When it comes to baiting for cockroaches it all comes down to location. If you don’t get the bait or dust in the right location – near the source of the infestation – chances are you might not achieve control and you will likely receive a call from an unsatisfied customer to come back out and fix the problem.
Granular baits can be used by pest management professionals in attics, crawlspaces, wall voids and cracks and crevices. Outdoor applications with granular baits can be easily broadcast over lawns, flower beds or other mulched areas where roaches, including the American and woods cockroach, are found.
“We have started using granular baits more often in residential accounts to combat cockroaches,” says Shane
McCoy, director of quality and technical training for Wil-Kil Pest Control, Menomonee Falls, Wis. When placed inside secure bait stations granular baits can be used in wall and ceiling voids in apartments and homes, or under food service equipment in commercial restaurant or institutional kitchens.
“We have had success using granular baits behind soda dispensing machines where the sugary moisture build up in the lines attracts cockroaches and other pests as well behind the false fronts of hot food warmers,” says McCoy.
With any baiting program McCoy reminds his technicians to do their homework before any product – whether it be a gel or granular bait or dust – is applied. He says monitoring boards will tell you where to spend your time and concentrate your efforts.
“In commercial kitchens and apartment settings monitoring boards will give you the data required to develop a program that places the bait or dust where it needs to go – close to the source of the infestation,” says McCoy.
The positioning of bait station is also critical to the success of a cockroach management program. Stations should be positioned flush into corners or up against edges (i.e. where walls meet ceilings and floors), since these are the paths most commonly traveled by cockroaches.
It is also important for pest management professionals to share with customers that a baiting program does not deliver next day results. The active ingredients in baits are slow acting by design and can take several days and up to a week to deliver a fatal blow.
The bait that is carried back to harborage areas not only kills the cockroach that originally ingested the bait but eliminates other cockroaches in the colony through expelled saliva and feces.
WHAT ABOUT DUSTS? Since cockroaches thrive in the “shadows” of commercial and residential accounts, it can be hard to apply product that reaches the target area. Insecticidal dusts are one way pest management professionals can deliver a lethal blow to unwanted, disease-laden cockroaches.
The dust clings to the body of any cockroach that travels across the treated area and when it grooms itself it ingests a lethal dose from its legs and antennae.
Where is dust best deployed for maximum impact against cockroaches? Tony Rogers, commercial services manager for Team Pest USA in Atlanta, Ga., says his technicians apply dusts in areas where liquid pesticides cannot be used, or baits are hard to apply.
“Wall voids, behind switch plates and kick panels of appliances or equipment are common areas we use dust products,” says Rogers. “Dusts can be a valuable part of an ongoing cockroach maintenance program.”
Dusts are most effective when they are applied in areas that are not disturbed by humans or non-target animals. Fortunately, cockroaches prefer “out of the way” locations to live and breed so that is why dusts are a good tool in a technician’s cockroach tool kit.
Wil-Kil’s McCoy uses dust products as a complementary piece to other cockroach control efforts including baiting and sanitation.
He says the decision to apply dusts varies from account to account and is influenced by factors including what other products are being deployed, where in the account are dusts being considered for use and the level of cockroach pressure.
“It takes a village to effectively eliminate cockroaches and dusts are an effective tool in certain instances,” says McCoy. “Our rule of thumb is if you can see the dust following a treatment then it was not applied correctly. It must get as close to the population as possible.”
Areas Where Dusts Can Be Applied for Cockroach Control
- Deep in cracks and crevices
- Wall voids
- Under and behind cabinets
- Attics and crawlspaces
- Service ducts
- Floors and ceilings
- Around electrical and telephone fittings and equipment
- Around utility pipes
- Under large equipment and appliances
- Along baseboards
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Cockroach Baiting Dos and Don’ts
Do:
- Place bait close to or in cockroach harborages. Cockroaches are lazy and will eat the first thing they find. To help direct placements, use visual inspections, client sightings, and glue trap monitors to help direct placements.
- Additionally, inspections and inspection tools can help build the “demographic” profile of where the bait-consuming cockroaches will be located.
- Apply bait to cracks and crevices, putting out enough to kill the cockroaches that are present. Not only are these the areas where the cockroaches are most likely to encounter the bait, but the narrow crack will help protect the bait from moisture loss, keeping it more palatable.
- Inspect bait placements to see if cockroaches are eating it. If they are not, consider switching products – the industry has seen bait aversion to the sugars in the bait food lures as well as to active ingredients. Rotation from one active class to another is advised as part of resistance management.
- Clean up food residues and ensure food storage containers are sealed – this improves bait performance by leaving the cockroach with fewer alternative food sources.
- Remove old bait with a putty knife or other blade. Old bait is no longer attractive to cockroaches and it can make the place look dirty.
- Carry a towel or rag to wipe up bait drips and spills.
- Always read and follow the label – if it states crack and crevice only, don’t put bait out in the open. As with any pesticide, the label is the law. With cockroach baits, there can be a wide variety in the label language of various manufacturers in defining application rates and bait placement sizes.
- Store baits at temperatures to facilitate proper application. Too hot or cold a storage temperature may impact application ease.
Don't
- Don't make just a few large bait placements; placing many smaller ones is more effective. But don't make placements too small or they will dry out too quickly.
- Don't place bait where pesticide has been sprayed, or to surfaces where they will be washed away or mopped up.
- Don't apply bait to food surfaces.
- Don't place bait beyond the areas where cockroach activity has been detected.
- Don't apply bait to hot surfaces, where it may melt or run.
- Don't expect that gel baits are the only option for all cockroach control. Insect growth regulators in combination with baits can increase feeding by adult female German cockroaches, and granular baits may be best for American, Asian, and Oriental cockroaches depending on location. Know the cockroach and be open to modifying your strategy based on species and situation.