Battling unwanted guests in Budapest: why are there so many cockroaches and how to reclaim your home

Cockroach infestations are on the rise in Budapest. Here is how to keep them out of your home.

Pest control services in Budapest are receiving an increasing number of reports about cockroach sightings, with the latest cases emerging at the Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital. As Telex discovered, widespread misconceptions surround the issue, and effective extermination often requires coordinated efforts.

Myth: Cockroaches only appear in dirty places

Cockroaches will eat nearly anything organic: human hair and nails, dead insects, even cardboard and wallpaper glue. While leftover food can attract them, they don’t need a filthy environment to thrive. In urban settings, the right conditions—warmth, moisture, and access—can lure them in almost anywhere.

A study published last year confirmed that city environments inevitably offer cockroaches the conditions they need to survive. German cockroaches, the most common in Hungary, have spread rapidly due to advancements in building technologies that create ever more comfortable habitats for them.

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The heat factor

Cockroaches are drawn to warm, moist environments. Unlike food, they can’t survive long without water, but their needs are minimal; a dripping faucet or a small puddle is enough. While they’re most active in warmer months due to breeding cycles, they also move indoors in search of warmth during late fall.

A recent study found that climate change is contributing to rising cockroach populations in cities. Warmer temperatures accelerate breeding, while increased rainfall and flooding drive them to seek refuge in buildings.

Budapest’s sewer authority, FCSM, told Telex that the extended periods of warm weather this year have favoured cockroach proliferation. They’ve received reports even from parts of the city where infestations were previously rare, and the number of sightings is up this year.

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Extermination in apartment buildings

According to Károly Szalai, press officer for Abatox Kft., a pest control company, German cockroaches are especially widespread in Budapest. However, he believes the root cause lies in gaps within pest prevention efforts. Successfully eradicating infestations is difficult, even within small communities, due to numerous factors such as residents refusing treatment, hoarding behaviour, infrastructural problems, or reinfestation from external sources.