Cockroaches near you

Identification tells the technician where to look and what to use. Health Canada describes the German cockroach as one of the most common household cockroaches in the world, about 1.3 to 1.6 cm long, and notes that it is found in buildings as far north as Nunavut. A few other species turn up less often.

Cockroaches avoid light and people, so seeing them in daytime suggests their hiding places are crowded. Health Canada notes that they gravitate toward the warm, damp conditions of kitchens, bathrooms, basements and plumbing areas, which is where to look.

Cockroaches are more than unpleasant. Health Canada explains that they can contaminate food and spread disease by walking over and excreting on food or food preparation areas after travelling through garbage or sewers. It also notes that people with asthma may have a negative reaction to their droppings and body parts.

Those allergens linger in dust after the insects are gone, so thorough cleaning is part of recovering from an infestation, not only of preventing the next one. If someone in the home has asthma or allergies, mention it before treatment so the technician can plan products and placement, and see a doctor if breathing symptoms get worse.

Cockroaches spend most of their lives tucked into cracks, so treatment has to reach them there. Health Canada notes that residual crack and crevice products are the most commonly used products registered for cockroaches, and that bait stations in tamper-proof containers kill the insects about 48 to 96 hours after they eat the active ingredient. That delay is why baits go right beside the places cockroaches hide.

Treating one apartment in isolation often pushes cockroaches into the walls and the units next door, and later back again. Effective programs inspect and treat the affected unit along with the units beside, above and below it, plus shared garbage rooms and service areas. Health Canada's guidance for landlords and building managers calls prevention the best approach, asks them to share the treatment plan with all occupants in advance, including what to do before and after, and to give occupants the name and registration number of the pesticide used. Only professional pest control specialists may use products labelled as commercial class.

In Quebec, the Tribunal administratif du logement lists vermin such as cockroaches among the conditions that can make a dwelling unsanitary, and a tenant can apply for an order to carry out work, a rent reduction, damages or cancellation of the lease. The City of Montréal tells tenants who see cockroaches to inform the landlord right away, preferably in writing, and says the landlord must bring in an extermination company; a tenant who has asked the landlord to act within 10 business days can then request an inspection through 311.

Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board places pest control among the landlord's maintenance duties, while tenants are expected to keep their unit reasonably clean. When a landlord fails to act, the tenant's remedy is a maintenance application on Form T6.

Treatment knocks the population down; taking away food, water and shelter keeps it down. Health Canada's advice covers both.