A PMP EDUCATIONAL UPDATE  |  MAY 2016
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See The LITE On German Cockroaches
Eliminating German cockroaches requires accurate identification, targeted monitor placement and Gentrol treatments.

By DR. STUART MITCHELL

Once German cockroach activity is brought out of the dark, pest management professionals will see the LITE and solve even the most challenging cockroach problems.

  • Location of German cockroaches based upon foraging behavior.
  • Identifying German cockroaches down to species.
  • Treat for German cockroach infestations based upon biology.
  • Exclude German cockroaches and prevent re-infestations.

Location of cockroaches based on foraging behavior can be initiated via survey. A survey is any activity (such as monitoring) to collect data (population and distribution) on the cockroach species. For example, captures of adults suggests the reproductive population may be elsewhere, whereas captures of nymphs suggests harborage.

Surveillance must be ongoing and underwritten by intelligent monitoring practices. Surveillance informs how pest populations change over time and measures the performance of management strategies. The proper interpretation of survey data is essential.

Get a floor plan of the facility and conduct a walk-through for familiarization. Inspect the entire facility. Interview facility employees regarding cockroach activity. Pay particular attention to poor sanitation levels and deficit practices.

Upon obtaining appropriate survey data, take time to consider the facts. Time is required to consider all necessary factors pursuant to correct interventions.

Identifying cockroaches down to species requires specimens and knowledge of their biology. Intelligent monitoring practices provide both specimens and information on harborage fidelity.

With a preference for tight openings, cockroaches tend to walk where horizontal and vertical surfaces intersect. Knowing such behavior, monitors can be effectively documented on a floor plan and trap-line-audit as well as numbered, dated, sited, and deployed.

Monitor Placement Tips

You will need to place monitors:

  • Adjacent to insect harborage sites.
  • Near plausible cockroach paths.
  • Horizontally more than vertically.
  • Cryptically for better efficacy.
  • In appropriate numbers (for small kitchens, more than six monitors and commercial kitchens more than 20 monitors should be used).
  • With additional coverage in complex storage areas.

Treat for German cockroaches using a bio-rational or insect growth regulator (IGR) that has resulted from scientific research of insect biology. Named juvenile hormone analogues (JHAs), IGRs mimic juvenile hormones within cockroaches. Through disruption of hormonal processes specific to the insect, an IGR interferes with the development of German cockroaches by preventing maturation and reproduction with very low mammalian toxicity.

More or less functioning the same way hormones do within humans; hormones within cockroaches send chemical messages to regulate physiological changes. Such changes allow cockroaches to mature into reproductive adults. JHAs interfere with the development of last-instar German cockroach nymphs. Nymphs molt into twisted wing adultoids that are sterile. Over time, adultoids become somewhat dominant and cockroach populations begin to decline.

Exclude German cockroaches and prevent re-infestations using the GENTROL® Insect Growth Regulator System. Zoëcon Professional Products, the makers of Gentrol products, discovered and developed IGR technology more than 40 years ago. Gentrol products are designed to stop intruders before they take over. Formulated with an insect growth regulator, these products are designed to be used around food handling establishments, schools and hospitals to prevent roach reproduction.

Gentrol is available in three formulations, each with their own benefits:

    Gentrol Aerosol
  • Ready-to-use formula.
  • Active ingredient translocates to prevent nymphs from developing to the adult stage and often results in death.
  • Highly effective baiting program partner to encourage feeding and reduce mode of action resistance.
  • Prevents rebound infestations.
  • Dissipating foam action targets cockroaches within hard-to-reach areas.
    Gentrol IGR Concentrate
  • An active ingredient that translocates from treated areas to locations typically difficult to treat.
  • 120 days of control.
  • Will move deep into wall cavities, cracks, and crevices; reaching cockroaches other treatments miss.
  • May be applied as a general fogging application or general surface spray
  • Approved for use in food handling areas.
    Gentrol Point Source
  • Cockroach control device with all the benefits of an IGR.
  • Active ingredient translocates; to be affected, target insects do not need to come in contact with the device.
  • 90 days of control.
  • Discreet, non-spray formulation.
  • Ideal for food handling establishments.
  • Ideal for sensitive areas where spraying is not acceptable (such as computer equipment).

To know your pest and to know your product, go to
http://www.zoecon.com/insects/roaches


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