Before insect control in Monaco: how to prepare your home

A successful insect treatment does not depend only on the product used or on the technician's skill. The way the home is prepared, and the way it is lived in over the following days, matter almost as much. A cluttered cupboard, a floor washed down the day after the treatment or bedding put back too early are enough to leave some of the insects safely hidden. Here is, step by step, how to prepare an apartment, a villa or an office in Monaco before a treatment against cockroaches, bed bugs or fleas.

First step: know which insect you are dealing with

Preparation is not the same for every species. For cockroaches, you clear the kitchen and the bathroom; for bed bugs, the work focuses on bedrooms, linen and the furniture close to the bed; for fleas, floors, textiles and pet bedding are what matter. That is why our insect control protocol always starts by identifying the species and assessing the population, during a free on-site audit. If you managed to photograph an insect or some traces (droppings, shed skins, bites in a line), keep the photo: it helps prepare the visit.

At the end of this audit, the technician tells you exactly what to prepare in your case. The advice below gives the general idea; the technician's instructions come first.

Before the treatment: clear access to hiding places

Insects hide in cracks, behind skirting boards, under furniture, in seams and in corners. The technician must be able to reach them.

• Clear the floor: objects left on the floor, boxes, bags, toys. Move furniture slightly away from the walls if you can do so without excessive effort.
• Empty the target areas: for cockroaches, the kitchen cupboards and the space under the sink; for bed bugs, the bedside tables and the drawers near the bed.
• Put food away in airtight containers or in the fridge, along with any dishes and utensils left out in the open.
• Do not throw furniture out in a hurry: a mattress or sofa taken out without precautions can spread the insects into the building's common areas. Ask for advice first.

Bed bugs: linen and physical control

Monaco's regulations call first for physical control of bed bugs, then a targeted chemical treatment by a certified professional if they persist. Linen therefore plays a central role:

• wash sheets, covers, curtains and clothes near the bed at 60 °C, then dry them on a high heat setting;
• put clean linen in sealed bags and only take it out after the treatment;
• place textiles that cannot go in the washing machine in sealed bags, pending the technician's instructions;
• vacuum the mattress, the bed base and the skirting boards, then immediately throw the vacuum bag away, sealed, outside the home.

Do not move belongings from an affected bedroom to another room: it is the most common way of spreading the problem. Our page on bed bugs details the signs to look for and our approach, including high-temperature dry steam.

Cockroaches: the kitchen and humidity

Cockroaches look for warmth, water and food. Before the treatment, clean crumbs and grease from behind appliances, have leaks repaired if possible, empty the bins and do not leave water in the sink. Against cockroaches, we mainly use bait gels: the insects eat them and carry them back to their hiding places, where they reach the rest of the colony. This mode of action explains an important instruction for afterwards, detailed below. To recognise the species in your home, see our cockroaches page.

On the day of the treatment

• Pets: plan to keep them away from the treated rooms, and protect or move aquariums and terrariums as the technician advises.
• Sensitive people: tell us in advance if young children, pregnant women or vulnerable people live in the home, so that the protocol takes this into account.
• When to come back: the technician tells you how long to stay out of the treated rooms and when to air them. This time depends on the product and the method: stick to it.
• Your questions: this is the right moment to ask what to do, and what not to do, over the following days.

Our technicians hold the Certibiocide certification and work in plain clothes, with unmarked vehicles: discretion towards the neighbours is part of the job.

After the treatment: mistakes that undo the work

• Do not wash floors and skirting boards with lots of water in the following days, unless told otherwise: you would remove the product exactly where it needs to act.
• Do not wipe away bait gels, and do not spray shop-bought insecticide on top of them: cockroaches would avoid them.
• Do not be alarmed if you still see a few insects in the first days: some come out of their hiding places after the treatment. Simply note where and when.
• Keep the treatment report: it describes what was done, with photos, and is the basis for the follow-up visit included in the protocol.

If activity does not decrease, do not start a treatment yourself: call us and we will review the situation together.

In an apartment building or co-ownership

Cockroaches and bed bugs move easily from one home to another through ducts, risers and common areas. Since 2024, Monaco law has governed pest control in buildings, with regular operations in the common areas; our article on what the law says in Monaco details everyone's obligations. If you are a tenant, let your landlord or managing agent know: treating a single apartment when the neighbour is also affected often solves only part of the problem.

Need a professional?

Free on-site audit, then a free, no-obligation quote. Our switchboard answers from 8 am to 10 pm every day and we intervene 24/7, in French and English, anywhere in Monaco.

Request your free quote or call +377 37 70 70 02: reply within 6 hours.