Performance of Insecticides for German Cockroach Control in Apartments, 1982

Abstract

Abstract The efficacy of insecticidal sprays, dusts and combination treatments was evaluated in 1 and 2 bedroom apartments in the Los Angeles area. The level of cockroach infestation in each apartment was monitored with two 0.95-liter jar traps provisioned with a slice of fresh white bread and finely divided clay. Traps were installed in the kitchen for 1 wk before treatment and for 1 wk at specific post-treatment intervals. Aqueous sprays applied from a 3.8-liter B & G compression sprayer equipped with a fine fan nozzle (Spraying Systems no. 800067) were directed along intersections, cracks and crevices, baseboard junctions, and areas likely to harbor cockroaches. Of 1.1-liter spray per apartment, about 0.6 was applied in the kitchen and bathroom, but other areas such as bedrooms and living rooms were also treated when occupants had seen cockroaches in those rooms. When dusts were tested, about 350 g was applied with a Getz powder duster to cabinet voids, cracks and crevices, underneath appliances, and to inaccessible areas where the dust would not be unsightly. When combination treatments were applied, dusts were applied after the sprays had dried. The significance of the reductions in trap catch after treatment, compared to precount, was analyzed by a Wilcoxon's signed-ranks test.