Silver Bullet Pest ControlA two-inch reddish-brown roach in the bathtub, or several running across the basement floor at night? That's usually the American cockroach, the biggest roach in North Jersey. They come up from sewers, floor drains and boiler rooms. Silver Bullet Pest Control finds where they're getting in, treats the places they breed and helps you close the route.
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Not sure what you found? Text a photo to 973-510-2585 and we'll identify it.
American cockroach control starts with finding the route they use, usually floor drains, sewer lines, basements or boiler rooms, and then treating those breeding areas and closing the openings. Silver Bullet Pest Control uses gel bait and an insect growth regulator in the hiding spots, treats the drains and basement, shows you what to seal or repair and comes back for a follow-up. Roach treatment carries a 90-day warranty. Call or text 973-510-2585.
American roaches are hard to mistake once you know what to look for:
Adults are about an inch and a half to two inches long, the largest roach you'll normally see in a New Jersey building.
Shiny reddish-brown body with a pale yellowish band around the edge of the shield behind the head.
Adults have full wings and can glide or fly short distances, mostly in hot weather. That surprises a lot of people.
Females drop or glue dark egg cases in protected spots near food and moisture instead of carrying them around.
If the roach is shiny black and can't fly, it's more likely an oriental cockroach. See our oriental cockroach and water bug page, or compare them in water bug vs. cockroach.
Unlike German roaches, which live their whole lives in kitchens, American cockroaches are mostly a sewer and basement roach. They like warm, damp, dark places with some food nearby. In North Jersey that means:
Activity usually picks up in the warm months, and you'll often see them after heavy rain, when water pushes them out of the sewers. Our page on how big roaches get into the house goes through the routes in detail.
Most American cockroach calls we get fall into one of these three situations:
In houses, two-families and row homes, American roaches usually come up through a floor drain, laundry drain or a dry trap in an unused bathroom. Finding and treating that route is most of the job.
Restaurants have the warm drains, grease and water American roaches want. A big roach seen by a customer or an inspector is a real problem, so treatment focuses on drains, basements and the back of the house.
Bigger buildings have more pipe chases, mechanical rooms and drains. We treat the shared areas where they breed, not just the apartment where they were seen.
Seeing one big roach doesn't always mean you have a problem. Here's how to tell:
| What you see | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| One roach after a big storm | A stray pushed out of the sewer or yard | Check drain covers and door sweeps; watch for more |
| Several in the basement over a week or two | An active route in, often a floor drain or pipe gap | Get an inspection |
| Small reddish-brown young roaches | They're breeding inside the building | Treatment needed |
| Egg cases in corners or behind boxes | An established breeding area | Treatment and clean-out needed |
| Roaches on upper floors or in the kitchen | They're spreading through pipes and walls | Treat the building, not just one room |
Text a photo to 973-510-2585 and tell us where and how often you're seeing them. We'll tell you honestly whether it needs treatment.
A licensed technician inspects basements, floor drains, sump pits, boiler and laundry rooms, pipe openings and the outside of the building to find where they're getting in and breeding.
Gel bait and an insect growth regulator go into the cracks, voids and drain areas where they hide. We also treat the basement and other breeding spots chosen for the building.
We show you the gaps around pipes, missing drain covers, broken cleanouts and door gaps that need sealing or repair, and what you can handle yourself.
We come back to check and re-treat if needed, including any egg cases that hatched after the first visit. Roach treatment carries a 90-day warranty.
Since so many American roaches come up through plumbing, a few simple steps make a big difference:
Roaches coming up a drain over and over? A cracked or broken sewer line may be the cause, and that's a job for a licensed plumber. We'll tell you if we see signs of it.
In older apartment buildings around Passaic, Paterson, Hudson County and Essex County, American roaches often live in boiler rooms, trash rooms and basements and spread up along pipes. Treating only the apartment where a tenant saw one doesn't solve it.
Quotes are free and given after we see the property. These change the size of the job:
| Factor | Smaller job | Bigger job |
|---|---|---|
| Activity | A few roaches near one floor drain | Breeding in the basement or boiler room |
| Property | A single-family house | An apartment building, restaurant or warehouse |
| Entry routes | One drain or one pipe gap | Sewer issues or many openings |
| Spread | Basement only | Several floors or units |
| Service | Treatment plus one follow-up | Scheduled building service |
More detail on pricing factors on our cockroach exterminator cost page.
Tell us where you're seeing them, how often, and what kind of building it is. A photo helps. We'll give you a free quote and explain the plan.
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Warmth, moisture and a way in from below attract American cockroaches. Most come up from sewers through floor drains, dry traps and broken pipes, or in from damp crawl spaces and basements. Food crumbs, pet food and cardboard clutter give them a reason to stay. Fixing the moisture and closing the route matters as much as the treatment itself.
Yes, adult American cockroaches have full wings and can glide or fly short distances, mostly when it's hot. They usually run instead, but a roach that flies off a wall in summer is very likely an American cockroach. Oriental cockroaches, the other big dark roach in New Jersey basements, cannot fly.
Often, yes. In New Jersey people call several big roaches water bugs, usually American or oriental cockroaches found near drains and basements. True water bugs are aquatic insects that live in ponds and streams, not in houses. If it's large and showed up near a drain, it's almost certainly a roach and can be treated as one.
Not always. A single roach after a storm may be a stray pushed out of the sewer. Seeing several over a week or two, finding small young roaches or finding egg cases means they're breeding inside. Text us a photo and where you saw it, and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs treatment.
Most homes see far fewer roaches within a couple of weeks once the drains and breeding areas are treated and the openings are closed. Large buildings, restaurants and places with sewer problems can take longer and usually need follow-up or scheduled service. Roach treatment carries a 90-day warranty, so call us if activity continues.
They don't bite people in normal situations, but they come from sewers and can carry bacteria onto counters, food and dishes. Their droppings and shed skins can also trigger allergies and asthma in some people. That's why they're taken seriously in restaurants and homes with young children. Our page on whether cockroaches bite has more detail.
It may kill a few roaches in the trap, but it won't stop them for long. The roaches are living further down in the sewer line or in the basement around the drain. A drain cover, a full trap, sealed pipe gaps and a professional treatment of the breeding areas work much better than pouring chemicals down the drain.
Yes. We place gel bait and the growth regulator in cracks, voids and drain areas where people and pets don't reach, instead of spraying open living spaces. Tell us about children, pets or health conditions before the visit and we'll plan around them. Our technicians are EPA pesticide safety certified.
Yes. We treat basements, boiler rooms, trash rooms, drains and affected units, and set up scheduled service for owners and managers. Treating the shared areas where they breed works far better than treating one apartment at a time. Regular service comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
We're based in Garfield and serve Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties, including Passaic, Paterson, Clifton, Kearny, Hackensack and Bayonne. We also serve Morris and Union county towns with visits scheduled ahead. Same-day service is often available in our core area.
Sí. Hablamos español. Encontramos por dónde suben las cucarachas grandes, tratamos los drenajes y el sótano y regresamos a revisar. Llame o mande texto al 973-510-2585 con una foto.
From our base in Garfield we treat American cockroaches across North Jersey, including:
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
