The use of Attractive Toxic Baits (ATBs) is considered to be a low-risk practical method for controlling cockroaches. This study evaluates the attractiveness of a lab-made, fipronil-containing bait, and its effect on the food consumption and mortality of the German cockroach Blattella germanica, under field and laboratory conditions. Different developmental stages of the cockroach were used to determine their preferred carbohydrate/protein rich foods and examine the effectiveness of lab-made baits. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's Test was determined using SAS 9.1 and GraphPad Prism software programs. The significance level was considered at p<0.05. The most-consumed foods were carbohydrate-rich foods (biscuit and banana powder) and food consumption rate was highest in non-gravid females. The most attractive bait ingredients were 20% roasted peanut butter, 50% biscuit and 30% banana powder. The highest lethality was recorded from the baits containing 0.02% fipronil under laboratory conditions, while infested houses baited with the lab-made bait showed 76.5% and 100% decline, respectively, in cockroach numbers in the first- and fourth-week post-baiting. In conclusion, palatable foods with a pleasant odour, like biscuit powder, banana powder and peanut butter were the most effective ingredients for the ATBs. The ATBs impregnated with 0.02% fipronil provide a promising approach for control of the German cockroach. However, there is a need to evaluate the potentials of the lab-made baits, under laboratory and field conditions, in the control of other health-important cockroaches.
Keywords: German cockroach; attractive toxic bait; bait attractiveness; cockroach control; fipronil; food consumption.