Ask Me Help Desk - American Cockroach Granular Bait

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(hope I'm not asking too many, just want to get things right and keep these horrible creatures away, house centipedes are terrible but I can handle them, these Am.cockroaches are a whole different thing for me to handle)

Thank you for asking all these questions; they have all been informed, literate, and exemplify why I do this.

Yes, most of the pyrethroid suspensions will last through several rains. (Aside, I'm in Carolina; hurricanes degrade them a LOT faster).

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even though I sprayed Conquer every 2 weeks I STILL SAW about 1 Am.Roach per week during the summer

Now that I have done my best to cast doubt on your supplier, if you continue to see insects after treating every 2 weeks, maybe his advice about changing products has some merit. I would recommend something in a suspension rather than the emulsion they have been selling you. That website I linked to has a couple of products like that but you have to mix them yourself. Search for "Talstar" and look at the pages of similar products.

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Also what will the soil-dissolving granules do and what are some you would recommend?

The soil treatment will act as a long term repellant and last longer than a surface application. Ortho and Spectracide labels have decent granular products of both Bifenthrin and Fipronil insecticides.

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Why is it important to extend the spraying 3 feet up the foundation walls?

That will extend the repellency zone and get repellants into most of the entry points roaches use such as weep holes, pipe and conduit entries, or gaps between different building materials.

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Maybe they just went away on their own, is that a possibility or does that usually not happen with American roaches?

Cooler weather tends to make them seek shelter, as they are cold-blooded. Any that have harbored around your heat ducts can start moving when you cut your heat on.

As far as Wintertime treatments, doesn't it make sense to try to prevent invasions rather than driving them out after they get in?

Catsmine thanks once again for the answers. There were a few things I'm curious about that you didn't reply to. Please answer them when you get a chance. I cleaned up and re-posted them below. Have a nice weekend, Veronica

As far as the Conquer I checked the label and it does say "Conquer Ready Mix 0.2%" along with an EPA Reg.# underneath. The label looks like it might be printed by my supplier (not an official looking label) so hopefully they just made an error and it's really 0.02%. I'd think I would be sick if the stuff I was using every 2 weeks inside my house was 10x strength, would you agree with that?

I'm also thinking maybe my supplier is actually watering the insecticide down as opposed to maximizing it and that's why I still saw roaches weekly during summer. The gallon label could read .2% but maybe the potency is far less then it states. Is that possible or am I being paranoid?

When I cleaned out my yard yesterday with my husband we made sure to be on the lookout for roaches however we observed NONE. Does this indicate they may have been entering our home from someplace else? The strange thing is none of the bait I placed inside/outside is missing, but I have not seen any since last Friday including on the glue traps I put down. Maybe they just went away on their own, is that a possibility or does that usually not happen with American roaches?

Last thing: how can I tell an insecticide is suspension vs. emulsion, and do all suspension sprays last longer?

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Originally Posted by Veronica7

As far as the Conquer I checked the label and it does say "Conquer Ready Mix 0.2%" along with an EPA Reg.# underneath. The label looks like it might be printed by my supplier (not an official looking label) so hopefully they just made an error and it's really 0.02%. I'd think I would be sick if the stuff I was using every 2 weeks inside my house was 10x strength, would you agree with that?

I, too, hope it's a misprint. Federal law also requires that the label includes the warning "Keep out of reach of Children." If yours does, I'd guess the label is the problem rather than the spray. Sick? I don't have your allergy tests, I couldn't say.

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I'm also thinking maybe my supplier is actually watering the insecticide down as opposed to maximizing it and that's why I still saw roaches weekly during summer. The gallon label could read .2% but maybe the potency is far less then it states. Is that possible or am I being paranoid?

It had better be less than 0.2%. "Watering it down" is called mixing it at the effective safe concentration.

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When I cleaned out my yard yesterday with my husband we made sure to be on the lookout for roaches however we observed NONE. Does this indicate they may have been entering our home from someplace else? The strange thing is none of the bait I placed inside/outside is missing, but I have not seen any since last Friday including on the glue traps I put down. Maybe they just went away on their own, is that a possibility or does that usually not happen with American roaches?

Cooler weather tends to make them seek shelter, as they are cold-blooded. Destroying their shelter with your rake makes them hide more.

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how can I tell an insecticide is suspension vs. emulsion, and do all suspension sprays last longer

The label will tell you. As a general rule, suspensions remain effective much longer under the same conditions as emulsions.

As an example: Ketchup is an emulsion. It separates out and is less tasty after sitting for a short while. A-1 sauce is a suspension. I pour some on chopped steak about 3 times a year.

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

It had better be less than 0.2%. "Watering it down" is called mixing it at the effective safe concentration.

What I meant was do you think it's possible the supplier is watering it down TOO MUCH and that's why I still saw roaches even though I sprayed Conquer every 2 weeks.

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

Cooler weather tends to make them seek shelter, as they are cold-blooded. Destroying their shelter with your rake makes them hide more.

Not to be rude but this doesn't answer my question at all. I'll re-post it below and bold the text that is crucial, hope you can take another shot at it. Thanks again...

When I cleaned my yard yesterday with my husband we made sure to be on the lookout for roaches however we observed NONE. Does this indicate they may have been entering our home from someplace else besides the back yard?

The strange thing is none of the bait I placed inside/outside is missing, but I have not seen any roachs since last Friday including on the glue traps I put down. Maybe they just went away on their own, is that possible or does that usually not happen with American roaches?

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What I meant was do you think it's possible the supplier is watering it down TOO MUCH and that's why I still saw roaches even though I sprayed Conquer every 2 weeks.

The Conquer wasn't stopping them. Either the population had gotten used to the product, which is likely why the supplier said to change products, or the application missed an entry route that allowed them access.

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When I cleaned my yard yesterday with my husband we made sure to be on the lookout for roaches however we observed NONE.

They haven't gone away. They are native to New York (and all of North America). Most likely you aren't seeing them because they are sheltering from the cooler weather.

As far as other entry points, I addressed that in my recommendations for a comprehensive treatment.

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

or the application missed an entry route that allowed them access.

Will roaches actually SEEK OUT entry routes into homes that have not been sprayed, or is it more likely they just "stumble" upon them?

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Originally Posted by Catsmine

They haven't gone away. They are native to New York (and all of North America). Most likely you aren't seeing them because they are sheltering from the cooler weather.

Not to nitpick but when I said "Maybe they just went away on their own" I didn't mean leave NY state, I meant they left my house and yard since I didn't see any out there when we cleaned it, and I haven't seen any inside my home either for over 10 days now. Between Oct.11-Oct.18 saw 7 total - 4 crawling, 3 stuck to glue traps. The odd thing is the granular bait is still there so I'm assuming they didn't consume it and they just left on their own. I haven't found any dead ones either which you would think the bodies would show up if they ate the bait, am I right or wrong?

Thanks again for your advice, get back to me when you can ~ Veronica in NYC ~

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Will roaches actually SEEK OUT entry routes into homes that have not been sprayed, or is it more likely they just "stumble" upon them?

More the latter; they instinctively move towards things they need. The concept of shelter or food or water is likely beyond them. They can sense heat and moisture and they can smell food. "Seek out" implies volition, they don't do that.

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the granular bait is still there so I'm assuming they didn't consume it

Without weighing it, don't make that assumption. Each individual granule is the size of a seven course meal to a cockroach. An ounce of granules is like a buffet for 30: how big a dent in that buffet could you and hubby make? Possibly it would be noticeable.