5 Questions with Janis Reed, Sponsored by CSI

1. Is there an area that PMPs overlook when trying to manage cockroaches?

Sanitary sewers are often overlooked, because they are outside the “normal” treatment area a PMP services. In addition, they are a difficult area to treat due to the excess of food resources, physical access can be challenging, and product choice can be limited. Large cockroaches especially (American, Smokybrown, Oriental, and Turkestan) are found in sewers so inspecting and treating these areas is important.

2. How can managing and eliminating cockroaches affect the health of our customers?

We know cockroach exposure is a leading cause of allergies and asthma in children. This ultimately leads to hospital visits for the kids and missed work for their parents. A recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology¹ showed that managing cockroaches in homes leads to better health outcomes for children. A single type of treatment, done consistently, was shown to improve the health of children suffering from asthma.

3. Why is baiting a preferred method for managing cockroaches?

Cockroach control using baits has been the industry standard for decades. The reason is simple: baits are easy to use, effective, and start working immediately to kill cockroaches. Even if sanitation is less than ideal, baits, deployed correctly, can be effective.

4. Is there a place for repellent products and active ingredients in cockroach management?

There definitely is a time and place to use repellents in cockroach management. If an area is not currently infested and the PMP wants to try to chemically exclude cockroaches from using the area as a harborage, a repellent is an excellent option. Also, repellents outdoors are useful for keeping insects from entering structures.

5. Can you tell PCT readers a little about Doxem Precise?

Doxem^® Precise featuring the Precision Delivery System is a new system for managing pests, not just cockroaches. It is a perfect solution to many indoor and outdoor pests. For example, silverfish, many ant species, crickets, pillbugs, stored product pests and earwigs may be controlled using Doxem^® Precise. Doxem is a dry flowable bait intended to be applied into cracks and crevices to control these pests. Please see the product label for more information and directions for use.

1 https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(16)31739-0/fulltext