While the title might be a be harsh it is a direct quote or close proximity I’ve heard so many times over the years about roach bait remnants that exterminators leave behind in peoples cabinets and drawers. . The brown substance referred to is roach gel bait designed to be put in out of the way roach hiding places with a syringe or bait gun where they will eat the bait and die. The problem is that the spots are not always so hidden and now each time the customer opens a drawer or cabinet they see this ugly dark brown streak or smear that looks sloppy and unprofessional to say the least. At first the goo is a tannish brown, almost golden but over a short period of time the dried glob turns hard and black and looks as if it is in the state rotting decay. Just the thing you’d want to see in the morning when you reach for your box of cereal.
Are all roach baits a mess? Click the pics to enlarge the mess.
I do not know what ingredient or consistency it is that makes some roach baits so messy but I can tell you that not all baits are this sloppy. Mainly I find that Max Force syringe baits are the worst and Intice ant gel is a close second. Other baits such as Terro ant liquid never stays in place but at least it dries clear and is not so ugly 2 weeks later. Part of the problem is that either with a gun or syringe the bait doesn’t stop once pushed out of the tip and though you may want to just put a dab you end up with a small dollop. Even with no pressure on the plunger the bait oozes from the tip either dripping on the counters and floor or adding to the huge mass of gelatinous rock that has been 
forming inside your holster. Not all baits have this problem and in fact can be hidden so well that homeowners may never see the tiny dots of bait in a cabinet hinge or shelf crevice. Not being a scientist, about the only common denominator I can find with the sloppy baits is that they are all brown in color while the baits with the precise placement characteristics are either clear, yellow or some other light color. (I said I wasn’t a scientist right?)
Full Disclosure
These baits have been around for a long while and as far as effectiveness I have no quarrel with them. I still change my gel baits about twice per year just to stay on top of things but I swore that I would never buy these brown messy gel bait syringes again. I strive to be the invisible exterminator and don’t want to leave any visible trace behind when I am done with a insect treatment, especially something so gaudy and unprofessional looking. I guess I’m getting old because I forgot that oath and besides if I bought a case I would get a ‘free bait gun’ so lo and behold I am now the proud owner of a case of the brown goo and it sits patiently on a shelf waiting for me to take it out into the field. It wasn’t to long after my purchase that my techs began complaining and being quick on my feet I exhorted them to use this ‘training’ bait to learn better ways of tucking the substance away where no one would see it. I don’t think they bought it but who knows maybe it will indeed improve their technique.
Part of my sales pitch whenever I see this brown dried mass in a cabinet right next to a 1/2 opened bag of chips is to point out the mess and explain that the client will never see my bait placements or streaks on the baseboard from haphazard spraying. It’s easy to point out the difference in professionalism when you have chunks of crusty insect bait so carelessly placed. People are already leery enough of insecticides in their homes and don’t need any undue reminders especially those that wreak of unskillful craftsmanship.
I guess I’d better bone up on my own method of bait placements and get to hiding this stuff until my supply is gone. I’m already carrying a
paper towel or two to catch any run off and capping the tip with each pause in application and my rubber glove finger tips are a greasy mess after each job so I have to watch what I touch. It’s not the way I like to work and I simply detest inefficiency and sloppiness so for now I’ll use my shiny new gun and reach where no man has reached before. I don’t mind hearing from my clients about the dead bugs they see after my treatments or even the live ones that are still playing hardball but one thing I never want to hear;
“What’s this brown crap YOU put in my cabinet?”
