I have 450 sq ft that's on the ground floor. Like almost 0 elevation at all from street level. 100 year old building. I live a 10 minutes walk away from the Pacific Coast, SF climate

Every time I wake up and go to the bathroom, I see 2-5 insects in it. 1-2 are cockroaches, rest are some other small thing. Flies maybe? Always see some cockroach droppings on sink counter that I have to spray and wipe down

Every time I leave a room dark for a few hours and turn on the lights, I always see 1-3 insects

During the day with lights on, I notice 1-4 insects per hour in various places excluding tiny fruit flies. Those I probably see like 5 times a day

Problem has been getting worse since I've moved in but this is also the first summer I've lived through in this place

And if I need pest control, how much work is it to have them come in? Should I just move apartments if I need them?

  • Edamamebean [she/her]
    ·
    22 days ago

    I'd say that's a big problem. For every bug you see there's at least a dozen more you didn't. Having pest control come in has varying levels of disruption and difficulty depending on how they're treating, but the bigger problem is that in a lot of buildings (I used to live in one such building, and I suspect you might as well) the bugs are in the walls of the entire building, so you're fighting an impossible uphill battle. If you come to the conclusion that's the case, you kind of just have to move yeah, which I know isn't easy, but it's an unfortunate reality. I'm sorry you have to deal with this comrade.

    • GaveUp [love/loves]
      ·
      22 days ago

      Thanks cat-trans

      I guess part of my question was also even if there are a lot of insects, is that necessarily a problem? I'm not getting sick and they're not destroying my things or anything

      I sometimes have a bunch of bite marks all over my body when I wake up but idk, they disappear quickly and I still somehow don't get sick even though I live a very unhealthy life

      • Edamamebean [she/her]
        ·
        22 days ago

        Fruit flies are just an annoyance. Roaches are harmful mostly in that they can contaminate your food/kitchen stuff and make you sick, but they don't bite. If you're waking up with bites, I'd check your mattress and bed for signs of bedbugs. Little black/dark red dots in cracks and corners are the telltale signs.

        • GaveUp [love/loves]
          ·
          22 days ago

          I have, can't find anything at all

          Have sprayed every inch of all my bed stuff with isopropyl multiple times too

          • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
            ·
            22 days ago

            Do not spray bed bugs. A lot of that stuff won't actually kill them and just causes them to move somewhere else temporarily. They can jump several feet. You'll want an exterminator to deal with the infestation properly, along with some other steps to deal with them.

            The old school method was to pour boiling water over your mattress, but honestly you're better off slashing it open and have it taken to a dump.