Change up products, techniques to lower risk of resistance

Dr. Cisse Spragins, CEO/founder of Rockwell Labs

It’s human nature to become comfortable with a product or technique that’s been successful for you. However, with common, widespread and persistent species with rapid reproduction rates, such as German cockroaches, it’s extremely important to “mix it up” with products and techniques to lower the risk of resistance.

Thankfully, the industry has many tools for cockroaches available. For example, boric acid dust in damp, scummy areas like commercial kitchens will effectively turn the scum that cockroaches are feeding on into “bait.” In typically drier areas, such as residences, silica dust is a great option that kills by contact and doesn’t depend on the cockroach choosing to eat it. It’s also non-repellent, so it won’t just move cockroaches to other areas.

If you want to flush cockroaches, though, botanical aerosols are a great option: They work in the vapor phase and are highly repellent. A blend of multiple plant oils, each with a blend of multiple active ingredients, can help overcome potential resistance to a single active ingredient or class of active ingredients.