Dealing with Creepy Crawlies: Cockroach Management in Multifamily


Advances in roach treatment offer conveniences for properties, residents

Before finishing his doctorate in entomology, Dr. Mike Merchant worked in the 1980s as a pest control specialist in Seattle. He keeps a blog – “Insects in the City” (say it out loud and you’ll get the pun) – specifically dedicated to the topic of urban pest control. Recently, he wrote a post recounting his frustrating time toting a sprayer full of toxic chemicals to treat a “well-entrenched German cockroach population” that infested a large public housing complex.

At the time, his arsenal consisted of powerful sprays and dusts that he applied directly to cockroach hiding places, requiring residents to prepare in advance by emptying cabinets and clearing spaces. However, these chemicals proved tantamount to a large-scale game of cockroach whack-a-mole as their repellant properties sent the insects scurrying between units in the complex.

Aside from bed bugs, cockroaches serve as one of biggest deal breakers for any apartment resident or prospect. No matter how fastidious the general upkeep of your units or grounds, the insects persist as a penetrating symbol of filth and negligence. Cockroaches also present real health risks, especially for children for whom the pests contribute to higher asthma rates and asthma-related morbidity according to “The New England Journal of Medicine.”

Now serving as the urban entomology specialist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Merchant writes that we luckily “have much better tools for cockroach control today” as compared to his time battling the bugs in Seattle.

Cockroaches take the bait

pest dead cockroachHeaded by Tulane University, a team of researchers recently published findings in “The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology” on the efficacy of containerized and gel baits for eliminating cockroach infestations in an inner-city New Orleans apartment community. In addition to the effects of baiting in a multifamily environment, the study, funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Healthy Homes Technical Studies, also focused on 102 children diagnosed with asthma who were known to live in apartments with cockroaches.

Of the affected homes, researchers treated half with baits, and the rest were either left untreated or the owners managed their own treatments. Researchers placed either Maxforce® FC Magnum or Advion® gel baits – all available through do-it-yourself pest control retailers – behind kitchen appliances, the back corners of kitchen cabinets and inside bathroom vanities. As cockroaches took the baits, sites were re-treated, and progress was monitored for 12 months.

Within three months of the study, cockroaches began to disappear. In his own breakdown of the results, Merchant wrote, “By the end of the study, none of the baited homes had evidence of cockroach activity, compared to a 20 percent infestation rate of the untreated homes.”

Overall, intermittent low-toxic insecticidal baiting resulted in greater pest control compared with routine spraying of potentially harmful insecticides.

Residents can breathe a sigh of relief

More importantly, children residing in homes that received the insecticide bait had significantly reduced asthma morbidity, fewer asthma-symptom days, improved lung function and less health care need.

Additionally, the researchers suggested in their conclusion, due to the wide availability of cockroach baiting solutions, that communities may be able to skip costly professional intervention in favor of having maintenance personnel place cockroach baiting systems themselves.

“Study staff had no experience in insecticidal baiting; therefore, it is our belief that with minimal instruction, targeted placement can be performed by homeowners.” But they did note that this hypothesis would require additional research.

However, Merchant cautioned that multifamily regulations in some states, his home state of Texas included, require licensed pest control professionals to administer baiting for cockroaches. Thus, unlicensed property management staff should leave treatment to a professional.

An ounce of prevention

One part of the Tulane study drew increased attention from both the researchers as well as Merchant in his interpretation of the data. Even the untreated, “control” apartments saw a nearly 80 percent reduction in cockroach activity in what these professionals attributed – at least in part – to “study effects.” With researchers coming in to monitor cockroach activity, many of these residents began keeping tidier homes, not leaving dirty dishes out overnight, etc.

Along with serving as the single best preventative measure for cockroaches, Merchant also explained that cleanliness around communities further assists with the effectiveness of baits.

“Research shows that cockroaches that do not have ready access to food and water become stressed and are more susceptible to baits and our other control measures,” he said.

Source: propertymanagementinsider.com