The Cost of IPM for German Cockroach Control in Public Housing
PI(s): Miller, Dini M
Investigators:
Abstract: The long-term costs and efficacy of two treatment methods (traditional pesticide spray applications and IPM) for German cockroach control were compared in a Virginia Public Housing facility. The results idicated that the cost of IPM was significantly greater than that of the spray applications with the majority of the cost being attributed to technician time. However, the efficacy of IPM was als signficantly greater. Cockroach trap catch in the IPM treatment was signficantly reduced by month 4 and the populations remained supressed for thrououth the year. Trap catch in the apartments that received monthly spray applications tripled during the sumer months and were not reduced at any time during the study.
Description:
The long-term costs and efficacy of two treatment methodologies for German cockroach control were compared in the public housing environment. The "traditional" treatment for German cockroaches consisted of monthly baseboard and crack and crevice treatment (TBCC) using spray and dust formulation insecticides. The integrated pest management treatment (IPM) involved initial vacuuming of apartments followed by monthly or quarterly applications of baits and insect growth regulator devices. Cockroach populations in the IPM treatment were also monitored with sticky traps. Technician time and the amount of product applied were used to measure cost in both treatments. Twenty-four hour sticky trap catch was used as an indicator of treatment efficacy. The cost of the IPM treatment was found to be significantly greater than the traditional treatment, particularly at the initiation of the test. In the first month (clean-out), the average cost per apartment unit was $14.60, while the average cost of a TBCC unit was $2.75. In the second month of treatment, the average cost of IPM was still significantly greater than the TBCC cost. However, after Month 4 the cost of the two treatments was no longer significantly different because many of the IPM apartments were moved to a quarterly treatment schedule. To evaluate the long-term costs of the two treatments over the entire year, technician time and product quantities were averaged over all units treated within the 12-month test period (total 600 units per treatment). The average per unit cost of the IPM treatment was ($4.06). The average IPM cost was significantly greater than that of the TBCC treatment at $1.50 per unit. While the TBCC was significantly less expensive than the IPM treatment, it was also less effective. Trap catch data indicated that the TBCC treatment had little if any effect on the cockroach populations over the course of the year. Cockroach populations in the TBCC treatment remained steady for the first 5 months of the test then had a 3-fold increase during the summer months. Cockroach populations in the IPM treatment were significantly reduced from an average of 24.7 cockroaches per unit prior to treatment to an average 3.9 cockroaches per unit in Month 4. The suppressed cockroach populations (< 5 per unit) in the IPM treatment remained constant for the remaining 8 months of the test.
Commodities:
Resources:
Disciplines: Urban
Audiences: Environmental Groups, Extension Agents, Government Agencies, Graduate Students, Homeowners, Local Governments, Prospective Students, Researchers, Teachers, Undergraduates
