If you discover a cockroach in your home, you need to act quickly. The pests multiply rapidly and pose a major threat to your he alth.
Cockroaches: causes
It takes a lot of effort to fight cockroaches. For this reason, you should prevent them effectively so that they do not become established. The problem: The cultural followers find their way into living spaces for a variety of reasons and in most cases never leave them. The following list gives you a good overview of the triggers of an infestation:
- Room temperature: min. 20°C
- sufficient humidity (e.g. bathrooms, kitchens)
- openly stored food is available
- Food leftovers and waste will not be disposed of
- Pets’ food bowls are not emptied and cleaned
- there is poor hygiene
- not sufficiently ventilated
Above all, the available food sources and open waste are a great source of food for the insects. They have an extremely good sense of smell and can therefore easily locate available food sources. They enter the apartment through cracks, crevices and shafts if these are not sufficiently sealed. Windows are rare, although many of the species can fly. More often, open doors are a way for the insects to get into the house. The animals can also be introduced:
- introduced via food
- in luggage after vacation
- Second hand electrical appliances
Note:
A cockroach infestation can occur even in clean homes if the insects gain access to the interior.
Detect infestation
In Central Europe there are three species of cockroaches that settle in human habitations:
- German cockroach (Blattella germanica): 13 mm to 16 mm
- Common cockroach (Blatta orientalis): 25 mm to 30 mm
- American cockroach (Periplaneta americana): 35 mm to 45 mm
The American cockroach can fly, the German cockroach only a little. Nevertheless, like the common cockroach, they mainly move around continuously. Cockroach infestations are generally quite difficult to detect. The animals are very afraid of light and hide, for example, behind the refrigerator, in furniture or well-protected crevices in order to reproduce there. Some settlements grow to over 200 animals. Since they eat textiles, leather or paper in addition to soft, rotten food such as organic waste, the traces of the pests are clearly visible within the property or rented apartment:
- dead specimens
- Insect eggs
- Cocoons
- Feces: 1 mm in size, reminiscent of ground coffee
- fraying damage
- distinct smell
As soon as you discover the droppings that are always left in a trail or dead cockroaches, you don't have to look for long. These are usually in the immediate vicinity of the nest. There is also an unpleasant, sweet smell that is extremely pungent depending on the size of the settlement. If you discover cockroaches during the day, the infestation is very advanced. In this case, the colony is extremely large and no longer has enough space to hide during the day.
Note:
Forest cockroaches (Ectobiinae) do not pose any danger to you and only appear sporadically in the apartment if they get lost in it. They die after a few days if they cannot find rotting plant parts as food and do not transmit any diseases.
Danger of cockroaches
You need to get rid of cockroaches as quickly as possible because they pose an immense he alth risk. The animals transmit dangerous pathogens through their bodily excretions. These include, for example, gastrointestinal flu or tuberculosis. Parasites and worms can also be transmitted if you accidentally eat food that has come into contact with the cockroaches.
Get rid of cockroaches
To get rid of them, you need to take extensive measures. This includes not only eliminating the causes, such as removing garbage or closing gaps, but also direct measures against the pests.
Glue traps
To contain the infestation somewhat, you can use sticky traps and at the same time reduce the temperature in your premises. Although you won't stop the cockroach infestation with sticky traps, you can use them to get an idea of the possible size of the colony. Place these near places where you suspect the animals or have spotted signs such as droppings.
Professional Pest Control
As already mentioned, sticky traps are only used for control purposes. You should always contact an exterminator to help you get rid of the roaches. Professional exterminators know exactly which measures and especially poisons should be used. Cockroaches can only be fought with heavy artillery. Depending on the size of the infestation and the number of hidden egg packets, complete control of the cockroaches can take several weeks or months.
A brief overview:
- Destruction of adults: 2 to 3 weeks
- existing egg packets can increase duration
- for the German cockroach: up to 3 months
- for cockroaches: up to 6 months
- for the American: 5 to 15 months
The exterminator must regularly inspect the infested premises over time. If you're lucky, there weren't any egg packets left.
Prevent cockroaches
You should prevent further infestation while you wait. This is achieved through the following measures:
- Store food closed
- Take out trash regularly
- Seal gaps, cracks and other openings
- Always check luggage and devices
- good hygiene
- Always rinse food bowls
- Put food and water bowls away overnight
- do not leave water in sinks or bathtubs
Cockroaches in rental apartments
As soon as cockroaches find their way into rental apartments, you must contact your property manager or landlord immediately. Depending on the size of the infestation, this must also be reported to the responsible he alth authority in accordance with Section 17 of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) if the cockroaches could spread from your rental apartment to the entire house. Since the infestation is a rental defect, you do not have to take any measures yourself to initiate the removal. These costs must be borne by the landlord because, according to Section 535 Paragraph 2 of the Civil Code (BGB), he must leave the apartment to the tenant in a “suitable condition” for the entire rental period. If the tenant is responsible for the cockroach infestation and the landlord can prove this, he does not have to bear the costs himself. Such cases can be:
- Tenant brought in the cockroaches
- other tenant brought in cockroaches
- these then spread to your rental apartment
In Switzerland, in the event of a pest infestation, Article 256 of the Code of Obligations (OR), in Austria, Paragraph 3 MRG Maintenance of the Tenancy Law (MRG) comes into play. In Vienna you must also comply with the City of Vienna's cockroach regulations. This legally stipulates that you must inform the landlord or property management of any insect infestation.
Tenancy Law
If this is not possible, your tenancy law will apply. Tenancy law specifies which measures are possible on your part. Tenancy law also protects you from additional costs that arise if your landlord does not take action against pests or defaults. Depending on the situation, the following measures are possible, which you should enforce with a lawyer as necessary:
- Payment of costs for accommodation
- Apartment mostly uninhabitable due to pest control
- Rent reduction
- Claim for the removal of defects (if the landlord fails to act)
- Damage claims
- termination without notice
Note:
If the rental agreement states that the landlord must take responsibility for removing the cockroaches, this clause is ineffective. This is also only possible if landlords can prove that tenants brought in the pests. If the tenant was not the cause of the infestation, but the landlord vehemently resists assuming the costs or reducing the rent, you can contact the Tenant Protection Association. This option is useful if you cannot pay a lawyer and do not understand the law yourself. The Tenant Protection Association specifically helps in enforcing claims for defects to be remedied, for example after an infestation by cockroaches.
