[Technically Speaking] The not-so-fanciful art of booger baiting

As disgusting as the title to this article may sound, the reality is that some technicians have turned cockroach baiting into precisely that, booger baiting. It is absolutely disgusting when I enter some apartments and even private residences and see what our industry has done — placed bait in plain sight for the entire world to see. In my opinion there are several reasons for this:

• Time is of the essence — Most of the bait is placed in easy-to-reach locations indicating the technician either did not want to spend the time (or service time was limited to less than three minutes).

• The "I was here" syndrome — Prove to the customer that the service was performed by placing the bait in plain sight — dots in cabinets, drawers, in wall corners, and around door and window frames.

• More is better — Make a lot of spurious bait placements in plain sight even when the number of cockroaches and evidence of their presence does not warrant it.

• Keep it coming — Even when there is a lot of bait already, old bait is not removed and more is added to make sure it is fresh.

A CHANGE OF THOUGHT. This has forced me to revise my list of pros and cons when comparing liquid products to baits. At least with sprays if they are repeatedly applied we do not see the by-product of the application (boogers all over the place). Granted we occasionally had staining issues on carpeting, siding, furniture and paint with liquids but with newer water-based formulations, that has been a minimal problem.

There are many reasons not to booger bait:

• It is unprofessional. We talk about professionalism in the industry and then turn around and demonstrate a lack of it by splattering bait all around.

• Bait stains and leaves a messy residue. Baits stain paint, cabinets and woodwork and leave unsightly residues, even when they are removed.

• It doesn’t work. One of the basic tenets of baiting is to put the bait where the roaches are seen or there is evidence of activity.

• It’s expensive. Using excessive amounts of bait in inappropriate areas despite everything else previously mentioned is costly and accomplishes nothing.

• It’s illegal. The amount of material that can be applied is clearly stated on the label and, in the case of food areas of food-handling establishments, is limited to crack and crevice application only. The logical extension of this would also be applicable to homes; however, it is not required by the label.

The label on one of the most widely used gel bait products in the industry states that the application rate per square yard is:

• Moderate infestation: one to two spots (dime-sized) or 1½- to 3-inch bead.

• Severe or heavy infestation: two to four spots (quarter-sized) or 3- to 6-inch bead.

THINGS TO CONSIDER. There are several things to consider when baiting in residential and commercial accounts:

• Place the bait directly into cracks and crevices where there is evidence of cockroach activity. This places the bait closer to the cockroaches and increases their likelihood of eating it. Furthermore, the bait is not out in the open and exposed for all to see.

• At each baiting, particularly if previous placements are more than 60 to 90 days old, remove as much of the old bait as practical, even if you did not put it there. This reduces the unsightliness of dried up bait residues and makes the fresh bait more desirable.

• Consider the color of the surface where the bait is being applied; if the cabinets are white or light colored, use white bait.

• Place bait in reservoirs that can be retrieved (ensure that the reservoirs are marked according to the label). This assists in evaluating bait consumption and it is easy to determine when more bait is needed.

• Use dry baits that are non-staining and have had less problems with bait aversion.

I’m not advocating a return to sprays but if this is the best a company can do with bait it might be a wise choice.

The author is technical director of American Pest Management, Takoma Park, Md. He can be reached at rkramer@giemedia.com.