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Roach Prevention: A Recent Job & Some Homeowner Tips

Category: Holiday

Published: 01 Sep, 2026

By Modest – Owner of MA Pest Control

What I Walked Into

September is a time when I still get plenty of calls about cockroaches around London. The weather may be starting to cool down, but inside homes there is still plenty of warmth, food, and moisture for them.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from a family who had started seeing small cockroaches in their kitchen late at night.

That was when they decided to call.

When I arrived, the kitchen looked clean. The family had actually been cleaning more than usual since the first sighting. They had also bought a couple of sprays from the shop and used them around the sink and cupboards.

It did not take long to find signs of activity. There were droppings behind one of the appliances and activity around a warm, narrow space close to the kitchen plumbing.

The Problem

Cockroaches are good at staying out of sight, so what you see is not always a good indication of how much activity is actually there.

During this job, the main problem was the kitchen because it was giving them most of what they needed.

There was a small amount of moisture underneath the sink from a slow plumbing leak. It was not enough to create a puddle, so the homeowner had not really noticed it, but the area stayed damp.

Behind the fridge and cooker, I found small amounts of grease and food debris. These are difficult areas to clean regularly, and even a small amount of food can be enough for cockroaches.

There were also gaps around some of the pipework and along the back of the kitchen units. These gave them places to hide during the day and move around without being seen.

The family had been spraying every cockroach they saw, but that was only dealing with the visible insects. The ones hiding behind appliances and inside gaps were still there.

That is why the sightings kept happening.

The Process

The first thing I did was inspect the kitchen properly and work out where the activity was concentrated.

I checked underneath and behind the appliances, inside cupboards, around the sink, along skirting boards, around pipework, and anywhere else that provided warmth or shelter.

Once I knew where the main activity was, I used targeted cockroach treatment in those areas rather than spraying the whole kitchen.

I treated the cracks, gaps, appliance areas, and other places where cockroaches were hiding and travelling. I also used professional bait in selected locations. The idea with bait is that cockroaches feed on it and carry the effect back into the areas where others are hiding.

I explained to the homeowner that they might still see some activity immediately after treatment. Cockroach problems do not always disappear overnight, especially when insects have been hiding in areas that are difficult to reach.

I also pointed out a few gaps around the pipework that could be sealed.

The treatment dealt with the active problem, while those changes helped remove some of the things that had allowed the cockroaches to stay there.

The Outcome

Over the next few days, the family noticed the sightings becoming much less frequent.

Instead of seeing cockroaches whenever they entered the kitchen late at night, they were only seeing the occasional one at first. After that, the activity continued to drop.

On the follow-up, the areas where I had originally found the strongest signs were much quieter. There were no fresh signs around the sink, and the family had not seen anything running behind the fridge for several days.

The homeowner told me they had got into the habit of switching the kitchen light on and immediately looking at the floor before walking in. Once the activity stopped, they gradually stopped doing that.

That is usually a good sign that things are getting back to normal. They could use the kitchen without constantly checking cupboards or wondering what might run across the floor.

DIY Advice

There are a few things I recommend homeowners do to make kitchens and other areas less suitable for cockroaches:

1. Keep kitchen surfaces clean and wipe up crumbs, grease, and spills rather than leaving them overnight.

2. Clean underneath and behind appliances when possible. Cookers and fridges are common problem areas because food and grease can build up where you cannot easily see it.

3. Fix dripping taps, leaking pipes, and other moisture problems. Cockroaches need water, and a small leak can be enough to keep an area suitable for them.

4. Keep dry food in properly sealed containers, especially cereals, flour, rice, pet food, and other open packets.

5. Empty food waste regularly and keep bins closed.

6. Check around pipes, cupboards, skirting boards, and kitchen units for gaps that could provide hiding places.

These steps are useful for prevention, but if cockroaches are already established, cleaning alone usually will not deal with the whole problem.

"It's brighter than before!"

— Megan

Professional Insight

One thing I always explain about cockroaches is that they spend a lot of their time hidden.

They can stay behind appliances, inside small cracks, around plumbing, and in spaces between kitchen units. That is why someone might only see one or two but still have ongoing activity elsewhere.

They also tend to come out more when the house is quiet, particularly at night. If you are regularly seeing them during the day, that can sometimes suggest there is heavier activity or that their usual hiding areas are crowded.

Proper cockroach control starts with finding where the activity is concentrated. From there, treatment can be placed where the insects are actually hiding and travelling.

Cleaning, reducing moisture, and sealing gaps then help make the property less suitable for them afterwards.

Closing Thoughts

That London job was a good example of why cockroach problems can continue even in a clean home.

The family was already cleaning regularly. The issue came down to a few things they could not easily see: moisture underneath the sink, food debris behind appliances, and small hiding places around the kitchen.

If you notice a cockroach in your kitchen this September, especially if you see another one a few days later, it is worth paying attention rather than assuming it was just a one-off.

If you're in London and you're not sure where they're coming from, feel free to get in touch. I'm always happy to take a proper look and explain what I find.