Kill Bugs Series: Roaches

This will become a short digest on how I have killed pests over 13 years in the industry. It will range from infesting pests to external invaders.

Germen Cockroaches, they look like walking almonds with two strips on the back of the head. I could get all technical and tell you each female only needs to mate once in her lifetime and can produce hundreds of eggs with over 30 offspring per egg. But, that info can be found anywhere online. If you’re not sure what kind of roach you have Google or Yahoo on the images part of the search and look at Germen Roach, Oriental Roach, Brown Banded Roach, Pennsylvania Wood Roach, or Smokey Brown Roach. Browse through the pictures till you can identify for sure you are have Germen Coach roach. Once you know fore sure keep reading. Proper identification is very important, it is up to you to be sure you know what your dealing with.

So, this is how I would do it… this is how I would get rid of the entire infestation. It takes some time and a little money. It is not quick but works every time regardless of how bad the infestation.

Yes , I know the roaches are “everywhere” , but the key is to G. Roaches is find the cluster, and put materials right there in that area. So I would take a flash light, pull out the draws and open every cabinet door.

Inspection

I would be looking for “fecal focal points”. A dropping from a G. Roach looks like coffee grounds that is stuck in corners, cracks and crevices.

When you find these points you will see tons of roaches in a cluster, if the infestation is bad, or just a few adults if you don”t have a ton. Look at every joint, every angle, every crack and crevice. It is important that you remember where you find a cluster of roaches. G. Roaches love moisture and heat. Remember they got to have both to live. Food source is secondary they will eat each other to stay alive.

To recap before treatment be sure that you identified the pest and have done a complete inspection of kitchens and bathrooms anywhere you are seeing the critters at. If you are seeing them in your bed rooms be sure to pull out dressers drawers and look up at door frames corners , also behind pictures…just inspect everywhere!

If it was me and my home, I would insult these guys on many different levels. Understand bugs need

1. Food and water
2. Shelter
3. Entry Point

So , if your home has sanitation problems, CLEAN UP. Clean food sources up from around the stove, under the fridge and try mopping.

If your sink drips, fix it. If your fridge sweats and and leaves water pooling up fix it. Get rid number 1 & 2 . Shelter could be Wal-mart bags shoved in a drawer, just anything a roach could hide in that you don’t move around to often can become a shelter. The key here is fix it or remove it. Lastly how did they get here? Did you bring them in ? Did you have a party and they were presents? You have to think how you got these bugs. Be sure you don’t repeat the process and re-introduce them back to your home.

Treatment

Looks like you need to make a trip to any local department store and purchase the following.

1. Glue traps. Be sure to buy the flat, thin kind . Not the plastic tray kind. These may say “for mice” . We may catch a mouse or two!
2. Gel bait. This is typically in a tube and has the consistency of runny peanut butter. Depending on how bad the infestation is I would buy a few boxes. You can always take back what you don’t use.

The best place to start is the label. Always read and follow label directions.

During your inspection you should have made mental notes where the major pockets of infestation was. G. Roaches will only travel so far for that point so get down on your hands and knees begin place bait points where you found the fecal focal points. I would make my bait placements small, like the eraser of a pencil, no bigger. Every few inches or so continue putting bait placements were you see focal points. Primarily under cabinets where there is a corner, along hinges, right up under the sink. By the time you get done applying bait you should have created a buffet for the roaches. Don’t be surprised if the roaches come out of hiding to eat the bait.

Put bait in every room that you see them in, including in dresser after you remove the drawers. Remember the door frames and such as well

Glue Traps

Place these anywhere you see roaches traveling. They make a great trap to put out at night on the counters. Be sure to put them out right along the
the back of the counter , along the splash board. Great places are by coffee pot, micro wave, clocks…anything plugged in. remember these dudes have to have heat.

NOTE: If you have roaches in a small appliance. Put the appliance in a black garbage bag. Tie it real tight. Then put the bag in direct sun light for several hours. The excessive heat will kill “em dead!

Follow-Up Application

You will need to reapply bait and replace traps pretty often. The roaches will die form big to small, so don”t be alarmed if in two weeks you are seeing a ton of small nymphs. That is normal, this is why you need to continue replacing bait and traps. Do not use sprays, bombs or liquids because this will contaminate the bait. Most people fail to read the above sentence so I will say it again…DO NOT USE SPRAYS, BOMBS OR LIQUIDS. Continue repeating every week. If you see any increase in activity in 4 weeks then put traps out again in different places, and put bait put in other rooms as well. You may need to inspect again to see if you missed a focal point.

NOTE : if you live in an apartment or a condo you may be just holding the bugs at bay. If you share your building or attached to another structure then this will help but wont be very effective.