German Cockroach Moving Instructions
If you are moving out of an apartment or home that is infested with German cockroaches, then you certainly do not want to bring any with you because that will start an infestation in your new home. The problem is though, this is way easier said than done. The reason German cockroaches spread so quickly is because they will get into anything they can, and they will even latch onto your clothing. Therefore, it is a safe bet that they are in all your appliances, electronics, furniture, clothing, and maybe even your books. So, let me go over these items one by one and explain what you need to do. Keep in mind that, no matter how meticulous you are, there is always a possibility that you missed some. The sad truth is that the only sure way to prevent them from coming along with you is to throw virtually all your belongings away. Since most people are not willing to do that, I will explain the next best thing. If what I am about to tell you seems excessively radical to you, that is because it is, but that is what it is going to take to significantly reduce the possibility of infesting your next home.
1. Needless to say, the very first thing you want to do is to throw away everything you can. If it is not an item of important sentimental value and it is something you can afford to replace, then I would recommend doing that. This is particularly true when it comes to upholstered furniture. It is very difficult to treat all the areas of an upholstered couch or recliner where cockroaches can be hiding.
2. Furniture: If you have no choice and you must keep your couch or recliner, then treat this furniture in isolation. Rent a storage facility that is not climatically controlled. You want it to get hot and cold in there. Purchase a king size, plastic mattress bag that is used to store mattresses, and see if you can get the couch or recliner inside of it, so that it can be sealed up. You can often find these at places like U-Haul. Sometimes you can even find a bag made just for a couch or recliner. Prior to placing the furniture in the bag, you need to treat it, but don't treat it until you get to the storage facility. You are going to do this much the same way as you would a house or apartment. Before bringing the furniture into the storage facility, make sure that you have treated the entire floor of the storage facility with Temprid FX. You should do the same thing with the truck used to move the furniture. Before putting the furniture into a truck, the entire bed of the truck should be treated with Temprid FX. This way, the truck will not become infested. It's the same with the storage facility. If you treat the floor with Temprid FX, then any cockroaches that escape out of the furniture while you are treating it, are going to die before they can reproduce in the storage facility. Let's face it, it is not very nice to allow the storage facility to become infested with cockroaches. You wouldn't want somebody doing that to you, so do not do it to them either. Now that you have the floor treated, remove the cushions, and treat them first. If there are zippers on the cushions, then remove the covers, spray Nibor-D on the cushions, and then replace the covers. Mix the Nibor-D at a rate of 2.5 cups per gallon of water. Purchase at least one can of Nuvan Directed Spray Aerosol and shoot it into every crack and crevice in the entire couch or recliner. VERY IMPORTANT! Always wear a respirator, rubber gloves, and eye protection when working with Nuvan Directed Spray Aerosol. Shoot it into all the seams where the cushions were, then flip the couch or recliner over and inject it into every space possible, even if you need to make small holes in coverings under the furniture. A bit of judgment is required here because you want to shoot in enough to get to the cockroaches, but not so much that you damage the furniture. You don't want to get this material on any areas that are visible, so you don't want to soak it from the opposite side of the fabric. That is to say, you want to shoot as much of it as you can into the cracks and crevices, but use your best judgement, so that you do not cause any damage. After you have done this, then apply a bait to the underside of the furniture, in several areas. Immediately place the furniture inside the plastic bag and toss in a Gentrol IGR disk. Make sure that the bag is completely sealed off airtight. If there is the slightest opening, then seal it off with duct tape. Leave the furniture in the storage facility for at least 100 days, which is the life cycle of a German cockroach. After that time, you can go in and look through the bag to see if you can observe any evidence of cockroach activity. Look for dead bodies, body parts, fecal matter, and of course, live cockroaches. If you see anything like this, then you need to remove the furniture from the bag, retreat it, and then re-bag it with a fresh IGR disk. Try opening it again in another 100 days. If you do not see any activity, then remove the furniture from the bag and inspect it very carefully. If everything looks good, then go ahead and bring it home. Otherwise, you need to repeat the process for another 100 days. The roaches should not be able to survive this for more than a year.
3. Large appliances: Things like refrigerators and stoves are expensive, but they are also very difficult to treat. Therefore, bringing large appliances with you will almost certainly guarantee that you will be infested in your new home. There is no easy and effective way to treat large appliances. All it takes is one egg sack and you will have another infestation. If you must take the appliances, you need to assume that you are bringing roaches with you, so be sure to set up a barrier in the entire home before you bring in the appliance. This way, when they attempt to leave the appliance, they will cross a kill zone and die.
a. Mop all floors and treat all carpets with Nibor-D prior to moving in.
b. Spray or wipe Nibor-D on any surface of the appliance that will not be damaged by water.
c. Apply a bait in several areas on the back and sides of the appliance where it cannot be seen.
d. Apply Nibor-D on all wall and cabinet surfaces where the appliance is being installed. Also apply Nibor-D on the floor under the appliance. This should have already been done.
e. Apply boric acid under the appliance.
f. Put a Gentrol IGR disk under the appliance and replace it every 90 days for a full year.
4. Small appliances: Again, this certainly bears repeating. If you have a small appliance that you can get rid of, that would be the way to go. However, if you cannot get rid of that coffee maker or blender, then follow these procedures.
a. To the greatest extent possible, disassemble the appliance and clean it just as well as you can.
b. Spray or wipe Nibor-D on any surface that will not be damaged by water.
c. Apply a bait in several areas on the bottom of the appliance.
d. Place the appliance in a sealed trash bag, along with a Gentrol IGR disk.
e. Do not open the bag for at least 100 days. When it is time to open the bag, you should always do it outside. If at all possible, open the bag on top of concrete, like a driveway or sidewalk. Prior to opening the bag, make sure you treat the concrete with Temprid FX. You want to create a barrier around the bag of about four feet in each direction. That way, any cockroaches that escape from the bag will have to cross this barrier.
f. Remove the appliance from the bag and thoroughly inspect it for fecal matter, dead roaches, body parts, and of course, live roaches. If you see any of these sorts of activity, then repeat the treatment procedure and re-bag the appliance with a fresh IGR disk. Try opening it again in another 100 days. However, if everything looks good, then go ahead and bring it home.
5. Electronics: Electronic items can be expensive, but you should still throw them away if at all possible. However, if you must keep them, then follow these procedures.
a. Clean the item the best way you can without harming it. You want to make sure that there is no fecal matter on it anywhere.
b. Spray or wipe Nibor-D on any surface that will not be damaged by water.
c. Apply a bait in several areas on the bottom and back of the item.
d. Place the item in a sealed trash bag, along with a Gentrol IGR disk.
e. Do not open the bag for at least 100 days. When it is time to open the bag, you should always do it outside. If at all possible, open the bag on top of concrete, like a driveway or sidewalk. Prior to opening the bag, make sure you treat the concrete with Temprid FX. You want to create a barrier around the bag of about four feet in each direction. That way, any cockroaches that escape from the bag will have to cross this barrier.
f. Remove the item from the bag and thoroughly inspect it for fecal matter, dead roaches, body parts, and of course, live roaches. If you see any of these sorts of activity, then repeat the treatment procedure and re-bag the item with a fresh IGR disk. Try opening it again in another 100 days. However, if everything looks good, then go ahead and bring it home.
6. Books and other small items that do not contain metal: I think you get the picture now about throwing stuff away, so let's move right into how to treat these items. Any small items that do not contain metal can be microwaved.
a. Simply place the items in a plastic bag and seal it really well.
b. Place the bag in a microwave along with 1/2 cup of water in a standard coffee cup. Microwaves heat liquids, so you must have the half cup of water in the microwave, or you risk damaging the microwave. The steam that comes off the water will not harm the items in the bag because they are sealed in plastic.
c. I said that microwaves heat liquids. Well, guess what also contains liquids? That's right. Cockroaches contain liquids. So, when you microwave the water and the books, you're also going to microwave the cockroaches, and they will literally boil to death from the moisture in their bodies.
d. I recommend microwaving on the highest setting for two or three minutes. You want to make sure that the water in the cup is boiling. If you see the bag start to expand, then shut off the microwave because you may be damaging the book. The roaches are most likely dead already because it is steam causing the bag to expand. That means the roaches are most likely cooked already.
e. Be careful when removing the cup from the microwave because it is going to be very hot.
f. Remove the items from the bag and check for activity. If everything looks good, then immediately place the items in a fresh bag and transport them that way to your new home. When it comes to German cockroaches, take no chances. Don't leave these items unbagged and unattended.
7. Clothes: Anything that cannot be washed in a washing machine and dried on a high heat or cannot be dry cleaned, should be thrown away.
a. Clothes that need to be dry cleaned can be taken to a professional cleaner. Be sure to seal them really well in a trash bag, so as not to get your car infested.
b. Washable clothes should be placed in a sealed plastic bag and taken to a laundromat. Wash them in the hottest water possible and then dry them on the highest heat available until they are dry and hot. You know you did a really good job when they are too hot to touch.
c. Some clothes can be microwaved, the same way as books, if they do not contain any sort of metal.
8. Shoes: All shoes, including the ones that you are wearing, should be sprayed with CB-80 Aerosol And placed in a sealed plastic bag for 24 hours. Open the bag outside to make sure that there are no cockroaches hanging out after treatment. You can pretreat a couple of pairs of shoes prior to the move date.
9. Wooden or un-upholstered furniture: Yeah, yeah, throw it away if you can. You got that point now. These items can be treated fairly quickly, but you must do a thorough inspection and treatment to make sure that there are no hitchhikers.
a. Remove any drawers and inspect all surfaces for roaches or egg sacks. If you see any live roaches, then spray them with Nuvan Directed Spray Aerosol. Egg sacs should be removed and microwaved. Spraying an egg sack will not prevent the roaches from hatching.
b. Clean the item really well and make sure there is no fecal matter anywhere.
c. Spray all surfaces that will not be harmed with Nibor-D. I mean everything. Inside and out.
d. You can now bring this item directly to your new living area, but make sure that wherever you place it is surrounded by a treatment of Nibor-D. You want to do this as insurance policy, in case you missed an egg sack or live roach. This is a good policy to adopt for all items you bring into your new place from the old one. It never hurts to create a barrier of Nibor-D around every item that you bring in from your old apartment. Remember, it only takes one egg sack or one female cockroach to start a whole new infestation, so do not take any chances.
10. The moving truck:
a. Make sure that the bed of the moving truck is treated with Temprid FX before you start the move.
b. Prior to entering the moving truck, make sure that you change into clothes that are not carrying cockroaches. One good way to do this would be to wear disposable coveralls and make sure that the pants cuffs are sealed to the shoes with duct tape. Remember, you have been handling all sorts of items that may be infested with cockroaches. It is very easy for them to get on you. Whenever I did a cockroach job, I would make sure that I had a change of clothes in the vehicle, and I would completely change clothes before getting in. That includes shoes. I bagged everything I was wearing and then washed it in the laundromat. The shoes were treated as I've already described. I always wore a pair of swim trunks under my clothes and that's the only thing I didn't take off. Naturally, I always tried to find a discreet place to do this. Unlike many pest controllers, I never brought any of these guys home with me. Again, the takeaway here should be to never take chances with German cockroaches. They are counting on you to underestimate them. Don't ever do it.
11. Miscellaneous items like suitcases: I think you get the idea by now. Any items that I have not covered can be treated by one of the methods above. By the way, did I mention that you should throw away any items that you absolutely do not need? I would like you to watch a very short video that was done by Animal Planet. It is less than 4 minutes long and does a great job explaining the problem. I think after you see it, you will understand why you need to take all of these precautions.
If you cannot do all of these precautions, then do as much as you can. Keep in mind that it just takes one female or one egg sac in any item you bring with you to start another infestation in your new home.
Animal Planet Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU9oOCYPros
Nuvan Directed Spray Aerosol: https://www.domyown.com/nuvan-directed-spray-aerosol-p-13518.html
CB-80 Aerosol: https://www.domyown.com/cb80-aerosol-p-103.html
Temprid FX: https://www.domyown.com/temprid-fx-insecticide-p-17130.html