LARGE ROACH CONTROL

   This article is about LARGE ROACH control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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	Everyone thinks of roaches as tiny creatures 
which invade dirty homes and apartments.  In fact, 
there are many species of roaches in North America 
and most of them live outside.  If given the chance, 
these "other roaches" will readily move into any 
home.  Like most roaches, these creatures are active 
at night, crawl in kitchens and bathrooms, and is 
too fast to catch.  Most people refer to this roach as 
a "water bug" or "palmetto bug".   Well, if it looks 
like a Cockroach, chances are it is !!!
     Large roaches are common in North America.  
Some of these species include the American, 
Oriental or Smoky Brown.  We also have 
Pennsylvania Wood Roaches.  These large roaches 
generally exist outside.  They live in wood piles,  
pine straw or wood chips.  They may live in trees, 
bushes or plants.  And since they exist alongside our 
apartment buildings and homes, they will forage 
inside for food and shelter.  Once foraging inside, it 
is not unusual for them to start nesting in crawl 
spaces, attics or cabinets.  And even though they do 
not breed as fast as German Cockroaches, they will 
infest a home or apartment over time.
	If you are seeing these roaches in the kitchen 
area, the void between the kitchen cabinet bottom 
and the floor is a common nest site.  Many times 
they will crawl into the holes around a pipe which is 
coming through a wall.  Other times they may nest 
in ovens, refrigerators or dish washers.  If you are 
experiencing a problem in upper level units, these 
roaches may be nesting in the attic.  They love to 
take advantage of moisture which will build up 
around clogged gutters.  When these gutters are 
cleaned, the roaches will move into the attic.  And 
since they travel further than a German Cockroach, 
it is not unusual for one nest to have foraging 
roaches getting into numerous units.  If your house 
has a crawl space, you will find nests around points 
of entry.  Typical points of entry include water pipes 
under the kitchen and bathroom, cable lines, or gas 
lines.  All entry points from a crawl space must be 
treated to prevent infestations.
	There are two ways to deal with these 
roaches.  The first is preventive maintenance and we
believe this is the best way.  Make sure your gutters 
do not become clogged.  They should be cleaned 
when needed and inspected to make sure they are 
doing their job.  If any roof shingles need to be 
replaced, do not wait until major water damage 
occurs.  When roof shingles are damaged, replace 
immediately.  Water leaks may be small and hard to 
identify but insects quickly take advantage of such 
moisture.  And when the leak is repaired, the bugs 
will persist.  We know air conditioning leads to many 
pest problems.  Moisture will accumulate around the 
units and pests will nest here.  Make sure air 
conditioning units are draining away from the 
structure.  Air conditioners are turned off in the fall 
and when you turn them off, you dry up the water 
supply for many pests.  Once this supply of water 
dries up, these pests will forage inside.  If there is no 
water for them  around the air conditioning units, 
you do not have to worry about these pests moving 
inside come the fall.  Most people love a pretty 
garden.  Pine straw and wood chips around the 
foundation are common.  Such mulch provides year 
round nest sites.  Whatever material you use will be 
breaking down and this breakdown creates heat and 
food.  Roaches love this nest site and will live 
comfortably even when outside temperatures are 
freezing.  If you have such sites, try to keep them 
dry.  If you must water, periodic treatments of such 
sites will reduce the nesting and reproduction of 
roaches.  Other preventive measures include 
sealing windows, pipes, cables and siding with 
caulking.  Vents to crawl spaces must be functional.  
Damaged siding should be repaired.  Cracks in 
concrete walkways should be filled.  Roaches are 
opportunistic.  They will take advantage of any site 
which provides moisture and protection.  
	The second way of dealing with these 
roaches is to treat their nest sites. Instead of waiting 
till they move inside, treat outside areas such as 
mulch beds.  We recommend MAXFORCE GRANULES in these 
mulch areas.  The granules will sink down to where 
it counts.  Maxforce is labeled for ants and crickets,
but roaches find them very attractive. They are 
attracted to it and once they feed they will die.
In addition to the Maxforce Granules, you 
should be spraying the foundation, window frames, 
door frames, decks, patios, and any route of entry 
with a liquid residual.  CYPERMETHRIN is a great product 
as is SUSPEND SC.  By treating the outside perimeter
of your home, you will create a barrier the roaches
cannot get through. Use one of our SPRAYERS for 
applying the material. This treatment will work for
other invaders as well, but really helps in
controlling these large roaches.  If you feed your
pet outside or have bird feeders, chances are
some of these outdoor roaches are feeding as well.
Over time, their population will swell. If left to
nest on the side of your home around decks and
windows, it is only a matter of time before they
get inside.  Start perimeter pest control to keep
them out.
	If the attic is infested, it's best to use a dry
formulation called "dust". This treatment is very effective 
and lasts a long time.  Spraying a liquid in the attic is 
almost useless because it is so dry and porous.  
Dusting lasts long and works a lot better.  Large
roaches will move into attics if given the chance.
Many attics which have roach problems had conditions
outside the home which were conducive to having
an infestation. The most common attractant is having
your gutters clogged. The moisture which builds up
supplies much needed water. Once established in
the soffits and facia boards, they will move inside.
If your attic is dry, use the DRIONE. If you live
in a humid area or have high levels of moisture
in your attic, you will get better results using 
the DELTAMETHRIN DUST. Apply either of these products
with a DUSTIN MIZER. It is easy to use and will
distribute the dust ten to twenty feet.  If the
infestation has gotten into your crawl space, use
the Deltamethrin Dust. It is formulated to handle the
higher levels of moisture you would expect to
encounter in a crawl. Either of these dusts can
be used inside and can be applied with a HAND DUSTER
but you will get better results using either of the
following baits.
   If the infestation has made it to the living
areas of the home, use a bait for quick and
complete control. In general, these insects
have come inside seeking food and water. The
bait formulations we use today have high levels
of moisture built in and have food additives
roaches cannot resist. Baiting requires less
preparation and presents little if no hazard in
the home to pets and children. The biggest
advantage of using a bait for roaches is that
it takes the guess work out of getting control.
The old time approach to roach control involved
spraying everywhere.  We treated all surfaces
with the hope that nesting roaches would walk
over the residual pesticide.  The end result
is that you spray a lot and the roaches learn
to avoid treated surfaces.  If you are not able
to deliver the product where the roaches are
living and nesting, they will continue to 
prosper.  This is no longer a problem when
using the baits.  Simply make placements
where you are seeing activity.  Keep these
placements clean, dry and discreet.  Make
them about two feet apart.  Roaches like to
feed where they are nesting and you will be
able to see their droppings when populations
build up.  Although there are many baits
being produced, MAXFORCE GEL and AVERT are
the two roaches seem to like.  Use the gel
where you need precise applications. Use the
Avert aerosol where you need to penetrate
wall voids or behind big appliances.  These
products will lure roaches and once they 
feed, they will die.  If left undisturbed,
these products will remain active for up to
three months.
   There are a few other tools which may help in
your battle with these large roaches. First, the
installation of ROACH TRAPS can help by both
catching any foraging as well serving as an
early detection monitor. They are easy to use,
can be set out anywhere without posing any
type of hazard and are easy to maintain. It's
a good idea to have them installed where you
either know or think there may be some roach
activity; check them daily to see if your
concerns were warranted. If you find any trapped,
step up your control effort by installing some
bait or doing some treatments. For the occasional
pest that is seen during the summer months or
after long periods of rain, get either the
HAND HELD ZAPPER or our BUG VACUUM/ZAPPER. These
tools are handy, easy to use and excellent to
have around for most any pest. The Hand Held
Zapper is better suited for flying insects though
when placed over any large roach and turned on,
it will "fry" them in a few seconds. The Bug
Vacuum is ideal because it allows you to both
"trap" and "remove" crawling insects easily 
whether you are trying to do this on the floor,
wall or ceiling. None of these tools are likely
to control any type of infestation but all
will help and are certainly adequate for the 
"occasional"s unwanted "intruder".
   Most large roaches are easier to control 
than German roaches.  They take more time to 
develop and do so in smaller numbers.  However, 
they are still roaches and most people will not 
tolerate sharing their living space with them.  
Preventive maintenance will stop them getting in; 
treating key nest sites will knock out existing 
populations.  

   If you have any questions about Large Roaches or 
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