Behavioral responses of German cockroaches (Blattella germanica L.) to gel baits under varying environmental conditions.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Behavioral responses of German cockroaches (Blattella germanica L.) to gel baits under varying environmental conditions.
Συγγραφείς: Lucero IM; Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA., Porras-Villamil JF; Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA., Blevins H; Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA., Lopina A; Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA., Gaire S; Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA., DeVries ZC; Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Πηγή: Pest management science [Pest Manag Sci] 2026 Jul; Vol. 82 (7), pp. 6109-6116. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 10.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Published for SCI by Wiley Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100898744 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1526-4998 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1526498X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Pest Manag Sci Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: West Sussex, UK : Published for SCI by Wiley, c2000-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Blattellidae*/physiology , Insect Control*/methods , Insect Control*/instrumentation, Animals ; Gels ; Environment
Περίληψη: Background: Gel baits are one of the most effective tools for managing German cockroaches (Blattella germanica L.); even so, it remains unclear how German cockroaches locate baits. To investigate bait perception by German cockroaches, we evaluated differences in trap catch after applying cockroach gel baits onto glue traps and placing these baited traps at various distances away from both harborages and arena walls in large (110 cm) diameter still-air arenas. In addition, we modified various environmental factors (access to food/water, harborage size) and evaluated the impacts of these modifications on trap catch. Mortality assays were also conducted under a similar design, with baits placed directly into arenas rather than on glue traps.
Results: German cockroaches were unable to detect baits placed 8 cm or farther from the harborage and arena walls, as indicated by a lack of difference in trap catch in traps with and without baits. However, trap catch increased significantly when traps were placed closer to the harborage, when German cockroaches were deprived of food and water, and when harborage size was reduced. In mortality assays, German cockroaches died at a faster rate when baits were placed near the harborages, when cockroaches were starved, and when harborage size was reduced.
Conclusions: Given the addition of baits had no effect on trap catch while other environmental modifications did, cockroaches do not appear capable of locating baits when more than 8 cm away. Further, increased mortality in arenas with baits placed closer to harborages (8 cm vs. 30 cm) supports a lack of attraction over distances >8 cm. When considering current pest management practices, it is critical that cockroach bait programs focus on placing baits near harborages and foraging paths, increasing the number of bait applications points, and removing competing food and water. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
(© 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.)
References: Lee C‐Y and Wang C, German cockroach infestations in the world and their social and economic impacts, in Biology and Management of the German Cockroach, ed. by Wang C, Lee C and Rust MK. CSIRO Publishing, Australia (2021).
Schal C and DeVries Z, Public health and veterinary importance, in Biology and Management of the German Cockroach, ed. by Rust CWC‐YLMK. CSIRO Publishing, Australia (2021).
Roth LM and Willis ER, The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches. Smithsonian, Washington (1960).
Rosenstreich DL, Eggleston P, Kattan M, Baker D, Slavin RG, Gergen P et al., The role of cockroach allergy and exposure to cockroach allergen in causing morbidity among inner‐city children with asthma. N Engl J Med 336:1356–1363 (1997).
Gruchalla RS, Pongracic J, Plaut M, Evans R, Visness CM, Walter M et al., Inner city asthma study: relationships among sensitivity, allergen exposure, and asthma morbidity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 115:478–485 (2005).
Schal C, Cockroaches, in Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 10th edn, ed. by Moreland SAHD. Mallis Handbook LLC, Cleveland Ohio, pp. 150–290 (2011).
Arbes SJ, Sever M, Mehta J, Gore JC, Schal C, Vaughn B et al., Abatement of cockroach allergens (Bla g 1 and Bla g 2) in low‐income, urban housing: month 12 continuation results. J Allergy Clin Immunol 113:109–114 (2004).
Rabito FA, Carlson JC, He H, Werthmann D and Schal C, A single intervention for cockroach control reduces cockroach exposure and asthma morbidity in children. J Allergy Clin Immunol 140:565–570 (2017).
Cochran DG, Monitoring for insecticide resistance in field‐collected strains of the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). J Econ Entomol 82:336–341 (1989).
Wei Y, Appel AG, Moar WJ and Liu N, Pyrethroid resistance and cross‐resistance in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L). Pest Manag Sci 57:1055–1059 (2001).
Wu X and Appel AG, Insecticide resistance of several field‐collected German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) strains. J Econ Entomol 110:1203–1209 (2017).
Gondhalekar AD, Song C and Scharf ME, Development of strategies for monitoring indoxacarb and gel bait susceptibility in the German cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae). Pest Manag Sci 67:262–270 (2011).
Chai RY and Lee CY, Insecticide resistance profiles and synergism in field populations of the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) from Singapore. J Econ Entomol 103:460–471 (2010).
DeVries ZC, Santangelo RG, Crissman J, Suazo A, Kakumanu ML and Schal C, Pervasive resistance to pyrethroids in German cockroaches (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) related to lack of efficacy of total release foggers. J Econ Entomol 112:2295–2301 (2019).
Fardisi M, Gondhalekar AD and Scharf ME, Development of diagnostic insecticide concentrations and assessment of insecticide susceptibility in German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) field strains collected from public housing. J Econ Entomol 110:1210–1217 (2017).
Wang C and Bennett GW, Comparative study of integrated pest management and baiting for German cockroach management in public housing. J Econ Entomol 99:879–885 (2006).
Sever ML, Arbes JSJ, Gore JC, Santangelo RG, Vaughn B, Mitchell H et al., Cockroach allergen reduction by cockroach control alone in low‐income urban homes: a randomized control trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 120:849–855 (2007).
Miller DM and Smith EP, Quantifying the efficacy of an assessment‐based pest management (APM) program for German cockroach (L.) (Blattodea: Blattellidae) control in low‐income public housing units. J Econ Entomol 113:375–384 (2020).
Miller DM and Meek F, Cost and efficacy comparison of integrated pest management strategies with monthly spray insecticide applications for German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) control in public housing. J Econ Entomol 97:559–569 (2004).
Nalyanya G, Gore JC, Linker HM and Schal C, German cockroach allergen levels in North Carolina schools: comparison of integrated Pest management and conventional cockroach control. J Med Entomol 46:420–427 (2009).
Buczkowski G, Kopanic RJ Jr and Schal C, Transfer of ingested insecticides among cockroaches: effects of active ingredient, bait formulation, and assay procedures. J Econ Entomol 94:1229–1236 (2001).
Hamilton JA, Wada‐Katsumata A and Schal C, Cockroaches as trojan horses for control of cockroach aggregations with baits. J Econ Entomol 116:529–537 (2023).
Buczkowski G, Scherer CW and Bennett GW, Horizontal transfer of bait in the German cockroach: indoxacarb causes secondary and tertiary mortality. J Econ Entomol 101:894–901 (2008).
Lucero IM, Gaire S, and DeVries ZC, Understanding the effects of age, environmental conditions, and placement on cockroach gel bait performance. J Econ Entomol 118:1850–1867 (2023).
Williams GM, Linker HM, Waldvogel MG, Leidy RB and Schal C, Comparison of conventional and integrated pest management programs in public schools. J Econ Entomol 98:1275–1283 (2005).
Nalyanya G, Liang D, Kopanic RJ Jr and Schal C, Attractiveness of insecticide baits for cockroach control (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae): laboratory and field studies. J Econ Entomol 94:686–693 (2001).
Durier V and Rivault C, Improvement of German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) population control by fragmented distribution of gel baits. J Econ Entomol 96:1254–1258 (2003).
González‐Morales MA, DeVries ZC, Santangelo RG, Kakumanu ML and Schal C, Multiple mechanisms confer fipronil resistance in the German cockroach: enhanced detoxification and Rdl mutation. J Econ Entomol 59:1721–1731 (2022).
Berthold R and Wilson BR, Resting behavior of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica. Ann Entomol Soc Am 60:347–351 (1967).
Schal C, Gautier JY and Bell WJ, Behavioural ecology of cockroaches. Biol Rev 59:209–254 (1984).
Silverman J, Adult German cockroach (orthoptera: Blattellidae) feeding and drinking behavior as a function of density and harborage‐to‐resource distance. Environ Entomol 15:198–204 (1986).
Cloarec A and Rivault C, Age‐related changes in foraging in the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). J Insect Behav 4:661–673 (1991).
Appel AG and Rust MK, Management using baits, in Biology and Management of the German Cockroach, ed. by Wang C, Lee C‐Y and Rust MK. CSIRO Publishing, Australia (2021).
Shahraki G and Farashiani ME, Comparison of slow and fast action gel baits for pest management of Blattella germanica (German cockroach) infestation in housing. Asian Biomed 10:55–59 (2016).
Durier V and Rivault C, Learning and foraging efficiency in German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.) (Insecta: Dictyoptera). Anim Cogn 3:139–145 (2000).
Schal C and Hamilton RL, Integrated suppression of synanthropic cockroaches. J Ann Rev Entomol 35:521–551 (1990).
Zha C, Wang C, Eiden A, Cooper R and Wang D, Spatial distribution of German cockroaches in a high‐rise apartment building during building‐wide integrated pest management. J Econ Entomol 112:2302–2310 (2019).
Schal C, Relation among efficacy of insecticides, resistance levels, and sanitation in the control of the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). J Econ Entomol 81:536–544 (1988).
Grant Information: KYHHU0061-20 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Healthy Homes program; KYHHU0090-24 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Healthy Homes program; The Bill Gatton Foundation; Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station; 7010213 U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: German cockroach; attraction; baiting; behavior; control; detection
Substance Nomenclature: 0 (Gels)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260311 Date Completed: 20260610 Latest Revision: 20260610
Update Code: 20260611
DOI: 10.1002/ps.70694
PMID: 41807327
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
Περιγραφή
ISSN:1526-4998
DOI:10.1002/ps.70694