Cockroach control in Eindhoven: recognising the signs
In Dutch homes and kitchens it is usually the German cockroach: light brown, a little over a centimetre long, with two dark stripes behind the head. It lives out of sight and mainly comes out at night. If you see one during the day, there are probably many more. Other signs:
- tiny black dots, like ground pepper, in cupboards and drawers
- brown, oblong egg cases in corners and seams
- shed skins behind appliances
- a musty smell in an enclosed space
How cockroaches get in and where they hide
Cockroaches arrive with cardboard boxes, crates, second-hand kitchen appliances and sometimes luggage. In buildings with shared pipework they travel along pipes and through shafts from one home to another. Once inside, they look for warmth, moisture and food, and every kitchen offers all three.
Their favourite hiding places are narrow gaps: behind and under the fridge, around the dishwasher and oven, under the sink, in the joints of kitchen units and even inside the motor housing of a coffee machine or microwave. That is where we focus our treatment.
Our cockroach control with gel and sticky traps
We start with a torch inspection and set sticky traps to see where activity is highest. Then we apply gel bait in small drops to the cracks where they shelter. Cockroaches feed on the gel and carry the active ingredient back to their hiding place, where others come into contact with it too. That way we tackle the colony without spraying the kitchen.
The eggs inside the egg cases are not affected by the gel. That is why we return to check the traps and top up the gel for the young cockroaches that hatch later. This approach is typical of our pest control in Eindhoven: targeted, using no more product than necessary.
What to do yourself, and what to avoid
Keep the kitchen dry and clear overnight: no washing-up in the sink, no crumbs on the worktop and no open food. Use a bin with a lid, and clean behind and under appliances regularly. Seal gaps around pipes and behind the kitchen plinth, so there are fewer places to hide.
Do not use an aerosol spray from the shop. It drives the cockroaches further into the house and makes the gel less attractive to them later. Crumbs and open food also attract mice, by the way; you can read how we handle those under mouse control.
Cockroaches in restaurants and commercial kitchens
Cockroach control in a professional kitchen needs extra care. Warmth, moisture and food are always present, and the many appliances offer plenty of hiding places. A cockroach spotted by a guest is also bad for a business's reputation. We therefore schedule the inspection and treatment outside opening hours and use sticky traps that we read at every visit.
We also look at deliveries: crates and boxes left standing in the kitchen are a well-known way in. Unpack deliveries outside the kitchen where possible and clear away cardboard straight away. That keeps the chance of a new infestation low.
