Case Study: The House That Crawled—Rescuing A Home Overrun By German Cockroaches And Bed Bugs

The Challenge: A Silent Crisis in a Vulnerable Household

No one expects to share their home with tens of thousands of insects. But for one elderly couple in Calhoun County, Michigan, that had become a grim reality.

For over three years, the homeowners—both suffering from severe mobility limitations—had endured an overwhelming co-existing infestation of German Cockroaches (Blattella Germanica) and Bed Bugs (Cimex Lectularius). Unable to clean, declutter, or seek assistance, the infestation spiraled into a near-apocalyptic scenario. 

Their home was in a state of extreme disrepair, with:

• Cockroaches visible, moving across nearly every surface—walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, appliances, and personal belongings.

• Tens of thousands of bed bugs densely packed into wall seams, mattress seams, couch cushions, and nightstands. This was evident in every room of the structure as they had rearranged sleeping and living areas frequently trying to “outrun” the bed bugs to no avail—in many rooms, bed bugs were so abundant that they had even formed aggregation sites in high wall corners and ceilings in most rooms.

• Extreme clutter and filth, including rooms filled with trash, soiled adult diapers, and layers of organic debris, providing an endless supply of harborage and food sources for the pests.

However, what made this case especially unusual, and challenging was the biological relationship between the two pest species.

The Infestation: A Self-Sustaining Pest Cycle

While bed bugs exclusively feed on blood, German cockroaches are opportunistic omnivores. In an environment like this, where the traditional food sources they live off of are normally limited to kitchen areas, such was not the case here. Take the biology and behavior of these insects and add in the excessive unsanitary and cluttered conditions and the nature of the infestation, and you’ve got “the perfect storm” of the cockroach population adapting to consuming dead and dying bed bugs, their fecal deposits, their eggs, and shed skins as well as trash and other detritus 

This created a self-sustaining infestation cycle:

1. The bed bug population thrived, continuously reproducing due to the presence of the homeowners as a blood source.

2. Cockroaches fed on the trash, the bed bugs and their waste, allowing them to multiply exponentially.

3. The combination of attempted and failed DIY self-treatments (total release foggers), the constant rearrangement of living and sleeping spaces and the overwhelming amount of trash caused stress-induced dispersal in bed bugs, pushing them into unusual harborage sites like high ceilings, ceiling corners and wall seams throughout the structure.

4. The infestation reached a tipping point where traditional pesticide application alone would not be enough—a full-scale, multi-pronged intervention was required.

This was not just a pest problem—it was a public health emergency that needed immediate, large-scale action.

The Intervention: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Regain Control

Given the severity of the infestation and the condition of the home, we developed a four-stage tactical plan:

1. A full “clean-out” treatment—removing as many live insects as possible before applying chemical treatments.

2. A 20-yard dumpster rental—disposing of heavily infested furniture, trash, and clutter that was serving as harborage.

3. HEPA vacuuming of high-density insect aggregations—removing live bed bugs, cockroaches, shed skins, fecal matter, and allergens to improve air quality.

4. Targeted chemical treatments—utilizing a combination of residual insecticides, insect growth regulators (IGRs), and biopesticides to eradicate both species.

We deployed four technicians from our Special Services Team, each with a specific role:

• Two-person vacuum team: Focused on removing tens of thousands of live insects from walls, furniture, and cracks/crevices.

• Two-person disposal team: Managed the removal of heavily infested furniture and trash, ensuring the home was cleared of non-salvageable materials.

Over the course of four hours, we:

• Removed an estimated 20,000+ live insects.

• Disposed of an entire 20-yard dumpster’s worth of garbage and contaminated furniture.

While removal of furniture is not usually necessary in bed bug and cockroach treatments, in this case, the infestation was so advanced that most items were unsalvageable. Many components of the home had been fully and wholly overrun by cockroach activity, and bed bug fecal staining had completely saturated mattresses and upholstery.

The Treatment Strategy: A Tactical Approach to Eradication

After the initial physical removal, we executed a highly targeted chemical treatment plan to eradicate both pest species at all life stages while preventing re-infestation.

Bed Bug Treatment:

Aprehend® Biopesticide LLC

• Active Ingredient: Beauveria Bassiana is an Entomopathogenic Fungicide that specifically targets insects by infecting them, penetrating their exoskeleton, and causing death through fungal growth, it functions as a biopesticide meaning its derived from a naturally occurring microorganism rather than a synthetic source.

• Mode of Action: Bed bugs pick up the fungal spores through direct contact, leading to infection, transmission within harborages, and colony collapse over 3–7 days.

• Application Method: Applied strategically along baseboards, furniture, and travel pathways to ensure maximum exposure.

German Cockroach Treatment:

Alpine WSG (Water-Soluble Granule) by BASF

• Active Ingredient: Dinotefuran (a “non-repellent” neonicotinoid).

• Mode of Action: Roaches come into contact with treated surfaces, unknowingly becoming affected and transferring the insecticide to other colony members.

• Application Method: Applied to baseboards, cracks, crevices, and void spaces as well as other high-infestation zones for colony-wide exposure.

Gentrol IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) by Zoëcon

• Active Ingredient: S Hydroprene, mimicking juvenile hormones in roaches.

• Mode of Action: Prevents immature cockroaches from maturing into reproductive adults, breaking the lifecycle.

• Application Method: Applied cooperatively, mixed into the Alpine, to baseboards, cracks, crevices, and void spaces as well as other high-infestation zones for colony-wide exposure.

Vendetta Plus Gel Bait by MGK

• Active Ingredients: Abamectin (stomach poison) + Pyriproxyfen (IGR).

• Mode of Action: Roaches ingest the bait, spreading it through trophallaxis (fecal/oral transfer) to other colony members.

• Application Method: Strategic bait placements in high-activity areas.

The Outcome: Immediate and Long-Term Control

This multi-tiered approach ensured that we were targeting both pests in all life stages, breaking their reproductive cycles and eliminating re-infestation potential.

• Within 24 hours: A dramatic reduction in active pest populations.

• Within 12 weeks (about 3 months): Total elimination of the infestation, verified through monitoring.

• Long-term: The home remained pest-free through follow-up visits and education on sanitation and prevention.

The clients, who had suffered for years, were overjoyed. Their home was no longer a living nightmare, and they were finally able to experience comfort and peace of mind.

Key Lessons from This Case

This case reinforced critical lessons for extreme infestation management:

1. Extreme cases require extreme interventions

• A standard spray-and-go approach would have been completely ineffective.

• Physical removal of insects, HEPA vacuuming, and sanitation measures were just as crucial as chemical treatments.

2. IPM (Integrated Pest Management) is essential

• Targeted chemical applications, physical removal, sanitation, and education all worked together.

3. Professional pest control changes lives

• This was not just about pest control—this was about restoring dignity and improving quality of life.

Conclusion: More Than Just Pest Control…

This was one of the most extreme cases we’ve ever handled, but it served as a powerful reminder:

Pest control is not just about killing bugs—it’s about helping people reclaim their homes, their health, and their lives.