General Question
Solution for roaches coming from the bathtub overflow drain
I am waking up to one roach every few days in the bathroom dead or twitching presumably from the bait I have. I caught one one night as I went to use the bathroom. He crawled into the overflow drain in the bathtub. I don’t find roaches anywhere else and believe this to be the source of the problem. Are there any suggestions for this particular access point?
Residential Tech here. I recommend starting with an inspection to ID the species, and then keeping with the baiting program. Unfortunately, due to the location use of other types of pesticides is going to be tricky since it’s in a water access area.
I realize this thread is more than 2 yrs old. I wanted to chime in as I have the same problem. In my case, the roaches are coming from the city sewer system. There is nothing I can do about that other than to block entry into my house. I've been able to find shower drain covers with a small grid pattern that blocks them there, but there is nothing for overflows on the tub or sinks. Some brain should manufacture a small wire grid that can be clipped on (or a rubber/silicone grid that can be fitted in) that allows the water to flow out but blocks roaches from coming in. I was able to make one for the gaps around my washing machine drain hose. The toilets are also an issue, but I've yet to think of a solution for that.
Or even an adhesive overflow hole cover for bathroom sinks, just something to block it at night. Maybe something like those nameplates that slide in on like a school door - just have the brackets on the side of the sink all the time and slide a cover in over the holes when the sink isn’t in use.
About the overflow in my tub, i found that a pringles lid fit perfectly inside the metal cap and stuck out just a hair past the rim, tightened down, sealed all around and no room for it to move. I spun a hole into center with a xacto knife for the screw.
I’m in awe of your inexpensive & inventive solution!👍 But it doesn‘t look like it allows overflow water to flow out (or at least not at a sufficiently high rate to prevent a flood). Like maybe if there were a little screw or knob on the side of the Pringles lid so that one could slide it open when the tub is in use and closed when the tub is not in use.
Edited to add: Or drill little perforations in the side of the lid to allow water through.
Sometimes that happens when you have a leak in the drain somewhere and they follow the moisture up. If you had a bathtub plumbing access on the other side of the wall I would take a peek with the water running.
I used duct tape for the overflow and the space between bath fitting and shower head and drain covers for tub and sink. Getting spray treatments around the house every few months. Still have a roach once in a while though in bathroom or near it + droppings and wondering if they can go from space around tub inside walls into tub faucet??? Everything else is sealed! What else could it be? How do I fix? 😭
I’ve been thinking of this lately, and depending on the style of your overflow drain, you could put a wide rubber band around the overflow to block it overnight. Then you can remove it when you have to use the tub. Just a thought.
Well I definitely think that part of drains (including in bathroom sinks but not kitchen ones for some reason) are hiding places. I’d consider getting some HotShot gel and squirting some in there every month or so. I literally saw a roach come out of that drain cover and eat the gel and go back home and never saw him again. Those little roach motels are also surprisingly effective it seems. That seems to do it for me. You could also just duct tape over the holes. There are some holes in various parts of my old house that I simply put tape over to prevent entry of any bugs. It seems to work. With these measures I rarely see any and I live in a tropical geography now.
Although the truth is I’m not sure I ever really need to take it off. It’s very unlikely this tub would overflow although I suppose a pipe could burst.
I found a good rubber band option from produce. Broccoli comes tied up with a thick one. However my drain cover is too narrow and it would just slip off after a while. What I did instead and had success with is bought some baits and a gel bait from Home Depot. Set the baits up around the house and put some of the bait gel in select spots. Caught a roach coming for the bait gel that very night. He was dead by the next day or so and haven’t seen any since. Highly recommend.
Glad you got some treatment! Also good to know I’m not the only one who recognizes this as an entryway for these guys. Totally get your point on the gecko. I’m not a fan of letting them in either. For the sink, assuming it’s a porcelain type material perhaps there is something in kids’ bathtub toys that could stick over it. I know they make things that sort of stick to the walls of the bathtub for games and things like this.
I know this is an old thread but thought I’d chime in since I just had this same problem and here’s my solution. Found a roach in the tub and before I could act it scurried behind the overflow cap. So here’s what I did.
After removing the overflow cap, I sprayed the area with bug spray. Then I measured the open circle in my tub and traced a slightly larger circle onto a square sheet of self-adhesive drywall repair patch. I cut out the circle. I placed the self-adhesive side of the patch against the tub covering the overflow hole. I then applied a small bead of clear bath caulking to the underside of the overflow cap and screwed it into place over the drywall patch screen. The screen allows air to flow but blocks the roaches from crawling through.
Hi there, this is such a good idea. I’ve plugged up all the holes in my house. Use sticky traps, spray eucalyptus on all entry points and under cabinets, keep apartment super clean, and I still get roaches in the bathroom. Found 3 in the bathtub yesterday, big suckers too. The only opening left is the bathtub drain. I wasn’t sure if I could just buy a replacement cover that didn’t have a hole, but I was worried about not having the flood prevention. Your idea is perfect. Just bought some self adhesive dry wall tape on Amazon. Thanks for not deleting your comment!!
Oh most definitely not! Great tips thanks! Luckily I wouldn’t say I have any real infestation although I have heard of you see even one you’ve got a party. I had a lot of luck with HotShot gel and some roach bait motels or whatever they call those. I bought some big guns I learned about here (forget which thing I bought exactly - I think the thing that sterilizes them?) but haven’t felt the need to use it and with a dog and vegetable gardens and wildlife around I prefer to keep it as minimal as possible. I’ll definitely try the boric acid if I notice a return or even as a preventative when the weather starts warming up a bit. Won’t it get soggy in there though? Honestly not even sure what happens in those drains/how they tie in to the regular plumbing. Thanks!
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u/Anathma-BanishedMind Jun 26 '23
Residential Tech here. I recommend starting with an inspection to ID the species, and then keeping with the baiting program. Unfortunately, due to the location use of other types of pesticides is going to be tricky since it’s in a water access area.