A food worker arrives in the morning and finds small black-brown droppings the size and shape of coffee grounds scattered along the wall behind a dry-storage shelf, along with a faint oily smear on the baseboard. Which pest is most likely indicated and what is the next step?

Explanation

Cockroach droppings are 1-2 mm dark specks resembling coffee grounds or ground pepper, often deposited in lines along walls and inside cracks. The oily smear is the cuticular residue that cockroaches leave as they travel established runways — a hallmark sign of an established population, not a single insect. California Retail Food Code HSC §114259.2 requires the operator to take immediate action when signs of infestation are found, including notifying a licensed pest control operator (PCO). A licensed PCO is the only person authorized to apply pesticide inside a California food facility (HSC §114259.5). Option A confuses mouse droppings (rice-grain shape and size, ~6 mm long, not coffee-ground shape) with cockroach signs, and lets unlicensed personnel deploy controls. Option B misidentifies the pest. Option D is dangerous and incorrect — cockroaches mechanically vector Salmonella, E. coli, and parasitic eggs. Continuing operations in the affected area without containment risks regulatory closure and customer illness.