How frequently do you see cockroaches in your apt (by city)

Usually, if you see a cockroach, there are more around. However, I’m curious about how frequently you see cockroaches in your apartment. I figure it would be helpful to break replies down by the cities where people live. I’ll go first.

Right now, I’m seeing under 1 per week in Kaohsiung. Still, I’d rather not be having roaches in the apartment on a weekly basis.

There has been an invasion of some smaller than average cockroaches a few months ago. Ever since then I see them every night, a couple of them roaming around only for ending their dirty life under my slipper.

Taipei. Every day I see small cockroaches. Even though I kill them with bug spray , I still see at least one a day.

I think it will depend more on what type of building / what floor you live. I’ve lived in several places in Taipei but I only saw cockroaches the most while I was living in a gongyu at 2F. Once about every 1-2 weeks, and that was in Taipei. Now I live in Zhongli in a new apartment flat at 3F and we rarely see any.

I almost never see cockroaches in my 14F apartment in kaohsiung. It’s relatively new construction so that helps. There were quite a few in the apartment when I moved in but I got those roach traps and after a month they disappeared. I had a similar experience with ants shortly after and they disappeared after I got some ant traps.

I see them sometimes at work which is a traditional Taiwanese 4F house.

I saw them all the time at my old 3 story traditional Taiwanese house. The worst was when they spray the sewers (yearly I think) and the roaches (the really big ones) sought refuge in the houses.

Taipei, 5F. About one cockroach every 2 months. Fairly old building.

I’m on a hill but ground floor. Lots of cockroaches, and a few of those giant spiders that’s scary as hell. I’m told those spiders are beneficial and that I shouldn’t kill them because they eat roaches and other spiders.

I’m seeing tonnes of them at the moment.

I’m just back from two weeks away, so they’ve been free to take over the place. I’ve killed a bunch over the past two days, including one huge one each night. Bought several different traps yesterday, but I’m not convinced they do much.

Yilan, 4th floor.

We keep our apartment incredibly clean but somehow they manage to sneak in from somewhere, no idea where. We find one or two in the kitchen probably 4 times a week.

I think for most apartments, the only ways they could enter your place is:

  1. Under the front door.
  2. Up from the drainpipes when they’re small, and then grow bigger inside your place.
  3. ???

Could anybody report whether or not using a draft-stopper helps reduce the numbers?

I’m sure that would help a lot. But then the motherfuckers can climb facades…

[quote=“bumclouds”]I think for most apartments, the only ways they could enter your place is:

  1. Under the front door.
  2. Up from the drainpipes when they’re small, and then grow bigger inside your place.
  3. ???

Could anybody report whether or not using a draft-stopper helps reduce the numbers?
[/quote]

I’ve experienced one cockroach that hitchhiked inside an umbrella. Not sure when I picked him up. When he came through the door, he jumped out and startled me. Without thinking I stomped on him. And he was no more…

Maybe one or two a year, 5F, Taibei, with only 1-2 small eateries within 100 yards, and the nearest wet market a 15-minute walk away. We keep it very clean, food-wise, though, and have three cats who probably take care of another roach or two each year.

5th floor apartment. We see one about every 3 months. We did have an infestation in the space between our apartment and the one above and they came in through the fan openings in the bathrooms. We put mosquito netting over the inside of the fans and it stopped them. I’m also convinced some monster size ones arrived in cardboard boxes we used for shipping and from IKEA.

The cleaning lady and I spent two hours last Saturday doing spring cleaning of the kitchen. Threw away two pieces of furniture, all dishes inside had to be rewashed and disinfected due to roach you know whats. May I point out the surface outside was impeccable? But once you opened the doors… hell.

So I set up the traps and spray the bejesus out of the place, lock it up. Late that evening, there are like 10 cadavers on the floor… but they keep coming through the pipes. More traps have been set, more weights on the drains. More cadavers every day.

That is what living next to a wet market feels like.

I only just found out recently what roach poo looks like. I had been looking at it every now and again over the years without knowing.
It looks like coffee grounds or cracked pepper. One can google for it. Once you know what it looks like, it’ll raise the alarm bells more often.

Another thing you can do is fill or cover the gaps under your bed, chest of drawers, etc. If you fill up all the gaps, they have nowhere to scurry once you turn the lights on and you’ll find them sooner.

[quote=“Icon”] they keep coming through the pipes. More traps have been set, more weights on the drains. More cadavers every day.
[/quote]

through which pipes?

(I’m asking because I still haven’t figured how they get inside our apartment)

Well, the drain pipes by the sink and on the floor -my place is old, has drains so when you wash the kitchen floor water goes away.

I also suspect the ventilation shaft thinghie on top of the range, so I sealed it with tape, as I don’t use it. And the gas line hole. Windows are sealed and have screens. Door is completely tight. And yet…

i-house.com.tw/product/detail/id/36548

basically, if you have newer types of drainage openings, then it should be relatively bug-proof. It’s like those reverse air traps, where air only goes out when your extraction fan is working.

the only thing is if it gets clogged, since there’s a piece of plastic on the other side, you have to choose the right pipe cleaning agent to avoid breaking it.

Taipei, 4F, older building have only seen 1 cockroach in my apartment in 1 year. However, I did once find a cockroach in my BACKPACK. Most horrifying experience ever.