NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

we have an apartment in midtown east that we do not live in fulltime. We live on LI and have just started to set the apartment up. Our unit is a condo, the building was built in the 1950's, the building is 85% owner occupied, lots of families and lots of residents that are there part time like us. Its a semi-high end doorman building and there are no pets. There are a few professional offices on the ground level and several store units that lease space from us at the street level. There is also a garage that leases from us in the basement.

We have not cooked in the kitchen yet, we have no food in our cabinets. We have sealed canisters for coffee & sugar & the apartment is extremely clean. We have no leaky faucets. We are only there for a day or two at a time right now.

Last weekend I saw two HUGE bugs which I had to kill that I'm almost positive were american roaches in the apartment! I'm so completely freaked out! I spoke to the super and he said nobody else has complained but they have been doing work in the basement and maybe they "stirred them up"
So he said when the exterminator comes he will bring him in my apartment and have him do something. I'm not happy at all about having some random chemicals used in my apt.
There are air ducts in our bathroom and kitchen that have large openings that these bugs could surely get in through. We are going to add metal screening to those grills next week.

So I ask, is it normal to have roaches in a city building? I am a LI girl that has never lived in any apartment building & I'm having nightmares about these bugs and I'm so afraid I'm going to bring them home to Long Island somehow!!!

This is so gross, I'm so itchy just writing this now. If you have had experience with this in NYC or elsewhere, please tell me what to do.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Sorry, I'm not from NY, but my Mom use to live in an apt., had roaches, had them exterminated repeatedly, which helped, but not entirely, by virtue of the fact that other renters did not exterminate. Perhaps there's hope; I'm not an expert on these things. Mary

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

What is an American roach? I'm thinking waterbug?

I've lived in Queens my whole life in apts and can say yes, 'regular' roaches do occur. Alot? No. In my entire 35 years on earth I had 1 waterbug in my apt and flipped my wig, had to call my parents to come (dad laughed, mom of course came to the rescue) and we killed it and got rid of it. It was in the bathroom. No idea how it got there.

I agree about the chemicals though. That would really upset me. I tend to think this really was caused by some kind of work in the building, and the fact that the apt is basically unoccupied. Blocking the ducts may help, but bear in mind that they can get in so many ways, like under the sink/kitchen cabinet.

I can't speak for all of the 5 boros tho.

Sorry this happened

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Unfortunately in NYC, roaches are kind of unavoidable. The best thing you can do is seal up every hole in the apartment-even the tiniest crack. If you search online for how to keep out roaches, you'll find tons of useful tips.

Find out what the exterminator will use, and see if you can set up having them come for regular visits. In my old building, they used something made of crushed shells. My husband also shoved steel wool in any cracks/holes in the wall and then sealed it up using silicone over them. Never leave food or water out.

Sadly, even if your apartment is super clean, all it takes is some messy neighbors to keep roaches hanging around.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

It is normal and I found what they said to be true... whenever there was work being doing either somewhere in the building or outside was when we would see one. It definitely wasnt all the time but every once in a blue moon one would make an appearance but we'd have the exterminator come and then not see another one for a few years!

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

I have to agree with PP. neighbors will have them. We lived in a large 15 story building and the 1st year was fine...the second year the apartment below us was sold and the new owners redid the kitchen...they ran up through the pipes and we were infested! It was AWFUL!

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Yeah, it is fairly common to have roaches in apartment buildings. Even if you are very clean, who knows about all your neighbors? Roaches can fit through cracks you cant even see. Especially with the cold weather, they all head where it is warm. If it gets bad, you can call an exterminator, but until then, get some roach killer.

Message edited 2/6/2011 9:27:09 AM.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

yes. Have apartment in Queens. You are going to get some kind of bug no matter what.

I keep those roach discs out. Also, look for cracks in moldings/ floor to ceiling spaces. Definitely cover the vents. Check the space between your front door and floor. Empty your cabinets and check for holes again. Sometimes, a building "settles"

When a place is dormant, they usually come up.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Roaches are pretty common in NYC, even in buildings on Fifth Avenue. My Mom used boric acid powder to kill them. Far safer than exterminator's chemicals. It gets into their lungs and kills them. Put the dry powder into a turkey baster bulb, put the bulb onto the baster tube just as you would to baste a turkey, then use it to poof the contents into any cracks you spot. Roaches slip under baseboards easily, so look carefully and poof it everywhere.

After years of battling roaches with exterminators, Mom did them in herself with boric acid which can be bought at any drug store and is safe - so safe its used to wash eyes with - and she was able to keep them away ever afterwards. It really works!

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Another Tip - Spray the outside of your door (like in the hallway) with RAID.

I do all along the bottom,sides, and top door every few weeks or when I remember to do it.

They can walk down the hall from your neighbors apt and slip under your door.

Welcome to NY!!!!

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Welcome to NYC. Dealing with roaches is just a part of life.

The toughest part about trying to get rid of them is that, even though your apt may be clean and your neighbors too, most of these pests are really just looking for water/moisture. It's not always food that they're out for. There may be places in between the walls where there's a moisture deposit, from a leak or simply from condensation and that will attract them. And it doesn't take a whole lot of water to feed them either.

But yeah, I would follow some of the suggestions that people have given here. It's nearly impossible to get rid of them but you can certainly minimize their intrusion.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Yes, unfortunately it is fairly common, especially since buildings have compactors for the garbage.

You could also have a neighbor that's keeping them around as well. I hope those were the only 2 you end up seeing though!

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Luckily, I haven't had to deal with too many roaches in my life (NYC lifer.) It has nothing to do with YOUR cleanliness. It COULD have something to do with your neighbor's cleanliness, but in the situation you describe, i doubt it.

I personally don't like the little discs. I think they're embarrassing. Remember the old roach motels? Oh God, how gross.

The best thing is regular extermination.

I live in an upscale neighborhood myself and i find that during particularly rainy periods I will see a roach or two in the bathroom. They come up through the pipes and eventually, the drains. I always freak the **** out. I hate them. I saw one ONCE in my kitchen. It was in the sink.

Through the years I have heard that as long as you see big ones and not babies, then you're good. Babies mean that the eggs were hatched and they'll keep multiplying. Big ones are random visitors.

That, however, might be urban legend.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

I had five apartments in the city--three had roaches. They would come and go, but they were never completely gone. So yes, I would say completely normal for a city building, and yes, they do travel around when work is being done. In my experience, their presence has nothing to do with how clean or dirty you are (though being clean probably makes your apt. less attractive).

One other apartment did not have roaches, but had mice (!) which was far worse IMO. I only had one apartment that had neither.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

I lived in midtown east in a rental luxury building for four years. Our building was fairly new though We just moved to LI 2 years ago. I NEVER saw one bug the entire time we lived there. I saw more bugs the first week we moved into our house in LI than I did the entire four years I lived there.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

If your neighbor has them you will have them. In the city roaches are almost unavoidable.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

my grandmother lived in NYC most of her life. She was he cleanest person I knew and when we would visit we would occassionally find a roach.

I think it is unfortunate but common

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Waterbugs, which is what I think you may be describing, are unfortunately common in attached houses of any kind. My family has lived in private houses that are attached, so it's similar. They have gotten waterbugs from time to time. GIANT bugs, so that may be what you are describing. I would not say it's common but it has happened to them more times than it has to my family, who are in a DETACHED private home. Hopefully this is the case, that it's a fluke. Why not put some sticky traps down in the closets and see what you come up with?

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

roaches don't know doorman building or fancy address. no one is safe. same with mice.

whether you're in a DEElux apt, in the sky...or in a project on the LES...you will have to combat this villians occasionally.

Re: NYC people, I'm so upset. I need opinions.

Sadly I have to agree with everyone else! We live in a high rise on the Upper East and are extremely clean but have always battled with roaches. They are mostly in my bathrooms, they come in through the vents. That goes against the theory that they are attracted to kitchens!

It definitely has gotten better, when we first moved in we saw a lot of them but I kept Raid out (I know its stinks but I'd rather stinky Raid than a cockroach) and we signed up for our building's bi-monthly exterminator service. This also helped.

Good luck!