Impact Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 21)

Defeating Resistant Roaches defeating resistant roaches he German cockroach, one of the most common and hated household pests, is winning the war against some of the newest insecticides and baits. “Whatever you throw at them, they have an amazing ability to quickly adapt and overcome adversity,” said Phil Koehler, a professor of entomology with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “We know that they have developed resistance to many of the most widely used insecticides, and now they are turning up their noses at baits, including some that were very effective just a few years ago.” He said the bait-avoidance problem was first noticed about five years ago in Florida, where the state’s warm climate is ideal for roaches, and in recent months has spread to other states as far north as Michigan. “In Florida, pest control operators say that 60 percent of their customers have German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) that are refusing to eat most commercial baits, indicating there is something in the baits that roaches do not like,” he said. Koehler and Barbara Bayer, a graduate research assistant in UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, are working with pest control operators and product manufacturers to develop and test more effective baits for the German cockroach. “It’s the roach that gives all other cockroaches a bad name,” Koehler said. “It’s also the most common cockroach species in homes, apartments, restaurants, hotels and other institutions in the United news updates T States and in most parts of the civilized world.” As a result of their research, new bait products designed for use by pest control operators have been shown to kill cockroaches that are refusing to eat existing baits, and the UF researchers are monitoring their effectiveness. The new products are Advion roach bait manufactured by Dupont, Max Force FC Select roach bait made by Bayer Environmental Sciences and Advance roach bait from Whitmire Micro-Gen Laboratories Inc. “It remains to be seen how long these new products will be effective,” said Bayer, who is not affiliated with the bait manufacturer. “Ten years ago, German cockroaches began avoiding baits that contained glucose sugar, and now they are developing an ability to avoid other ingredients in some of the newest baits on the market. We need to learn more about which chemicals they like and do not like.” “Often measured in weeks, the roach’s rapid reproductive cycle allows the pest’s population to double every two weeks,” Koehler said. “One female roach and her offspring can produce more than 100 million roaches in a year. Female roaches only need to mate once to lay eggs for the rest of their lives. And, if they are able to avoid baits, then you’ve got a real serious roach problem in no time.” Koehler, who directs UF’s Urban Entomology Laboratory, said cockroaches are one of the toughest insects on the planet, and some are capable of living for a month without food or staying alive without their head for up to a week. They can also survive under water for about 45 minutes. Besides avoiding certain chemicals in baits, roaches leave chemical trails in their feces, and other cockroaches follow these trails to discover sources of food, water and hiding places, Koehler said. “Based upon this research, we might be able to develop new techniques for controlling cockroaches,” he said. “It might be possible to get rid of them by leaving a chemical trail that leads them away from the home.” n – chuck woods For more information, contact: phil koehler (352) 392-2484 pgk@ufl.edu Phil Koehler, left, and Barbara Bayer, check the effectiveness of different bait pest control products on German cockroaches in a laboratory experiment. uf/ifas file photo IMPACT | Spring 2008 21

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Impact Magazine - Spring 2008

Impact Magazine - Spring 2008 Contents A Big Boost for Biofuels Top Priority Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture Eliminating the Evil Weevil Invasive Pest Defeating Resistant Roaches Biodiesel Boon User-Friendly Updates for FAWN Flat-Out Great for the Grill! Laser Labeling Cashing in on Caviar Saving Water with Soil-Moisture Sensors Spotlight IFAS Development News

Impact Magazine - Spring 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.