Pest & rodent control

Agents and norms against household pests — what works and how

By pest type

Cockroaches

Fipronil/imidacloprid gels — spot-applied near paths; traps for monitoring. Adjacent flats are the reinvasion source: treat vents and thresholds.

Ants

Boric acid/abamectin baits — workers carry them to the nest. Don't kill workers on the trail — let them deliver the bait.

Bed bugs

Harder case: mattress-seam treatment, steam/60°C washing, diatomite in crevices. Professional treatment often needed twice at 2-week intervals.

Pantry/clothes moths

Pantry: discard infested grains, airtight containers. Clothes: closet cleaning, lavender/cedar as prevention, not eradication; wool-safe sprays.

Rodents

Snap traps beat poisons indoors (no unreachable carcass). Seal gaps >6 mm with metal mesh/metal-filled foam.

Wood borers

Woodworm/longhorn in furniture — local chemical treatment or heat (>55°C). Large colonies need professional fumigation.

Products with strong insecticides — only per label, ventilated, with no children/pets inside. Persistent reinvasion in an apartment block is only solved by treating shared utilities — that's the HOA's responsibility.