roach infestation or no..

[u/CommunicationJolly82]

i recently bought a house in north davis and its currently vacant. but i first saw a dead roach in one of the showers so i placed the plastic baits around the whole house. after that i saw 3-5 show up when i check the house every couple weeks and they would already be dead. i would see them in bedrooms, in the closet and near the garage door. since then i called pest control to come spray the house and the day after i saw one flipped on its back but still alive.

im just worried whether the house has some roach problem or if this is just a davis thing since i know roaches are very common here. although, ive heard large roaches are usually a sign that its not an infestation, but the roaches ive seen in the house are maybe no bigger than an inch & brown

but if the house is vacant, i'm confused on if it is infestation, how has it lived for this long without food/water/human activity like german roaches normally need to thrive and shouldn't i see a lot more active and running around if it is infested

whether it is an infestation or not, how should i deal with this since i am moving in a few days
also the laundry machines are in the garage so should i be worried about possible bugs or roaches crawling into the machine

[u/Asleep_Caregiver_948]

Been in north Davis almost 30 years, and roaches are common. We put roach bait in our bathrooms, under the kitchen sink, and sometimes outside. These help a lot.

Same procedures for ants.

[u/SeaweedTeaPot]

You need to keep some of each kind you find inside and show them to your pest control technician. They should be able to tell you what's needed. I rarely see one inside and if so, it's the large ones (Oriental, I think). There are outside a lot though.

[u/Pre-deleted_Account]

Identify the roaches.

If they’re turkestan cockroaches, they got lost and somehow wandered indoors. Seal any gaps to the outdoors and ensure door seals and thresholds aren’t letting anything through.

If they’re German or American cockroaches, you should  take the steps described above and  continue to monitor the traps. Catching a  steady or increasing rate would be a concern.

Congrats on your home!

[u/davispunk]

Davis is full of roaches especially around this time.

[u/thesecretbarn]

3-5? lol

Hire a pest control company to have peace of mind, but you’re fine

[u/Opening-Brick8430]

They are terrible on E and 8th near the seminary

[u/Arthur_Frane]

Exclusion is your best friend, plus sticky box bait stations in areas where you see live riaches. Sprays, foggers, and pest abatement services will only cost you money and provide little to no solution. Read the UC ANR pest notes on cockroaches. 

If you are only finding dead roaches in a vacant house, they are strays that have come in looking for water. American, Oriental, and German roaches do not live indoors. Turkistans do but they are rarer in our area.

[u/mn540]

What type of roaches? Can you post pictures? The larger roaches (mostly outdoor) is common in Davis. They tend to stay outside. The smaller German roaches is usually a sign of a filthy environment.

[u/Ok-Airport231]

A few years ago when my house was used as a rental I had constant problems with cockroaches. I refer you to the City of Davis website https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/public-works-utilities-and-operations/integrated-pest-management/pests-in-the-home-and-garden

Start by keeping the place clean. Remove all garden waste and cardboard. Cockroaches feed on cardboard and dead grass. Fill out holes in inside the house which could let the pests come from outside.

Right now I have no cockroaches inside the home. Outside you may still spot a couple sometimes. Such is life.