Shouldn't a Kitchen be sealed off from cockroaches? Would a new Kitchen eliminate the problem?

Question

I have cockroaches problem in Kitchen in my apartment and the only opening to drainage there is obviously the kitchen sink but it doesn't look like they are coming from there (they are found on Kitchen floor).

But shouldn't an apartment be otherwise totally sealed to outside world or water? This is on 2nd floor. So where does these cockroaches lives, probably not in the drainage right in this case right?

The cabinets are fairly old and I suspect there are holes somewhere. I treated the apartment extensively couple of times but problem has not gone away.

So just to understand the problem, say if I redo all my cabinets, pull them off, make sure there are no holes in walls etc and put brand new cabinets, will this likely eliminate the cockroaches?

My theory is that the cockroaches could either live in drainage or outside drainage. I suspect the later is the case in my apartment. Shall such measures potentially eliminate the hidden living spaces in the kitchen?

From my experience at least, I have generally seen cockroaches in older houses perhaps for that reason. Has anyone had cockroaches problem in new constructions?

So could this be a valid motivation to redo the Kitchen as well which is kind of old?

Answer 1

Rebuilding the kitchen will not stop them. Various insecticides will kill them for now. Borax is safe and effective long term . When I built my house in roach country ( E. TX) I put several pounds of borax in the walls before dry wall was put up. Worked great. After 25 years roach free years , apparently a couple recently got in and found the dishwasher cabinet was ideal ( no borax nearby). I was seeing a big roach about every other day , after none for years. I drilled a 1/2 hole under a counter top and blew in borax powder around the dishwasher. In the last month there have been only a few little roaches and they are slow and easy to kill because the borax slows them down before they die. So you can have an exterminator every few months or figure how to get borax powder where they are living. ( My wife has not noticed the hole so I am good). ADDENDA : On the otherhand ,if you are going to redo the kitchen anyway, put borax under, behind, and everywhere else around new fixtures, that may fix the roaches .

Answer 2

Roaches can only thrive if the environment is supportive of them. The main reason roaches proliferate is due to a continual food source. Removing kitchen waste regularly and cleaning the stove and food prep areas will eliminate the food they need to thrive.

Any gap in the wall or crack in the floor (especially in an apartment building gives the roaches an expressway up and down the floors. So it is important that they be sealed and if possible your neighbors remain diligent with cleanliness.

It is a good idea to invest in roach traps. These are little boxes that use odors or pheromones to lure the bug into a sticky floor where they cant escape.

If you rather not use petroleum based insecticides there are less toxic sprays made from citrus, mint, spearmint, etc. that work well and aren't toxic to non-target pests.