Pest Management Professional, December 2017
Chalk Talk 58 December 2017 Pest Management Professional mypmp net Photo istock com Erikkarits O ften I am asked What is the best chemical to use to kill cockroaches My answer goes something like this There is no one best product for every species of cockroach for every type of account and for every specific situation Most of the time you may need more than one type of formulation and product in severe initial cleanouts Sometimes you may not be able to use any product I then get a look that says I asked a simple question I want a quick fix skip the long explanation If managing cockroaches were that easy we would not be called professionals What we do is not brain surgery but it does require some basic knowledge and techniques to accomplish pest elimination Just killing some cockroaches and leaving others can be done with an over the counter product Even with the best product a poorly trained technician can fail I often say Give me an average product and a great technician and I will take it over a great product and a poor technician For me a good technician starts with a can do attitude compassion for the customer love of the job and a refusal to give up Another important element is thinking like a cockroach The following will help you fine tune how to become a great technician 1 CoCkroaChes are beasts of little brain When you are given little brain capacity compared to humans you need other abilities to survive Take reproduction for example Most cockroach species produce many offspring in a relatively short time so that enough survive to carry on The German cockroach Blattella germanica can complete its life cycle in about 45 days Now that we do quarterly service if you leave some alive you are guaranteeing survival and thriving for the cockroach species The key here is after the initial treatment do not wait a full month or longer to come back and determine what if anything needs to be done On the second visit install sticky traps to give yourself a better picture of just how well you did or what you missed 2 take away the basiCs Food water and harborage are considered the basis of life for all animals With German cockroaches the carrying capacity total number that can survive in a given area is usually based on how much harborage is available A 2 ft by 2 ft cardboard box that is 1 ft high with fluted walls and glue to eat can harbor more than 6000 cockroaches ContinueD on Page 60 By Dr austin M frishMan bCe eMeritus Contributor
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