[Cockroach Control] Keeping Cockroaches out of the Plant

Cockroach presence in a food plant can be the source of food-borne disease, cause allergic reaction, and damage a food processor’s reputation. Although there are an estimated 3,500 species world-wide and 55 to 65 found the U.S., thankfully, only a handful of these tend to be common problems infesting structures and requiring integrated pest management (IPM) techniques.

Food plant Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) include a full section on pest prevention and control, and such practices generally are centered around the services of a pest management professional, in-house or contracted. While such services are an integral part of any IPM program, there are a number of things that plant managers and employees can do to augment the service for prevention and management of cockroaches in your plant.

To compile our tips for prevention, we gathered information from cockroach product manufacturers BASF, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Bayer Environmental Science, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; DuPont Professional Products, Wilmington, Del.; Rockwell Labs Ltd, North Kansas City, Mo.; and Whitmire Micro-Gen, St. Louis, Mo.

1. KEEP IT CLEAN. The first step in any pest prevention and control program is sanitation, and this is just as true for the food plant. Moist areas hold singular attraction to the cockroach, and while their feeding preferences are very broad, grease, grime and filth can be particularly appealing. Keeping such attractants out of the processing area is a basic GMP for any plant, but in addition to that, plants need to remember non-processing areas as well, such as break rooms, cafeterias, locker rooms and administrative areas. Not only can populations that start in these areas overflow into the processing area, but unsanitary environments provide alternate feeding for the cockroaches, so they have no need to seek out baits providers may place for their elimination. Waste-digesting microbial foam products also are effective at mitigating roaches by eliminating their food sources in cracks and other difficult to clean areas.

2. INSPECT INCOMING GOODS. While some cockroaches can come in from outside, most enter your facility on incoming goods — or people. Inspect all deliveries for pest presence or signs, such as cockroach egg capsules, cast skins and fecal focal points — an area of fecal marks that look like black pepper, indicating a large infestation in that area.

3. SET SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS. Because it can be labor intensive and expensive to fully inspect every incoming supply, you may want to take a risk-management approach: Keep records on all suppliers. Then, if you are finding that certain deliveries tend toward such issues, focus your greatest efforts on these shipments — and communicate the problem with the supplier. If the issue continues, you may need to seek an alternate source. If a shipment is infested, you can reject the delivery or accept it and quarantine it; you should never bring an infested product into your plant.

4. EMPHASIZE EMPLOYEE HYGIENE. Cockroaches can also come into your plant on the belongings of your employees. If an employee has a cockroach problem at home, the pests may very likely slip into a purse or lunchbox, or even into the folds of clothes. Once the cockroach enters your plant — particularly if it happens to be a female carrying an egg sac — the problem can spread very quickly.

5. LIMIT HARBORAGE SITES. Cockroaches prefer to harbor in cracks and crevices, which can include those in floors, walls or equipment junctures. To prevent this, inspect your plant for such cracks; look over equipment for even the smallest void into which a roach could squeeze; and seal all. In addition, reducing clutter and piles of corrugated boxes will help your prevention efforts. Cockroaches will seek out dark places to harbor, and they love the tiny corrugation spaces in cardboard boxes. Not only do these provide harborage, but the cockroaches also will feed on the glue.

6. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR PROVIDER. Your pest management professional should provide you with recommendations on exclusion and sanitation. Her inspection will reveal existing or potential problem areas that should then be rectified to prevent pest infestation.

While provider inspections will reveal problem areas, that provider is at your plant only periodically. Thus, it is you and your employees who are more likely to see cockroaches or evidence of their presence. Maintain a logbook into which employees are directed to enter any such sightings or concerns, and ensure that this is left for or discussed with your provider at each service — or communicated immediately if needed. Whether you are contracting out for pest management services or have an in-house professional, you should periodically review the service to ensure it is thorough and complete.

7. COMMUNICATE WITH EMPLOYEES. Provider recommendations generally will be made only to a specified manager (although these also should be put in writing and retained in the logbook). Because many of the recommendations will concern a group of workers — e.g., maintenance needs — or even the entire plant staff — e.g., ridding lockers of food — the manager needs to be sure that information flows to all who may have a role in solving the issue. Most people tend to do a better job when they understand why they are doing something, so it is beneficial to explain how their efforts help prevent pest problems and how infestations can adversely affect the plant and its people, not to mention the ultimate consumer.

8. DON'T 'SANITIZE' BAIT PLACEMENTS. Communication also can be critical to ensure that plant efforts are not invalidating provider efforts. For example, for many professionals, cockroach baiting has replaced other treatment methods and is of particular importance in food plants, but  if bait is placed into cracks and crevices in the processing area and your sanitarians powerwash over that crack, the bait will be tainted and no longer attract the roach.

9. THINK LIKE A COCKROACH. While no one expects plant managers or workers to be fully versed in the biology and habits of the cockroach, it can be helpful to have a basic understanding of them. The more you understand about a pest’s biology, the more you can help in the management and prevention process.

10. BE FLEXIBLE. While there are standard Good Manufacturing Practices to be followed in every plant, it must also be remembered that every situation is different, so what is right for one plant, area, pest or time may not be right for another.  QA

The author is staff editor of QA magazine.

Understanding Common Cockroaches Aids in Prevention

While there are thousands of cockroach species around the world, there are only a few that tend to concern U.S. food plants. And having at least a fundamental knowledge of the identification, biology and habits of these species will give the plant manager ammunition to aid in their prevention and management.

The geographic location of your plant will determine, to some extent, the species of most concern, but in general, there are four cockroach species which most often infiltrate structures in the U.S. (Most common cockroach lists include five species. However, the fifth varies significantly by geography, and so our list includes the cross-country top four.)

German. Probably the most common cockroach in the U.S., it is winged, yellowish brown in color, and has two dark brown stripes behind the head. This cockroach prefers moist areas and will feed on almost anything of nutritive value. The female can live for about nine months and produce 140 young. Small in size — about ¾ inch long, the German cockroach can slip into minute cracks, crevices and voids where it will harbor and reproduce. It prefers dark, undisturbed areas, such as behind walls, in pipe chases, steam tunnels and drop ceiling voids, so if this cockroach is seen in the open during the day, it generally means it has been forced out by the existence of a large infestation.

American. Though actually native to Africa, this cockroach now can be found worldwide. The largest of the common structure-infesting cockroaches, it can reach a length of two inches, is reddish brown with a yellowish margin behind the head. With fully developed wings, this cockroach has the ability to fly and will do so — or run rapidly — when disturbed. Because it is so large, the American requires larger areas in which to harbor, and is most common in warehouse areas, boiler rooms, heat tunnels and drains, where in extreme situations it can be found by the thousands. This cockroach feeds primarily on decaying organic matter. Females can live up to 18 months and produce about 430 young.

Oriental. One inch or larger in size, the Oriental is dark brown to almost black with short to non-existent wings. In the southern states, this cockroach can live outdoors year round and come into food plants; in northern states, they are more likely to come in with deliveries — particularly those from southern states. Preferring dark, moist areas, and able to handle colder temperatures than other cockroaches, the Oriental can most often be found in and around drains, wet processing areas, wash areas, damp walls and dumps. Because it feeds on garbage and decaying organic matter, it is often considered to be the filthiest of cockroach species.

Brownbanded. A bit smaller than the German cockroach, the brownbanded is distinguishable by, as its name indicates, two brown bands across its wings. Unlike other species, this cockroach is not necessarily found in warm, damp areas, but prefers drier locations, infesting cabinets, office furniture, floors, walls and ceilings. It is common to find this species in high locations — away from water sources. It will feed on almost anything and is easily spread. In the adult female’s short six-month lifespan, it can reproduce 300 young and will glue its egg cases just about anywhere.