Q. The condo that we just moved into has cockroaches left behind by the previous tenant! I looked at pesticides in the hardware store but I’m confused. Which is better – a cockroach spray or a bait?

A. Go with a cockroach bait – unless you have a heavy cockroach infestation, in which case you probably need professional help anyway. Some of us remember 25 years ago when we didn’t even have cockroach baits. Cockroach control meant spraying or dusting insecticides, or use of sticky traps (roach motels!). Today, most pest management professionals use baits for cockroach control. There are several very strong advantages to the use of cockroach baits instead of standard insecticide sprays:

Safety is a major advantage. There is almost no direct exposure to insecticide when baits are used. Baits have low toxicity to people, and they may be housed in bait stations or applied into cracks and crevices, further reducing the hazard. Baits do not easily vaporize either so there is less insecticide vapor in the air. If you have children or pets, baits are a much safer way to control cockroaches.

Baits are ideal for sensitive accounts and IPM programs. Since baits pose less hazard than sprays, they are ideally suited for use around children, the ill, or the elderly. Bait treatments do not leave behind airborne residues or a detectable odor either so they are a good choice around people with breathing problems or who can’t tolerate pesticide sprays. Baits placed in out-of-the-way places (as they should be) are long-lasting, too, up to several months.

Cockroach baits are very effective against cockroaches, but only cockroaches. They are not attractive to or designed to kill any other pests. Use of cockroach baits alone would be a disadvantage if you have other types of pests as well. In this case, cockroach baiting would have to be supplemented with other controls.

At Colonial we are experts in cockroach control. We use only low toxicity, low impact treatment methods. We can set up a baiting program for your condo that is guaranteed to eliminate your cockroach problem. Give us a call today!