Getting rid of bugs in an apartment comes down to three things: identifying what you’re dealing with, eliminating the current population, and sealing off the paths they used to get in. Apartments present unique challenges because pests can travel between units through shared walls, pipes, and wiring conduits. The good news is that most common apartment infestations are manageable with the right approach, and many don’t require a professional exterminator.
Identify What You’re Dealing With
Before you buy any products or set any traps, figure out which pest you have. The treatment for cockroaches is completely different from the treatment for bed bugs, and using the wrong method wastes time while the population grows.
German cockroaches, the most common apartment species, are light brown or tan with two dark stripes running from head to wings. They hide in cracks and crevices during the day and come out at night, so spotting one during daylight usually means the infestation is already significant. They typically enter apartments by hitchhiking in grocery bags, boxes, and secondhand items rather than crawling in from outside.
Bed bugs are chestnut brown with flat, oval bodies. They hide in seams of mattresses, behind headboards, and in tiny crevices near where you sleep. Look for small dark spots (their droppings) on your sheets or mattress seams. They spread between apartments through wiring and piping conduits in shared walls, and they travel on clothing, furniture, and luggage.
Pantry moths (Indian meal moths) have reddish-brown wings with a copper sheen. The telltale sign is fine webbing inside bags of cereal, flour, rice, or grains. If you see small moths fluttering around your kitchen, check every dry good in your pantry.
Ants, fruit flies, and gnats are generally the easiest to handle and often tied to a specific food or moisture source. Remove the source, and the problem usually resolves within days.
Cockroach Elimination That Works
Gel and liquid baits are the most effective tools for apartment cockroach control. A 2025 study testing both consumer and professional-grade products found that all baits achieved at least 80 percent mortality in cockroach populations after 28 days, with some performing much better. Liquid bait stations showed 100 percent kill rates within 24 hours in lab conditions, while gel baits caused over 93 percent mortality in controlled tests.
Place bait stations or apply gel bait in the areas where cockroaches are most active: under the kitchen sink, behind the refrigerator, along the base of cabinets, and in bathrooms near pipes. Cockroaches need water, so any area with plumbing is a priority. Reapply baits as they’re consumed or dry out. Some products contain insect growth regulators, which prevent young cockroaches from maturing and reproducing. These work more slowly but help prevent resistance from building up over time.
A few things to avoid: bug bombs (foggers) push cockroaches deeper into walls and spread them to other rooms. Spraying baseboards with contact killer only gets the roaches you can see, which is a tiny fraction of the population. Baits work better because cockroaches carry the poison back to the nest, killing others that never touched the bait directly.
Bed Bug Treatment Requires Preparation
Bed bugs are the one apartment pest where professional treatment is almost always necessary. But what you do before the exterminator arrives matters enormously. Poor preparation is one of the most common reasons bed bug treatments fail.
First, do not move items from infested rooms to other parts of your apartment. This is the fastest way to spread them. Do not throw away your mattress or furniture until a pest control professional has inspected, as these items often don’t need to be discarded, and replacing them before the infestation is eliminated just gives bed bugs fresh hiding spots.
Here’s what to do before treatment day:
- Laundry: Wash all clothes, bedding, and linens on the hottest water setting that’s practical, then run everything through the dryer on high heat for 20 to 45 minutes. Store cleaned items in sealed plastic bags immediately after drying.
- Furniture: Pull all furniture at least two feet from the walls. Remove and empty all dresser and nightstand drawers so the exterminator can inspect them. Stand the mattress and box spring on their sides to expose the underside.
- Floor and closets: Pick up everything on the floor of closets and under beds. Wash and dry what you can, then bag it. Items that can’t be washed can be placed in sealed bags in a freezer for four days.
- Dry-clean-only items: Bag them separately and take them to the dry cleaner. Let the cleaner know the items may carry bed bugs so they can take precautions.
- Children’s items: Remove any toys or objects children might put in their mouths, especially anything on the floor in infested rooms.
On treatment day, small children, elderly household members, people with respiratory issues, and pets should leave the apartment for at least four hours or until all treatment products have dried, whichever takes longer. Let the exterminator know about any allergies or chemical sensitivities beforehand.
Seal Every Entry Point
Killing existing bugs is only half the job. If you don’t close off their entry routes, new ones will follow the same paths. In apartments, this is especially important because pests from neighboring units can migrate through shared infrastructure.
Start by lying on the floor and checking for light coming under your doors. A gap of just 1/16 of an inch is wide enough for insects and spiders to enter. Install door sweeps on every exterior door and along the bottom of your apartment’s entry door. Apply caulk along the bottom outside edge and sides of door thresholds to block ants and other small insects. For sliding glass doors, line the bottom track with half-inch to three-quarter-inch foam weatherstripping.
Next, seal utility openings where pipes and wires enter through walls. Check around your kitchen and bathroom plumbing, electrical outlets on exterior walls, and any spots where cable or internet wiring comes through. These are highways for cockroaches, ants, and spiders moving between units. Plug gaps with silicone caulk, expandable foam, steel wool, or copper mesh, depending on the size of the opening. For cracks around windows and door frames, acrylic latex caulk is a good choice because it cleans up with water and can be painted over.
Check window and door screens for tears or gaps. Repair or replace damaged screens, as even standard mesh won’t stop the smallest insects. During periods when tiny bugs are active, keeping windows closed is the only sure solution.
Using Diatomaceous Earth Safely
Diatomaceous earth is a popular powder treatment that works by damaging the waxy coating on insects’ exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. It’s often marketed as a “natural” solution, but it’s not risk-free.
Only use products specifically labeled for pest control. “Food grade” diatomaceous earth is recognized as safe when added to food in tiny amounts (up to 2 percent), but pest control involves spreading much higher concentrations across your living space. Products without a pest control label haven’t been tested for safety or effectiveness in that context. The National Pesticide Information Center notes that breathing in the dust is the primary concern with home use.
When applying it, wear a dust mask and eye protection. Apply it in thin layers in cracks, crevices, and along baseboards where bugs travel. Avoid high-traffic areas, spots near air vents, or anywhere a fan could blow the powder into the air. Keep children and pets out of treated areas entirely. Thick piles are actually less effective than thin dustings, since bugs will walk around a visible mound.
Keeping Pets and Kids Safe During Treatment
If you have pets or young children, placement of any pest control product matters as much as the product itself. Gel bait stations should go in spots pets and toddlers can’t reach: behind appliances, inside cabinets, or under heavy furniture. Avoid placing bait stations on the floor in open areas.
If you hire a professional exterminator, tell them you have pets and follow their instructions about restricting access to treated rooms. Boarding your pets overnight or sending them to stay somewhere else during treatment is the safest option. Even after treatment, keep pets away from treated surfaces until products have fully dried.
For powder-based treatments like diatomaceous earth or boric acid, pets walking through treated areas will track the powder through your apartment and potentially ingest it while grooming. Either confine pets to untreated rooms or clean up powder residues before letting them roam freely.
When Your Landlord Needs to Be Involved
In most states, landlords are legally responsible for pest control in rental units, particularly for infestations that affect the habitability of the apartment, like cockroaches and bed bugs. Document the infestation with photos and notify your landlord in writing. If pests are coming from a neighboring unit or shared building infrastructure, individual treatment of your apartment alone won’t solve the problem. The entire affected area needs to be treated simultaneously, and that requires building-wide coordination that only your landlord or property manager can arrange.
For bed bugs especially, neighboring units should be inspected even if those tenants haven’t reported problems. Bed bugs can live for months without feeding, so an adjacent apartment may harbor a population that reinfests your unit weeks after your treatment. If your landlord refuses to act, many municipalities have housing code enforcement agencies that can compel action.