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Shoppers for Healthy Homes
Photos of Key Items in Pesticide
Department for Cockroaches
This page provides details
involving cockroach control and the pesticide department.
EPA's Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety
Asthma and Cockroaches:
2000 Institute of
Medicine Study determined that cockroaches can exacerbate (trigger)
an asthma attack and there is limited evidence that it can cause asthma in young
children.
About IPM
The following is extracted from the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website
regarding cockroaches
General:
Cockroaches are among the most hated insects. Their presence in the home is
offensive and implies uncleanliness. Cockroaches contaminate food and leave an
unpleasant odor. They also can transmit diseases.
Most cockroaches
are tropical or sub-tropical in origin and generally live outdoors. However,
some species do live indoors. It is true that they thrive in dirt, trash and
grime, but cockroaches can infest even clean and well-organized homes and
buildings.
Cockroaches get into buildings in infested boxes, grocery bags, beverage
cartons, furniture and dried pet foods. They also enter around loose-fitting
doors and windows, where electrical lines or water and steam pipes pass through
walls, through sewer lines or on seasoned firewood.
Most cockroaches
come out only at night but may appear during the day when disturbed or where
there is a heavy infestation. They prefer warm, dark, humid shelters like the
kitchen sink or drain board; cracks around cabinets; window or door frames;
loose baseboards or molding strips; upholstered furniture; bathrooms; and motor
compartments of refrigerators, washing machines and other appliances. Know where
cockroaches hide because these are the locations you must treat.
Cockroaches eat
different plant and animal products, including meat and grease, starchy foods,
sweets, baked goods and other unprotected kitchen goods. They also feed on
materials such as leather, book binding and sizing, and wallpaper paste.
Use preventive measures to control cockroaches successfully. It is easier to
prevent a cockroach invasion than to control an established one. Preventive
measures require care, planning and continued effort to be successful. A clean
home reduces the chance of cockroach infestations and the need for pesticides,
but will not always prevent invasions from outside sources.
You may be able to control cockroaches without using chemicals.
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Most of
these are fairly inexpensive:
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inspection
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sanitation
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exclusion
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cockroach traps
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eliminate hiding places
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cockroach traps
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Inspect regularly
and thoroughly to locate conditions which invite cockroach invasions. Examine
all known or suspected cockroach hiding places and incoming materials.
Good sanitation, both indoors and outdoors, effectively limits cockroach
populations. Do not leave unwashed dishes, kitchen utensils and uncovered food
out overnight. Clean up all spilled liquids. Clean areas beneath cabinets,
furniture, sinks, stoves and storage bins where tiny particles of food may
accumulate. Keep kitchen garbage and excess trash in container sand remove them
regularly. Store dry pet food away from the kitchen and other foods. If you feed
pets indoors, remove the leftover foods immediately. Clean outdoor garbage cans
frequently, along with platforms or slabs on which they are kept.
Seal any cracks of 1 /8 inch or more in the foundation and exterior walls.
Check the caulking around air conditioning units, windows, doors, pipes or other
openings into the home. Repair cracks and holes in floors, walls and ceilings.
Seal openings around plumbing fixtures, furnace flues, electrical outlets,
windowsills and walls, and along baseboards and ceiling moldings. Repair leaky
water faucets and pipes.
Keep yard trash and stacks of firewood away from your home or garage to
minimize the chance of cockroach invasion. Paper, cardboard, lumber and firewood
in the home provide excellent refuge for cockroaches.
Trapping can reveal the hiding places and the seriousness of the
infestation. Trapping alone will not eliminate cockroaches, but should be used
with preventive measures for better results. Many inexpensive cockroach traps
are available. They are easy to use, disposable and contain no toxic
insecticide. Most are box shaped and coated with a very sticky adhesive inside.
Some traps may also feature slow release food attractant. Cockroaches enter the
trap when detecting the food odor and stick to the adhesive. Place traps where
cockroaches are likely to travel. Change the trap's position if no cockroaches
are caught after two or three nights. The number of traps required will depend
on the kind of cockroach present and location of the infestation.
To control cockroaches with insecticides, find their daytime hiding place
and thoroughly treat those areas. Regardless of the insecticide chosen,
chemicals placed in or near regular hiding places provide much better control
than those placed where cockroaches move only occasionally. Since some cockroach
species invade homes and buildings from outside, they may reinfest dwellings
once the insecticide dissipates. To solve this problem, outdoor populations must
also be controlled. The type of chemical selected and the application method
used depend on the location and nature of the infestation. No one chemical
handles all cockroach problems, but a combination of various types is effective.
If severe or difficult cockroach infestation occur, or if you are in doubt
as to proper control measures, contract a professional pest control service.
These professionals have the necessary equipment and training to do a safe and
effective job.
For more
information about treating your home for severe infestations, contact your local
county Extension office.
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