If you have noticed an uptick in cockroaches in your Allentown apartment recently, you are not the only one. Residents across the city, in tightly packed apartment complexes from downtown Hamilton Street to suburban units dotting nearby Muhlenberg College, are seeing more roaches, especially in warmer spring and summer months.
In Allentown, property managers have been seeing an increased number of complaints from tenants about these uninvited guests. Local housing data show that cockroach-related maintenance requests increased 23% over two years in rental properties throughout the city.
In this post, we will explain why cockroach sightings are increasing in Allentown apartments, what conditions put our city in a unique position to attract these pests, and how you know when to call for a professional for Allentown pest control.
Seasonal Trends and Local Triggers In Allentown to Watch Out
- Spring and Summer: Peak Cockroach Season
In Allentown, unique weather patterns tend to make it an ideal environment for cockroaches to thrive. These pests become much more active as temperatures reach above 70°F, and humidity also rises in a typical Pennsylvania spring and summer. Warm weather often coincides with thunderstorms, which help breed the insects.
- Rainfall and Sewer System Issues
Cockroaches get driven indoors during intense rains, when the mash-up sewer systems get saturated. Allentown averages 45 inches of rain a year. Following large storms, you may notice more roaches around as they come looking for dry lodging. This is even more true in older communities like Center City and the West End, where aging infrastructures fail to handle water.
- Building-Specific Factors
Apartment buildings in Allentown were built decades ago, and many older complexes have poor insulation or lack a quality ventilation system. Such conditions are conducive to trapping moisture, which creates a humid environment highly favored by cockroaches. In my area, buildings along the Lehigh River or in low-lying land are even more challenged by dampness.
- Local Attractants
Littering around trash bins, especially in highly populated areas like the neighborhoods surrounding PPL Center, creates an open buffet. Overcrowded, poorly ventilated buildings exacerbate the situation by making the environment warm and uncomfortable for cockroaches to live in.
Why Cockroaches Thrive in Allentown Apartment Buildings?
- Age and Construction of Local Housing Stock
Allentown also saw construction booms in the 1960s and 1980s. Numerous apartments in the heart of the city were built decades ago. Older houses typically have holes in the walls, unsecure baseboards, and substandard plumbing, creating ideal hiding and travel places for cockroaches.
- Shared Walls and Utility Lines
Living in an apartment means having walls, plumbing, and electrical systems in common. These pests can transfer through wall spaces and utility lines to nearby apartments; hence, if one unit has cockroaches, you will get them elsewhere. Therefore, this could be the reason why you suddenly start spotting roaches even when you maintain a squeaky-clean house.
- High Tenant Turnover
In areas with higher turnover, such as around Muhlenberg College and Cedar Crest College, the rental market also sees a lot of turnover with tenants. Newcomers can bring in cockroaches as hitchhikers, or many treatment plants can be left untreated, allowing cockroaches to multiply unhindered and then become active in already occupied apartments.
Do You Need Professional Help?
When roaches become numerous, a musty smell starts to appear. That smell is due to their secretions, and it may indicate a significant infestation in your walls or appliances.
Typical household store-bought roach spray and bait can only kill the roaches you can see. Your apartment might seem temporarily cleared, but this infestation and all the issues that come with it keep growing.
Apartments can be tricky, which is why Presto Pest Control is familiar with Allentown pest control in apartment buildings. They understand the complex construction styles and common problem areas of the local complexes. They will not only deal with the symptoms but also find and eliminate the root causes of your cockroach problem.