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Cockroach Control Melbourne | German and American Cockroaches
Seeing cockroaches in the kitchen at night? We treat cockroaches across Melbourne the same day, including inside cabinetry. Call 0435 073 966 for a free quote.
Tell us what you have seen
Cockroaches are almost always worse than they look, because you are seeing a fraction of the population. Tell us where and when you see them and we will tell you which species it is and what it takes to clear it.
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Choose your service, add a few details, and we will call you back with a quote. Open 24 hours — we answer after hours.
One cockroach in daylight means a lot more in the cavity
Cockroaches are nocturnal and thigmotactic — they want to be touching something on all sides. That is why they live in the gap behind the kickboard, inside the dishwasher housing, under the fridge motor and in the hinge void of a cabinet door, and why a surface spray around the skirting achieves very little.
The species matters more here than with almost any other pest. A German cockroach infestation is an indoor breeding population that has to be treated with gel bait inside the harbourage. An American cockroach is usually coming in from a drain, a grease trap or a subfloor, and the fix is as much about the entry point as the spray.
The warm, damp cavities that suit cockroaches suit other things as well. If you are also finding silverfish in the same cupboards, or hearing rats and mice in the roof above them, say so when you call — treating them on one visit is cheaper than booking us twice.
How to tell which cockroach you have
It decides the treatment. Gel bait clears a German cockroach population and does very little to an American cockroach that is commuting in from a drain each night.
| What you noticed | Points to German | Points to American | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 12–15 mm, tan, two dark stripes behind the head | 35–40 mm, reddish brown, glossy | Small and striped is the breeding one. |
| Where | Inside cabinetry, appliances, kettle bases, cutlery drawers | Drains, subfloor, grease traps, roof void, coming in at night | Indoors always means an indoor population. |
| Numbers | Many, including tiny nymphs | One or two large ones at a time | Nymphs indoors confirm breeding on site. |
| Egg cases | Carried by the female until hatching | Dropped and glued into a crevice | You rarely find German cases loose. |
| Treatment | Gel bait into every harbourage, repeated | Perimeter and entry-point work, drain treatment | The wrong method fails no matter how much is used. |
The pests that share a cockroach’s habitat
Cockroaches turn up with company, because the same warmth, damp and food waste suits all of them. If you are seeing more than one of these, say so and we will treat them together rather than charging you twice.
What you have probably noticed already
Cockroaches hide during the day, so most people meet them at 11pm in the kitchen. Two or more of these together means a resident population, not a wanderer.
What you can see
- Insects that scatter fast when you turn the kitchen light on
- Small dark specks like ground pepper in drawers or on shelves
- Tiny pale nymphs around the dishwasher or kettle base
- Shed skins in the corner of a cupboard
- Smear marks on surfaces in humid corners
- Live cockroaches in daylight, which means crowding
What you can smell or find
- A musty, oily smell in a cupboard that will not air out
- Egg cases glued into a hinge, seam or crevice
- Specks inside the seal of the fridge or dishwasher door
- Contamination on cutlery or in a utensil drawer
- Activity concentrated around a leaking pipe or damp cupboard
- A pet food bowl that attracts them overnight
German cockroaches stay within a few metres of food and warmth, which is why the kitchen and the laundry are where the population actually lives.
Normal. Daylight sightings mean the harbourage is full and the population has outgrown it — that is a same-day call.
In units and apartments cockroaches move through shared wall and service voids. Treating one flat alone rarely holds.
Three things worth knowing before you book
Cockroach work is where the most money gets wasted, so here is the honest version.
Surface spray can make German cockroaches worse
A repellent aerosol does not reach the harbourage. What it does do is scatter the population into adjoining cavities and, in a unit, into your neighbour’s wall. People often call us after a fortnight of spraying with a bigger problem spread over a wider area.
Gel bait works the opposite way: it is carried back into the harbourage and passed through the population. That is why we bait first and spray very little, and why we ask you not to spray over our gel.
A German cockroach job is not a one-visit job
Eggs are protected inside the case and no product reaches them. The population collapses as the adults and nymphs take bait, then a second wave hatches. Any operator promising total eradication in one visit is either treating an American cockroach or overselling.
We plan for a follow-up from the start and price it in, rather than quoting a cheap first visit and charging again later.
This is not about whether you keep a clean house
German cockroaches arrive in cardboard, second-hand appliances, grocery boxes and shared building voids. Immaculate kitchens get them. What hygiene changes is how fast a population grows once it is in, not whether it arrives.
We will tell you which specific harbourage is feeding the problem — a leaking trap, a warm motor housing, a cardboard stack — instead of handing you a generic cleaning lecture.
Our four-step cockroach treatment
Same sequence in a studio flat as in a commercial kitchen.
Inspection
We find the harbourage — behind kickboards, inside appliance housings, in hinge voids and around drains — and confirm the species.
Gel bait
Bait is placed in dozens of small dots inside the harbourage where the cockroaches actually live, not smeared across surfaces.
Perimeter and entry
Where the source is external — drains, grease traps, subfloor — we treat and seal the route in as well.
Follow-up
We return after the egg cases hatch, re-bait, and confirm the population has actually collapsed rather than moved.
What cockroach treatment costs
Every price is a from price — the final figure depends on the size of the property, the species and how far the population has spread. You get it in writing before we start.
Inspection and spot treatment
Inspection, species identification and targeted gel bait in the affected room.
Full cockroach treatment
Whole-property gel bait programme, perimeter treatment and one follow-up visit.
Kitchen and commercial
Multi-room or commercial kitchen programme with a documented service record.
Clear written quotes.We beat any written quote by 5%. Commercial, strata and end-of-lease jobs are quoted on inspection.
Free re-treatment inside the warranty period
If the pest comes back inside the warranty period on a treated property, we return and re-treat at no charge. The warranty follows the treatment, not the visit — an inspection on its own cannot be warranted, and we would rather say that plainly than sell you a guarantee that quietly excludes you.
What an untreated cockroach problem costs you
Cockroaches are a genuine health issue, not just an unpleasant one.
Food contamination
Cockroaches walk through drains and grease traps and then across your benchtop, carrying salmonella and other bacteria on their legs and in their droppings.
Asthma and allergy
Cockroach droppings and shed skins are a recognised indoor allergen and a documented asthma trigger, particularly in children sleeping near an infested kitchen.
Business risk
A single cockroach seen by a customer or an environmental health officer can close a food business. The population is always larger than the sighting suggests.
It spreads
In units and townhouses a population that is only ever treated in one dwelling migrates through shared voids and returns.
Cockroach Control questions we get asked
If yours is not here, call 0435 073 966 — we will answer it on the phone without booking you in first.
Call 0435 073 966How much does cockroach control cost in Melbourne?
Our cockroach treatments start from $149 for an inspection and spot treatment, $189 for a full property programme with a follow-up, and $289 for multi-room or commercial kitchen work. The final price depends on the property size and the species, and you get it in writing before we start. We beat any written quote by 5%.
How long does it take to get rid of cockroaches?
German cockroaches usually take two to four weeks, because no product kills the eggs inside the case and a second wave hatches after the adults die. American cockroaches coming in from a drain often stop within days once the entry point is treated. Anyone promising total eradication in a single visit is overselling.
Do I have to empty my kitchen cupboards?
No. We use gel bait placed into the harbourage rather than a blanket spray, so you do not need to empty cabinets or cover crockery. We will ask you not to wipe over the gel dots, because that is what removes the treatment.
Is the treatment safe around children and pets?
Yes. Gel is placed in crevices and voids that children and pets cannot reach, and where we do use a residual product we tell you exactly which surfaces to keep clear of and for how long. If anyone in the house is asthmatic or immunocompromised, say so and we will adjust the method.
Why did supermarket spray make it worse?
Repellent aerosols do not reach the harbourage. They scatter the population into adjoining cavities and, in a unit, into the neighbouring wall — so the problem spreads rather than shrinks. Gel bait is carried back into the nest instead, which is why we bait first and spray very little.
Does having cockroaches mean my house is dirty?
No. German cockroaches arrive in cardboard boxes, second-hand appliances and shared building voids, and immaculate kitchens get them. Hygiene affects how fast a population grows once it is in, not whether it arrives.
I live in an apartment and my neighbour has them too.
Then treating your unit alone will not hold — cockroaches move through shared wall and service voids. We will treat your dwelling and give you a written report you can take to the owners corporation or agent to get the adjoining units done.
Can you treat a commercial kitchen?
Yes. We work outside trading hours, use kitchen-appropriate products and provide a documented service record suitable for an auditor or environmental health officer.
Will you come back if they return?
Treated properties carry a free re-treatment inside the warranty period. A follow-up visit is already included in the full treatment, because a German cockroach job is not finished until the hatch has been dealt with.
Other services that often come up with this one
Cockroaches in the kitchen tonight?
We answer 24 hours a day and we can usually be there the same day.
Get your free quote
Tell us what you have seen or heard. We will call you back with a quote before any work starts.