Insecticide Efficacy in German Cockroach Control, 1992

Abamectin was applied into or near cracks and crevices with a Whitmire flowable dust applicator. Other forumulations were applied from self-pressurized, aerosol-type containers as pin-stream sprays into cracks and crevices. Single-family dwellings, located in Edgecombe or Lenoir counties, NC, served as test sites. Five kitchens with a minimum of 100 living German cockroaches sighted during a preliminary visual survey were assigned to each formulation. Preapplication visual tallies of living cockroaches in kitchens compared to tallies at specified intervals after treatment indicated efficacy. Insecticide reapplications were made in kitchens where any living cockroaches were observed during postapplication tallies. Non-test rooms in the dwellings were treated as needed at each visit to minimize movement of German cockroaches into treated areas. The amount of insecticide applied during the initial application and reapplications and the size, temperature, and relative humidity of the kitchens, were recorded. Analyses were based on % reduction of cockroaches (pre- versus post-treatment tallies for a kitchen). Since the area of each kitchen floor and wall space varied the active ingredient applied per kitchen was converted to a 50 m2 basis for comparative purposes. The active ingredient applied in the initial applications for all formulations ranged from 0.1 to 6.2 g and from 0.0 to 1.7 g for the reapplications, respectively. Smaller quantities of insecticide were used for the reapplications because partical cockroach control usually resulted from the initial applications.