A female cockroach lays an egg casing called an ootheca every few weeks, and each casing holds up to 40 eggs. Those eggs hatch in 4 to 8 weeks, and each nymph reaches breeding age in about 6 weeks. That math means one pair of cockroaches can multiply into thousands within a few months if nothing interrupts the cycle.
The Math Behind an Infestation
Most homeowners see one or two roaches on the counter and assume it's a small problem. It almost never is. Here's the breeding timeline I explain to every client during an inspection:
- Egg casing (ootheca): produced every few weeks, holding up to 40 eggs each
- Incubation: 4 to 8 weeks before eggs hatch into nymphs
- Maturity: nymphs reach breeding age in roughly 6 weeks
- Result: a single breeding pair can produce a colony numbering in the thousands within a few months
By the time you spot activity in daylight, the visible roaches represent a small fraction of the actual population. The rest of the colony is already established behind walls and appliances, laying more egg casings on a rolling schedule.
Why "It's Not a Dirty Home" Problem
Cockroaches don't need a mess to move in, they need warmth, moisture, and a way in. I've treated spotless apartments that got infested because the unit next door, or even two floors down, had an active colony living in shared plumbing walls.
Common entry and nesting points I find on almost every job:
- Behind refrigerator motors and compressors
- Inside cabinet hinges and joints
- Along shared plumbing lines and pipe chases between units
- Behind and inside electrical outlets
- Wall voids connected to neighboring units
Key point: In multi-unit buildings, a single infested apartment puts every connected unit at risk through shared plumbing and wall voids, regardless of how clean the other units are.
The Health Risk Most People Don't Know About
Cockroaches carry an estimated 33 types of bacteria on their bodies, including Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, and they deposit these as they walk across counters, dishes, and stovetops. But the bigger long-term health risk in most homes isn't bacteria, it's what they shed.
A cockroach sheds its skin multiple times over its lifetime, and that shed skin breaks down into airborne particles. Cockroach allergens may increase a child's risk of developing asthma, and reports have found cockroach sensitization rates as high as 36% among inner-city asthmatic children. Children with asthma and a cockroach allergy who are exposed to these allergens experience more wheezing, missed school days, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations.
Cockroach droppings, saliva, shed skin, and other body parts contain potent allergen proteins known to cause allergic reactions and worsen asthma symptoms, especially in children. This is why treating a roach problem is about more than the bugs you see, it's about air quality in the home over the following months.
Where the Colony Actually Lives
Cockroaches do not live on your floor or your counter. What you see out in the open is the smallest visible fraction of the infestation. The actual colony lives:
- Behind the fridge, tucked against the compressor motor for warmth
- Behind the stove and its insulation panel
- Inside cabinet joints and hinges
- Under the sink, along the plumbing
- Inside wall voids
- Behind electrical outlet plates
If a technician doesn't physically pull out every appliance during inspection, those zones never get treated, and the colony simply rebuilds behind the equipment that was left in place.
Our 8-Step Elimination Process
This is the exact process we follow on every cockroach call, not a generic spray-and-leave visit.
- Full inspection: We pull out the fridge, stove, dishwasher, and outlet covers, because the colony lives behind the motor and insulation panel, not in the open.
- Residual pesticide spray: Applied along the entire interior perimeter, baseboards, under appliances, under sinks, along plumbing lines. It stays active for 90 days, and every roach that walks through it carries the pesticide back to the colony, spreading it through the population.
- Pesticide dust: Applied into wall voids, electrical outlets, fridge compressor motors, and plumbing voids, areas the spray and flushing agent can't reach. This professional dust reaches the places a spray cannot.
- Professional gel bait: Placed inside cabinet hinges, behind appliances, and near moisture and heat sources. Roaches feed on each other's droppings, so a roach that eats the gel carries the poison back and it spreads through the whole colony.
- Documentation: We record where activity was found, what was found, and every pesticide used in a formal service report, so the follow-up visit targets exactly what changed.
- Insect monitors: Left in place after treatment to track precisely where activity is still showing up.
- Follow-up visit: We return 4 to 6 weeks later to repeat treatment and kill newly hatched eggs, finishing the life cycle the first visit couldn't reach.
Related full guides: American Cockroaches in Ontario: Identify and Get Rid of Them
How AstraHive Pest Control gets rid of cockroaches
Cockroaches hide where sprays and traps cannot easily reach, so we open up the places they live and work through eight steps that reach the whole colony.
How an AstraHive cockroaches treatment works
Inspect, pulling out the appliances
We inspect kitchens, bathrooms, appliances, cabinets, wall voids and drains, and look for egg capsules, shed skins and droppings to see how far the problem has spread. We pull out the fridge, stove, dishwasher and the electrical outlet covers, because the colony lives behind the motors and insulation panels, and zones that are not opened up never get treated.
Interior residual spray where they travel
We apply a residual spray, according to the product label, along the interior edges cockroaches travel: baseboards, under sinks and appliances, and along plumbing lines. It stays active for about 90 days, and cockroaches that cross it carry it back to their hiding places and to the cockroaches they touch.
Flush them out
We inject a flushing agent (a ULV treatment where needed) into voids and behind cabinets, applied according to the product label, to force every cockroach hiding there out into the open and through the sprayed areas.
Dust the voids
We inject a pesticide dust into wall voids, electrical outlets, fridge compressor areas and plumbing voids, places the spray and the flushing agent cannot reach.
Gel bait that spreads through the colony
We place a professional gel bait inside cabinet hinges, behind appliances and near moisture and heat sources. Cockroaches eat each other's droppings and dead cockroaches, so the poison in the gel bait passes from one to the next through the whole colony, much like a disease spreading. Where needed we add an insect growth regulator, sometimes as a gel, to stop nymphs maturing into breeding adults.
Document everything
Where we found cockroaches, what we found and every product used goes in the service report, so the next visit shows exactly what changed.
Leave insect monitors
We leave insect monitors in place after treatment so we can track exactly where activity is still showing up.
Follow up in 4 to 6 weeks and back it with a 90-day warranty
We come back 4 to 6 weeks later to check the results, treat again where needed and finish the life cycle. If cockroaches return within 90 days, we re-treat at no charge.
Our products are Health Canada approved and safe for kids and pets, and we apply every product according to its label. AstraHive is licensed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Ontario requires a ministry-approved certification course before it issues an exterminator licence, and that training is delivered through the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus.
A real cockroach treatment takes about 1.5 to 3 hours, because the work is behind the appliances and inside the walls. A visit of 20 to 30 minutes cannot reach the colony.
Treatment works best with a change in the home itself: cleaning up food and water sources and storing food in sealed containers. Pest control products alone will not win the fight without those changes.
Typical cost: Starting at $350 CAD, with final cost depending on property size and severity of infestation - there is no fixed upper limit. Call 905-925-8427 for an exact free quote.
Why Choose AstraHive
- Licensed & Insured: Certified by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
- Fast response: Same-day service available, with a callback within 5 minutes.
- 90-Day Warranty: If pests come back within that window, we re-treat at no additional charge.
- Proven track record: 5.0 stars on Google across 200+ reviews.
- Family & pet safe: Health Canada approved products on every job.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can a cockroach infestation grow?
A single female produces a new egg casing every few weeks, each holding up to 40 eggs, which hatch in 4 to 8 weeks. Nymphs reach breeding age in about 6 weeks, so one pair can realistically turn into a colony of thousands within a few months if left untreated.
Can cockroaches be a problem even in a clean home?
Yes. Cockroaches are drawn to warmth, moisture, and access points like shared plumbing walls, not dirt, so a spotless apartment can still be infested if a neighboring unit has an active colony. This is especially common in multi-unit buildings where wall voids and pipe chases connect units.
Are cockroaches actually dangerous to health, or just gross?
They're a genuine health risk, not just a nuisance. Cockroaches carry an estimated 33 types of bacteria including Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, and their shed skin and droppings release allergens that are a well-documented trigger for asthma, particularly in children.
Why do I still see roaches after using store-bought spray or bait?
Over-the-counter products usually only reach roaches out in the open, but the colony lives behind appliances, inside wall voids, and behind electrical outlets where consumer products never touch.
Sources
- Health Canada: Cockroaches (Pest control tips) — Bait stations kill about 48 to 96 hours after the active ingredient is ingested; aerosols or space sprays can knock insects down and flush them onto treated surfaces; diatomaceous earth is a fine powder made of crushed microscopic marine fossils.
- Ontario.ca: Pesticide licences and permits — Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issues exterminator licences after a ministry-approved certification course, delivered through the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus.
- CDC/ATSDR - Environmental Triggers of Asthma — Cockroach allergens may increase a child's risk of developing asthma, with reports of up to 36% cockroach sensitization rates among inner-city asthmatic children, and exposed children show more wheezing, missed school days, ER visits, and hospitalizations.
- PestWorld / National Pest Management Association — Cockroach droppings, saliva, shed skin, and body parts contain allergen proteins that cause allergic reactions and worsen asthma symptoms, especially in children.
Areas We Serve
AstraHive Pest Control proudly serves 75+ communities across the following regions:
- Toronto: Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, East York, York, Leslieville, Lakeview
- Durham Region: Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Clarington, Bowmanville, Courtice, Newcastle, Port Perry, Brooklin, Uxbridge, Scugog, Brock, Seaton
- York Region: Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, Thornhill, Woodbridge, Kleinburg, Maple, Stouffville, Unionville, Keswick, Holland Landing, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King City, King Township, Nobleton, Berczy Village, Cathedraltown, Commerce Valley, Cornell, Wismer, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Sutton, Schomberg
- Peel Region: Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Malton, Port Credit, Streetsville, Meadowvale, Cooksville, Bolton, Palgrave
- Extended Service Area: Peterborough, Lindsay, Port Hope, Barrie, Bradford, Innisfil, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Orillia, Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Hamilton, Grimsby, St. Catharines, Welland, Niagara Falls
Don't see your city listed? Call us — we likely cover it.
Got a pest problem right now?
Call AstraHive for a free consultation. Licensed & insured, serving the GTA, Durham, York, Peel and Simcoe County.
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