Sample IPM Program for a Cockoach Population in an Office or Classroom
- Initiate an education program for students, staff, custodians, and building maintenance personnel to gain cooperation with the program. Since monitoring and management activities will probably involve desks, computers, lighting fixtures, and other equipment in use by staff, it is essential that they be given prior warning of work to be done and that the problem can not be solved without their cooperation.
- Vacuum areas where traps indicate cockroaches are harboring.
- Improve sanitation and waste management in office, snack, and lunch areas to reduce cockroach food sources.
- Caulk cracks, and schedule other building repairs to reduce cockroach habitat.
- Place sticky traps to locate cockroach habitat and prioritize areas to be treated.
- If traps indicate cockroaches have infested computers or other electrical equipment, place insecticidal bait stations next to infested machines. Never put baits directly on or inside computers or electrical equipment. Never use aerosol insecticides around computers because of the danger of shorting out the equipment. Give office and custodial staff a map showing where bait stations have been placed and request that the stations not be moved.
- If traps indicate that cockroaches have infested electrical conduit and are moving into the room through lighting switch plates, spot-treat the switch box with insecticidal bait, gel, or dust.
- If traps indicate storage boxes containing paper files are infested with cockroaches, treat with bait station or tiny gel bait placements.
- Apply insecticidal bait, gel, or dust in cracks and crevices, and blow insecticidal dusts into wall or ceiling voids, underneath counters, or in other inaccessible areas where roaches harbor.
- After the cockroach population has been reduced, apply an insect growth regulator to help prevent future roach problems.
- Be sure to monitor after treatment to make sure that the treatment efforts are reducing the population.
- Continue monitoring on a monthly or quarterly basis to ensure that new infestations are detected before they get out of control.
