Cockroaches in Kitchen Cupboards in Pinner – What Should You Do?

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Why a Cupboard Is Different

• Behind an appliance means they are living in the warm void and travelling
• Inside a cupboard means they have reached the food store
• Which means contamination of what is in there
• And usually a longer-running problem than one just noticed
• Check every cupboard, not just the one you found
• Including a pantry or larder, common in older Pinner kitchens

Step 1: Confirm It

The antennae are the quickest tell. A cockroach's are as long as its body and never still. Send a photograph.

Step 2: Empty and Discard

• Empty the affected cupboard completely
• Discard anything open
• Discard anything in cardboard — they chew into it and lay in it
• Check sealed jars and tins and wash the outsides
• Look for droppings — dark specks like coarse ground pepper, in corners and along shelf edges
• Look for egg cases — small brown purse-shaped capsules glued into a crevice
• Then check every other cupboard

Contamination is not visible. It is frustrating and it is the right call.

Step 3: Cut Off the Water

• Fix a dripping tap, however slow
• Check the waste trap under the sink for a slow leak
• Check behind the washing machine and dishwasher
• Dry the sink and around it before bed
• Ventilate to reduce condensation
• Check under the bath and behind the panel
• In an older property, check for damp in a cellar or lower-ground room

Step 4: Remove the Cardboard

• Cockroaches live in corrugated cardboard, lay in it, and usually arrive in it
• Break down and remove delivery boxes the same day
• Do not store cardboard in a pantry, larder or cellar
• Move stored dry goods into sealed plastic or glass containers
• Check anything that arrived around the time you first saw one
• Check a cellar or outbuilding where boxes accumulate

Step 5: Treatment

Gel bait and residual treatment placed at the harbourage — behind and under appliances, in the plinth void, at pipe runs — followed by the visits that cover the egg-case cycle.

Read nextCockroach Control Pinner – How Much Does It Cost? →

Never Put Anything in a Food Cupboard

• No loose powder, gel or bait inside a cupboard you store food in
• No spray on shelves or surfaces
• Our gel goes into cracks, hinges and voids, not onto shelves or where food sits
• Nothing where a child can reach it
• Tell us about pets and children before the visit
• And never a fogger — it contaminates every surface in the kitchen

What Else Does Not Work

• Supermarket sprays. Kill what they hit, not what is behind the fridge, and can repel roaches deeper into voids
• Bug bombs. Do not reach the harbourage and contaminate food preparation areas
• Boric acid scattered loosely, particularly with pets or children
• Ultrasonic repellers. No credible evidence
• Cleaning alone. Necessary, and not sufficient
• Stopping after one visit because things look better

Hygiene

• Cockroaches walk through drains and waste and then across surfaces
• They are associated with the mechanical spread of bacteria
• Wash surfaces, shelves and utensils before use
• Line shelves fresh after the cupboard is cleared and cleaned
• There is an established association between cockroach allergens and asthma

Afterwards

• Store all dry goods in sealed containers permanently
• Keep cardboard out of the kitchen and pantry
• Keep leaks fixed and surfaces dry overnight
• Check behind the fridge occasionally
• Check any second-hand appliance before it comes in

Related Questions

Do I need to replace the cupboard?

No. Clear it, clean it and treat around it.

How long until they are gone?

Typically three to four weeks across the programme.

Will I see more at first?

Sometimes, as treatment disturbs harbourage. It is not a bad sign.