The German cockroach, the apartment species
In Montreal apartments and restaurants, the cockroach you run into is almost always the German cockroach: light brown, about a centimetre and a half long, with two dark stripes behind the head. It can’t survive the winter outdoors, so it lives inside, close to heat, water and food. Each female carries an egg case holding thirty or more eggs: a few individuals are enough for a population to settle in within a few months.
How they move from one unit to another
Cockroaches travel in cardboard boxes, grocery bags, used appliances and furniture. In apartment buildings, they also move along pipes, through shared walls and plumbing stacks. That’s why a problem that comes back after treatment often comes from a neighbouring unit. If you rent, let your landlord know: they can arrange for the units around yours to be inspected.
What feeds them at night
They need very little to live on: crumbs under the toaster, grease behind the stove, pet food left on the floor, a few drops of water under the sink. Before going to bed, put food away, empty the sink and wipe the counters. Fix dripping taps, take out garbage and recycling often, and don’t keep a stock of cardboard boxes: their folds make a perfect hiding place. These habits don’t replace a treatment, but they take away what keeps cockroaches in your home.