QUESTION:

I am having problems with German roaches inside Espresso coffee machines. I have used Maxforce gel but it's too slow and I need a faster effect and action to control this problem in the machines. Can I use Advion gel or Arena bait with Gentrol Point Source and place the Point Source and Advion gel or Arena inside the espresso machines, or better on the outside wall of them? What do you recomend for better and faster control results? Also, do these baits or the Gentrol have any kind of odor that the coffee could absorb and affect the taste?

ANSWER:

The Label is my Master here, and a look at the Advion Cockroach Bait Arena label finds that it is labeled for use "around" or "under or near" appliances, and it does not have instructions allowing it to be used within the appliance itself. The wording is similar on the Advion Gel label, calling for it to be applied "behind and under" appliances, and goes further to warn that it should NOT be used where the temperatures exceed 120 degrees, as this could cause it to liquefy and become ineffective (and probably run as well). In either case the MSDS for these products describes the odor as "bland" or "faint", which suggests that a transfer of vapors from the bait to food is unlikely. But, it would appear that these baits should be used ONLY on the areas outside of the machines and not even on the machine itself.

Gentrol Point Source also has restrictive wording on its Label, allowing its use "a minimum distance of 3 feet from exposed food", so using it in, on, or adjacent to the espresso machines would be prohibited. However, the nature of the hydroprene emitted from these discs is to move outward for several feet in all directions, redepositing onto surfaces around the disc itself. You do not need to place it any closer to the machines for the active ingredient to get to and affect the roaches.

Treating directly into food machinery is a dicey thing to do. There is just too much of a chance that insecticide will end up on the food contact surfaces themselves, particularly if you are shooting blind by injecting the material from the outside through openings to the interior of the machine. You also do not know what kinds of electronics are inside these machines today, and I will just bet that there are mother boards and electronic circuitry in them, and any pesticide landing on these sensitive devices will ruin them.

A much better recommendation, and your customer is not going to want to hear it, is to have a qualified technician OPEN the machines, thoroughly clean them and remove the roaches physically (a vacuum), and then do whatever is necessary to seal off entry points after the cleaning so that roaches no longer can get into the machines. I know this sounds a lot tougher and more expensive than just "spraying something", but it is the best course of action. Even allowing the roaches to get into these food processing devices and hoping to kill them inside is asking for problems. Not only does this allow these filthy, disgusting, pathogen-ridden vermin (was that a little harsh?......sorry) to reside where food is made, but their feces, shed exoskeletons, or dead insects can also land on electronic circuitry or into the food materials themselves and shut the whole thing down.

I suggest this cleaning and subsequent exclusion to prevent roaches from re-entering the espresso machines. You can then determine where the other potential harborage sites near these machines will be and treat them with baits or residual sprays, or just seal them up permanently to push the roaches even further away. Ultimately this will make the customer a lot happier than trying to keep the battle in the most sensitive place in the account - within the coffee machines themselves.

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