American Roach Options

Monday October 1, 2012


Mr Pest Control



gregory, AZ

Mr Pest Control



But, I continue to pound on the idea that we should avoid total reliance on insecticides as the solution for cockroach control. Obviously, for German roaches living within a structure there are sanitation problems that should be addressed and eliminated. The roaches cannot survive if they cannot find food, and when filth exists the roaches get comfortable and can produce lots of babies to enjoy it too. They also need to hide all day long, so the presence of many holes and gaps that allow them to get into dark voids and crevices will also encourage them to be there. These can be found and permanently filled to dramatically reduce the "harborage" opportunities. It has been demonstrated pretty nicely that without spraying a drop of insecticide you can greatly reduce the number of roaches in an account simply with these sanitation and physical steps. This also puts the population of roaches under stress, and a stressed-out cockroach is not as healthy. It becomes more susceptible to the toxic products that you do use, it reduces its breeding, it may choose to eat other roaches, and in general just does not do well. 

We can use these same concepts for American Roaches, and for these larger roaches it may be most common for them to be inside structures because they walked in on their own. In some areas of the country these larger roaches can be very common in the landscape outside, hiding under yard debris or other materials on the soil, within dense vegetation, or commonly in subterranean hideaways such as man-hole covers, sewer vents, water meter boxes in the ground, etc. Excessive moisture encourages their presence as well, so all of these unnecessary conditions may be addressed. Litter and yard debris should be removed and disposed of, leaving the soil as cleared and dry as possible. Thick groundcovers and dense shrubbery should be pruned so that the soil is exposed. Lumber piles and other materials that will remain should be stacked OFF the soil and away from the side of the structure. In general, take a close look at the exterior and see for yourself what exists there that you, if you were an American Cockroach, would be delighted to find. This includes removal of pet foods and bowls at night, cleanup of dropped fruits and vegetables, and other kinds of elimination of potential food resources. 

Outdoors you can use granular insect baits, which the large roaches seem to be very fond of. These may just be sprinkled around harborage sites, if the label allows it, or placed within insect bait stations to retain the bait and protect it from rain, irrigation, or the nosy dog. If you do find likely harborage such as nearby openings to sewers and storm drains they can be treated with a product labeled for that site. Try to create a cleared area around the immediate foundation so that you can more easily apply a "barrier" treatment that will help to intercept roaches that move to the foundation and along it as they look for an entry point. And, on that note, strongly consider "exclusion" as an important part of keeping these roaches and all other crawling pests out of the structure itself. 

Mr. Pest Control




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