By Chris Keefer, Technical Services Manager, Professional Pest Management, Syngenta
As we move into summer, insects will be on the move too. It’s important to take early steps to prevent infestations in commercial accounts, especially in food-handling establishments. Proper inspection and residual insecticide applications are the keys to success in commercial pest management accounts and can help avoid costly mistakes.
Inspection is the most critical step in the integrated pest management (IPM) process. Understanding the layout and history of an account can help you speed up the inspection process. It can also help you identify which species you’re dealing with so you know exactly how to treat.
For example, the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is notorious for infesting commercial food-handling establishments and is found worldwide. When developing your IPM plan, know how to identify the target pest, its life cycle and the treatment to use. For German cockroaches, your plan may look like this:
- Identification
- ½ to 5/8 in. long
- Tan to light brown coloring
- Two parallel stripes on pronotum
- Life cycle
- Hemimetabolous: has no pupal stage in the transition from larva to adult
- Can live for up to 90 days depending on temperature, humidity and resources
- A single female can produce up to 35 offspring per ootheca
- Treatment
- Use multiple formulations, such as gel baits and residual liquid insecticides, to control a major infestation
- Gel baits should be placed as close to harborages as possible
- Residual liquid insecticides should be precisely applied so as to not contaminate gel baits (they can make gel baits less efficacious)
Once your inspection is complete, you can plan and implement your treatment process seamlessly. A non-repellent, long-lasting residual insecticide is ideal for commercial kitchen applications. Select a product that allows for crack-and-crevice applications, even when an establishment is in operation. These applications are ideal for IPM because they reach the pest harborages, reduce exposure and protect the treatment from cleaning products, water and dusts.
Advion® Evolution Cockroach Gel Bait can be used to complement this type of application for cockroach control. Advion Evolution features unique MetaActive™ technology, which only reacts with the enzymes in target pests, meaning it’s less likely to affect non-target organisms. Advion Evolution is also highly palatable and can be used to overcome bait aversion in German cockroaches.
With a good IPM strategy in place, you can tackle any commercial account. Learn more by visiting SyngentaPMP.com/Commercial or contacting your local Syngenta territory manager.
References:
Bennett, G. W., J. M. Owens, and R. M. Corrigan. 1997. Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations. Advanstar Communications Inc., Cleveland, OH.
Ebelling, Walter. 1975. Urban Entomology. University of California Division of Agricultural Sciences. Los Angeles, CA.
Mallis, A. 1990. Handbook of Pest Control. Franzak and Foster Co., Cleveland, OH.
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