Elalmanya BiologyHomes and businessesSame day, any governorate
The small cockroach that runs across the kitchen the moment you switch on the light is not the same as the big one that climbs out of the drain. The first lives with you indoors, behind the fridge and under the sink. The second comes from the sewers and the air shaft. So our first question is what it looks like and where you see it.
In short
Our cockroach pest control starts by identifying the species. Small German cockroaches get gel and bait dots inside cracks, behind the fridge and stove, and under the sink. Big American cockroaches are treated at the source (drains, pipes and the air shaft). Then we explain how to cut off their food and water, and whether you need a follow-up visit.
Signs
The clearest sign is switching on the kitchen light at night and seeing cockroaches dash for the cracks. They're active at night, so if you see them at midday too, there are probably many. Look for black specks and egg cases behind the fridge and under the sink, and send us a photo so we can identify the species.
German cockroaches come out at night looking for food and water, and they run back into cracks and behind appliances as soon as the light comes on. Seen one at midday on the counter or the kitchen wall? That usually means their hiding places are full.
Tiny black specks that look like ground black pepper, in the corners of cabinets, on the hinges of wooden doors and under the sink. These are cockroach droppings. The more of them you find in one corner, the closer the hiding spot.
The egg case is brown and shaped like a small bean. The German cockroach female carries hers until shortly before hatching, while the big cockroach glues its case near a food source. Empty cases in the corner of a cabinet mean cockroaches have already hatched there.
Small, dark, wingless cockroaches with two stripes on the back are young ones that are still growing. They mean cockroaches are breeding inside your home; this isn't one that wandered in by chance. Nearby you'll also find the pale, empty skins they shed as they grow.
A heavy infestation leaves a strange smell in closed cabinets and the pantry. German cockroaches release substances with an odor, and these can change the taste of uncovered food they walk on.
A reddish-brown cockroach about 4 cm long, coming out of the bathroom or kitchen drain or from the direction of the air shaft. This is the American cockroach. It lives mainly in sewers and drain pipes and gets into homes through the plumbing.
Found one of these signs? Take a photo and send it to us, and we will tell you whether it is cockroaches or something else before any visit.
Send the photoIn Egyptian homes you’ll mostly meet two species. The German cockroach, which people call the small or kitchen cockroach, is 10 to 15 mm long and brown, with two dark stripes on its back just behind the head. The American cockroach, the big one that comes out of the drain, is about 4 cm long and reddish brown, with a pale yellowish band around the part behind its head.
They live and breed in different ways, and that changes the treatment:
With the small one, the problem is speed. The University of Kentucky page on cockroaches says a single mated female can lead to thousands of cockroaches in less than a year. With the big one, the problem is the way it gets in, so treatment starts with the drains and with sealing the gaps around the pipes.
The small cockroach likes dark cracks close to food and water. In the kitchen we start under the sink and around the pipes, then move to the space behind the fridge and under the stove, the inside of the cabinets and the pantry, and the area next to the trash can. It also hides inside appliances that get warm, like the microwave, the electric oven and even a wall clock. In the bathroom you’ll find it around the drain, under the sink and next to the toilet.
The big one turns up more often on the ground floor and in basements, and in air shafts that carry drain pipes. It comes out at night from the drains and from the cracks around the pipes.
Cockroaches travel along corners and edges, not across the middle of the floor. That’s why black specks in the corner of a cabinet tell us more than a cockroach you saw crossing the living room.
A cockroach walks over trash and drains, then over your plates and counters. The University of Kentucky says cockroaches can carry germs that cause food poisoning. The University of Florida page on the American cockroach notes that at least 22 species of disease-causing microbes, plus 5 species of worms, have been isolated from cockroaches collected where they live.
The second problem is allergies. Cockroach droppings, saliva and shed skins contain proteins that many people are allergic to, causing a stuffy nose, sneezing and watery eyes, and they can make asthma worse, especially in children. If someone at home has asthma that’s getting worse, see a doctor, and tell us so we can pick a treatment method that suits your household.
You tried a gel or spray from the pharmacy and a few weeks later you still see cockroaches, or you’ve started seeing them during the day. That means some hiding spots haven’t been treated. Small wingless cockroaches mean they’re breeding inside your home, and that calls for an inspection. The same goes if the big cockroach keeps coming out of the same drain every few days, or if you run a restaurant or cafe where any cockroach could appear in front of a customer. Send us a photo on WhatsApp at +201007892200, or see our contact page. We come the same day in any of Egypt’s 27 governorates.
Why it comes back
A spray kills only the cockroaches it touches. The rest stay hidden in cracks and behind appliances, and the females carry their egg cases with them. Random spraying can also scatter cockroaches into other rooms or apartments. What works is bait placed right in the hiding spots, with food and water shut away at night.
The case protects the eggs until they hatch, and it may sit far from where you saw the roach. Treatment means finding where they hide and the routes they travel.
Source: Univ. of FloridaCockroaches spend most of their time inside cracks, behind the fridge and under the sink, and very little time on floors and walls. Spraying floors and walls only hits the ones passing by, and if one hiding spot is missed, the problem carries on.
Sprays and smoke bombs can drive cockroaches into another room or the apartment next door, so they show up somewhere new and the treatment takes longer. In apartment buildings, cockroaches move between units through shared walls and pipe openings.
University of Kentucky guidance says not to spray cleaners or insecticides around bait placements. Many people apply gel, then wipe the area with bleach or spray next to it, and decide the gel didn't work.
The German cockroach can't survive away from people, so we treat it inside the kitchen and bathroom. The big cockroach comes from the drains. If the kitchen is treated but the drain and the air shaft are left as they are, it will keep coming out.
Treatment
The work follows 5 steps, and the first one happens before the technician arrives. Photos and questions identify the species, the inspection finds the hiding spots, and the treatment goes into them, not onto the floor. A cockroach that eats the bait usually dies within 1 to 3 days, and a clear drop in numbers shows within a few weeks.
We ask whether the cockroaches are small or big, where and when they appear, how long it has been going on, and whether there are children, a pregnancy or pets at home. A photo of one cockroach, even a dead one, tells us the species before the technician sets out.
Wash the dishes instead of leaving them until morning, put open food in sealed containers and clear the shelf under the sink. Don't spray insecticide into the cracks before the visit, so the technician finds the cockroach traces as they are and can tell where they hide.
The technician uses a flashlight to check behind the fridge and stove, under the sink, inside the cabinets and around appliances that get warm, like the microwave and the electric oven. If it's the big cockroach, they also check the drains, the air shaft and the drain pipes.
Gel goes in small dots the size of a pea, many of them and spread out, inside cracks and cabinet hinges, never as a long line or a big blob. The space under a kitchen sink alone can need more than 12 dots. The big cockroach is treated in the drains and around drain openings, with a method that suits the spot.
We show you the gaps around pipes and drains that need sealing with silicone or foam, and the places you shouldn't wipe. If the case needs a follow-up visit, we set the date after the inspection, based on the species and how heavy the infestation is.
Ready for the first step? Tell us what you saw.
Safety
Safety depends on the product, where it goes and how it is applied. Gel goes in small dots inside cracks, not sprayed on floors and counters, and drain treatment stays inside drains and pipes. Before the visit we ask about children, pregnancy, allergies and pets, and tell you what to do with food and dishes for the product we'll use.
Tell us on the first call. Gel dots go inside cracks and closed-off spaces, not on the floor where a baby crawls. If anyone at home has asthma or allergies, let us know so we can choose a method that suits them.
Before the visit, clear uncovered food, dishes and towels off the counter and from under the sink, and put them in a closed cabinet. After the treatment, wipe food surfaces as usual, but don't wipe the gel dots inside the cracks.
Tell us if you have a cat or a dog, so the technician places gel and bait away from their food and where they sleep. Keep them out of the kitchen while we work, and cover any fish tank nearby.
If a child puts bait in their mouth, or someone feels dizzy or short of breath, call an ambulance on 123 or go to the nearest hospital, and take the product name with you. If it's a pet, call the vet right away.
Who it is for
Cockroaches don't always mean a place is dirty. German cockroaches can get into the cleanest kitchen in a grocery box, a crate of drinks or used furniture, and the big ones come up from the drains in any building. The difference between an apartment and a restaurant is the size of the inspection and the follow-up schedule each one needs.
Homes and apartments
In an apartment, most of the work is in the kitchen and bathroom, behind the fridge and stove, under the sink and around the drains. If the building is old or the air shaft has exposed drain pipes, the big cockroach is most likely coming from there. Send us a photo of the cockroach and we'll tell you the species and the next step.
Send details of your homeBusinesses and offices
Restaurants, cafes, hotel kitchens and bakeries have food, water and warmth all day, which is exactly what German cockroaches need. A single cockroach in front of a customer or during an inspection can turn into a crisis. Here the inspection covers the kitchen, the dry store, the drains, and the space under ovens and fridges, and we set up a follow-up schedule. If you have specific inspection requirements, send them before we agree on the work, and we'll tell you what we can provide.
Ask for a business quotePrice
No single price fits every case. An apartment with one infested room is not the same as a whole apartment, and a home is not the same as a business. The cost depends on these four factors, and we explain it in detail before you confirm the booking, with no surprise charges after the visit.
Ask for the quote to show:
Coverage
We cover all 27 governorates of Egypt with same-day visits. Send your area and the problem on WhatsApp or call us, and we will set a visit time for your home or business. The groups below show the main cities and districts in each region we reach.
Questions
These are the questions people in Egypt ask most about cockroaches, with answers from our daily work. If yours is not here, type it in the box below. It lands in our WhatsApp, and one of the team replies about your exact situation.
No single spray works in every case. The species decides. Small German cockroaches in the kitchen respond better to gel and bait inside cracks than to spraying floors and walls. For the big cockroach that comes out of the drain, treatment starts with the drains and the gaps around the pipes. Take a photo of the cockroach and send it to us.
Start today by cutting off their food and water at night. Wash the dishes before bed, keep food in sealed containers and take out the trash every night in a bin with a lid. Then photograph a cockroach and send it to us. If you also see them during the day, there are probably many, and they need gel and bait placed in the hiding spots themselves.
German cockroaches usually come in with grocery boxes, drink crates and used furniture, and in apartment buildings they move between units through shared walls and pipes. The big ones come up from the drains. Cleaning cuts down the food available to them and helps the treatment work, but on its own it won't keep them out.
In small dots the size of a pea, many of them and spread out, inside cracks, under the sink, behind appliances and in cabinet hinges. Never as a long line or a big blob. Don't spray cleaner or bug spray around the dots. If cockroaches are still around after a few weeks, some hiding spots were probably missed and need an inspection.
A cockroach that eats the bait usually dies within 1 to 3 days, and you'll see a clear drop in numbers within a few weeks. A spray kills faster, but only the cockroaches it touches. The ones inside the cracks, and the females carrying eggs, survive.
Bleach and vinegar are cleaners, not cockroach treatments. They remove the grease and food residue that attract cockroaches, which matters, but they don't reach cockroaches hiding in cracks or their egg cases. Keep bleach and cleaners off the gel dots and away from them, or you'll spoil the bait.
Yes. Cockroaches can carry germs that cause food poisoning when they walk over food and dishes. Their droppings and shed skins contain allergens that can trigger asthma, especially in children. Cover your food, wash any dish left out overnight, and see a doctor if anyone has symptoms.
