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Case study
384-unit garden-style complex. 250 units with German cockroach activity. 90 days to manageable.
384
Total units
250
Units with activity
90%
Complaint reduction
90 days
To manageable levels
Olathe, KSGarden-style complexGerman cockroaches6-month infestation
The situation
A 384-unit property losing tenants to cockroaches.
A garden-style apartment complex in Olathe, Kansas had been dealing with German cockroach activity for approximately six months after switching to a new pest control vendor. The infestation had spread to roughly 250 of the property's 384 units.
The situation had escalated beyond a maintenance issue. Tenants were contacting the Olathe health department to report conditions. New residents who signed leases were revoking them after discovering cockroach activity during move-in. The property was losing revenue from both sides — existing tenants filing complaints and new tenants refusing to stay.
The assistant manager, leasing agents, and property manager were spending a significant portion of their day fielding pest-related calls instead of managing the property. At peak, the office was receiving approximately three pest complaints per day.
Why previous treatment failed
Spot treatments don't work in multifamily.
01
Single-unit treatments
The previous vendor treated only the unit that reported the problem. German cockroaches travel through wall voids, plumbing chases, and shared utilities. Treating one unit pushes them to the next.
02
No adjacent unit inspection
Adjacent units — above, below, and on either side — were never inspected or treated. Cockroaches migrated freely between units through shared infrastructure, reinfesting treated areas within days.
03
No progress tracking
There was no system to track which units had been treated, which had active infestations, or whether treatments were working. The property manager had no visibility into whether the problem was improving or getting worse.
Our approach
Treat every affected unit. Treat every adjacent unit. Track everything.
01
Full Property Assessment
We inspected all 384 units and identified 250 with active German cockroach activity. We mapped the infestation to understand migration patterns and identify the highest-concentration areas.
02
Multi-Unit Treatment
Every unit with activity was treated — plus every adjacent unit. Liquid treatments along baseboards and entry points. Dust treatments inside wall voids through outlet plates and plumbing penetrations. Gel bait in cabinets and high-traffic areas.
03
Heatmap Tracking
We created a property-wide heatmap showing infestation severity by unit. Updated after every service visit, giving the property manager real-time visibility into which areas were improving and which needed additional treatment.
04
Scheduled Follow-Ups
German cockroach eggs hatch in 2-4 weeks. We scheduled follow-up treatments to catch newly emerged nymphs before they could reproduce. Multiple rounds over 90 days broke the lifecycle completely.
Beyond treatment
We didn't just treat the pests. We partnered with the property.
Eliminating an entrenched cockroach infestation isn't just about chemicals. It requires changing the conditions that allowed the problem to grow. We worked directly with the property management team on two additional fronts:
01
Tenant behavior documentation
During inspections, we documented unit-level conditions that were contributing to the problem — food storage issues, excessive clutter blocking treatment access, sanitation concerns. These reports gave the property manager documented evidence to address specific tenant behaviors through proper lease enforcement channels.
02
Building improvement recommendations
We identified structural and maintenance issues that were creating harborage and entry points — unsealed plumbing penetrations, gaps around utility lines, deteriorating door sweeps, and areas where moisture was accumulating. These recommendations helped the maintenance team address the root causes, not just the symptoms.
The results
From 3 complaints a day to 3 a month.
3/month
Down from ~90/month
Monthly pest complaints dropped from approximately 90 (3/day) to 3 per month within 90 days.
2 weeks
Noticeable reduction in activity within the first two weeks. Complaints began dropping immediately after the first treatment round.
Office freed
The property manager, assistant manager, and leasing agents stopped spending hours fielding pest calls — freeing them to focus on leasing and operations.
Timeline
90 days from crisis to manageable.
01Assessment + first treatment
Weeks 1–2
Full property inspection. 250 units with activity identified and mapped. First round of treatments applied to all affected and adjacent units. Tenant behavior documented. Immediate reduction in visible activity.
02Follow-up rounds
Weeks 3–6
Second and third treatment rounds targeting newly hatched nymphs. Heatmap updated weekly showing declining activity. Building improvement recommendations delivered. Complaint volume dropping significantly.
03Stabilization
Weeks 7–12
Continued treatment rounds and monitoring. Activity in previously high-concentration units dropped to manageable levels. Complaints stabilized at approximately 3 per month. Property team back to normal operations.
Key takeaway
German cockroaches in apartment buildings can't be solved one unit at a time. You have to treat the building as a system — every affected unit, every adjacent unit, every shared wall — and partner with the property team on the conditions that allowed it.
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