Treatment of a cockroach infestation can be difficult because the eggs and egg cases are often laid in difficult to treat cracks and crevices. Egg cases provide protection from insecticides. Therefore, it is important that treatment is maintained for at least one month after you stop seeing cockroaches.
Carry out treatment as follows:
1. Cockroaches feed on any scraps of food they can find so check for spilled food down the back of ovens, fridges, furniture etc. And make sure food in the larder is kept in sealed containers.
2. Place cockroach gel bait in areas such as behind fridges and freezers, in rear of cupboards and areas where cockroaches have been seen. Keep it out of the reach of children and pets. The bait will kill feeding cockroaches, those that these individuals regurgitate food for and those that cannibalise them after they die.
3. Knock down adults and immature cockroaches using cockroach fumigators or bug bombs in each affected room. The fumigant penetrates into the nooks and crannies where cockroaches hide; helping to flush them out and kill them.
4. Be sure to remove all dead cockroaches after treatment as females may be carrying eggs that could still hatch.
5. After baits have been in place for at least one week, spray likely cockroach hiding places such as behind, ovens, fridges, freezers, cupboards etc. using residual surface insecticide containing deltamethrin or permethrin (e.g. Kiwicare NO Cockroaches or NO Bugs Super). These give long lasting protection from crawling insects. Any nymphs that hatch from eggs over this period will contact the treated surfaces and be controlled before reaching sexual maturity. Flea control surface sprays such as Kiwicare NO Fleas Total containing insect growth regulators will prevent eggs hatching and nymphs reaching maturity. This is also a good strategy for effective control.
6. Spray accessible cracks and crevices with a flushing insecticide. Borer injector aerosol is useful as it has a long nozzle that can be used to get insecticide deep into crack and cervices to flush out cockroaches and deny them these harborages.
7. Cockroach traps are not only an effective way to ‘mop up’ cockroach adults and nymphs without using insecticide the traps also act as early warning indicators of infestation. Keep them in position permanently and check them once a week. If cockroaches get into your home again you will find them in the traps and be able to deal with them as above, BEFORE they are a problem. (Kiwicare’s traps are BioGro certified organic.)
