We rented and when our new downstairs neighbors moved in with in a week or two we had a bad roach problem. It took months to take of the issue because we didn’t know to do all these things. Once we did a deep clean of all the food spaces and took all the precautions the roaches were eliminated.

8

u/SkullKid_467 2d ago

It sounds extreme…. But you are at war with a self replicating miniature army. Extreme measures are necessary!

4

u/AlmightyFruitcake 1d ago

I live in a house by big chicken that had roaches fleas and bed bugs cus the old owner was a slumlord. After, she needs to get rid of all the old insulation covered with roach eggs and shit I’m sure the smell is horrible

4

u/Agitated_Ruin132 2d ago

Do all of the things recommended above and make sure that you’re cleaning ALL surfaces with a simple bleach and water combo in a spray bottle.

I know smelling bleach isn’t fun but a friend of mine was an exterminator for a long time and recommended this when I was dealing with my problem while living in Lithia Springs. Apparently roaches hate the smell of bleach.

Also make sure that you’re pouring bleach down all of the drains, and leave no stone unturned when it comes to cleaning. On top of cupboards, inside of cabinets, basically any dark place where they can hide.

Leaving those traps all over the house definitely helps as well.

It’s gonna be a nightmare to tackle and maintain but it’s definitely possible to get under control.

13

u/merrlyderrly 2d ago

Watch out for any warm electronics. I had them in my printer once just because it was plugged in and warm. 🤮

13

u/coolairpods 2d ago

Second this. Check the coffee maker… you have to get pest control I just got on the other side of it. I tried it all cause $$$ was tight. Eventually but the bullet for pest control and they were gone in like 3 days. Felt like a moron.

2

u/BrownCoffee65 2d ago

please dont tell me that

1

u/Small_Doughnut_2723 2d ago

And im only using my French press from now on

2

u/Impressive_Page_7626 2d ago

Any recommendations on pest control? I want to make sure I get a reliable company

3

u/coolairpods 2d ago

We had Arrow do it, but we live in an apartment and had no choice. It worked though and the guy was nice so I have no problems recommending them.

3

u/McWetty 2d ago

We use Arrow. No complaints. I hear great things about all pro pest too.

2

u/Dangerous-Major9750 1d ago

I work for massey but with any service unfortunately quite often the quality of service isn't always dependent on who you hire its who they send. Good an bad techs in every company but all your big names do quite well(usually) Massey and arrow are gonna do good but mom an pop businesses can do just as good we all use the same shit. Massey is superior over alot of companies because we can sell sentricon stations and they're just amazing but for roaches whether you hire x y or z they gonna use essentially the same shit.

1

u/dnagreyhound 1d ago

What’s the ballpark price for these things? Is there a way to only have them focus on roaches? And I’m assuming these needs to be a subscription services, not a one-off thing, right?

1

u/Dangerous-Major9750 1d ago

If you fully eliminate the roaches you don't technically have too. But with a service it'll make sure you don't get em back. But realistically if your clean and you truly eliminate the cause and infestation then it's done. 100% you would have to get them again. Amd they cant survive in alot of areas outside at all. So they have to hitch a ride inside from somewhere woth roaches. Pesticides don't work on the eggs so it'll take a few shots. That's why you wanna get a heppa vacuum(the exterminator should do that) they'll suck the soul out the carpet/couch/chairs etc... and get any eggs. But if you get a recurring service just don't have them aimlessly spraying random shit in your house. If there's no active infestation just do outside treatments. Even if the chemicals are technically safe it's just overall best to not spray inside for no reason. But idk about other companies but massey you can sign up for recurring or 1 time services. Price would depend on how bad the infestation is an size of the house. Few hundred to over a grand. You'll need that monitored. As you keep blasting em keep laying new indicator traps to monitor your progress. But alot of it depends on you. If your clean any decent exterminator can get it handled. But if you have cardboard, trash, left out pet food it can be very difficult to get em out of there.

1

u/dnagreyhound 1d ago

Thank you for the thorough response.

1

u/Afraid_Apartment_616 2d ago

Call Northwest Exterminating I work for them so I can vouch for them

1

u/tradesmen_ 1d ago

Don't us pest control its crazy expensive and they don't guarantee they can rid the roaches I've battled roaches in a few rentals myself and have found the best thing to do is place sticky traps everywhere this will get the bulk of them then use this gentrol point source gentrol disrupts their breeding cycle they can not reproduce with with this stuff in the air I put 2 or 3 in each room depending on size and they are gone its less than a month

1

u/RespectDisastrous559 1d ago

fuck….gonna check the shit out of my coffee maker and PS5 today

1

u/buymoreplants 19h ago

Humidifier too. We went on vacation for a week and had to cancel our regular pest control for the month bc it fell during that week... and cockroaches laid eggs in our kids' humidifier.

Horrifying.

3

u/Dino-chicken-nugg3t 2d ago

They hid in our dishwasher for this same reason. I was extra mad at them because I had to re wash so many dishes.

2

u/badheatherno 19h ago

They got in my pc. The WORST.

17

u/therealphee 2d ago

Do you have fire insurance?

4

u/Impressive_Page_7626 2d ago

I don’t 😭 promise you I thought burn the whole house down too

1

u/Inspiredwriter26 1d ago

If one of your sticky traps catches a whole facehugger, it’s time to nuke the entire house from orbit.

17

u/Jillmanji 2d ago

I recommend Massey pest control. They took care of my German roach infestation (as bad as yours) for $100, with monthly preventative treatment for $30. However, I do live in an apartment, so pricing probably varies-- this also means that I have to do monthly prevention because my connecting neighbors are pigs.

4

u/Impressive_Page_7626 2d ago

Thank you! I’ll be looking into them

2

u/TheMightyShoe 2d ago

I used Cook's when I lived in an apartment near Rome. Had German roaches when I moved in. Landlord blamed me for bringing them in (which Cook's said was demonstrably false), so I had to pay. Did the initial treatment and one three months later. Roaches gone. Price was about the same as the other recommendation.

0

u/ShallowTal 2d ago

I’ve used Arrow twice and they were excellent.

Brought roaches in on a piece of furniture from a friend’s house. Last time I buy used furniture.

But the second time my mom had moved into a rental that had a hidden infestation.

Both times they eliminated them.

2

u/sinklayre 2d ago

I’m having the same issue (not to the level of this!) and I live near Canton and Hawkins Store. Massey is right up the street. Thanks for the recommendation!

5

u/cmb211 2d ago

Bengal cockroach spray stat! That stuff is a miracle worker and saved me from an exterminator. I spray it once a month around my house. Home Depot and Walmart have it.

5

u/therealphee 2d ago

Jokes aside. You need professional help. Call arrow. They do our house and we rarely see any bugs. And when we do, they are dead.

2

u/cmb211 2d ago

I just do the bengal spray for the last three years I don’t see any bugs ever. Seriously just buy a couple cans and spray it everywhere

2

u/TheMightyShoe 2d ago

Bengal is GREAT stuff, but NOT for German roaches. Germans will quickly learn to detect spray poisons and avoid them. The last time I had to hire for Germans, they used poison bait and a liquid Insect Growth Regulator (IGR). The IGR (birth control) has no odor and doesn't directly harm the roaches, so they don't learn to avoid it.

1

u/somewhatstrange 2d ago

Are these German ones in the pic? I don’t wanna have to Google and get grossed out lol

2

u/TheMightyShoe 2d ago

Yes. They've caught a ton of egg-bearing females, who were trapped and their eggs hatched later. They have an absolutely MASSIVE infestation. While there is great DIY advice on Reddit, this is a job for a commercial exterminator. They can then go DIY for maintenance, if they want.

4

u/TheCalvinators 2d ago

I will make this post short and simple for you. German cockroaches are prevalent in Georgia. In new and old apartments

https://a.co/d/gaGCepE

Advion cockroach gel. They will eat this and take it back to their colony, when they die, the colony will eat the dead bodies and kill them as well.

https://a.co/d/eut3IJY

Gentrol Lifecycle stopper. This one works insanely well. the week after you first put them out, you’ll start to see roaches with bent antennae and weird legs. These roaches can no longer reproduce. So it breaks the lifecycle of the colony.

You HAVE TO inspect small appliances. Mini fridges, toaster ovens, old laptops, Deep freezers, microwaves, If they are compromised they have to go. No exceptions.

I promise it gets better. Good luck!

3

u/thotspur2005 2d ago

THIS. The advion and gentrol have been the only things I’ve found that keeps them under control. Can take some time and effort but these two products work extremely well.

2

u/Lethalspartan76 2d ago

I tip my hat to you sir! I’ve used both of those for a long time and they work great. I also use the Harris tablets. Post roach genocide you just need to buy an annual box of gentrol and Harris to put out. Like others have said cleanliness is also super important

3

u/samantha_xyz 2d ago edited 2d ago

When I lived in an apt complex with roaches I used boric acid to combat them. I sprinkled behind the stove, refrigerator etc. I also sprinkled inside, under the sink, cabinets in the cracks and crevices. I was able to rid my apt of roaches; although I'm sure other apts still had them.

My current house had roaches when I moved into it. I sprayed the outside of the home; 3 ft up the siding from the ground and 3 ft from the base of the house out from the house. I use Talstar P. I spray outside about once a quarter or as needed with great results! You may need to spray inside your house in addition to spraying the outside, but after the 1st application you'll probably only need to spray the outside. If you spray inside make sure you confine it to the baseboards, behind refrigerator, washing machine etc.

1

u/ranger910 2d ago

I believe roach tablets are made of Boric acid. I had very good results tossing those tablets under the fridge, behind the stove, in the corners, etc. Super cheap and effective.

1

u/samantha_xyz 2d ago

Yeah; I think I have seen boric acid tablets. I used the powder, but I'm sure it doesn't matter which is used. I now use Talstar P and it's the same product that pesticide technicians use; it's very good.

2

u/WRLDMNM 2d ago

No, kill roaches. Don’t help them.

2

u/Nightcrew22 2d ago

Man, that’s a lot of roaches, but tell me why the first thing i noticed was that seam on the counter

2

u/Significant-Bar674 2d ago

Apart from the general mentioned elsewhere 2 things:

  • use a bug bomb once before you start treatment. It will at least get the numbers down

  • don't use raid spray. It kills them and keeps them out of areas but the problem is if you hit the nest, then any survivors will avoid that area. That means they move into new areas. Now you have 5 nests where you only had 1 before

2

u/Electrical-Scar4773 2d ago

Pest technician here. You have a large infestation. Call your local Pest companies. Make sure they do a Clean Out.

You can look at r/germanroaches for more advice and knowledge.

1

u/PlatypusDependent271 2d ago

Combat super bait Gold

1

u/Extreme-Book4730 2d ago

Cellar Centipedes... and go...

1

u/Ok_Negotiation394 2d ago

Arrow and full circle pest management (out of Rockmart) is great! I had a roach problem as well.. this is most definitely a bigger infestation.! They love all warm appliances, game systems, WiFi routers, fridges, computers, freezers etc. They loved our Xbox, deep freezer and fridge.. it was a nightmare!! They loved cardboard boxes because they eat the glue on it. So if you have boxes from moving get rid of them asap.. get rid of food sources and put dog/cat food up in containers they can't get to

1

u/TheMightyShoe 2d ago

Used to live in Polk County! I used Cook's for German roaches. They were amazing!

1

u/eatbuttsdingdong 2d ago

We used lookout pest control when our new house had this problem. It wasn’t cheap. Somewhere around $650, but they made multiple trips and that’s been almost 5 years ago. Haven’t seen a single touch since we finished the treatment.

1

u/Louises_ears 2d ago

Do everything u/acmorgan said. However, if you’re not in a position to use a company or aren’t comfortable with that for whatever reason, use this kit. You have to be thorough and the cleaning/eliminating food sources is just as important as the poison, but this is a very effective product.

1

u/emelecfan2048 2d ago

Orkin has turned around my situation. Highly recommend

1

u/smoothfeet 2d ago

Diatomaceous earth in cracks and along walls.

1

u/Bravo-Buster 2d ago

Those are those damned German cockroaches. They're hard as hell to get rid of. And they need the expensive bait, not the usual stuff you can buy at the store.

1

u/Sharp_Ad_4400 2d ago

Advion roach gel and clean your house extremely well. They're there because they have plenty to eat

1

u/PenelopeLane925 2d ago

As others have said, Arrow is really good. We have them come quarterly because the roaches in my neighborhood seem to migrate from house to house 😬, especially when neighbors do construction/renovations.

1

u/TricolorStar 2d ago

To add on to the other pest control suggestions;

I recommend Vendetta Plus, as it kills and disrupts reproduction.

Also, get medieval on their asses and spread some boric acid around the house to desiccate them.

1

u/Vast_Investigator315 2d ago

Just burn the house

1

u/Impressive_Page_7626 2d ago

Im tempted at this point

1

u/cage_boi 2d ago

Have you tried roachbane?

1

u/ninjanog13 2d ago

Nitro vendetta or max force complete, alpine wsg, Shockwave 1 read the label it's the law!

1

u/Elegant_Life8725 2d ago

Pour gasoline, light a cigarette, drop said cigarette and walk away. The only solution I see to this problem

1

u/wolf19d 2d ago

Another tip is to get a bulb sprayer and boric acid dust. Spray that shit into every crack and crevice you can get into.

If the cabinets have contact paper, get rid of it.

Don’t forget to pull out the fridge and douse the coils on the back. Roaches love those.

Lastly, bag up your microwave and toaster and put them outside in the freezing cold. They like to get into appliances, too.

Source: former pest control technician

1

u/Illustrious_Cry_5388 2d ago

Mix powdered sugar and boric acid 1 to 1 ratio. Mop and get any food off the floor. Including from under appliances 'if you can' then sprinkle the aforementioned mixture around corners and narrow crevices. The Roaches will eat it, and die. That was the most effective solution I came up with when I lived in an apartment and no matter what I tried, nothing killed em. Not even fogging.

1

u/LeauxFi 2d ago

They're in your walls. Hundreds if not thousands of em. Go full shock and awe. Call professional pest control/exterminators. Diatomaceous earth everywhere. Your house must be kept spotless for a while. Not even a single plate in the sink. No water sources. Nothing. Then bomb outside your house too.

1

u/brechbillc1 2d ago

Exterminator.

You have a really bad German Cockroach infestation to the point where you need professional help.

1

u/choongsam 2d ago

Burn the whole place down.

1

u/Cancerous115 2d ago

Apartment and if so which one?

1

u/Impressive_Page_7626 2d ago

It’s a house but my landlord didn’t disclose the roach problem at all.

1

u/Froggie7777 1d ago

Make them pay for it.

1

u/Impressive_Page_7626 1d ago

He doesn’t see an issue having us live like this and is refusing to help pay for pest control since the rent is “cheap for the area” we should be able to cover the cost for it.

1

u/ttypeguy 2d ago

Avion gel works wonders it's around 30 dollars on Amazon but when I had them put that stuff out over night I was crunching a lot the next morning and I put more out every so often to slow any more and I still find dead ones every time

1

u/newoldbuyer 2d ago

Buy a few bottles of boric acid aka borax and sprinkle it all throughout the house. Every crevice, crack and corner you can find. Let it sit for 1-2 weeks before sweeping it all up. You won’t see any roaches again when you’re done.

1

u/FahrenheitRising 2d ago

ALPHA Pest and Wildlife Solutions is a local company that has kept our home pest free. The owner is awesome! https://www.alphapestandwildlife.com/

1

u/pamelaonthego 1d ago

When you have that kind of infestation you have several generations of roaches living there. This means it will take several weeks of treatment. They are also likely in the walls. I bought a rental property a few years ago that had a similar level of infestation and had to use fire ant poison and bait gel behind outlet covers to get rid of it. You don’t want that stuff anywhere near pets or children and it smells like rotten eggs, but it works. I would go stay somewhere else for 3 weeks and treat the problem then carefully vacuum and mop everything up.

1

u/Reader124-Logan 1d ago

If you have anyone in the home with breathing problems, you need to look into air filtration. Everything about cockroaches impacts asthma.

1

u/noogienooge 1d ago

Completely useless comment, but holy cow that’s the most roaches I’ve ever seen on a trap. Also, don’t use Orkin, their odds of getting a tech who doesn’t know or doesn’t care is HIGH.

1

u/Impressive_Page_7626 1d ago

My thoughts too. I really wish my landlord would’ve disclosed this before I moved in.

1

u/younggohan81 1d ago

You don’t need a company just use this:https://a.co/d/8bAzCBF. It was posted on another thread yrs ago from a former pest control tech. When I say this stuff works! Just mix with water and spray everywhere for like a week straight. You’ll see dead bodies immediately and since I’ve been using it, haven’t seen one in 2 yrs. I also reapply like every 8-10 months just to be safe.

1

u/imhangryagain 1d ago

Watch out when buying small appliances from the thrift stores - years ago I bought a computer monitor for $10 from Aaron Rents, came home plugged it in and the next morning had a massive roach infestation!!! they love things that get warm

1

u/HumanTickTac 1d ago

My brother in Christ…….

1

u/FlashyOrganization23 1d ago

If you want to handle it yourself, I recommend buying some Alpine WSG and a spray can. That stuff has worked wonders for me.

1

u/Dangerous-Major9750 1d ago

Get rid of any cardboard boxes they love the glue and can eat it forever. German cockroaches are insanely invasive. Vacuum every nook an cranny and then Vacuum it again. Call an exterminator and have them spray em out. It can take a bIt of time but as long as your not giving them good places to harbor an giving them access to food the exterminator should be able to nuke em out with efficiency. You can try to bomb ot yourself but if your just trying to get it done quickly call a professional

1

u/ConsequenceNo6372 1d ago

Burn it down if that’s not an option. When I was young we had a bad infestation bug bombed twice when we went on vacation or would be out for extended periods plus regularly spraying from a pest company and just like the other poster said extreme cleanliness until they have been completely eradicated

1

u/Ender_412 1d ago

To add to this list, use Gentrol. It stops them from getting to breeding age, stunting growth. This is not an immediate solution but it will allow you to see less of them.

Use it with bait, raid and everything that kills.

The more that run through this stuff the more are affected.

https://a.co/d/0aBSRSR

1

u/Strange-Zebra2835 1d ago

Get a BILLION roach traps. Put 4 of them in every room. Plus get pest control.

1

u/clamb9 1d ago

That would bring so much money at an art auction, just sayin

1

u/Hamburgerler71 1d ago

Well without burning down the house there is almost no way of getting rid of them 100%. You can get it to where you don’t see them anymore.

1

u/CommandHuge3808 1d ago

Burn 🔥 the whole house down!

1

u/Big_Opposite_6041 1d ago

Go on Amazon and order Alpine wsg. You can get it in packets. Mix one packet in 1 gallon of water in a pump sprayer. Also get advion cockroach bate. Put the bait out at least 6 inches apart. Spray the chemical around the base boards.

1

u/ChvfRich 1d ago

This gave me ptsd omg

1

u/lisawl7tr 21h ago

Arrow Exterminators

1

u/No-Movie-800 21h ago

You have German roaches. Go to r/germanroaches for detailed advice. Much of what you're being told here isn't fully accurate or isn't sufficient for the scale of infestation you have. Pest control is a great idea, but alpine wsg, advion and gentrol will take care of a lot.

1

u/Chemical_Shop_5197 15h ago

Terro roach killer... Noticable difference within 2 days after application.

1

u/woof152 14h ago

I promise you boric acid is the key. Sprinkle it in your kitchen or bathroom or any other problem areas and let it sit for like two weeks they will all be dead

1

u/kell4ies 14h ago

Look at the German Roaches subreddit page! I had an infestation and lived on that page and within a couple of weeks I barely saw any. Alpine WSG spray and Advion Gel saved me

1

u/Secreteflower 11h ago

Advion. Dear god. Advion, Alpine WSG, and professional help. Tbh, I’d probably break the lease.

0

u/danno596 2d ago

DM me.

0

u/phluper 1d ago

Please don't use the sticky boards!!! That's inhumane. Kill it fast or don't.

You're looking for a product in syringe-looking tube called Invict. Apply in cracks and crevices. Fck the pest control companies.
There's a place called Do-It-Yourself Pest Control, at the intersection of I-85 and Chamblee Tucker Rd. They'll sell it to you and explain how to use it. Like $12

1

u/_DC003_ 13h ago

They are roaches.