Cockroaches are a nasty infestation. They come in many different species and many different colours. Some, like the American cockroach, can even fly short distances and some like the German cockroach can have up to sixty children in one egg sack. They are millions of years old and were occupying the earth with the dinosaurs. They also survived the extinction that killed the dinosaurs and went on to survive the ice age. They are believed to be all that will remain after a nuclear apocalypse and are one of the most terrifying infestations a human being can have.
Cockroach Species
The most common cockroaches in Southern Ontario are the American, the Brown Banded, the Oriental and the German. They are all very different and only two of them are native to this continent. The others came on ships and are still coming to these shores to this very day. The same happened with house mice, Norway rats, bed bugs and many other pests. If they can spread so easily from one continent to another there should be very little effort involved in getting from one dwelling to another.
Cockroaches Carry Bacteria
Cockroaches are especially capable of this as they live in the sewers. They have full access to drains and can show up suddenly in your home because they smelled food cooking from miles away. They can flatten themselves out like a piece of paper and slip through openings and find their way to other houses and other apartments in a building. Attached homes and apartments are the most common place for them to spread but large apartment building is their favourite spot. One apartment gets treated and they move on to the next.
Cockroaches in Apartments
This is why it is so important for people who live in an apartment building to be wary of the infestation as it is happening. If you see cockroaches in your apartment then they are coming from another, without question. Contact the landlord and have the other apartments inspected. If needed they can treat the whole building. Just make sure the treatment is commercial grade because an apartment building infestation is a danger and can go on forever affecting every apartment in the building.
Domestic Treatments are Often Ineffective
If you have an infestation do not try to deal with it yourself. You may be tempted to not bother the management company about a couple of cockroaches you saw and try to deal with it yourself using dust and bait and some convenience store permethrin but the truth is those insects are not showing up out anywhere. They are coming to you from other apartments and management must know whose apartments are big affected so they can create a plan to treat the affected areas.
Landlords and Cockroaches
Failing to notify your landlord about an infestation could backfire as the apartment itself could be seriously damaged by it. The landlord may end up looking for legal means of getting you out of the apartment and even suing you for damages. So be honest, even if you think it may have been your fault and tell them so they can treat it.