Are you tired of fighting cockroaches? Want to know every detail before killing them?
Then here you are! In this guide, we are going to discuss the differences between cockroaches and other pests.
So, are you ready? Great scroll down to discover!
Cockroaches share a few similarities with beetles and with other bugs. So how can you find the differences?
Don’t worry in this guide we will help you identify the cockroaches with their distinctive features. At the end of the guide, you will get a complete insight into the cockroaches and can easily identify the differences.
Keep reading to discover more!
Cockroaches vary from light brown to dark brown, black, etc. depends on the species. They have three pairs of legs and a pair of antennae. The smallest species is of our thumb nail’s size, whereas the biggest species can be of 8.1 cm long. They love to stay near their food sources, and they eat almost everything that human eat.
They don’t like direct light, that is why they prefer to hide within the shady places of your home like kitchen, storeroom, behind the sink, behind the cylinder and other containers. Cockroaches cannot fly like mosquitoes and other insects, but they can walk faster than other insects. Sometimes if they feel a threat, they may try to fly, but this is not more than a jump for around five feet.
They are most scary at that time when they try to escape by flying. As we mentioned before, the main attraction of the cockroaches is food, pure love for the carb. They also prefer sugar, meat, flour spills, cooked rice, and other leftovers, so the kitchen is like their paradise. Whenever they feel you are not in the kitchen they will start searching for food.
Not only creepy they can cause potential health problems in you.
Check this video to see what the National Pest Management Association has to say about problems and possible treatment of cockroach infestation:
There are around 3500 species in the world belong to six different families. They almost live in every part of the world, but most of them live in the wild. A few species among them have evolved to become a part of the household.
Out of other cockroach species, the American cockroach is the largest. It is also known as water bug in some parts of the U.S though it’s not a true waterbug. As suggested by its name, these cockroaches are native to America.
These cockroaches are almost 1 to ½ inches in length (38 mm) and vary from light to dark brown. If you see minutely you can find a yellow band at the edge of their pronotum. Unlike other cockroach species, this one cannot survive in a cold climate, that is why they typically found in a warm climate.
Check this video to see what an American Cockroach looks like:
This species just loves to live around humans and eat almost anything that we humans eat. The wilder species have a lower survival rate rather than the indoor ones. The German species of cockroach is not limited to Germany; they migrate beyond the national border. If you are in Germany, you might get their company! This species is available in almost all warm regions of the world.
The adult cockroaches are almost 10-12 mm in length and have dark bands across the pronotum, through which you can easily distinguish them. These cockroaches may carry harmful diseases and may also contaminate your food. Children are more prone to stomach problems due to this cockroach.
If interested, check this video where the Pest Professor explained the German Cockroach:
They are called Madagascar Hissing Cockroach because they can make a hissing sound. They usually do not like to enter your household, but if you found them within your house, you must be in trouble.
They are smaller than other cockroach species; only 2-3.5 inches long with an oval-shaped body. They have a light brown body color. The adult males have large antenna-like horns which they used while fighting with other males or to impress the female.
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Are you confused between the water bug and cockroaches? Don’t worry, read this section of the article to clear all your confusion. The water bugs are semi-aquatic; they prefer to live in the upper surface of the water layer. Like other species, they do not have antennae; instead, they have pincers at the top of their heads.
If interested, see this video from Cincinnati Zoo to see how the water bugs behave in practical:
Palmetto bug is the nickname of the American Cockroach which mostly lives in the southeast. Sometimes they also called Florida Woods Cockroach.
They are one of the largest cockroach species and always prefer roam outside rather than inside. They can be easily distinguished from the German and American species.
The German species is 1/3 size of the Palmetto along with a different patterned band. Whereas the German species is almost the same as the Palmetto by its size, but they can distinguish with their unique yellow band whereas the Palmettos are red to dark brown in color.
Sometimes cockroaches can be misunderstood with the beetles because of their same body color i.e. dark brown. If you take a closer look at the beetles, you will find a clear head, thorax, and abdomen but in cockroaches, you cannot see clearly the segmentation due to their thin wings. In some cases, the adult beetle males have a robust pincer which cockroaches lack.
Check this video to see how black ground beetles look like:
Do you know about the wood roaches? Sometimes wood roaches can be misunderstood with the American cockroach species. The wood roaches and cockroaches share the same body color, light to dark brown, in most cases the wood roaches have a tan color (light rust).
A full-grown wood roach is slightly smaller than the cockroaches. Like cockroaches, wood roaches do not like to invade in your home or kitchen; rather they prefer to live in a wild environment. So if you see some cockroach-like creatures in your garden, they can actually be the wood roaches.
Unlike other mentioned species, crickets share less resemblance with the cockroaches. A flying cricket is not easy to distinguish though, but the crickets can be easily identified with their high-pitched chirp which the males emit to attract the females during the mating season. Their hind legs are well build up and larger than the front pair due to jumping.
The cockroaches have shorter hidden legs whereas the cockroaches have prominent three pairs of legs. The crickets have specially designed wings kept on their backs, whereas the cockroaches have thin and flexible wings which are placed parallelly along with their body.
If you are experiencing baby cockroaches around your home, sorry but you are in real trouble. Baby cockroaches mean their parents are out there within your house.
The baby cockroaches look exactly similar to the adult cockroaches. At the nymph stage, they appear lighter than the adult one.
At this stage and up to the juvenile stage they can freely roam within your home without your notice. It is almost impossible to kill them with any of the cockroach killing products. If you do not take the necessary steps to kill the baby cockroaches very soon, they will result in larger infestation.
Living with cockroaches can be one of the nasty things, and of course, you don’t want it right? Instead of spending your valuable money on purchasing different cockroach killing products you can hire an authentic local exterminator. You can use our local exterminator search tool where you will easily get free quotes from trusted local exterminators.
Do not use the cockroach killing sprays if you live with children and pets, because of the harmful fume they might get sick. As we know, prevention is better than cure, so it is better not to use any of the products and just give us a call.
Click here and access our exterminator search tool- instantly get free quotes from the authentic house of exterminators in your local area.
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