Avoid Bringing Roaches When You Move

How roaches travel to your new home

The roach that moves with people is almost always the German cockroach: small, light brown, with two dark stripes behind the head. It lives entirely indoors, likes tight, warm spaces close to food and water, and spreads mainly by hitchhiking. The big dark roaches you see in basements and near drains, oriental and American cockroaches, usually come in from outside and are much less likely to ride along in a moving box.

Female German cockroaches carry their egg case until it's almost ready to hatch, and each case can hold dozens of eggs. That's why a few roaches in a box can turn into a full kitchen infestation within a few months.

Their favorite rides on moving day:

• Cardboard boxes, especially used boxes from grocery stores, liquor stores or restaurants, and boxes that were stored in an infested kitchen or basement.
• Kitchen appliances like toasters, microwaves, coffee makers, air fryers and the motor area of a fridge.
• Electronics that stay warm: TV boxes, game consoles, routers and computer towers.
• Furniture with gaps: dressers, nightstands, upholstered chairs and anything with drawers or hollow legs.
• Paper and clutter: stacks of mail, books, grocery bags and paper towel rolls from under the sink.

Not sure which roach you have? See wood cockroach vs. German cockroach or our main German cockroach control page.

How to pack so roaches don't come along

Go item by item. The kitchen and electronics need the most attention:

Label anything from the kitchen so you can open it last, away from the new kitchen, and check it before it goes into a cabinet.

At your new home: stop roaches before they settle in

The new place is your fresh start, so protect it:

• Inspect before you move in. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets with a flashlight. Look for droppings that look like pepper, small brown egg cases and shed skins, especially behind the stove and under the sink. If you find signs, tell the landlord or seller in writing before you unpack.
• Unpack the risky boxes first and away from the kitchen. Open kitchen and electronics boxes in the garage, a hallway or near the door. Look for live roaches and egg cases before anything goes into a cabinet.
• Break down cardboard the same day and get it out of the house.
• Seal the obvious gaps around pipes under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, where roaches travel in apartments and multi-family houses.
• Keep the new kitchen dry and clean from day one: no dishes overnight, sealed food, dry sinks.

Moving into an apartment or multi-family house? Roaches can also come from neighboring units through shared walls and pipes, so a roach in week two isn't always one you brought. Our landlord and tenant guide explains the basics in general terms. More prevention on how to prevent cockroaches.

Professional roach treatment before or after you move

If you're leaving a place with an active roach problem, the most reliable way to avoid bringing roaches with you is to get the infestation treated before you pack. If you've already moved and roaches showed up, treat the new place quickly while the numbers are still small.

Silver Bullet Pest Control's roach treatment uses gel bait and an insect growth regulator placed in the cracks and hiding spots where roaches live, plus a follow-up visit to check and re-treat. The growth regulator stops young roaches from becoming breeding adults, which matters a lot when a few hitchhikers are trying to start over in a new kitchen. Roach treatment carries a 90-day warranty.

• Leaving an infested home: we treat the kitchen, bathrooms and hiding spots so you're packing from a place with far fewer roaches.
• Just moved in: we inspect the new place, find where roaches are and treat before they spread through the walls.
• Landlords between tenants: a vacant unit is the easiest time to treat and seal.

We're based in Garfield and serve Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. Same-day visits are often available, and quotes are free. Learn more on our cockroach exterminator page, or see gel bait vs. spray and what affects roach treatment cost.