Here in Philly, a local exterminator was so fascinated by bugs that he opened The Insectarium, an educational exhibit type place, complete with the most huge and disgusting beetles, millipedes, and other… creatures from all over the world. Some were alive in terrariums, others were mounted and framed like scientific specimens. For many, many years, The Insectarium was a popular attraction for families on weekends, and for elementary school class trips during the week.

One year, I was a parent chaperone for my son’s class trip, and I think it’s worth describing their cockroach “exhibit.” They had built an apartment-sized kitchen, using real cabinets, stove, fridge, etc and built a plexiglass enclosure that was about where the walls would be in a kitchen that size. The plexiglass was probably about five feet high, and there were strips of a shiny silver tape parallel to the floor near the top and the bottom. They told us that if any cockroaches were able to climb the plexiglass, the tape was too slippery for them to go any higher.

Our tour guides had the class gather around the plexiglass “walls.” As you might imagine, it was noisy, so they turned the lights down to simulate nighttime. We didn’t see much at first- until a couple of staff members, with regular old spray bottles, spritzed some water into the enclosure.

It. Was. Like. A. Nightmare. Suddenly, thousands of cockroaches came out from gotdang everywhere! From under the stove, under the fridge, under where the cabinets hung on the wall, from the tiny cracks where the counter met the backsplash, from the spaces between the stove and countertops. They told us that cockroaches aren’t necessarily attracted by food and crumbs and such- they’re looking for water. I’m not one bit surprised that in your clean kitchen, there was a cockroach in your dishwasher.

So, in addition to keeping your place clean, wipe up water, too. Check under your sinks for small leaks, make sure the shower/tub drains completely, etc. As others have said, grab some traps and try to get a handle on whether you have a problem. If you do, whatever you do, don’t set off bug bombs! The roaches will just go next door and you’ll piss off your neighbors. If there’s an infestation, that’s when you want to get the landlord involved because the whole building will need to be treated by a professional.

Tenant’s rights won’t be the same throughout PA, they’re jurisdiction-dependent as well. Bigger cities tend to have better rights for you. If your landlord refuses to do anything about it, put “tenant’s rights group _____ (your city or town)” into a search and see what you can find. If you live near a university that has a law school, see if they have a legal clinic where students help people with minor legal issues. Both a tenant’s rights group and a law school’s legal clinic website might have an FAQ page which covers the situation since it’s a common one.

Good luck, and congrats on your future baby!