New Property - Cockroach's? in Kitchen

Kintarō Hattori

Hey Folks,

Myself and the GF moved into a new apartment in the city centre in The New Hardwicke complex. It's quite a nice spot, bright and clean. When we moved in we mentioned to the letting agent that there seemed to be an insect problem in the kitchen, we reckoned they were something like cockroaches (not the american kind!). We said we'd try and take care of it first.
We laid some suitable poison in the bathroom and hallway to get rid of the 'silverfish' that were in the bathroom and to see if it would help with the cockroaches. It got rid of the silverfish but not so the cockroaches.

I saw the letting agent in the street the other day and mentioned that I'd like something done about the coackroaches as we tried to get rid of them ourselves rather than troubling him, but were'nt successful. He asked had I tried to locate where they were getting in, I said I hadn't and he said there wasn't much they would be able to do until they knew where they were coming from in the kitchen.

Does this sound reasonable to you? It certainly doesn't to me. These things aren't exactly small. They can be over 1" in size and mover very quickly. We're paying €1000pm for the apartment and apart from this issue it's almost perfect. His advice was to lay some talcum powder near the pipes in the kitchen under the sink and see where the trails lead. I didn't think this was a satisfactory answer. I'd like someone to come in and go through the kitchen in detail.

What do you guys think? Should I try and track down where they are coming in or should I get tougher with the letting agent?

Victor

Explain to the agent it is their / the landlords problem to sort. You are entitled to a reasonable level of hygiene.

Explain that you will be making a complaint to the council housing department otherwise.

BostonB

They sound like sliverfish to me, they move very fast, and grow to that size.

You thought you got rid of them. How did you do that? What was the stuff you used. Because they are very hard to get rid of. On our houses has a problem with Silverfish and I'm at my wits end trying to get rid of them with out putting poison every where (small kids etc).

patrickolee

Do they look like this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish

From the article it sounds like they are more of a bathroom insect, so maybe they are something else?

Kintarō Hattori

We had Silverfish in the bathroom and something entirely different in the kitchen. It's NOT Silverfish in the kitchen. They are much larger in lenght and width with very long 'feeler's.

patrickolee

I wonder if you could get some pics of them, so we could identify them?

Either way, it should be up to the letting agent/owner to get rid of them, although for some reason, I think they probably won't do anything until forced. Maybe you could get rent a kill in and send the bill to the letting agent? Sounds horrendous.

Kintarō Hattori

I've asked the letting agent since we moved in to sort this problem out and very little has happened. I've stepped up my complaints to the letting agent. He asked that I send a strong email to him which I did so he could foward it onto the landlord. He said that the tried to get the management company of the complex to pay for fumigating the place as he belives it is an outside pipe and not just the apartment that has an issue. They wanted proof of the cockroach problem so he came around last week and took a picture, but still nothing.

I called around to his office today and he told me that it is really the landlord's issue to deal with as he is 'only doing it as a favour and it falls out of the scope of his issue's to deal with'. I asked him what the landlord was going to do about it and he said he didn't know that it was up to the landlord to solve the problem.

I told the letting agent that I would be going to the PRTB, Threshold, basically everyone and anyone to get this sorted out. We're paying €1000pm and we have to share our apartment with cockroach's. He said he would pass this onto the landlord as it might hasten his decision to do something.

Folks it's definetly cockroach's we have. I've seen them up close and squished enough of them. I've taken plenty of pictures and video's and have presented these to the letting agent to show the severity of the problem. At anyone time there can be up to 6 of these things running around the kitchen, both large and small. They are disgusting and have now seemingly spread to the bathroom and living room.

Please tell me what can I do, who can I speak to, to either get the letting agent or the landlord to sort this problem out quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/v/g3XIaC3G9JM

BostonB

Why not just move out? Why put up with that?

BTW you need better video than that.

h8red

Yeah, your video is ****e. Any chance of a good quality still?

Kintarō Hattori

BostonB wrote:

Why not just move out? Why put up with that?

BTW you need better video than that.

h8red wrote:

Yeah, your video is ****e. Any chance of a good quality still?

The video was shot on a phone as my camera is in for repair at the moment. I don't think it needs to be pin sharp, you can see that's the back of the microwave and a black insect scurrying away after being disturbed. I do however have other video's also as well as several still images (though not of razor sharp quality).

In answer to your original question Boston, it was a difficult and drawn out affair looking for an apartment when we found this place. It's a nice place other than the unwelcome visitors, so we'd like to get this sorted out if we can.

SimpleSam06

Its up to the landlord to get rid of any unwelcome visitors like that, as far as I know, since they are in breach of health and safety standards for the accommodation being let. This time of year is always hard to get a place to stay since there are a lot of students moving around - if you can stick it out till October it will be much easier to move. Failing that however, raided from wikipedia:

1. Figure out if you have cockroaches. Cockroaches are generally medium-sized insects, although in some parts of the world they can get quite large. They have spiny legs and long antennae. If you see even one roach, you've undoubtedly got a lot more. The problem is they generally hide during the day, so you may need to look for them at night with a flashlight. Even if you can't find any of the insects, check cupboards and pantries for their droppings -- tiny brown slime stains or pellets.

2. Try to figure out where they're coming from. If you see cockroaches, try to follow them to figure out where they go. This is easier said than done, however, so you might need to do a little sleuthing. Check all around the house for cracks and holes through which roaches may enter. Roaches often enter through drains or vents, so you can't seal up everything.

3. Kill the roaches. There are a variety of do-it-yourself options for killing cockroaches. Some of the more well regarded of these are listed below. Try one at a time, or try them all.

• Dust with Boric Acid, Flour and Cocoa (1 part Acid, 2 parts Flour and 1 part cocoa). While still dangerous for kids and pets, this product is not as toxic as many insecticides, and the roaches aren't repelled by it so they drag it home and feed it to their hatchlings. Dust a fine coat in cupboards, under sinks, around toilets and any cracks, corners or hollow spaces. Avoid breathing the powder; like any acid it can irritate the lungs.
  
• Use an insecticide spray. Get some insecticide that is labeled for use against cockroaches, and spray wherever cockroaches may be hiding or entering the house, including along walls, in cracks, and in vents. Keep pets out of the way when you are spraying, and follow all safety instructions on the product's label.
  
• Use cockroach bait. Cockroach bait is either housed in a childproof case or applied as a gel and contains a slow-working poison mixed in with an attractive (for cockroaches) food. The roaches eat the poison and bring it back to the nest, where it eventually kills all the roaches. Place the bait in an area where you know cockroaches will encounter it.
  
• Use cockroach traps. Cockroach traps lure cockroaches in and then trap them with an adhesive. Get several of these, and place them wherever cockroaches are known to frequent.
  
• Use water jars. A simple and effective homemade way to lure and trap roaches is with a jar placed next to a wall, allowing the roaches to get in, but not escape. Any bait can be placed in the jar, including coffee grounds and water, but it also works with just plain water in dryer climates.
  
• Apply a liquid concentrate. Liquid concentrates, once the exclusive domain of professional exterminators, are now being made for use by the public. The concentrate is a poison or deterrent chemical that is diluted with water and then sprayed, wiped, or mopped onto just about any surface. Concentrates can be particularly effective providing protection against re-infestation, as they usually deter roaches for 1-2 weeks or more.
  
• Get professional grade pesticides. Don't go to the local home improvement store, all the stuff they sell there is weak. Search the web for it. Get something with Cypermerthrin, perhaps Demon WP or something along those lines. The will kill live bugs, as well as provide a residual effect for three months. Spray it around the perimeter of your home and in places like your basement. The bugs won't be back. The downside is that this will kill ALL bugs, even ones that eat roaches, like spiders and millipedes. But if you have lots of roaches, you probably don't care.

4. Use a simple solution of Soap and Water. Just make a light solution of soap (bath soap is fine) and water. You can splash this, spray this or just throw this on the roach. Just a little water will do , even 2 or 3 drops can kill, if used effectively. Ensure that it makes contact with the roaches head and lower abdomen(its belly if you can turn the roach over). The roach will run or try to run, but will suddenly stop and die or be almost dead in one minute. It is best to throw it out asap, as it may revive. This happens because the roach breathes through its skin. The soapy water forms a thin film on the breathing pores, and effectively blocks them (surface tension). So the roach will suffocate to death or to near death, but it could recover if the water dries up or has not touched a large percentage of its body. Try this and you will have amazing results for free.

5. Prevent re-infestation. A clean house is key to keeping cockroaches away.

• Keep the kitchen clean. Clean up crumbs and spills promptly, and generally keep the area clean. Pay special attention to range tops, as cockroaches love grease.
  
• Put food away. Keep food containers sealed, and don't leave food out for extended periods -- don't even leave dirty dishes overnight.
  
• Empty trash regularly, and keep trash away from the house.
  
• Fix dripping taps or leaks. Cockroaches are attracted to water.
  
• Put naphthalene balls on corners. Roaches hate their smell.
  
• Prevent bugs from coming up the drain. If you believe that the cockroaches are coming up your drains, pour regular, cheap bleach down the drains before leaving the house in the morning. For a stronger solution, mix 1 part Borax with 3 parts bleach.
  
• Move logs and other debris away from the outside of the house. Cockroaches love piles of wood and other convenient hiding places, and as the weather turns colder, they'll migrate inside the house to keep warm.
  
• Seal cracks in exterior walls. Keep roaches out of the house by blocking their entrance.
  
• Seal cracks everywhere you can inside your house. This takes time, but the payoff is great, because you eliminate most of their favorite hiding/breeding places. You'll need a lot of caulking, so use the big tubes with a caulking gun. Fill every crack inside every cabinet; fill the cracks on both sides of floor, door, and window moldings; fill all openings around pipes in bathrooms and kitchens. This makes a big difference and makes the whole house feel cleaner.

6. Call a professional. If the above methods don't work, call a pest-control expert. Exterminators are licensed to use stronger chemicals and to apply chemicals more widely, and they can do so while keeping your family safe.

Its very unusual to get cockroaches in Ireland, since they mostly stick to warmer tropical climates, but not unheard of.

BostonB

eo980 wrote:

The video was shot on a phone as my camera is in for repair at the moment. I don't think it needs to be pin sharp, you can see that's the back of the microwave and a black insect scurrying away after being disturbed. I do however have other video's also as well as several still images (though not of razor sharp quality).

In answer to your original question Boston, it was a difficult and drawn out affair looking for an apartment when we found this place. It's a nice place other than the unwelcome visitors, so we'd like to get this sorted out if we can.

You can barely recognise the microwave in that video.

Its a nice place with cockroachs. Sorry but urrgggh,

connundrum

As an aside, if it is a building problem then the managing agent should deal with it. Have you spoken to neighbours about it to see if they are suffering with the same problem?

We had that problem in one building and had to evacuate 3 apartments for the guts of 5 weeks in order to solve the problem. I couldn't tell you what the landlords did with their tenants, but some degree of insurance compensation was saught and granted iirc.

Kintarō Hattori

BostonB wrote:

You can barely recognise the microwave in that video.

Its a nice place with cockroachs. Sorry but urrgggh,

The landlord and letting agent would both recognise that area ofthe kitchen Boston, so it doesn't matter if anyone else doesn't recognise the place. As I said I have other video's showing other clearer cockroach's and in the video I linked to you can clearly see one running about.

I've spoken to some other neighbours Connundrum and they say they aren't having any problems. The letting agent told me that he thinks the problem is the building rather than the apartment but I don't know if this is really the case or just his trying to shake off responsibility of the issue on behalf of himself and the landlord.

After speaking to him yesteray I asked him when he was going to be speaking to the landlord next and he told me it would be that evening. I told him I absolutely wanted a call from him to find out what the landlord had to say with so much evidence pilling up. He promised that he would call back that evening and needless to say he never did.

Who can I go to about this? Do I talk to Threshold or the PRTB or someone else? Is there any way I can escalate this and take it 'out' of the hands of the letting agent and the landlord as they don't appear to be doing much?


BTW Sam- Many thanks for that long and detailed reply! I've already started implementing some of the things you've suggested and I'll start doing others as soon as I can. I appreciate the advice.

SimpleSam06

eo980 wrote:

BTW Sam- Many thanks for that long and detailed reply! I've already started implementing some of the things you've suggested and I'll start doing others as soon as I can. I appreciate the advice.

No problem, just be sure and keep the receipts of your purchases and record the time spent, as much as possible - the landlord or management agency should reimburse you for your efforts.