Cockroaches Fight Back

According to a recent study into the German cockroach and its resilience to certain pesticides, it seems that this insect in particular is winning the war against some of the newest insecticides and baits available on the market.

Whatever you throw at them, these insects have an amazing ability to quickly adapt and overcome adversity. We know that the cockroach has developed resistance to many of the most widely used insecticides, and now they are turning up their noses at baits, including some that were very effective just a few years ago.

The bait-avoidance problem was first noticed about five years ago, but recently we have become aware of several other similar cases in other parts of the UK where the warm climate is perfect for the German cockroach to thrive.

On average, 60 per cent of our pest control customers have German cockroaches, with reports that a number of these cases involve insects that are refusing to eat most commercial baits, indicating there is something in the baits that cockroaches do not like.

Koehler and Barbara Bayer, a graduate research assistant, are working with pest control operators and product manufacturers to develop and test more effective baits for the German cockroach.

"It's the roach that gives all other cockroaches a bad name," Koehler said. "It's also the most common cockroach species in homes, apartments, restaurants, hotels and other institutions in the United Kingdom and in most parts of the civilised world."

As a result of their research, two new bait products designed for use by pest control operators have been shown to kill cockroaches that are refusing to eat existing baits, and the researchers are monitoring their effectiveness. It remains to be seen how long these two products will be effective. Ten years ago, German cockroaches began avoiding baits that contained glucose sugar, and now they are developing an ability to avoid other ingredients in some of the newest baits on the market.

However, all is not lost. The research shows that the development of a more effective bait will also provide a secondary kill of the pest. Some of the cockroaches that avoid the bait in the first instance will eat dead or sick cockroaches that did consume the bait, resulting in a secondary kill

The main stumbling block in tackling a cockroach infestation is linked to their rapid reproductive cycle, which allows them to quickly develop resistance to chemicals and avoid toxic ingredients. If just a small percentage of the cockroach population is able to avoid eating a toxic chemical, those cockroaches would be able to reproduce in exponential numbers.

SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre", Bluntisham Road, Needingworth, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire
01480 465684