Why bait reaches the nest and spray only scatters it
What crosses the floor at night is the overflow, not the population. German cockroaches nest in warm, tight cavities behind appliances and under sinks. Bait is carried back into that harbourage, which is how it reaches the nest. Spray drives them into more cavities.
How to tell you have cockroaches
- Cockroaches in the kitchen at night, mostly near the fridge, the sink or the cooker.
- Small dark droppings like ground pepper along the edge of a shelf or inside a cupboard.
- A sharp, oily smell in a cupboard that has been shut.
- Small brown egg cases with ridges, behind or under an appliance.
- Seeing one in daylight, which usually means the harbourage is full.
Why supermarket sprays do not work
Surface spray is the worst thing you can use on cockroaches. It kills what is exposed, which is the minority, and it makes the rest disperse into cavities and adjoining rooms where they are harder to reach. Many household sprays are repellent, which actively pushes them away from the bait you are about to place. A month of spraying usually leaves a wider problem than it started with.
What the technician actually does
- The technician finds the harbourage first: behind and under appliances, the void under the sink, and the water heater housing.
- Gel bait is placed in the cavity itself, in small amounts at many points rather than a few large ones.
- Monitors go in to show where activity is concentrated and whether it moves after treatment.
- Entry routes from the riser and the drain line get sealed where the structure allows it.
- A check visit confirms bait take-up and replaces what has been consumed.
An hour to an hour and a half for a normal kitchen. Activity usually drops within the first week and keeps falling as bait moves through the population.
The written guarantee on cockroaches
The 5-year written guarantee covers cockroaches returning in the treated unit. Bait replacement during the guarantee period is included.
What we cannot do
A kitchen sharing a drain stack with other flats stays under pressure from the building. We can keep your unit clear and we will tell you if the stack is the source, but the stack itself is not something we can treat from inside your flat.
How the price is set
Two things set it: the floor area, and how far the infestation has spread by the time we inspect. A flat with a single focus point is not the same job as a villa with activity on two floors, and the gap between them is wide. That is why there is no fixed figure we can give before seeing the place. We give you the number on the call or on WhatsApp after a few questions, and always before anyone comes out.