Pest Management Professional, September 2017

ADVERTORIAL word from our sponsor The secrets to cockroach success By Dr Janis reeD PCO Technical Services Manager Control Solutions Inc CSI M odern pest management did not really come into existence until the 1940s around the time of the advent and discovery of the insecticidal properties of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DDT Up to and during this time entomologists were hard at work studying an insect that had already gained a foothold in American homes Blattella germanica Prior to World War I German cockroaches were known as croton bugs named after the Croton Reservoir which began supplying water to New York City in the late 1800s They were notorious for infesting tenement buildings dwelling homes meat shops hotels and water pipes and have been a constant problem in American homes and businesses ever since To understand their hardiness we need to examine how cockroaches and specifically German cockroaches live their lives The first thing to consider is their egg case or ootheca These purse shaped egg depositories are the first of many defensive plays cockroaches have developed They are impervious to almost all insecticides protect the eggs from desiccation and are often dropped just before hatching in secluded protected environments The next hurdles we must overcome are the nymphal stages German cockroaches have loose family groups and there is some parental care further protecting offspring After adulthood and mating the female cockroaches safeguard the next generation by holding the oothecae until just before hatching And finally the sheer number of eggs 30 to 50 on average that can be contained in a single egg case means control is a numbers game in which they have the advantage Another factor in their extremely successful existence is their ability to not only reproduce extremely rapidly but to quickly adapt to their everchanging environments Within just a few generations major changes can be made to entire populations of insects rendering control efforts useless This is made possible by a relatively simple genetic makeup DR REED is technical services manager for pest control operators for Control Solutions Inc CSI a member of the ADAMA Group She may be reached at janis reed@ controlsolutionsinc com Of the common peridomestic and domestic cockroaches the German cockroach is by far the most infamous It seems every year newer and better products are developed to help pest management professionals PMPs provide management including non repellent insecticides bait products insect growth regulators IGRs and new bait formulations Unfortunately the cockroaches do not go quietly into the night they evolve to survive and they do it well As an industry we have faced chemical resistance to many common insecticides and behavioral resistance in the form of bait aversion These problems have led to increased callbacks and ultimately the possible loss of the service account Yet we continue the fight A recent innovation by Control Solutions Inc is Tekko Pro which is quickly becoming the IGR of choice for many PMPs for cockroach control Tekko Pros dual IGR mode of action provides unprecedented control of German cockroaches killing immature insects rather than causing the typical crinkled wings And as every PMP knows having no adult roaches equals happier customers We as an industry have a duty to provide excellent pest management to our customers under the current restrictions and challenges CSI continues to innovate creative solutions to cockroach problems and other pests Our mission is to develop synergistic products using Combination Chemistry to help in the resistance management fight as well as better formulations to advance every PMPs results and income potential mypmp net Pest Management Professional September 2017 CM3