Web Exclusive: Cockroach war stories, Part II

Photo: ©iStock.com/ErikKarits

In the 2017 Cockroach Management Supplement of our September issue, we included “war stories” from pest management professionals describing their worst encounters with this pests.

In our Sept. 25 post, we shared two more stories. But just like Blatella germanica, there’s always more where that came from. Enjoy!

• Ken Yarrington, Owner, KenX Pest Control, Charlton, Iowa: “A private home had German roaches for 60 years. I started with vaccuming, a gel bait and a nonrepellent liquid. It took two months for one tech to gain control, with weekly inspections and treatments.”
• Steve Finley, Owner, Finley’s Lawn & Pest, Fredonia, Kan.: “We had 10 visits in 10 months to a residential home. When I showed up the first time, they had a ginny and a turkey in their crawlspace to help eat the German roaches. It was a crazy house!”
• Brian Fausey, Owner, American Pest Control, Martinsburg, W.Va.: “A large resort hotel had numerous American cockroaches coming up through the drain systems of the rooms on the first, second and third floors. We placed liquid bait on large pieces of 2×6 material and lowered it into the sewer drains to allow them to feed on the bait. Three technicians were used for six visits. We achieved control, though.”
• Charles Osborne, ACE, Owner, Osborne Pest Management, Colorado Springs, Colo.: “I have had cockroaches literally rain down on my head during treatment, because they were all behind peeling paint on the walls and ceiling. At another account, the blind woman knew she had a bad infestation because she could feel them crawling on her when she was in bed trying to sleep.”
• Chris Snyder, President, Quest Termite & Pest, Bethlehem, Pa.: “The gentleman who lived in  half of a duplex was hospitalized for a period of time. When I arrived to do the inspection, the white appliances — especially the stove top — were covered in cockroach feces, to the point where they looked black in color. It was the largest German cockroach infestation I’ve ever seen.”
• Jeff Davis, Owner, Nukingstreet Pest & Wildlife Control, Enfield, Conn.: “The largest German cockroach infestation that I ever saw was for a hoarder in an apartment building. I stressed the importance of reducing clutter (food sources and harborage areas). He made a big effort to get rid of trash clutter by the time of the appointment. I used a bug vacuum to remove the majority of the roaches, and performed a crack-and-crevice treatment with a repellent dust. I followed up a few weeks later and found that he went from having tens of thousands of roaches down to one live roach. We service the property every quarter and I use a gel bait as a preventative maintenance. The tenant has not had a problem with roaches in two years.”
• Doug Foster, President, Burt’s Termite & Pest Control, Columbus, Ind.: “We took over a healthcare facility that had two separate kitchens, each infested with German and Oriental cockroaches. The biggest problem was they were spread throughout the kitchens, from floor-level drains and electrical outlets to above the ceilings. We used four technicians — each one separately responsible for exclusion, dusting, baiting and liquid treatments. We followed up for three consecutive weeks and got 100 percent control.”

We end our cockroach coverage (for now) with a business tip to grow on:

• Chris Stone, President, Pro Source Pest Services Inc., Isle of Palms, S.C.: “Always ask for referrals. Customers know people just like themselves with a pest problem.”

Do you have insights to share on this lucrative market segment, too? Please comment below or send us an email at pmpeditor@northcoastmedia.net.