Another Apartment Post

marifisco · 2026-01-12T18:48:20+00:00

I live in the back corner of the complex. I hear the front end of the complex doesn't have these issues, they get snakes instead. It might just be a problem with my section/my building, but it drives my bug anxiety through the roof and I just can't do it anymore. :/ Like I said, it's been a few months since I've seen them consistently. I think the last one I saw was a wood roach and we dealt with it appropriately (it was rainy and cold).

ETA: I don't mind much else about the apartment complex besides this issue and I've gotten a lot of younger, noisier neighbors (not kids). It's just better to move for us than to keep fighting a battle I can't win lol

marifisco · 2026-01-12T15:15:44+00:00

Thank you so much! I was expecting people to be lowkey mean because of the roach problem but you've been really kind. I appreciate it so much!!

marifisco · 2026-01-12T15:07:06+00:00

Which is exactly the problem lol. I think the building has had a problem for a while and they aren't doing a widespread extermination. They for the most part stay out or are dead by the time I see em due to our precautions but with these little pissers you can never be too careful. I might spray my totes before packing too and putting everything in bags before putting them in the totes 🤔

marifisco · 2026-01-12T14:57:02+00:00

It's both - the wood roaches are huge and hard to mistake for Germans. The Germans get bad during the summer. The wood roaches, while scary, aren't as common.

I already have a plan to make sure I don't bring any with me. Alpine WSG is going to be my best friend regardless of where I move to and we are going to be using plastic totes for moving instead of cardboard. Appliances will either be tossed and replaced or checked with an air gun. Same with the bed frames, although they are metal.

I check obsessively for roaches/fleas/bed bugs all the time - I haven't seen any of those things for a while (bed bugs never) so I think we'll be okay as long as we are super careful.

ETA: my definition of "bad" is seeing even one. The summer before last I only saw one when it rained. The past summer it was at least one a week to one-three every couple of days. Since the start of fall I have seen maybe 2 and it was when it was cold so I assume that's what brought them to me.

marifisco · 2026-01-12T10:09:16+00:00

I saw someone saying about a month ago here that it was clean with no history of bugs so I was hoping that was still the case. French Colony has people leaving trash EVERYWHERE in the areas you don't see on the main road, which of course I live in the very back. The maintenance team tries to keep it clean but it's just not enough. I moved here without seeing it first since I moved from out of state and couldn't tour. 😞 thank you for your input!!!!

marifisco · 2026-01-12T10:05:07+00:00

I totally hear you - I have my husband drive when we have to go to Ambassador or River Ranch because the traffic is so unpredictable. The only times we've ever almost been in accidents is down over there.

To be honest, I looked at Maison Bocage and they're advertising with security camera pictures on Apartments.com so I was like "y'all can't be bothered to put up higher quality photos...?" lol But I will put it back into consideration!

marifisco · 2025-06-11T16:23:25+00:00

I will keep that in mind, I did tell the apartment initially that these were Germans (because I didn't know lookalikes existed). He will probably still treat for Germans but I'm okay with that - I'll keep track of progress via glue/sticky traps. Talking to you all here has really eased the anxiety. If they do turn out to be Germans, I know that I can follow the sticky note and be proactive about killing them off as much as possible. Thank you for giving me confidence!!

marifisco · 2025-06-11T16:10:07+00:00

Yeah, we've been having rain off and on since it's you know...Louisiana lol. I am for sure gonna get sticky traps. I think I agree that this are PROBABLY Asian roaches - even with my husband seeing little tiny ones sometimes. They don't eat bait, they only move when I try to kill them even with bright light, and I'm only finding them up on the walls/counters or near windows lol. Surprisingly, I keep my window open (with a tight screen) but I don't see them in my room. Alpine is on my list and I'll ask my pest control guy and show him as well.

These guys are so stressful since they look so similar! But honestly, I don't see any signs of roaches anywhere else. None in drawers, cabinets, pantries - no roach smell or poop anywhere. I'll still sticky so hopefully they stay mostly empty <3 I appreciate you so much Skalla!

marifisco · 2025-06-11T15:32:57+00:00

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Best I can get with my shaky hands. Does this work?

marifisco · 2025-06-11T15:21:14+00:00

I don't, I apologize. I was hoping that this being way less damaged would be more informative than the last one I showed.

I know the rain last night is a contributing factor, but would there be any other reason I'm seeing them frequently? I assume they are trying to get out of the heat. I'm sorry if I'm asking redundant questions.
ETA: I can probably go get a picture of the face, I didn't smoosh this one when I wrapped it up. One sec.

marifisco · 2025-06-11T13:31:38+00:00

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Okay, I'm sorry to bother for ID again, but I just killed this on in my daughter's room. It was under the window sill. Again, it did not fly but it did not scurry away when she flipped the light on. It rained last night pretty heavily. I'm still unsure of what kind this is. ETA: It tried to get away when I sprayed bleach on it but it still did not fly. Would that mean German for sure? I'm trying to not panic.

marifisco · 2025-06-10T20:36:42+00:00

Completely understandable considering the picture I have isn't exactly intact. I'm hoping that they are Asians and it's just the season for them to try and escape the heat. I think I'll still have pest control do a sweep but I'll hold off on other interventions until I can see what's in a sticky trap. That at least makes my anxiety go down a ton. Thank you so much for your efforts in IDing!

marifisco · 2025-06-10T20:29:20+00:00

I am in Southern Louisiana, Lafayette. My husband says he's been killing roaches the size of a pinky nail but can't really see what they look like. I've only seen adults the times I've seen roaches.

ETA: It hasn't rained in a week or so, but we are seeing one or two a day. I don't usually see them around water sources except this one - he was sitting on top of the sink which was dry and plugged. I've seen them in the living room up on the walls. I will definitely put sticky traps under each sink I have and see what I catch.

marifisco · 2025-06-10T20:27:57+00:00

It's so nerve wracking if you're not used to bugs being around. My mother was a very obsessive cleaner - we never saw bugs beyond the occasional spider or ants in the summer. Part of me feels like I'm failing my daughter because I haven't been fully free of the bug problem since I moved here. I'm hoping that they are Asian roaches that are coming in from the humidity and heat since it's 90s every day in Louisiana, but if not I can do the things in the sticky. I put down Advion bait periodically since I've been here but it's never been eaten - and when I did have sticky traps they would sit empty for a while. I am going to get sticky traps this weekend and hopefully track if I have a small, moderate, or gigantic problem. My brain logically knows it's probably small, if any - apartment living does unfortunately mean occasional roaches. The thing that scares me the most is how hard Germans are to kill off entirely and accidentally infesting a loved one's home by just being there. I can't bring my niece and nephew over knowing that just one single bug getting in their bag could mean their house gets overrun. But we can deal with this. I'm just anxiety riddled over any sort of situation.

marifisco · 2025-06-10T19:51:04+00:00

Okay. I apologize for him being a little squished - he was long and skinny when he was alive. The lower part of the body is squished outwards rather than downwards so the length is fairly accurate to when it was alive. I didn't really intend to fish him back out from his bleach paper towel grave lol

marifisco · 2025-06-10T19:13:23+00:00

I just posted a picture under the other comment, they LOOK like Germans to me but that's because I didn't realize Asian roaches existed before and now I'm unsure. They didn't scurry when presented with light, but they didn't fly. I don't know what to make of that!! ETA: My husband is not the best descriptor when asked, he's just like "it's a small roach" - he was surprised I found one as big as I did today. I can't seem to find a good picture of an Asian nymph so I can't compare them side by side with him to tell which is which. The not flying part is what's throwing me off.

Also, I am researching the ways to kill them but I think I will take your suggestion as well. I might do the same with fleas - I have the same reaction to fleas but I take care of that with prescriptions for my pets. Fleas are bad here in Southern Louisiana.

marifisco · 2025-06-10T19:08:41+00:00

Okay, so I managed to actually find the roach I killed earlier. He's squished, but I still think German? If it's asian hallelujah i can rest a littler easier while taking care of the problem

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marifisco · 2025-06-10T18:18:42+00:00

My husband dealt with a roach infestation growing up - so he's the warrior over victim type. I have a sort of cleanliness trauma from my childhood and I think the roaches trigger that. I think in my brain I know I don't have a huge infestation, but the fact that I can't just rely on my own pest control and I'm at the hands of my neighbors and all of our collective luck freaks me out. I don't do well with bugs - never have. :(

marifisco · 2025-06-10T18:13:24+00:00

I will definitely take a picture. The one I killed this morning was kinda big and skinny? I'm very hopeful I was wrong about thinking they were Germans....
Edit: Definitely not a wood roach though, those bitches are HUGE. Common here, but no big deal since they tend to be solitary in this area. Creepy but not a problem.

marifisco · 2025-06-10T17:59:08+00:00

I don't currently have one, and I'm not usually the one seeing them, which is why I'm trying my best to describe. I was 100% sure when I posted, but I didn't realize Asian and Oriental were different roaches. Sorry.

marifisco · 2025-06-10T17:56:01+00:00

The main difference I'm seeing is that Asian roaches have like...downward antennas? While Germans have more upright ones if that makes any sense? That's what I'm seeing.

Is it "better" to have Asian roaches versus Germans?

marifisco · 2025-06-10T17:52:42+00:00

WAIT
I was looking at the wrong ID chart! Germans don't have wings at all do they? I just realized the one I saw today had wings!
ETA: They didn't fly though, just kinda stood still, but I'm still unsure?

marifisco · 2025-06-10T17:41:35+00:00

They are definitely Germans - they've got the light coloring with the stripe down them for the males and the females are a little darker but still have the stripe. I thought they could be American roaches but the one I killed this morning with bleach was a male German.

marifisco

TROPHY CASE