[Pest Management] Cockroach Q&A

Q: What are the greatest challenges in controlling cockroaches in food plants?

A. The very processes of the food industry and sheer size of many of its facilities can provide almost unlimited food and harborage for many cockroach species. Adding to the challenge is the complexity of the structures, the continuous arrival of incoming raw materials and the ongoing need for structural maintenance, particularly in older plants that may have cracks, voids or other structural flaws, said Whitmire Micro-Gen Marketing Manager Nick Tresslar.

Because there are so many conducive places for cockroaches to hide and survive, said MGK Entomologist Raj Saran, it can be challenging “to control the cockroaches without disrupting the operations and compromising the safety of food products and employees, (and) to stop the re-infestation and population build ups.”

“There’s usually an abundance of alternative food sources available,” explained Bayer Environmental Science Market Manager Gordon Morrison. “And because insecticide baits are the best choice for control, most facilities contain a variety of competing food sources.”

It is for these very reasons that attention to detail and a close working relationship between plant QA personnel and the pest management professional are especially critical in cockroach control, said Bill Kolbe, Market Development Specialist for BASF. “The more active the food plant is and the more activity (there is) in operations make it paramount to have an intense pest management program in place.” The best approach, Kolbe said, is to utilize the HACCP concept. That is, follow the product and product support flow into and through the facility until the finished product leaves the plant. The pest management professional and QA manager should jointly inspect and develop cockroach monitoring and abatement systems. Should cockroaches be seen or become established, elimination methods will need to be accomplished quickly during an operational shutdown of the infested area. 

Convincing all plant personnel that they have a role in pest management can be a challenge in food plants, added Ehrlich Pest Control Technical Entomologist Chad Gore. Following through on pest management professional recommendations for sanitation and structural repairs is a critical element in attaining and maintaining cockroach control.

Q: Where would cockroaches most often be found? How can this be prevented?

A: “Cockroaches are going to be found as close as possible to food, water and shelter,” Morrison said. “They won’t travel far if they can find everything they need to survive in a relatively small environment.” 

However, Gore added, “cockroaches can be found just about anywhere in any facility even with minimum life requirements.” Thus a thorough inspection of all areas — even where food is never found — is critical to attaining complete control.

There are several species of cockroaches that may become established in a food plant and each is attracted to different areas:

• American cockroaches are usually found in hot, humid, dark areas, and they can come into a plant from the outside through sewers and drainpipes.
• German cockroaches can live almost anywhere in a food plant. Because they are completely reliant on humans for subsistence, they have to be brought in, and may hitch a ride into your plant on delivery items or employee belongings.
• Oriental cockroaches prefer dark, damp areas, such as crawlspaces and wall voids. They are generally found outdoors, but will enter structures especially during dry seasons.
• Asian roaches look like German cockroaches, but live outdoors in southern climates. They may come into plants near well-lit areas when doors are left open.
• Smoky brown cockroaches are primarily found outdoors but may be attracted to food plant areas with any decaying organic material.

Facility maintenance for exclusion, comprehensive sanitation and careful inspection and monitoring are keys to preventing the establishment of cockroach populations in a food plant, Tresslar said.

In addition to eliminating cockroach harborage areas, the sealing of cracks and crevices can reduce the amount of pesticide required and save time on future pest management professional visits, Morrison added. Keeping the facility as clean as possible and storing food products in roach-proof containers also will help to eliminate alternative food and water sources.

Q: What cockroach-conducive conditions are most often found in food plants? How can these be prevented?

A: “The most cockroach-conducive conditions are created by alternative food and water sources, which in most food plants is impossible to eliminate,” Morrison said. “The heat and moisture generated by food processing equipment creates ideal spots for cockroaches to live and allows them to reproduce quickly.” However, he added, sanitation, containment of food sources, and sealing of cracks and crevices will help food plants reduce cockroach problems. 

A cockroach-conducive condition can be any area that enables a cockroach to successfully hide, feed or reproduce, Kolbe said. This includes areas which provide food through spillage, or are unsanitary due to improper cleaning or failure to deep clean. “Food plants need to shut down when possible to conduct deep cleaning and pest audits in areas that are normally not accessible to the pest management professional to inspect or plant personnel to clean,” he added.

“It is also important to realize that cockroaches can be transferred to different areas of a food plant,” Gore said. Expanding populations will seek out new harborage or food sources and they can be easily transferred on equipment or product.

Q: How important is delivery inspection in cockroach control?

A: Inspection of incoming goods is very important, Tresslar said, explaining, “If you reduce the introduction of the cockroaches, you can limit the problems.”

Although such inspections can be very time consuming and labor intensive, they can be done and are worth the effort, Kolbe said. Some recommendations for inspection include:

• Inspect materials before they are delivered into the plant, whenever possible. This can be done by plant personnel performing a visual inspection before the product is loaded onto the loading docks. If this is not possible due to volume of material, lots of similar products should be spot checked.
• Consider requiring your suppliers to place glueboards in their conveyance containers prior to shipping. Two in front and two in back are easily checked for cockroaches and mice when the doors are open. If pests are found, immediately reject the shipment and inform the vendor. If the shipment cannot be returned consider options to eliminate any pests, such as fumigation.
• Once incoming goods are brought into the plant, maintaining a first in/first out rotation policy will help to keep an infestation from building, as even a few cockroaches brought in will multiply quickly, Morrison added.
• “Inspection at each delivery point and keeping a record of chain of custody is very important because cockroaches get into the food plants as nymphs, adults or as eggs in boxes, bags or other supplies,” Saran said, adding that proper record keeping helps in pinpointing the recurring sources of infestations.

Q: What types of products can be used in food plants?

A: Because of the sensitive and regulatory nature of the food processing industry, pest management must be Integrated Pest Management (IPM) based. Products must be EPA-registered for use in food plants and labeled for food preparation areas. (Before using any product, read and follow all label directions.) Glueboards and monitors are industry standards in monitoring for pest activity, and baits along with insect growth regulators and residual insecticides can be used to eliminate infestations. Insecticide dusts can also be used in wall voids and switch plates to prevent harborage. 

Insect monitors or sticky traps also can help to identify problem areas; and baits are ideal for sensitive areas, Morrison said, because less pesticide is applied; stations can provide longer residual control by protecting the bait from dust, dirt and moisture; they can be monitored for bait consumption (cockroach activity); and they are easily moved if needed.

An IPM approach integrating prevention, monitoring and alteration of habitat proves to be very successful in food plants, Saran said.

Q: What can plant employees do to aid cockroach management efforts?

A: “The most important thing is to communicate any cockroach sightings that occur,” Morrison said. Plants should designate a facility contact person. He or she would be notified if a pest problem is found and is responsible for keeping a record of all pest sightings and communicating with the pest management professional.

Communication also is critical to ensure that the pest management professional is aware of and understands all plant-specific, as well as government-regulated, rules and restrictions within the plant, Gore said. In addition, he said, “the greatest thing (employees) can do is ensure that proper sanitation is being followed.”

“Be vigilant,” Tresslar said. This is especially applicable in facility maintenance for exclusion, sanitation, and documenting and reporting of problems.

“Everyone in the plant needs to have a role in pest management, and the pest management professional can help tremendously by putting on training on cockroach control,” Kolbe said. A plant should have its pest management professional provide in-service training to open dialogue and create a pest management partnership.

In addition, Kolbe said, pest sightings should always be immediately reported to a designated person and recorded in a pest sighting logbook, with complete detail, so the pest management professional can have a more accurate location of the pest activity.

Gore agrees with the importance of both specific descriptions of pest sighting locations and employee training. The more employees know about pests and pest management, such as being able to correctly identify the pest as a cockroach or beetle and understanding why sanitation is essential, the better control a plant will have.

“Proper training in identification and monitoring can help in implementing the prevention and control program more efficiently,” Saran added, noting that “Trained employees can help in monitoring and keeping records of the cockroach population build-up, identifying different species and their movement in different parts of the building.”

Q: What else is important for food plant managers or employees to know about cockroach control in plants?

A: As the most common pests to infest food-handling establishments, cockroaches are not only a nuisance, they are a serious public health pest, Morrison said.

“They travel through filthy environments, picking up disease-causing organisms and transmitting germs associated with food-borne illnesses such as (salmonellosis), diarrhea and food poisoning. In sensitive food-handling areas, fast control of cockroaches is essential to preventing the spread of disease.” Therefore, he added, preventing infestations is key.

Cockroaches can be eliminated in food plants, Kolbe said, and while there are effective, low-impact products, “there is no silver bullet and it does take a coordinated and partnered approach.” Plant management and the pest management professional must work together, communicate regularly and audit the pest management program at least annually.

Any prevention and control program needs serious cooperation of the plant managers and employees and the pest management professional, Saran said. “It is a joint effort and cannot be left up to the pest control company alone.”
 Everyone has a role in preventing a cockroach infestation, Gore said. The more a cockroach’s basic needs of food, water and shelter are denied through sanitation and exclusion, the more stressed the cockroach will become; the more stressed it is, the more susceptible it will be to the active ingredients in the baits and pesticides.

“It is a continuous battle,” Tresslar said. “So you cannot let your guard down.”

The author is staff editor of QA magazine.