Cockroaches Overtake Campustown Bars in Ames

A swelling cockroach population temporarily closed one Campustown bar and could shut down another if something isn't done.  

An inspector with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals ordered pest control at Chasers and recently closed Sips when its cockroach problem became worse after an initial routine inspection, according to inspection reports available online.

Sips was closed for two days in late September and allowed to reopen after improvements.

Brian Church, a food and safety specialist with the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals, ordered the pest control treatments at Chasers after seeing several live roaches in the bar during an inspection Oct. 1 and will reinspect the bar after treatments.

An entomologist told the Iowa State Daily that the cockroaches pose a health threat because they hang out in damp dirty places and then track that filth across counter tops and tables.

"Cockroaches do not inherently carry viruses inside of them like mosquitoes do with West Nile Virus or malaria." Iowa State University Entomologist Donald Lewis said to the daily. "Several disease pathogens and other micro-organisms have been found on the feet of the roaches. Most commonly intestinal diseases, like gastroenteritis, and sometimes it can be salmonella or botulism."

Eliminating roaches from a place like Campustown where businesses are so close is much more difficult than in a home, Lewis said.

“But when you get to connected buildings such as a restaurant that shares a common wall, you may be able to control the roaches on your side, but unless the other side is controlled, it is only a matter of time until you have them again,” he said.