In the early 80s we were evaluating a new cockroach control product in a high-rise housing project. Cockroach populations were high even though the apartment we were in was squeaky clean. The three small children that shared a twin bed there looked different to me but I wasnt sure why. Dr. Frishman pointed out that they didnt have any eye brows or lashes and then he exposed thousands of roaches hiding behind the head board. Some things you never forget. In my view, having Paul Bello, an industry expert himself with years of practical experience, team up with Dr. Cockroach makes The Cockroach Combat Manual II a must read because cockroach control is deserving of our best efforts.

As a species, the German cockroach is one of the most widespread indoor urban pests worldwide. While numerous products have been developed to control their spread, German cockroaches continue to contaminate food, transmit disease and cause significant, long-term economic expense to homes, restaurants, hospitals and more. Biology and Management of the German Cockroach summarises the many advances in management technology, products, delivery systems, and basic and applied research over the past 25 years. Leading researchers explain why the German cockroach is a medically important pest and how its microbiome can provide new insights on cockroach physiology and potential novel targets for control. The authors also address the research from a practical standpoint, detailing why baits have replaced sprays as the primary method of control and how population genetic studies allow for better understanding of cockroach dispersal and population structure. Leading experts on integrated pest management (IPM) explore how studies on German cockroach control programs demonstrate the value and feasibility of IPM in urban environments. This book provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the German cockroach and will be a valuable reference for researchers, graduate students, pest management professionals, health workers and government agencies dealing with urban pests and pesticides.

"Over 400 practical bed bug tips!"--Cover.

Skittering figures of urban legend—and a ubiquitous reality—cockroaches are nearly as abhorred as they are ancient. Even as our efforts to exterminate them have developed into ever more complex forms of chemical warfare, roaches’ basic design of six legs, two hypersensitive antennae, and one set of voracious mandibles has persisted unchanged for millions of years. But as Richard Schweid shows in The Cockroach Papers, while some species of these evolutionary superstars do indeed plague our kitchens and restaurants, exacerbate our asthma, and carry disease, our belief in their total villainy is ultimately misplaced. Traveling from New York City to Louisiana, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Morocco, Schweid blends stories of his own squirm-inducing roach encounters with meticulous research to spin a tale both humorous and harrowing. As he investigates roaches’ more nefarious interactions with our species—particularly with those of us living at the margins of society—Schweid also explores their astonishing diversity, how they mate, what they’ll eat, and what we’ve written about them (from Kafka and Nelson Algren to archy and mehitabel). Knowledge soon turns into respect, and Schweid looks beyond his own fears to arrive at an uncomfortable truth: We humans are no more peaceful, tidy, or responsible about taking care of the Earth or each other than these tiny creatures that swarm in the dark corners of our minds, homes, and cereal boxes.