Severe cockroach infestation control and removal in Matawan

Challenge

I was dispatched to a Matawan residence to resolve a severe cockroach infestation. The homeowner had unsuccessfully attempted to treat the pests as a DIY project. The infestation became more entrenched, spreading throughout the home. Cockroaches are resilient, requiring multiple fronts to bring the infestation under control. Because these insects favor warm, humid areas close to food and water, they typically infest kitchens and bathrooms. However, with a severe infestation, they quickly spread to other areas of the home, including bedrooms. And it doesn’t take long for a minor infestation to turn into a major one. A female carries around a light tan egg case, and each case contains about 30 offspring. A female produces a new egg case every few weeks, so with successive generations, a roach population can easily climb into the tens of thousands within a year if the problem is not resolved early on.

By the time I had arrived, this home was well on its way to a “horror movie” infestation. As an experienced technician, I have resolved dozens of cockroach infestations in not only private residences, but also in commercial restaurants and food storage facilities and in dense multi-unit living structures such as apartments and nursing homes. Usually, private residences don’t have the large, entrenched cockroach infestations seen in these other structures. This home was a notable exception. It had one of the worst roach infestations that I’ve ever seen. The homeowner was insistent about treating the roach problem himself, even though the infestation was quickly getting worst with no end in sight. In fact, this infestation was so severe the roaches were running to the exterior around the front door. Even they wanted to get out of that house! Cockroaches are nocturnal and typically stay in the dark whenever possible. With this home, the population had grown so high that roaches were scavenging for food in broad daylight.

At the time of service, the father had been hospitalized. The daughter, who was living in the home with her two children, was at wit’s end with the infestation. She was especially worried about the sanitation issues from a roach infestation. And rightly so. Cockroaches contaminate food and eating utensils, destroy fabric and paper products, and impart stains and unpleasant odors to surfaces they contact. Cockroaches, which come into contact with excrement in sewers or with pet droppings, transmit salmonella and other bacteria that cause food poisoning. Residential infestations expose the home occupants to cockroach fecal material, saliva, and body fragments. All are potentially severe asthma triggers, especially for children.

Solution

Two technicians were sent to treat this home. When treating a large roach infestation, we use an Actisol machine that delivers a fine mist, enabling the chemical to penetrate the many cracks and crevices that cockroaches use for harborage. The roaches are “smoked out” from these inaccessible hiding areas, and chased into other areas that have been treated with a residual pesticide. We also talked to the daughter about the potential sanitation issues that promoted the infestation in the first place, and the importance of making the home environment hostile to a cockroach infestation by restricting available food, water, and harborage areas.

The most important lesson from this Matawan residence is that it is important to contact an experienced pest control company before a roach infestation gets out of control. When a roach problem is not controlled early on, a few roaches can quickly multiply, first into the hundreds, and then into the thousands. The problem soon becomes too overwhelming for a homeowner to handle on his own. Also, spraying some chemicals purchased from a supermarket or hardware store is often inadequate to do the job, and can even make occupants of the home sick. Also, what works with some species of cockroaches does not necessarily work as well with others. A knowledgeable and experienced pest control professional can properly inspect the residence to determine the type and scope of infestation, and the most effective way to eliminate it. A roach infestation is a health hazard. Every day that the problem is not resolved is another day for them to breed and spread disease.