Cockroach infestation so bad in Michigan neighborhood, officials cancel trick-or-treating

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
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DETROIT — Residents in an eastern Michigan town were told that trick-or-treating this year is canceled as a result of a major cockroach infestation.

Wyandotte's city engineer sent a letter on Oct. 25 warning residents of a cockroach infestation so bad that trick-or-treating was canceled "to prevent further roach migration."

Vehicles and costumes will not be able to use the sidewalks and streets on 20th Street Monday, with human barricades and signs put up. The warning said it's "in the best interest of the citizens."

City councilman Todd Hanna told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Saturday the city is desperately trying to get rid of the pests, explaining that the infestation is "no fault of the city" and was discovered when the city's waste management picked up a load of garbage crawling with bugs outside a home that has since been vacated.

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The council voted to shut down trick-or-treating to "prevent roaches from grabbing on to kids' costumes" and entering other homes. There was also concern that even if the trick-or-treaters were to kill some of the roaches by stepping on them, their eggs could survive and be tracked all over the neighborhood.

Cockroaches are one of the most commonly noted household pests, according to the Michigan State University Extension service. There are nearly 4,000 cockroach species worldwide, and about 60 in the United States. The insects, the MSU Extension service added, pose health risks, including disease transmission, once they invade your dwelling.

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Wyandotte Building Authority commissioner Gregory Mayhew wrote in his letter that the city's engineering department identified a property "in your neighborhood" that has a roach infestation, and that the bugs are making their way to other homes. The city is trying to exterminate the roaches, but, Mayhew said, "it will take some time."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Halloween trick-or-treating canceled over MI cockroach infestation