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Home ▪ Essentials for Practitioners ▪ Health Opportunities in Energy Audits and Upgrades ▪ Green & Healthy Management Strategies for Multi-Family Properties ▪ Listserves |
Shoppers for Healthy Homes Photos of Key Items in Paint Department
Thank you for serving as a shopper for us! By documenting problems and successes, your effort will help us improve the quality of advice and products sold at the retailers you and your neighbors frequent. Your work will make healthier homes for all!
This page provides details on the issues involving the paint department beyond those available in the instructions.
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Cockroach Frass (Debris) - Cockroaches like the dark. When you see them in the light it either means that there are too many cockroaches or their nest was just disturbed. You can have a serious problem with cockroaches and not see any. The most common evidence of cockroaches is frass - the greasy urine and fecal matter the leave behind - shown in the picture below.
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Traps - These traps consist of a box or strip of paper with a mineral oil glue on it. The cockroaches get stuck on the glue. Traps are not a particularly effective method to control cockroaches since they primarily catch adults and do not impact the nest. However, traps are an excellent method to monitor the area to see if cockroaches are gone or to prove that cockroaches are present in order to get action by a health department or a reluctant landlord. An example of used trap is provided below.
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Boric Acid Powder - Used properly, boric acid provides long-lasting and effective control of cockroaches. However, it must be applied out of reach of children - typically behind walls - and only a dusting is needed. Too often, people apply it in a thick layer around baseboards. While boric acid is not particularly toxic to people, the misuse is unsafe for children and ineffective.
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Baits - Baits are effective at reaching the nest. The cockroach eats the pesticide bait and brings it back to the nest where it kills other cockroaches especially the little cockroaches. The baits do not have the immediate impact seen with foggers but have a lasting effect by killing the colony. Typically, the bait lasts six months. Baits come in two types - manufactured enclosed baits and gel baits.
Manufactured Enclosed Baits - Safest and easiest pesticide for the consumer to use because the pesticide is difficult to get to in the plastic container. It is also effective if properly placed.
Gel Baits - The gel is squeezed into a thin strip in out-of-the-way corners where cockroaches travel. Because they contain exposed pesticide, they may be better left to a professional to make sure that they are applied where children cannot get them.
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Cockroach Sprays - Sprays are not particularly effective at reaching the cockroach nest. Too often they are used in cabinets and along baseboards. The nest is usually behind the walls or other dark space. Sprays are likely to expose people to pesticides. It is always better to reduce exposure to pesticides, especially for children. There are three types of sprays.
A. Pressurized Spray - Not a good choice because it the pressure can result in a fine mist or splashes that are likely to expose the individual and leave a residue in unexpected places.
B. Pump-Up Spray - Better than the pressurized spray shown above but still can result in unnecessary exposure to pesticide and is still unlikely to impact the cockroach nest. These types of products often come up with supplies to turn the container into a pump-up spray. But they can also be used with the traditional pump-up spray shown below.
C. Hand Pump Sprayer - The user pulls the trigger to pressurize the spray. This product is better than the pressurized spray shown above but still can result in unnecessary exposure to pesticide and is still unlikely to impact the cockroach nest.
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Fogger - This product releases a fine mist of pesticide in the area. Residents and applicators must leave the area for several hours while the mists settles out of the air. It is similar to the pressurized spray shown above. It is not particularly ineffective at controlling cockroaches and leaves a residue that can expose children if not carefully cleaned up.
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10320 Little Patuxent Parkway,
Suite 500 • Columbia, MD 21044
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