 Do you have a cockroach problem? Chances are that you've had one in the past, currently have one or will have one. Cockroaches are among the most despised pests in schools. A school is a perfect environment for cockroaches. Some come in from outdoor areas looking for food or water sources. Others come in on students' backpacks, books or kitchen deliveries. You can find them in kitchens, storage areas and even classrooms. Although you may be able to tolerate the cockroaches you see outdoors or even one or two that you spot in the classroom or storage unit, there is absolutely no tolerance for them in kitchens. You must get rid of them where food is stored and prepared. Although removing food and water and sealing up roach pathways to buildings are critical elements in a management program, even the cleanest schools may become infested. The key to management is quick detection, accurate identification and appropriate follow-up. A good cockroach management plan takes patience and it takes all staff and students working together to help prevent them and keep them under control. This presentation will show you how to carry out an IPM program for cockroaches. We'll define IPM, explain why cockroach identification is so important in an IPM program, discuss general roach biology and explain how to find roaches before the infestation becomes overwhelming. We'll distinguish indoor cockroach species from outdoor ones and discuss management strategies for each. We'll discuss ways to keep roaches out of buildings and emphasize the importance of removing food, water and shelter. Finally, we'll discuss baits and other management practices as part of an IPM program. At the end of the presentation is an interactive component where you will get a chance to review the key points of the presentation and discuss your thoughts with the group. Cockroaches must be managed inside buildings. Cockroaches carry bacteria and may spread diseases in some situations. Children with allergies or asthma may be especially sensitive to cockroaches. By law, food preparation areas must be 100% free of roaches. Public health departments routinely inspect schools and treatment may be required if cockroaches are found. Serious infestations could mean a temporary shutdown of food preparation areas while cockroaches are being treated. The focus of an integrated pest management program should be to keep cockroaches out of buildings, especially kitchens. You may never be able to eliminate all cockroaches living around school grounds, but you can prevent major problems with regular inspection and by eliminating food, water and shelter. IPM uses environmentally sound yet effective science-based practices to keep pests from annoying you, causing economic or health-related damage or damaging plants. IPM programs usually combine several pest management practices for long-term prevention and management of pest problems without harming you, the students, or the environment. Spray should not be necessary to manage cockroaches. Least toxic methods, such as baits, are preferred. IPM programs require a good detection system using regular inspection and sticky traps. How do you know it's a cockroach? Cockroaches are medium-sized to large insects. They appear to be somewhat flattened and have long antennae and a very prominent shield-shaped section behind the head called a pronotum. Cockroaches are often confused with predatory beetles like ground beetles, but adults have membrous wings instead of the thick hardened wings of beetles. Cockroaches may sometimes also be confused with other commonly seen invaders such as earwigs and sow bugs or pill bugs. There are several different-looking species of cockroaches that are common in school environments. Adult cockroaches produce eggs about 20 to 50 of them in a capsule called an othica. Females carry the egg capsule around on the tip of the abdomen before depositing it in a safe place where the eggs incubate. Eggs hatch and immature cockroaches or nymphs resemble adults, but have no wings and are smaller. Nymphs molt several times before they reach the adult stage. Depending on the species, it takes about two months to a year for cockroaches to grow from egg to adult. Cockroaches are active at night. Breeding sites can vary among species, but many breed around the perimeters of buildings or in hidden areas inside. Roaches feed on various foods, including soap, grease, glues, book bindings, or starch. Where you find them can help you identify them. In general, outdoor cockroaches can be found in cracks and crevices, water meter boxes, sewers, ivy, and woodpiles. They may enter buildings on their own looking for food, water, and shelter, or they can be carried in on deliveries or student books and backpacks. Indoor roaches are often found in dark hiding places, near water and heat sources such as sinks, refrigerators, freezers, or any electrical appliance that runs constantly. They are also found in stacked paper, corrugated cardboard or boxes, hollow legs of furniture, or behind door frames. They prefer to crawl along edges of counters and floors and scatter when they sense movement. To manage cockroaches, you need to find them first. If you find them early and identify them, you may be able to manage them before they become a serious problem. Develop a regular routine for checking for roaches. Sticky traps are the best detection tools indoors. Also, use a flashlight to help you see in cracks, cabinets, or underneath appliances. A small mirror can be useful in hard to see areas. Look for signs of an infestation such as live and dead cockroaches, cast skins, egg capsules, and droppings. Check dark areas in classrooms, storage rooms, and kitchens. Inspect under cabinets in cracks and crevices, near water sources, under refrigerators, or other appliances, and near areas with a lot of clutter. Be sure to ask teachers or food service staff normally in these areas where they may have seen roaches. Outdoors look near water meter boxes or other water sources and underneath edges of raised buildings. Sticky traps provide the best way to monitor for cockroaches. Place traps where you see signs of roach activity, fecal matter, eggs, or dead roaches. Place them indoors in kitchens, bathrooms, classrooms, lounges, and storage areas. Put them near sinks or other water sources, or under appliances such as refrigerators or dishwashers. Place traps under cabinets, along wall edges, corners, intersections, door hinges, and near dark areas where you find a lot of clutter. Set them at each of the four corners of the room to give you an idea where roaches are entering. Replace traps regularly as they accumulate roaches or debris. Several cockroach species may invade schools, but at any single school you'll usually find only one or two species. Appropriate management practices vary with species, so it is important to make a correct identification. Check traps often and note how many roaches you are catching. Look for nymphs and adults. A lot of nymphs indicate that you have a growing or increasing infestation. Identify the species you have caught. You need the adults to make a correct identification, as nymphs are often hard to distinguish from one species to the next. If you know the species, you will be better able to determine where the source of infestation is and where to focus management efforts. The next few screens describe the different cockroaches found in California. For more information, refer to the pest note on the UC IPM website. Two cockroach species live indoors and the rest prefer to live outdoors. Outdoor roaches sometimes invade buildings looking for food, water, and shelter. The most serious problems involve species that inhabit buildings, usually the German cockroach. The brown-banded cockroach is also an indoor species, but requires warmer temperatures. There are five cockroach species that commonly live outdoors. The Oriental, Turkestan, Smoky Brown, American, and Field. It is important to determine whether your roach is an indoor or outdoor species to choose the most effective management practices. The German cockroach is the most common indoor roach found in schools. It has a very high reproductive rate, develops rapidly, and prefers humid indoor locations. It is about half an inch in length and light brown, with two dark stripes on the shield-shaped section behind the head. German roaches are found in kitchens, bathrooms, and storage areas, often near water sources or refrigerators. Field roaches are not really pests, but come indoors when it is hot and dry and can be mistaken for German roaches. They are half an inch long, gray to olive brown, with two black stripes on the shield behind the head. A black stripe between the eyes distinguishes them from German cockroaches. Field roaches are usually found outdoors in leaf litter and plant debris. You'll be more likely to find these roaches in traps near sink areas or other water sources and under appliances and cabinets. German roach infestations will require you to focus management efforts indoors. Field roaches die quickly indoors, so no indoor treatment is required. If you do find them, focus efforts on keeping them out of buildings. Besides the German cockroach, the brown banded roach is the only other species that inhabits buildings. Adults are half an inch long, males are golden tan in color, while females are dark brown. There are light colored bands on the wings, abdomen, and sides. Brown banded roaches prefer warm temperatures about 80 degrees, dry indoor locations, and are most often found in dark areas such as behind pictures on walls, in hollow legs of furniture, and in clutter. Eggs are deposited in clusters on furniture or in appliances, usually on a hidden vertical surface. Eggs are mostly produced in the summer. These roaches are most often found in traps in warm dark areas in classrooms, lounges, or storage areas, especially where there is a lot of clutter or paper stacked on the floor. Management practices are similar to those of the German cockroach. As much as possible, prevent serious problems by removing clutter, which provides hiding places. Oriental, Turkestan, and smoky brown cockroaches are all outdoor species, but occasionally come indoors at night looking for food. All of these roaches are much larger than the indoor species. The Oriental cockroach is one inch long and almost black. In males, wings are shorter than the body. However, female wings are undeveloped. Oriental roaches prefer cool temperatures and are found in dark wet places such as wood piles, drains, water meter boxes, ivy, and ground cover. The Turkestan roach, relatively new to California, is often mistaken for other cockroaches. Females are often confused with the Oriental cockroach. But Turkestan females have cream colored markings along the edges behind the head and around the short rounded wings. Males can be confused with the American cockroach, but are smaller and have yellowish tan wings and cream colored stripes along the edges. Adult females are one inch long. Males are slightly smaller than females. Nymphs are half black and half dark red. Turkestan roaches are found in water meter boxes, cracks between blocks of poured concrete, compost piles, leaf litter, potted plants, and even sewer systems. The smoky brown cockroach is about one and a half inches long and dark brown. Nymphs have white segments on their antennae and backs. This species is found in planter boxes, decorative plantings, trees, shrubs, wood piles, garages, and water meter boxes. They are sometimes found in shingles or indoors in attics. Routinely checked sticky traps indoors for invasions of these large outdoor roaches. If you find these species indoors, focus management efforts outdoors. Keep buildings as clean as possible and remove food sources, trim back trees or shrubs, seal roach pathways into buildings, check and replace bottom weather stripping on doors, and bait outdoors near cockroach hiding places. American cockroaches are even larger than other outdoor roaches, about two inches long, and are reddish brown. The edges of the shield behind the head are lightly colored. The American cockroach is sometimes confused with Turkestan males, however the Turkestan is much smaller and has yellowish tan wings. This species prefers warm, humid areas and is found primarily in sewers, water meter boxes, storm drains, and steam tunnels, but occasionally enters buildings looking for food. Check sticky traps indoors for invasions of American cockroaches. You're most likely to find them in rooms kept warm. Remove food sources, seal roach pathways into buildings, and bait near cockroach hiding places such as in water meter boxes or under manhole covers. The goal of cockroach management in schools is to eliminate them completely from kitchens and to keep them out of other buildings. Inspect regularly to detect roaches as soon as they arrive. Determine if your roaches are indoor or outdoor species and choose appropriate management practices. Combine many practices to prevent roaches and correct problems. Remove all sources of food and water and seal roach pathways into buildings. Be sure to remove places where roaches like to hide because roaches can't remain where they have no shelter. When you have an infestation use baits to reduce population numbers while more permanent preventive measures are implemented. Consider treating enclosed hiding areas such as inside of walls with dusts as part of the long term management program. Do not use sprays to manage cockroaches. They are not generally recommended or required. Roaches are unlikely to stay in areas where there is no food, water, or shelter for them. Remember that roaches like to eat glue, grease, and soap as well as human and pet food. Clean classrooms, offices, and lounges daily. Teachers, students, and custodians need to work together. Keeping areas clean will also remove infestations of other pests such as ants. Keep food in designated areas and remove food from desks, tables, and off the floor. Remove clutter. Keep things such as paper and stacked books off the floor and away from walls. Fix plumbing leaks. Empty garbage daily and keep trash cans away from doorways. If you have classroom pets, keep cages clean and make sure pet foods are sealed. Vacuum all cracks, crevices, and carpets. Vacuum occasionally behind desks, book cases, and filing cabinets. Food service staff must work with the custodial staff to make sure that there are no cockroaches in kitchens. To keep kitchens clean, store and seal all food in tight containers. Clean up spills. Keep liners in garbage cans, use lids, and remove garbage daily. Rinse recyclables such as cans and bottles and remove regularly from the kitchen. Clean counters and sinks and make sure that all dirty dishes are cleaned by the end of the day. Keep stored shells clean. Consider using metal racks instead of wood racks because they are easier to keep clean. Vacuum cracks and crevices. Vacuum underneath appliances such as refrigerators, vending machines, and ice makers. And wash floors daily. Outdoors keep the grounds free of litter. Ask students to remove food from lockers daily. Keep the drains clean. Place garbage containers on hard surfaces and keep them away from building entrances. Wash containers regularly. Many cockroaches breed outdoors and come in looking for food or water. To stop them from coming in, caulk all cracks and crevices in walls, floors, along foundations, and around pipes and electrical conduits. You can also use expandable foam in large cracks. Use weather stripping on doors and windows. Install door sweeps under doors and caulk around corners. Inspect deliveries especially those that enter food service areas before putting them in kitchens. Install screens on floor drains. Regularly inspect furniture and appliances for egg cases. Remove and destroy any that are found. Caulk around and behind any permanent wall fixtures such as mirrors or bulletin boards. Seal up hiding places such as hollow legs and furniture or sub-voids in cabinets. To help keep cockroaches out, remove outdoor hiding places next to buildings. Create bare zones around building perimeters. Consider keeping a layer of gravel about six to twelve inches wide around the building. Don't stack lumber or other material that may harbor cockroaches. Trim all shrubs around the building and remove dense ivy or other ground covers. These practices will also reduce likelihood of invasions from other pests such as ants or rodents. When you have a cockroach infestation you may need to use pesticides. Insecticides work much more effectively once you eliminate cockroach food and shelter and pathways to buildings. Baits are the most effective pesticides used to treat an infestation. Insecticidal dusts can be blown into wall voids or other undisturbed areas for long-term control. Avoid perimeter sprays and don't use aerosol sprays, bombs or foggers. They don't work, cause roaches to scatter and can increase problems. Continue to check your sticky traps to confirm that your management plan is working. Baits contain an insecticide or active ingredient mixed with a food base. They are very effective when used properly. Baits are formulated as gels, pastes or dusts. Common active ingredients include abomectin, boric acid, fibrinil, hydromethanone and imidacloprid. Baiting does not give immediate results. It may take a week or more for baits to work. However, they can be effective for long-term control. Baits placed in bait stations and gels or pastes applied to cracks and crevices are exempt from posting and notification requirements of the Healthy Schools Act. Use baits in a self-contained bait station or trap. Some are prefilled, but you can refill others with bait granules or gel. To install a refillable bait station, first place a filter in the station and then squirt a little glue on the bottom and set where roaches will find it. Fill with bait and then snap the lid in place. For crack and crevice treatment, apply gels using a bait gun or syringe. Since gels dry out quickly when in the open air, reapply them as needed. Gels are most effective if applied in indoor areas. Baits do not attract cockroaches, so you'll need to identify your species and place the baits where cockroaches can find them. For outdoor species, bait around the perimeter, in valve boxes, water meter boxes, and around planters. For indoor species, place baits under appliances, along wall borders, in cabinets, and even in fault ceilings. In infested classrooms, tape bait stations under desks. Continue to check traps and be sure to keep cleaning up food and water sources and sealing entryways into buildings. If you don't see a reduction within a week, you need to try something else. Insecticidal dusts can be a very effective part of an IPM program for cockroaches if used properly. Common active ingredients include boric acid and silica aerogel. Boric acid dusts are contact poisons and can be used to treat existing infestations. They can also be used as a preventative treatment. Silica aerogels should only be used preventively. Boric acid can last years if kept dry and protected. Cockroaches walk through treated areas, get the dust on their body, and ingest the powder as they groom themselves. Roaches die by drying out. It may take a week or more to see results. Inject dusts into wall voids, cracks and crevices or in-around pipes, hollow doors or door frames, and electrical outlets underneath cabinets or under sinks. Use a get-scun or small electronic blower. Don't over-apply dusts. Apply as a light film underneath cabinets, under refrigerators or other appliances, or in corners of shelves and cabinets. Make sure the material stays dry and only apply it in areas where people will not contact it. Occasionally an emergency situation may warrant the need for quick control to jump-start your IPM program. Even if you are desperate, don't use aerosol sprays, bombs or foggers. They often don't kill the roaches but just cause them to scatter to other places. Eliminate food, water and shelter, and plug up roach entryways. Use a vacuum cleaner with a triple filter to remove food, debris and cockroaches, shed skin or eggs. Use sticky traps to figure out where the cockroaches are coming from. Start putting baits out and apply dusts as appropriate. Keep vacuuming up roaches, shed skins and eggs until baits and dusts begin to work. Be sure to continue checking traps and improve cleanliness at the site. Stay one step ahead of the cockroaches. Continue visual inspections and checking sticky traps to make sure the cockroach population is under control. If you are still finding evidence of roaches after a treatment, make sure you know what species you have and that you are managing them appropriately. Continue to clean up all food and water sources and to block all roach entryways. Consider remodeling areas that continue to have serious problems. Cockroach management is not easy and it takes a lot of time and patience. However, if you are diligent about it, you can effectively keep cockroaches under control. Remember, the key is knowing which species is infesting your school since management is different for indoor and outdoor species. For indoor species, clean up indoors. Use indoor baits, treat wall voids with dusts and seal cracks and crevices. For outdoor species that invade buildings, focus management efforts outdoors. But remove food, water and shelter inside that may attract roaches. Bait outdoors in places where roaches are concentrated. Keep roaches out of buildings by caulking openings near doors and windows or other roach entryways. Remove ground covers and other hiding places around the building. For more information about integrated pest management for cockroaches, visit the UC IPM website. For more information on school IPM, see the California Department of Pesticide Regulation School IPM Program website.