If an egg-bearing cockroach found her way into just about any house in the world, chances are she could find conditions in that house where some of her offspring could survive.
Even the most meticulous housekeeper may not know about all the potential cockroach havens such as the drip pan under the refrigerator, for instance. The drip pan collects water that condenses during normal refrigerator operation, and the combination of moisture, food particles and concealment is just what cockroaches are looking for.
Integrated pest management, which has become the dominant theory in extermination, involves attacking a bug problem on several fronts–eliminating food and water supplies, and so on. Modern techniques tend to be safer than they were 10 or more years ago, but they require more work and patience.
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Sprayed, liquid poisons of old-style pest controls killed insects quickly. Any insect that came in contact with fresh poison was likely to die with its legs kicking in the air, and homeowners usually found that satisfying, said David Shetlar, an urban landscape entomologist at Ohio State University.
Now, Shetlar says, baits have replaced sprays as the primary insecticide form, and many of the baits use slow acting poisons. Poisoned food pellets are placed in bait stations–small plastic or cardboard containers that are placed where cockroaches travel and forage for food.
Shetlar said a cockroach that ingests the poison may survive for three or four days.
“Because it takes a while for the baits to work, it may be a week or two before a homeowner sees results,” Shetlar said.
If you see more than a dozen in the course of 24 hours, and if you see cockroaches during daylight hours as well as at night, your infestation is considered heavy.
No matter how many cockroaches you have, the first step in integrated pest management is trying to eliminate the conditions that help the bugs survive and, as much as possible, cut off the routes they use to enter your house.
Look for damp conditions, particularly under sinks and around toilets, and repair all leaky water faucets and pipes.
Seal openings such as cracks in foundation walls, exterior walls around air conditioners, doors, windows, floors, ceilings, around plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, baseboards, etc., with putty, plastic wood or other caulking material.
Look for roaches and their egg cases in sacks, cartons, boxes, used appliances and furniture, and other containers brought into the home.
Clean areas beneath cabinets, sinks, stoves and refrigerators. Clean cupboards, pantry shelves and food storage bins. Clean up spilled foods and liquids.
Avoid leaving scraps of food on unwashed dishes and countertops overnight. Keep food in tightly sealed containers, rinse cans and bottles before putting in the trash, and transfer garbage outdoors into roach-proof receptacles away from the house. Empty and clean pet food dishes every evening.
Integrated pest management may be especially hard in apartment buildings. Unless all the residents can be persuaded to adopt the same cleanliness standards, cockroaches will continue to thrive.
Once other food sources are gone, baits become more attractive.
You can find cockroach baits at home improvement, hardware, discount, drug and grocery stores as well as at exterminators’ shops. Before purchasing, read the packages carefully and use the baits only as directed.
Once the bait stations are in place, check them periodically. Especially where infestations are heavy, cockroaches may eat all the available bait and the bait stations have to be replaced.
In situations where the infestations are heavy, Moran, said you may have to start by taking steps to kill lots of cockroaches quickly to reduce the overall population then wait for the baits to kill the survivors.
“If a homeowner wants to try to tackle a heavy infestation on their own, I’d recommend using fogger-type insecticides in the kitchen,” Moran said. “Sprays can be dangerous if you’re using them in places where you keep food, plates and utensils.”
For those who insist on using liquid insecticides, keep this in mind:
Don’t buy more insecticide than you plan to use immediately. Insecticides are hazardous chemicals that can be dangerous to store and hard to discard safely.
When using a concentrated insecticide that must be mixed with water, follow the manufacturer’s directions.
Some people think that if 1 ounce of poison in a gallon of water is good, then 2 ounces in a gallon is even better. That’s not the case.
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Such practices make the poison more dangerous without making the insecticide any more effective.