NONCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO COCKROACH CONTROL

Cockroaches require access to air, food, water, and a protected harbor age for survival and reproduction. Access to food and water can be red uced by sanitation and proper construction practices but probably cann ot be removed entirely. Harborages also can be modified or possibly el iminated from small areas if they can be identified. Harborage prefere nces are specific and influenced by harborage size and other abiotic f actors, as well as by the presence of con-and heterospecifics. For exa mple, all stages of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), we re repelled from preferred areas by air velocities of 0.5-4.0 m/s. In an experiment with a cockroach-infested simulated kitchen cabinet, Ger man cockroaches were moved from a preferred location with an air veloc ity of 4.75 m/s. The use of flowing air to repel cockroaches could be a useful noninsecticidal tool for German cockroach control. Harborage removal or modification by use of air could be an important new tactic in cockroach management systems.