Cockroaches
Cockroaches Above the Broadway
A flat over a shop shares far more with the business below than a front door. Waste pipes, gas pipes and cables rise through the building, often boxed in behind kitchen units, and the gaps around them connect the warm space downstairs with the rooms above. German cockroaches favour exactly this: heat, moisture and tight spaces close to food. If the premises below have them, the flat can get them however its own kitchen is kept. How cockroaches get into properties explains the routes.
Back yards and bins
Behind the parade are yards and bin areas used by the shops, and sometimes by the flats as well. Food waste, cardboard and deliveries left standing give cockroaches shelter at ground level, and the back stairs up to the flats start in the same yard.
Why estate houses rarely have them
An estate house has no business below it and no shared duct, and German cockroaches do not wander in from the garden. When one does turn up, it has usually travelled in with a second-hand fridge or cooker, boxes from a move or bags from somewhere that has them. A large, dark cockroach near a ground-floor drain may be the Oriental species. German vs Oriental cockroaches helps identify it.
Checking a Flat Kitchen at Night
Go into the kitchen after dark, switch the light on and watch the gaps behind the cooker, the fridge and the kickboards. In daylight, look for small dark droppings like ground pepper, brown egg cases and a musty smell in cupboards. The signs of an infestation and where they hide in kitchens cover what to look for. A line of tiny insects crossing the worktop by day is more likely ants in Burnt Oak.
What to Do Now
- Keep food, pet food included, sealed and put away overnight
- Fix drips and dry the sink before bed, since water draws them as much as food
- Take rubbish down to the bins rather than leaving bags on the back stairs
- Do not set off shop foggers, which can drive cockroaches into the flat next door
- Tell your landlord, freeholder or managing agent, and mention it if the shop below or a neighbour has had them
Booking for a Flat or House
When you book cockroach treatment, say whether it is a flat over a shop or a house, which floor you are on, what kind of business is below, and where you have seen them. Clear the cupboards under the sink and beside the cooker so the spaces behind can be reached. We explain beforehand what you need to do and what to avoid afterwards.
Eggs can hatch after a visit, so seeing some later is not always a sign that something has failed; why you may see cockroaches after treatment explains. How long it takes depends on the building and how established they are. If they are still about after the period we give you, or neighbours report them, let us know.
Shops and food businesses on the Broadway
Cafés, takeaways, restaurants and food shops are quoted per site, not at the flat or house price, because every kitchen, store room and yard is different. The law expects a food business to keep pests out of the areas where food is handled, so call us to describe the premises and whether anyone lives above.
Stopping Them Coming Back
In a flat, the gaps round pipes behind the units and under the sink are worth sealing once the cockroaches have gone, and a clean, closed bin area helps the whole building. Do not keep flattened cardboard in cupboards, and check second-hand appliances before carrying them upstairs. Preventing cockroaches returning goes further, and Cockroach Control Barnet covers the borough, including the newer blocks next door in Colindale. Mice use the same yards, so if you hear scratching as well, see mouse control in Burnt Oak.
