My Neighbors are Messy, Can I Still Keep Pests Out?

If you live in close proximity to your neighbors, such as in an apartment, condominium or row home, roaches can be a problem. Unfortunately they can nest in common walls and go back and forth between homes. If your neighbors aren’t particularly clean, that can present a big challenge. Neighbors who leave dirty dishes out, trash in bins and food out on counters are not only creating a problem for themselves, but for their surrounding apartments as well.

The Trouble

Unfortunately, roaches can enter a neighboring apartment or condo through any nook and cranny–pipes that connect your dwellings or holes or cracks in the wall. Insulated interior walls between your two apartments make a nice cozy and warm breeding ground and nesting site for roaches. In fact, roaches can stay active and breed year-round in such cozy surroundings.

Roaches are associated with numerous health problems, and kids can particularly be susceptible, as can people with allergies and other respiratory diseases. Roaches pick up diseases and transmit them to kitchen countertops and other surfaces. These insects also shed skin, and these sheddings greatly impact allergies and asthma.

You may politely talk with your neighbor or report the issue to your apartment or building management. When there is a roach infestation, it won’t work to just treat one apartment. Many apartment dwellers make the mistake of thinking they can set off a fogger in just their apartment, but that only will drive the roaches into nearby apartments.

If you share outdoor spaces with neighbors, have a community cleanup effort to remove all wet leafy debris and other trash and wood debris that may be near the foundation. This type of debris presents the perfect nesting ground for roaches to then come into all your homes through cracks in the foundation or other entry ways.

Until the entire building is remedied, remember that cockroaches eat anything and everything so be sure to always keep your kitchen clean. Wipe down food preparation surfaces before every meal preparation, and keep opened bags of food closed with clips or stored in airtight containers. If you leave an open bag, roaches will get in and leave their droppings in your food. Also keep floors clean, particularly if you have toddlers. Vacuum and mop often to remove skin sheddings and other roach debris.

Accel Pest and Termite Services

If you’ve seen one roach, there are likely many more lurking inside your walls. Another sign to look for is feces or egg casings that roaches leave behind. If you see any of these signs, you likely have an infestation, so contact Accel Pest Control today.