Outdoor Baiting To Control Turkestan Cockroaches (Blattodea: Blattidae)

Insecticidal baits are proven effective tactics for domestic cockroach species, but limited information about their use and efficacy exist for outdoor applications targeting peridomestic species. We evaluated three commercial bait products against large populations of Turkestan cockroaches at two public school campuses in California over a one-year period. Baits were applied monthly around buildings and in hardscape elements within self-contained tamper-proof stations at product label rates. Populations were monitored using attractant sticky traps placed overnight once per month adjacent to structures in treatment areas. Populations plummeted at both sites after baiting in June, just prior to mating and ootheca deposition., with 90% fewer
cockroaches trapped after one month. Cockroach density also declined significantly in untreated plots, however, suggesting that cockroaches moved from treated areas to untreated areas, producing secondary mortality via cannibalistic scavenging.