Can I get rid of cockroaches myself, or do I need an exterminator?

Often you can, if you catch it early and the roaches are not coming from somewhere you cannot control. A combination of non-chemical and chemical methods is the best strategy to eliminate and prevent cockroaches in the house,^[1] and most of that combination is work a homeowner can do. For extensive cockroach problems, consider a professional pest control company.^[1] The question is which side of that line you are on.

When doing it yourself usually works

A small, recent problem in a single-family home. A few German cockroaches in the kitchen, caught early, often respond to a steady routine: sticky traps to find them, cleanup to starve them, sealed cracks to take away hiding places, and baits in their runways. Indoor baits tend to be most effective after the house has been thoroughly cleaned and food and water sources removed,^[1] so the cleanup is not optional. The full routine is in how to get rid of cockroaches.

Patience for a slow result. Read and follow the label on every product. Whoever applies it, using a pesticide in any way that is not consistent with its label directions and precautions is illegal.^[4] Baits need to stay out continuously, and insect growth regulators do not kill quickly, but the population declines over months because the insects cannot reproduce.^[1] Doing it yourself works when you keep at it for weeks, not when you spray once and wait.

Wood roaches. Wood roaches are about 0.75 to 1 inch long and light reddish-brown to dark brown. They turn up in firewood piles, wet mulch and clogged gutters, and the adult males, which can fly, may be attracted to bright porch lights at night.^[2] They live outdoors and cannot settle indoors: they die within days indoors for lack of moisture.^[2] Wood roaches found indoors can be killed with a fly swatter, a vacuum or an aerosol insecticide, and foundation or perimeter treatments with residual insecticides are generally unnecessary.^[2] That is rarely worth paying for.

When to hire a licensed company

The numbers are not falling. If your trap counts are steady or climbing after several weeks of honest effort, the infestation is bigger than you can reach. Seeing more cockroaches during the day may indicate a large, growing infestation.^[1]

The roaches are coming from next door. Managing cockroaches in multifamily housing takes a community effort, because pests in untreated units can spread to units that were already treated.^[1] If you live in an apartment, work with your neighbours and landlord; nobody will be able to eliminate the problem alone.^[3] In a rental, that means reporting to the landlord in writing.

Someone in the home has asthma or allergies. Cockroach secretions, droppings and body parts can trigger allergies and asthma in some people,^[1] which makes a fast, thorough result worth more than the savings.

Baits have stopped working. If baits that worked at first stop working, pesticide resistance or bait aversion may be the reason.^[3] A professional can rotate products and formulations that a shelf at the hardware store does not carry. Pest control operators may have specialized equipment and professional-use materials that are not available to unlicensed homeowners.^[1]

You are thinking about a fogger. Foggers penetrate cracks and cluttered areas only so far and seldom eliminate a population.^[1] If you have reached that point, call a company instead.

What a licensed company does differently

A good company starts with an inspection rather than a spray. It finds the runways and harborages, measures the infestation, and builds a plan around baits, growth regulators and dusts placed where the roaches live, with follow-up visits to check progress. It should also tell you what to clean, seal and fix, because no treatment holds if the food, water and hiding places stay.

How to hire well in Virginia

Check the licence. No one may apply or recommend a pesticide commercially in Virginia without a pesticide business license and a certified commercial applicator on staff.^[5] The license is for paid work: it covers anyone who, in exchange for compensation, applies or recommends pesticides.^[6] Businesses apply to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the license.^[6] A separate license is required for each business location, and every license expires on March 31 and must be renewed.^[6] To keep it, licensed businesses must carry insurance and keep written records of pesticides applied commercially for two years.^[6]

Ask for a written plan. The company should inspect and outline a recommended control program covering the pests to be controlled, the extent of the problem, the active ingredients, their potential health effects, the form of the pesticide and how it will be applied, non-chemical alternatives, how to reduce your exposure, and steps to prevent the problem returning.^[4]

Check the track record. Ask neighbours about their experience with the company, and call your state pesticide regulatory agency to ask whether it has received complaints.^[4] Ask the salesperson to show proof on paper that the company is insured.^[4]

Compare whole plans. A low first-visit price can cost more than a plan that includes the follow-ups. What cockroach extermination costs in Virginia explains what drives the price.

Stop and call a pro if

• Trap counts have not fallen after several weeks of cleanup and baiting.
• You see cockroaches in daylight, or in rooms well away from the kitchen and bathrooms.
• The roaches are coming through shared walls or plumbing from another unit.
• Someone in the home has asthma or allergy symptoms that may be linked to the roaches.
• A child or pet swallows bait, or anyone feels ill after a pesticide is used. If the person is unconscious, having trouble breathing or having convulsions, call 911. Otherwise, read the label's first-aid instructions and call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222. For a pet, the National Pesticide Information Center (1-800-858-7378) also answers questions about animal poisonings.^[4]
• You are considering a fogger or any product you would have to mix or apply beyond what the household label allows.

Getting help on Loclis

Browse cockroach control services, find pest control around Blacksburg or read more pest control answers. When you are ready, describe the job on Loclis so licensed pest control businesses can quote it in writing.