Yes, it is normal for some roaches to not go directly to a bait such as Advion Roach Bait Gel and eat it. It can often be that they are feeding on some that has been brought back to the colony already, feeding on the feces of the adults, or feeding on other dead roaches.
Cockroach gel baits dry out over time. This makes them unappealing to pests, so removing the old bait and reapplication of the new, fresh bait is required.
With bait, roaches actually become more visible for a few days because they get disoriented after they consume the bait and wind up out on countertops during the day time when normally they'd shy away from you. Without knowing what products the tech used, I'd give it a week before calling back.
These findings suggest that behavioral resistance to gel baits has weak sex-linkage, with a greater degree of the resistance trait being inherited by female cockroaches. Alternatively, physiological resistance to fipronil has no sex-linkage, but it is nonetheless important to the complete resistance phenotype.
So you are not sure if the roach bait is working or not? Most homeowners will start to see a reduction in adult cockroaches in about 7 days, this is usually a good indicator that the bait is working. Another indicator is that the bait needs to be replaced in 7 to 14 days, meaning that the roaches are eating the bait.
If you only see baby roaches, it could mean a few things: Recent Hatchings: You might be seeing a recent hatching, and the adults are hiding. Effective Treatments: If you've recently treated your home for roaches, the treatment might have killed many adults, leaving behind only the babies.
Generally, the presence of discarded skins and feces are indicative of a nest, with other telltale features including a large number of dead roaches, egg cases, dark spots, and smears. Egg cases are usually brown and less than a quarter of an inch long. Each case can house 40 or more baby roaches.
You will need enough to eliminate the roaches that consume the bait. Your product instructions should let you know the appropriate amount of bait to apply and how far you need to spread your treatments, but be wary of using too much. Pesticide solutions are helpful but can be dangerous when applied incorrectly.
Smear Marks
In addition to droppings, cockroaches tend to leave streaks behind. You can often find these markings on walls; they are dark, irregular smears you can find in areas where they are most active.
If the bait you have been using has been around for a while, its effect will diminish as time passes. Roaches can quickly evolve and adapt, and so they require new, fresh batches of product. If you're using the old product, they may avoid it entirely or even consume it—and it won't kill them!
Some strong scents, such as lavender and mint, have been known to repel cockroaches.
High performance cockroach baits will start to work within 24 hours, with control of the population within 7 days. Monitor cockroach gel placements – if they have been eaten out, you should place some further gel dots as you may have a bigger problem then you thought!
Glucose sets off bitter receptors in roach taste buds, causing roaches to avoid foods that bring on this taste-bud reaction. This aversion has a genetic basis and it eventually spreads to offspring, resulting in increasingly large groups of cockroaches that reject glucose and any baits made with it.
Blattathor Altra cockroach Gel Bait (fipronil 0.05%) has a success rate of 59.33% and 79.33% for adult and nymph stages, respectively.
There's no instant or overnight solution for a cockroach infestation, but there is one fix that's more effective than all the others: calling a pest control specialist. Because cockroaches are so difficult to kill and infestations are tough to control, it's best to rely on the pros to get rid of them.
Cockroaches are social insects in some aspects but not in others. For example, they follow cues and gather in groups, but there is no hierarchy or queen as with true social insects (honeybees, ants, etc.). Because of this semi-social structure, cockroaches don't build nests and don't lay eggs in a nest.
Call a Professional Exterminator
If you see baby roaches, it means you have a severe infestation in your home and it might be impossible to get rid of them at your own and it is the time to call a professional roach exterminator near you.
What causes roaches in houses and apartments? What attracts roaches to a clean house primarily consists of their basic needs: food, water, and shelter, although they are usually brought into houses and apartments on other items, such as luggage or clothing.
American cockroach
Their egg capsules are roughly ⅓” long and are dark reddish or blackish brown in color. Each ootheca holds about 16 eggs.