Helpful Tips on DIY Pest Control For Apartment Renters

Apartment living may be convenient and affordable but the close quarters of multiple families living together bring with it an increased risk of pests like cockroaches and bed bugs infesting your home.

In this guide, we will share with you some tips and solutions to combat pest problems that come with living in apartments.

Pests In Apartments

Apartment renters are more susceptible to experiencing a pest infestation due to multiple families living in close proximity to each other. It may seem unfair, but you could inherit a pest problem through no other reason than your neighbor having a pest infestation in spite of your efforts to keep your apartment unit neat and sanitary.

Among the prime reasons that pests like roaches, rodents and bed bugs are attracted to apartment complexes is the ease of traveling from unit to unit and the variety of food, shelter and water sources that are available to them.

A convenient perk of living in an apartment complex is that you can report your pest control problem to your apartment management and usually they conduct pest control on your home. However, apartment pest control carried out by management offices usually leaves much to be desired.

Apartment management teams often skimp on being thorough when it comes to inspections and the treatment methods used are usually ineffective. By going DIY to tackle your pest problems, you may likely see a much better result.

Identification

The usual suspects when it comes to pest problems in apartment complexes are bed bugs, cockroaches, flies, wasps, rodents (like rats, mice, and even possums) and birds (namely pigeons). Once you know the pest you have and even the type you can then go about a more focused pest control approach.

If you are able to spot a pest, closely observe them and take note of their physical characteristics and their habits. Do they have wings and/or antennae? Can they crawl up walls? How many legs do they have? Where are they most active? What evidences do they leave behind (droppings, eggs, etc.)? Answer these questions when making your observations.

It may even be helpful to snap a close-up photo of the pest and compare with images found online of pests. You can even share it with a local cooperative Extension Service or our staff here at Solutions Pest & Lawn to help with identification.

Our pest control library is chock-full of helpful articles and how-to guides you can check out depending on specific pests. This can help you to come up with a treatment approach as well as what the best products are for a particular type of pest.

Inspection

An inspection goes hand in hand with identifying your pest problem. Once you know what pest you are dealing with, you will need to carefully inspect your home to locate what areas the pest is active.

Where to Inspect

If you have a rodent, you may need to look in areas along the perimeter of your apartment. Rodents like to move along walls and tight spaces. The kitchen will be the main area to inspect since that's where they will most likely find food to eat. Dark areas like closets and vents should also be checked.

If you have cockroaches, look in your kitchen and bathrooms where there is moisture or warmth. Check under appliances, behind your fridge, in your cabinets, around electronics, and other dark, secluded areas where roaches try to stay out of sight.

For bed bugs, check your bedding, bed sheets, folds of your mattress, under couch cushions, around picture frames, and in your drawers.

What To Look For

Look for live pests themselves while they are active or any traces of their activity through their droppings. Cockroaches leave their droppings on areas where they frequent and they have a musty smell. They will also cast aside egg casings.

For rodents, you should look for bite or claw marks as well as where rodent droppings or urine have been left behind. For bed bugs, dark reddish-brown fecal deposits should be checked around your bedding and mattress.

Treatment

If you already have an infestation on your hands, you need to arm yourself with professional pest control products. Don’t bother heading to a big box store because the stuff they carry is not effective enough.

While it is important, as we mentioned, to identify specifically what pest problem you have, we do carry products that can effectively control many different species depending on the pest.

For cockroaches, we recommend a combination of products such as Apex Cockroach Gel Bait, Gentrol Point Source and Novacide Aerosol. Apex is an effective slow-killing bait with food grade attractants that cockroaches won't be able to resist. Apex Gel Bait is also easy to apply; just make small bead-sized applications strategically around your kitchen and bathrooms where you have seen roaches active. Before long, you will see a lot of dead roaches.

Gentrol Point Source is an insect growth regulator that interferes with the reproductive process of German cockroaches and some pantry pests. By causing pest eggs to not be able to hatch and make juvenile pests unable to become adults, it can dramatically reduce the pest population.

Novacide Aerosol works as both an adult pest insecticide and an insect growth regulator and can be sprayed on carpeting, baseboards, furniture and other active pest areas to kill cockroaches, pantry pests, fleas and many other pests.

For Bed Bugs, there is a detailed process required to successfully eliminate them, so by browsing our bed bug control page, you will get the specifics on everything you need for total control.

For rodents, a solid control program involves a strategic plan and multiple methods of treatment (such as baiting and trapping) so click the link to get a detailed guide.

For general pest problems, we highly recommend Pyrid Aerosol. Pyrid is labeled to control a wide range of common household pests and delivers a quick knockdown on contact. Use it to treat cracks and crevices and to kill pests with contact.

A combination of all these products will make you well equipped to protect your apartment from any common pest threat.

Prevention

The most important step in preventing an infestation is to keep your apartment clean and sanitary. Reduce clutter as much as possible and don’t leave food out that can attract pests. While you may believe you already do a good job keeping clean, you may not be thorough enough to prevent pest issues.

Blaming another tenant in the apartment complex may be an easy thing to do but it doesn’t solve the problem. What your neighbors do is out of your control, the only thing you can control is what you do. There is a way you can be pest-free even if your close neighbors have pest issues. Here are a few things you can do:

• Seal Cracks and Crevices – Bugs, especially cockroaches, can make their way into your apartment through the smallest of cracks so using a caulking gun, seal off any opening and crevices inside your apartment that may allow roaches or rodents to slip in and out of your home with ease.

• Secure and Seal Gaps Around Plumbing – Either get your apartment maintenance to do this or do it yourself. Any leaks or plumbing issues of any kind leads to excess moisture which pests love and flock towards.

• Repair loose-fitting doors and windows – When your doors and windows fit loosely, they create entry points for insects and rodents to come into your home. This may be a simple task you can do yourself if you have a screwdriver lying around or another one you can call maintenance to come over and do.

• Inspect and clean up thoroughly after traveling --If you’ve just got back from vacation, be very wary of your clothing and luggage to make sure you haven’t brought any critters along with you. Hotels and motels are notorious for bed bugs, which may have hitched a ride on your clothes or belongings.

• Sweep Up Leaves and Yard Debris  – Leaves and debris out on your patio can draw in cockroaches, ants and other insects so grab a broom and sweep that stuff away to ensure no bugs are hiding under leaves.

Key Takeaways

• When you live in an apartment, you're more susceptible to pest problems than living in a single-family home.
• The most common pest issues in apartments are cockroaches, bed bugs and rodents.
• Our top recommendations for pest issues are Apex Cockroach Gel Bait (for roaches), Gentrol Point Source, Novacide Aerosol and Pyrid (for general pest problems).
• Prevention is key to keeping pest problems from re-emerging in your apartment. Maintain cleanliness and seal cracks and crevices to keep pests out.