Size: About 1/2-inch in length.  Color: Brown.

It is recognized by the two dark, longitudinal stripes on the "shield" at the front of the body under which the head is located.

The German cockroach is the most prolific breeder among all cockroaches. Each egg capsule can contain up to 40 eggs and development from egg to adult can occur in as little as 45 days. Like all cockroaches, it is omnivorous and will eat virtually anything people will and many things we won't.

In homes, this pest will first locate itself in bathrooms and the kitchen, as close as possible to food and moisture sources. It spends about 80 percent of its time resting in cracks and voids. It is usually located in areas such as kitchen cabinets, dresser drawers, clothes hanging rods in closets, and bathroom vanities.

Control of German cockroaches can be achieved with traditional insecticides, but you will probably get better results using baits and pheromone traps.  It requires persistence, patience, and sanitary conditions. Maxforce Gel Roach Bait and Avert Roach Gel has had great success in controlling German roaches in many different situations. Both are labeled to be used in homes, nursing homes, restaurants, hospitals and apartments. It is very safe around pets and children and the purchase of this bait requires no special license, either to buy or apply it.

Max Force Gel Roach Bait comes in an easy to use 60 gm. plastic syringe. This amount should be sufficient to bait an average size home, depending on the size and extent of the infestation. For best results, many different bait placements, about the size of a pea, should be put in all suspected roach harborage sites. After each placement move about 10 inches before applying the next pea. It is very important not to use any insecticides during the baiting program. The insecticides contaminate the bait, making it unappetizing for the roaches to eat. 

Maxforce Magnum Roach Gel Bait is the latest and greatest from Bayer. Claimed to be the most powerful cockroach bait gel ever.
Whether cockroaches eat it, touch it or share it, Maxforce FC Magnum kills more roaches faster than any other single product. There's no advance preparation required and no odor. Click here to find out more information about Maxforce FC Magnum.

Siege Gel Bait comes in a revolutionary Pressurized Baiting System, Just pull the trigger and out comes the perfect application of the proven 2.0% Hydramethylnon formula. Bait right where you want it - even in hard to reach areas. 

• 100% kill of roaches in 7 days
• Keeps roaches away for up to 6 months
• Large 120-gram size delivers as much bait as four 30 gram syringes

For increased control, use and apply several Maxforce FC Bait Stations to areas where roaches are hiding.  Also, place and utilize the Victor Pheromone Sticky Traps to catch and monitor your roach populations.  Applying Maxforce Granular to wall voids, under refrigerators, stoves, or under cabinets, may also be effective. 
 

Use a clean White Crusader for applying your Maxforce Bait granules into tight spots, cracks, crevices, or voids.    

Bait application sites include but do not exclude the following:

• In, under and around cabinets.
• Along all plumbing lines.
• In, under and around all electric appliances including refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers, microwaves, coffee pots, tv's, radios and computers. A pea should also be placed on top of each electrical wall plug.
• On the bottom of drawers, and any other suspected roach harborage site.

For one of our German Roach Kits, Click Here

Maxforce's exclusive Domino Effect delayed killing action enables one contaminated roach to kill many others where they live and breed. A foraging roach is guaranteed to receive a lethal dose from a single feeding, but lives long enough to return to the harborage where its poisoned feces are consumed by other roaches. Gel adheres to any clean surface at any angle-flat or vertical or inverted. It has USDA authorization for use in federally inspected meat and poultry plants, and it may be used in residential food processing areas without covering food preparation surfaces during treatment.

Use it in occupied rooms of hospitals, nursing homes, and extended care facilities. Apply it as a spot or crack/crevice treatment for the indoor and outdoor control of cockroaches in residential areas and the non-food/non-feed areas of institutional, warehousing and commercial establishments, including warehouses, restaurants, food processing plants, supermarkets, hospitals, motels, hotels, schools, laboratories, and many more facilities.

The application rate is dependent on level of infestation. Bait can be applied as spots or as a bead in cracks and crevices. Place bait near the cockroaches' harborages, food and water sources. Usual places for bait placements are in dark, warm and damp areas. As a general rule, smaller, more frequent gel applications are more effective than fewer, larger placements.

In kitchens, apply gel to:

• Drawers- Alongside the interior of the door frame
• Cupboards- Underneath selected cupboards where frame meets wall
• Counter- Underneath counter where sink is located
• Fume Hood- Along the inside rear corner of hood (ensure no gel will drip onto stove top)
• Sink- Alongside pipe collar where drainpipe enters wall
• Floor- under baseboards, or under cabinets and vanities

In bathrooms, apply gel to:

• Toilet- Alongside toilet where it meets the floor (if its not caulked)
• Toilet- Behind inlet pipe collar
• Cabinets and vanities- Behind mirrors, behind or under cabinets, alongside where the vanity meets the wall
• Sink- Alongside pipe collar where drainpipe enters the wall
• Sink- Upward angle into the overflow drain
• Shower- Behind pipe collars and areas not properly sealed or caulked
• Medicine Cabinet- Inside interior vents

Application Tip: If you have depressed the plunger more than necessary, and you are getting an excessive amount of gel, you can simply pull back slightly on the plunger to reverse the suction.

NEVER SPRAY insecticides over bait placements or on newly sprayed surfaces, because it would contaminate the bait. Temperature ranges should be between 10-120 degrees F. Reapply the bait, when bait is no longer visibly present, according to the remaining level of infestation, which is generally at a lower rate than the initial treatment. You should start to see results in 3-4 days, with elimination in 3-4 weeks.. if you reapply the bait in areas that they are consuming the bait. So visibly inspect and monitor the bait placements. The inert protein source found in the bait as the attractant is very irresistible. It is the #1 choice by professionals. Packaged in a 60 gram pre filled dispenser.

This sample diagram of an average kitchen, displays some common areas where you can apply Maxforce Roach Gel
as well as Maxforce Roach Bait Stations.

Victor Pheromone Sticky Traps can be used for monitoring purposes.  You can move them around to try and
locate most of your activity or to see how you are progressing.  If you are seeing fewer and fewer roaches in
 your traps, you are probably making headway in that area!

Additional Tips for Control –

Cockroaches require plenty of food, water, and shelter in order to thrive. Limiting any one of these necessities makes it more difficult for cockroach populations to become established and escalate in size.

The following steps are helpful in preventing and limiting cockroach infestations:

• Inspect all incoming food goods, boxes, and used furniture and appliances for the presence of cockroaches or their egg capsules. Remove any cockroaches or egg capsules using a vacuum or otherwise killing the insects.
• In commercial facilities, avoid storing food items in cardboard boxes on shelves. Cardboard is a preferred harborage site for cockroaches.
• In homes, do not store paper bags under the sink or elsewhere in the kitchen. Store bags in the garage or room other than the kitchen, utility room, or bathrooms.
• Seal holes or cracks around plumbing pipes under sinks, behind toilets, etc.
• Regularly vacuum and clean floors under kitchen appliances.