Cut off the water, remove the cardboard, then treat. The order matters, and the one thing you must not do is reach for a spray.
Confirm the identification, cut off the water, remove the cardboard, then treat professionally.
Do not spray and do not fog. Both scatter the population deeper into voids and into adjoining rooms, and neither reaches the harbourage where they actually live.
| What you saw | Likely |
|---|---|
| Flat, oval, fast, very long antennae, ran from light | Cockroach |
| Shiny black, rounded, short antennae | Ground beetle — harmless |
| Small brown beetle in dry goods | A stored product beetle — different job |
| Small, silver, wriggling | Silverfish — a damp indicator |
| Long, flat, many legs | Centipede — harmless |
The antennae are the quickest tell. A cockroach's are as long as its body and constantly moving. Send a photograph.
A cockroach survives weeks without food and days without water. The dripping tap is doing more for them than the crumbs are.
£190 for a flat, £240 for a house, follow-ups included. Send a photo first.
View Cockroach Control Rayners Lane →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. Three to four weeks, all within the price.
| Action | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Supermarket spray | Repels them deeper into voids and adjoining rooms |
| Bug bombs or foggers | Do not reach harbourage; contaminate food surfaces |
| Spraying into an appliance | Electrical risk, and ineffective |
| Loose boric acid or powder | Unsafe with pets or children, and easily displaced |
| Deep-cleaning the harbourage before the visit | Removes the evidence we need |
| Stopping after one visit | Egg cases hatch afterwards |
| Ultrasonic repellers | No credible evidence |
Sometimes, as treatment disturbs harbourage. It is not a bad sign.
No. Cleaning and treating in place is the answer.
Typically three to four weeks across the programme.
Wasps rather than roaches? Nest treatment is £90 fixed in Rayners Lane, guaranteed for 30 days.
Confirm the identification, cut off every water source, remove all cardboard, then have it treated professionally over three to four weeks.
No. Both scatter the population deeper into voids and adjoining rooms, neither reaches the harbourage, and foggers contaminate food preparation surfaces.
A cockroach survives weeks without food but only days without water. A dripping tap is doing more for them than the crumbs are.
They live in corrugated cardboard, lay in it, and usually arrive in it. Break boxes down and remove them the same day, and never store them under the sink.
Behind and underneath the fridge first, then inside appliance motor housings, behind the cooker, in the plinth void, around the boiler and inside cupboard hinges.
No. Never put bait or spray inside a cupboard you store food in. Professional gel goes into cracks, hinges and voids rather than onto shelves.
Sometimes, as treatment disturbs harbourage. It is not a bad sign.
No. Cleaning and treating in place is the answer.
Fix the leaks and remove the cardboard today. Treatment is £190 flat, £240 house.
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