Cockroach control in an apartment
Cockroaches in an apartment are almost never just your apartment's problem. In a block of flats they move freely through ventilation and pipe shafts, and the ones you see are often simply the colony expanding in your direction.
Why they appeared now
Three common scenarios in Riga's blocks of flats:
- A neighbour's treatment. After treatment next door, cockroaches move en masse into untreated flats. This is the most common reason for a sudden appearance.
- Colony growth in the basement or refuse room. When the population there becomes too dense, it spreads upward along the riser.
- Brought in. With cardboard packaging, second-hand appliances or furniture.
Why we use gel rather than spray in a flat
Spraying is particularly unhelpful in an apartment: it requires emptying cupboards and leaving for several hours, and at the same time it scatters the colony into neighbouring premises — where it survives and returns.
Gel bait works the opposite way: the cockroaches carry the product back to the nest themselves. The practical benefit for a resident is that you do not have to move out and cupboards do not need emptying, so daily life is not interrupted.
Ventilation shafts — the non-negotiable part
Treatment in a flat without treating the ventilation shafts is unfinished. We treat the ventilation openings in the kitchen and bathroom, pipe runs under the sink and behind the toilet, and gaps around the risers.
This forms a barrier against re-entry from neighbouring flats, and it is exactly the element that makes treating a single apartment worthwhile.
What to do afterwards
Do not deep-clean the kitchen for 2–3 weeks — washing off the bait points stops the method working. Ordinary daily cleaning is fine.
Deal with damp: fix dripping taps and wipe the sink dry before bed. Cockroaches cannot survive long without water, and this strengthens the effect of the bait.
What it costs and how long it takes
Treating an apartment for cockroaches starts from EUR 55. In practice the gel method is also the most economical: one treatment is usually enough, and there is no need to move out or empty cupboards.
The treatment itself normally takes 30–60 minutes, because the bait is applied in small targeted spots rather than sprayed around the room.
Results: the number of visible cockroaches drops sharply within 3–7 days; full colony destruction takes 2–4 weeks, once the young that hatch from egg cases have reached the bait.
If cockroaches are also in neighbouring flats, we recommend coordinated treatment through the building manager — see pest control for property managers.
Book: cockroach control in an apartment
Fill in the form — we reply within 5 minutes and quote a price before any work starts.