Which cockroaches are we dealing with?
Small (12–15mm), light brown with two dark stripes behind the head. Lives indoors in kitchens and bathrooms. The hardest to get rid of without a professional treatment.
Large (30–40mm), reddish-brown, sometimes fly on warm nights. Live in drains, gardens and roof voids and wander inside.
Dark, glossy, large. Common in leaf litter and under pot plants around Sydney.
Signs to look for
- Black droppings like ground pepper along cupboard hinges and drawer runners
- Brown egg cases (oothecae) behind appliances
- A musty, oily smell in cupboards
- Seeing them in daylight, which usually means a large population
Cockroaches around Sydney
Older brick homes in Liverpool, Fairfield and Bankstown with subfloors and wall cavities give big cockroaches easy access, and the humid summers here suit German cockroaches in kitchens. Units with shared walls often need a building-wide treatment to stop them coming back.
What you can do yourself
- Wipe benches and sweep at night so there's no food left out
- Fix dripping taps and dry the sink before bed
- Seal gaps around pipes under sinks
- Store pet food in sealed containers
- Skip bug bombs. They scatter German cockroaches into wall cavities and make treatment harder
How we treat cockroaches
Inside, we place gel bait in hinges, cracks and appliance voids, where cockroaches feed and carry it back to the colony. For German cockroaches we add an insect growth regulator that stops nymphs from breeding. Outside, we apply a residual spray to the perimeter, weep holes, eaves, subfloor and garage, and dust the roof void. Heavy German cockroach infestations get a follow-up in 2–3 weeks.
How to prepare
- Put food away and clear the kitchen benches
- Move pets and their bowls out of treated areas
- Don't clean inside cupboards for a week after, so the bait stays in place