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Until fairly recently the control of the large and stubborn cockroach infestations that can plague apartment buildings, food handling facilities and commercial buildings depended on the so-called "spray and pray" method. In other words you spray as much insecticide as possible and pray that it works. Most of the time this method in fact fails but it sure makes a lot of money for pesticide manufacturers! It fails for several reasons but the main reason is that cockroaches can detect and learn to avoid pesticide residues.
New Research on Roach Baits
Researchers have recently figured out that if you combine a highly attractive food with a small amount of slow-acting insecticide the results are much better. Roaches find the bait, eat it and thereby contaminate themselves with the insecticide. Because the insecticide is slow to take effect the roaches have time to get back to the harborage (a safe area, such as inside a wall, where cockroaches congregate) where they contaminate their mates and disrupt the whole colony. Baits take longer to work but they offer the promise of complete control of even large infestations.
Professional versus consumer-level cockroach baits
There are many cockroach baits on the market, some are even sold through grocery stores and home stores. Because the new baits are significantly more expensive then the older products they have been relegated to "professional" status. This is unfortunate because it makes them harder for the consumer to find and the result is many people faced with a cockroach infestation resort to insecticide sprays - the old, failed, spray and pray method. The good news is that professional-quality baits are now available but you have to shop online to find them.
Continue reading --> I have posted a revised page about these new cockroach baits at our 'Bugs site (click here) including a link to an online source.
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