GERMAN COCKROACH
Managing Cockroaches in Business
German cockroaches are prolific breeders who produce three to six generations of offspring per year. Whether you manage a kitchen for a school, restaurant, or food manufacturing facility, you can defeat German cockroaches with the following three strategies.
1. Establish a Low Tolerance Threshold
German cockroaches are human-transmitted pests that are introduced to buildings via cockroach-infested packing materials, produce, and other goods. Employees may inadvertently bring cockroach egg sacs into a commercial kitchen since female German cockroaches are notorious for dropping their eggs in hidden places, including purses, electronics, and clothing.
One German cockroach egg sac (called an ootheca) can carry between 30 and 48 cockroach offspring. Within a few months, the offspring grow up to drop their own eggs all over your kitchen.
Due to their fertile natures, German cockroaches should not be tolerated in a commercial kitchen. If even one German cockroach is observed in your kitchen, establish a baiting and monitoring plan with your pest control company.
If an inspection reveals several German cockroaches in your commercial kitchen, it’s time to monitor and guide workers who are responsible for sanitation and pest control. It’s also time to review recent suppliers and try to assess if vendors are spreading cockroaches.
2. Create a Clear and Complete Document Trail
A professional, complete, legible document trail is a key to defeating German cockroaches using integrated pest management (IPM). Create paper and electronic files for all German cockroach–related procedures.
Develop documentation for the following German cockroach–related IPM strategies:
- Commercial action plan rationale and expected outcome
- Schedule of IPM action-plan tasks
- Calendar of commercial pest control treatments
- Individual inspection checklists for exterior and interior structure
- Daily and per-shift sanitation checklists
- Trap and bait-monitoring checklists
- Photos of cockroaches and infestation evidence
Leading Pest Management technicians will leave a folder and sign off on a company-specific form every time they visit your facility. This crucial documentation shows you comply with local and state health codes.
Your pest control company should also provide information about the types of chemicals they’re using to combat German cockroaches. Ask for copies of the pesticide labels and material safety data sheets (MSDS) for any and all chemical products in use at your facility.
Protect and back up your IPM files to help you assess your eradication efforts over time. You give your commercial kitchen documentation the side benefit of pleasing the health inspector. You’ll receive a better score on your health inspection when your pest control files are detailed and up-to-date.
3. Adapt to German Cockroach Behaviour
Schedule a routine review of your baiting, sanitation, and supplier-related efforts to eradicate German cockroaches. If the number of cockroaches is increasing or staying at the same levels, be ready to adapt your IPM strategies to address their numbers.
Adapt to suspected problems with German cockroach infestations in the following ways:
- Deep clean and sanitise all interior surfaces.
- Increase sanitation schedules of drains.
- Move food and/or garbage storage areas.
- Sequester new shipments of suspected produce and goods.
- Reject contaminated shipments.
- Sequester employees' personal items.
- Require sanitary wear, including shoe covers in food preparation areas.
- Inspect docks for spilled food and beverages.
Be aware that German cockroaches thrive in cardboard. Remove all items from cardboard shipping containers and boxes as soon as the boxes are delivered. Place cardboard boxes in recycling bins located away from your commercial kitchen’s entrances and have you pest manager treat the bins and storge area regularly.
Stop storing pasta, rice, and other dry goods in cardboard cartons and boxes. Replace paper storage bins with sealed plastic or glass containers for dry goods.
Be proactive about defeating German cockroaches in a commercial kitchen.
We work with you and your staff to clean up your professional food-service environment and keep cockroaches from returning to your business in the future.
Experiencing a cockroach infestation? Reach out to us at Leading Pest Management, where we’re dedicated to providing expert guidance and effective eradication solutions tailored to your needs.Call 1800 532 346
