Michigan Real Halloween Horror: Trick-or-Treat Cancelled Due to Cockroach Infestation
The city of Wyandotte, Michigan, has stopped a Halloween tradition, trick-or-treat, in one area because of cockroach infestation.
According to People, the affected streets would be closed "as a proactive measure to prevent further roach migration," the city officials announced in a Facebook statement to the locals Monday.
"The City has determined it to be in the best interest of the citizens to close 20th Street, and the sidewalks, from Eureka to Grove on Monday, October 31, 2022, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm," the statement reads.
The statement also said that the street and sidewalk at Grove, the intersection of Orchard and Pine, and Eureka would be blocked off to vehicles and pedestrians with barricades and signage. Trick-or-treat activity is prohibited in the area.
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The Cause of Cockroach Infestation
The problem started in a Wyandotte house that had been temporarily shut down.
According to neighbors, the problem began inside the house as there was a lot of trash, and the cockroaches were looking for food, Fox 2 reported.
"Roaches were just walking house to house," said resident Becky Wallace.
"It just gives you that dirty feeling makes you want to itch and clean everything. And that's what we all have been doing," she added.
The city claims to take all reasonable steps to lessen the situation and resolve the issue.
"These cockroaches are considered to be hitchhikers," said Mark VanderWerp, an entomologist of Rose Pest Solutions.
VanderWerp is an expert on bugs and has a contained colony of German cockroaches in his kitchen.
According to him, cockroaches can only be found in people's homes since they prefer warm temperatures.
He said there were many cases where he found hundreds of cockroaches running from someone's fridge.
The City Began Cockroach Infestation Extermination
Todd Hannah, a member of the City Council, said that the city was planning to start exterminating the home where the problem started and was also offering to spray every lawn in the area.
Gregory Mayhew, a commissioner of the Wyandotte Building Authority, stated in a letter sent out on October 25 that a property with cockroach infestation had been discovered "in your neighborhood."
The letter said that the roaches are spreading to other residences and that the city is attempting to eradicate them, but added that "it will take some time," Daily Mail noted.
Some locals claim that the cockroach infestation began around August 12. The infestation was discovered by garbage collectors as they took out the trash.
Officials found the horrifying conditions following a wellness check.
Lisa LaBean, a nearby resident, said that the cockroaches were crawling all over the children while sitting and taking a wellness check.
Because of the severe roach infestation, residents were instructed to wrap their things and place them outside so that an exterminator could spray them.
However, many left their furniture unwrapped when they placed it outside, which allowed the roaches to spread.
Meanwhile, there were no reports of any cockroach infestation near the area. According to a statement, Halloween's trick-or-treat activities will go as planned throughout the rest of the city from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Trick-or-treating cancelled in Wyandotte neighborhood, cockroaches to blame - From Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV
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