The most common cockroach pests in the northeast include American, Oriental and German cockroaches. Each of these three species are difficult to eliminate from the homes, but unlike the American and Oriental species, the German cockroach dwells primarily indoors, making them particularly difficult to eradicate from infested homes. All three of these roach species have also developed a resistance to most insecticides, especially the German cockroach. It should not be surprising to learn that German cockroaches are more resistant to insecticides than other roach species, as German cockroaches are exposed to insecticides far more often than other species by virtue of their indoor habitat. Insecticide resistance has long been an issue when it comes to cockroach control, but in recent years certain non-chemical cockroach control measures have been developed, some of which have been adopted by most pest control firms.

While baits contain synthesized chemicals, they are generally considered less harmful to the environment than insecticide sprays. Baits contain food, or artificial food that is appetizing to roaches, as well as chemicals that are deadly to roaches, but will not immediately kill them. Once bait is eaten by an individual roach, it excretes contaminated urine and feces that are consumed by other roaches, eventually killing large numbers within infested homes. Heat treatments are also used to kill indoor roach pests, but baits and other pest control methods are often used in combination with high heat. After two hours of continuous heat flow into a home, cockroaches leave their harborages in panicked effort to establish cooler shelter elsewhere. When this occurs, pest control professionals use a heavy duty vacuum to remove roaches that congregate in cooler areas within homes. The Lil’ Hummer model is the most common pest control vacuumed used by professionals, and it contains a HEPA filter to reduce indoor cockroach allergens and a high-temperature shut-off switch. Pest control vacuums are also used to remove cockroach feces, egg cases and shed skins.

Have you ever seen a pest control professional use a vacuum to remove insects from a home?