Roach Control - The City's Preventive Maintenance
What The
Homeowner Can Do
The City's Preventive Maintenance
The City of Mesa maintains a very aggressive roach
control program that is designed to eliminate the
sanitary sewer system as a breeding ground for the
American cockroach. Two environmentally safe
chemicals are used for this purpose. For a proactive
approach a pesticide that is mixed with latex paint
and sprayed on to the walls of each manhole is used.
When roaches travel across the paint, they come in
contact with the chemical, which continually rises
to the surface of the paint and is released. This
product is effective up to three years. For spot
treatment in response to roach complaints, the City
of Mesa uses a desiccant dust containing natural
occurring Pyrethrins, which is sprayed into the
manholes. This product provides a fast knock down
and kill rate.
Although roaches are found in the sewer lines
running between the manholes, they typically
congregate at the manholes where there is more room
to set up housekeeping. Because of this, it is rare
for a roach to travel within the sewer mains and up
into the service line, which connects a home to the
sanitary sewer system. It is even more rare for a
roach to enter a home through the sewer system, due
to the water in the drain traps of all plumbing
systems. However, if these traps dry out, it is
possible for a roach to travel through and enter the
home. For this reason, it is important to make sure
the traps don’t dry out, and as an extra precaution,
the drains in sinks and tubs should be kept tightly
closed when not in use.
The City receives many telephone calls every year
from residents seeking assistance after roaches have
been spotted in or around their home. The City will
respond to these calls in a variety of ways. First,
every caller will receive a brochure, which provides
information on the types of roaches found locally,
and the various methods used to control or eliminate
them. Second, if the manholes were not treated
within the last 12 months, a field check of sewer
manholes located near the caller’s home will be
made. When a field check is done, the caller will be
notified whether roaches were found. Third, if the
manholes were treated within the last 12 months, the
caller will receive a postcard notifying them of the
date the last treatment occurred, but normally no
field check will be conducted. This is because the
treatment given to the manholes has proven to be so
effective that roaches are rarely found in manholes
that have been recently treated. Also, following
this procedure requires fewer staff to maintain the
sanitary sewer system, which lowers the cost to our
customers.
Overall, the most effective way to control the roach
population is for each resident to maintain their
own pest control program for their property. When
linked with the City’s program, an effective
partnership can be formed, which will greatly reduce
the presence of, not only the American sewer roach,
but other types of roaches that live and breed
outside of the sanitary sewer system.
City of Mesa Roach Hotline: (480) 644-3550 |
