Pub. 1 2016 Issue 4

11 ISSUE 4 2016 seal any potential points of entry in order to keep out cockroaches and other insects. You should have a paragraph in your lease agreement about cockroaches. When someone moves in, your responsibility is to provide a clean unit that does not have any bugs. However, whether the apartment stays bug-free depends on the people who are living there. If the tenants don’t clean, let food spoil, have stacks of dirty dishes in the sink, and leave bags of garbage close to the apartment’s entry, then it is likely that all that cockroach food is going to attract cockroaches. Someone who moves in and nds cockroaches within the rst two weeks is probably not responsible for them being there. In addition to cleaning an apartment thoroughly before the move-in date and making sure there isn’t an existing insect problem, check the plumbing and repair holes and cracks in the walls and ceilings before you let anyone move in. How Can You Tell There Is a Cockroach Infestation? • Cockroaches like the dark, so it can be hard to nd them unless you are looking for them. If you see one during the day that means there are probably more hiding where you can’t see them. ey will most likely be in any dark, moist place: behind sinks, stoves, and refrigerators; under oor drains; inside major appliances and motors; beneath rubber mats, behind wallpaper, and inside cracks in the walls. • ey leave feces. Larger ones have cylindrical droppings. Smaller ones have droppings that look like black pepper or co ee grounds. e more feces there are, the bigger the problem. • ey can smell when there are a lot of them. Cockroaches have a musty or oily smell to them. • You are likely to nd dead cockroaches throughout the apartment. • You might be able to see oval-shaped egg cases behind furniture or between books. ese egg cases are called oothecae. How Can a Tenant Avoid Cockroach Infestations In The First Place? • Tenants should wash dishes and put them away. • Food should never be left out where the cockroaches could get at it. • When there are plumbing problems or leaks, tenants should report them immediately so you can get them xed. • Advise tenants to take out their trash on a daily basis. • Encourage tenants to tell you if they do see any cockroaches. e tenant agreement can address potential infestations. Put a provision in the lease that makes it clear that you will take care of pest control for two weeks after the move in, but that the tenant is responsible after that. Refer to the tenant agreement when you have to call an exterminator. Having that paragraphdoesn’tmean you should leave responsibility for the problem solely with the tenant. Ignoring cockroaches can cause you to be given a health-code violation, because of the asthma and diseases problems they can cause. Ignore the problem for too long and you will have a much bigger and more serious problem than you would have if you were proactive about getting rid of them as soon as you knew they were there. It is important tounderstand two thingswhenyouare trying to rid an apartment community of cockroaches • Getting rid of cockroaches will require the help of anyone in management, the tenants, and the exterminators. Everyone needs to work together in order to make sure that the cockroach problem is completely eliminated. • Long-term success will depend on killing any nests that might be hidden in the apartments, but these are generally hard to reach. One approach is to let the cockroaches carry poison back to their nests and inadvertently eliminate their nests themselves. What Are The Best Ways To Get Rid of Cockroaches? • You can use poisonous cockroach baits. ese are inexpensive and can work well if used correctly. You can buy one called Advion Syngenta Gel Bait on Amazon. It is made by DuPont and it should cost approximately $20 to $30, depending on what you select. It is supposed to be pet safe. • Another approach is to use adhesive-based traps. e problem with these traps is that they catch cockroaches, but they don’t get rid of the nest. • For a serious and more widespread problem, call an exterminator. It is expensive, but exterminators should be able to get rid of any nests. Tell the tenants what is going on and what the plan is for getting rid of the cockroaches, and be sure to use all appropriate safety measures recommended by the exterminator, both before and after the extermination. What doesn’t work? Folk remedies for cockroaches include citrus liquids, soap and water, cucumber peels, and herbal leaves. None of these are e ective, so don’t bother trying them. Nobody wants cockroaches, but if you and your tenants act promptly to deal with them and are vigilant about preventing their return, you can solve the problem quickly and then get back to the more pleasant aspects of apartment management.