When we asked pest management professionals (PMPs) who answered Pest Management Professional’s (PMP’s) 2024 Cockroach Management Survey to share their most memorable cockroach control experiences, we received several responses. Here are a few:
In a single-family home, the cockroaches were so bad that the house was condemned and caused significant health issues to the family living there. German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) were throughout the entire home, including the exterior and the lawn. The neighbors also were getting infestations of German cockroaches. Walls had to be opened up to access cockroaches that were in hidden areas. Vacuuming was the primary control method.
In addition, liquid sprays were applied where needed, as well as granular bait in hard-to-reach areas. Glue monitors were placed down toward the end of the job to monitor activity level.
We made four visits in total with a single technician, and each visit was for a different stage of the house: the first being fully furnished, the second being unfurnished, third being walls removed, and the fourth being a final inspection to determine no more activity. The whole process took between one and two months. I’m sure the situation could have been cleared up sooner if we weren’t at the whim of the homeowner and their contractors between those different stages.
— Michael Walker, President, Barron Pest Control, Mastic, N.Y.
In an apartment building, there were thousands of American (Periplaneta americana) and German cockroaches. We implemented an integrated pest management (IPM) program where we used mechanical controls (vacuuming, caulking), environmental controls (removal of refuse, Harborview areas) and implemented proper sanitation. Finally, we used chemical control (bait placement, insect growth regulators and residual products).
The program lasted three months, at which point we achieved complete control.
— Ralph Rinaldi, Service Manager, Suburban Pest Control, Yonkers, N.Y.
German cockroaches in a restaurant were in every aspect of the kitchen, in the dining and host areas, and in the drop ceiling. The restaurant owners had been treating for the cockroaches themselves.
We performed a midnight cleanout of all tables, benches and chairs, as well as kitchen areas. We applied a crack-and-crevice bait, an insecticide and an insect growth regulator (IGR).
We followed up two weeks later and noted a 90 percent reduction in cockroaches. Good technician documentation, and customer education and sanitation practices in place, has helped maintain a cockroach-free location.
— Camille Landry, Owner, Full Scope Pest Control, Houston, Texas
An animal shelter on a concrete slab was infested with millions of German cockroaches. The kitchen, feed storage and laundry areas, bathrooms and animal housing with metal hollow-pipe chain link fencing all were infested with cockroaches. Because dogs and cats were present, fogging was not an option.
One technician used the methodical precise placement of a variety of gel baits and targeted non-repellent liquid in small amounts. Both contained IGRs. The technician used these control methods each and every week for two months. The treatments completely eliminated the issue. A dramatic improvement was seen within a few weeks. The pest management plan was developed and implemented, and it succeeded.
— Greg Kelly, Pest Control Operator, Green Kastle, Sesser, Ill.
We had a restaurant that had a large American and German cockroach issue. The building was very old and had a tunnel for steam heat under it. Three technicians and our technical director were involved with the initial service. Then, two technicians serviced the restaurant every two weeks for 90 days. Now, just one technician services the account every two weeks because the restaurant owner wants that frequency.
At this point, only an occasional cockroach gets caught in the monitors and there are no sightings from the client. We used ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers, liquids, dusts, baits, vacuums and monitors to gain control.
— Stan Dawkins Jr., ACE, Director of Operations, The Killers Pest Control, Salem, Ore.
In a large multi-family building, there was an apartment with minimal furniture, but German cockroaches were everywhere. It was one of the first jobs I had ever done, and I was with my supervisor.
There was a folding chair and big trash barrel in the living room. My supervisor told me to tap the trash barrel with the wand from my tank. When I did, thousands of German cockroaches started pouring out of the barrel. It was a very unique situation, and thankfully I was ready with a vacuum as well as our fogging equipment to get a quick knockdown.
Two technicians serviced the apartment every week for a month. We also treated all the surrounding units and the hallways. I know we have had many situations with large infestations, but this one stuck out because it was my first cockroach job.
— Adam Carace, CEO, Pest-End, Plaistow, N.H.
I was called in to help a technician who was having issues with American cockroaches at an ice cream shop. The cockroaches were found throughout the basement where the ice cream was made, the serving lines and the seating areas — basically throughout the entire store.
The tech started using the normal liquid material with an IGR and placing glue boards discreetly in all areas to monitor for activity and try and narrow down the hot spots. After following up the week after the service, he realized the basement was seeing way more cockroaches than anywhere else. The tech started to concentrate his treatments with his liquid materials in these areas exclusively.
After a few follow-ups, he asked for my help. On our inspection together, I realized the tech had not inspected several offices in the basement because the owner did not want these areas inspected. After a long discussion with the owner, we got access to the offices.
The first two doors we entered were offices, and there were signs of dead cockroaches. We treated these areas and moved on to the last room. We noticed the door was sealed with tape, and as we pulled down the tape, we started to notice a smell.
The smell grew worse and worse. We finally got the door open and saw that the main sewage pipe had rusted and there was about a 6-inch opening in the top of the pipe. Surprisingly, the angle of the pipe kept 99.9 percent of the sewage from coming out of the pipe. But what we noticed was an abundance of American cockroaches in this room.
We discussed this with the owner of the business as mostly likely the source of the infestation. We ended up treating into the pipe with a borate foam product. We discussed with the owner getting the pipe fixed. We also used insecticidal dust in the cracks and crevices of this room to help keep the cockroaches from accessing other parts of the building from this room. We added glue traps in this room to capture anything running out of the pipe.
After the pipe was fixed, the American cockroach issue was resolved within the next two follow-up visits.
— Timothy Rudisill, A1 Termite and Pest Control, Lenoir, N.C.
<p>The post How 7 PMPs solved challenging cockroach infestations first appeared on Pest Management Professional.</p>
from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/10/02/how-7-pmps-solved-challenging-cockroach-infestations/
Sacramento CA
No comments:
Post a Comment