Wood Roach

I have seen some roachs in my house that do not have wings. A couple mostly dead but a few alive. We have lived her for about 7 years and over the years i would say i find about 8 or 9 dead ones a year. Maybe 2 live ones a year. They are always on the floor and the live ones that i have found arent affraid of light and arent hidding. However i was gone for a few hours today and came home and on the ceiling in my bedroom i found one with wings. This is the first time i have seen one like this in my house. My question is, how do i determine if this is a American roach or a wood roach? I live in ky out in a wooded area and we have cattle. It has been raining alot here too. Also how do you tell a baby american roach from a baby wood roach? I just assumed that because most of the ones i found were dead that they were wood roaches bc they cannot live indoors. Please help me bc i am freaking out not nowing if the one with wings was a wood roach or a american roach. My husband squashed it to bits or i could have a pic for to send ya. Thanks!

The American and Wood roaches look very much alike. Rather than trying to describe the difference, simply Google them and click on "Images" at the top of the Google page. You'll see tons of photos from which you can tell the differences. Same for roach nymphs (babies).

This is my question, I read some of what was written and so I'm guessing what I been calling waterbugs are actually wood roaches? They look just like german roaches but are HUGE...I rarely ever see them in the winter, but once the weather starts getting hot/humid they are everywhere and I at least see 1-2 in the house a day which is REALLY grossing me out to the point that I lose sleep. Since I read that these kinds of roaches like hot weather..would having a a/c on prevent them a bit? also majority of my house is wooden floors, does that cause them to get into my house through the floors or something? not sure what to do, do I need a exterminator? Thanks in advance for any help.

First, getting an exact ID will eliminate the guessing as to whether your roach is a wood, American or Oriental (waterbug). Each of these roaches have unique habits.

If, in fact, your roach is a wood roach, you can treat the frames and thresholds of windows and doors, turn off outside night lights and seal up cracks around windows, doors and vents. I like the Xcluder product for sealing up stuff and a product like D-Force HPX for the treatments around doors and windows. You can find both products at shop.asktheexterminator.com.

Hi there!
I've been checking this page to determine the kind of roach I have found. I live in Nebraska and should tell you that my apartment is directly across from a field that goes to a creek. I have seen a couple of these bugs at the front entrance hanging around with the porch light on. I found one on my counter (yuck!) by my sink with the light on. Today my cat must have killed one overnight as it was dead by his food. I'm hoping it's a wood roach but who knows! It looks like there is a creamy dot by it's head but it doesn't look like a stripe but this roach is only about 3/4" long.

Hi,
Our home is 7 years old and the lot was all wooded. We are on an acre which is cleared but beyond that it is all wooded. We have a crawl sapce and attic.We are in Southeastern North Caroline near the coast. Summers er very damp and hot. We never really had a roach problem at first, every once in awhile I would see a wood roach or water but, but in the last 2 years we have every bug known to man, and some not. Last summer the wood roaches were coming in some how but not enough that it really bothered me that much and the cats would get them for the most part, but this year it seems that I have 2 species, and the american seems to be quite comfortable coming in. I noticed that they were coming out of my vinyl siding on my front porch so I walked around the house at night with just a flash light, and they have made a home it seems in my siding above the brick and under the siding and it goes all the way around. I also noticed the in my crawl space. I just got what looked like an american cock roach climbing the wall upsatirs in my hall only this one was rounder without the noticable wings and fatter but still creepy. This creatures are huge and I mean huge. The wood roaches are not as fast as the americans but both are just frweaking me out. I cannot sleep at night, right noe it is 4 am .. I am an idiot when it comes to cleanliness. Both neighbors on either side of me have monthly exterminators, but my husband just went back to work after being laid off and I cannot afford every month. Now if it is necessary I could get one until the problem seems to go away, but I cannot keep paying for one. This is scaring me. It is like a horror movie outside at night or like a big party for them. The are also hanging out on my wood deck. I know they have to vbe coming in through the arric and fire place since they are living in the siding. Please any advise would help. I have no idea wha to do. I have pets and do not want to harm the with pesticides..
Thank You
Sincerily
Deb

First, no matter what treatments I recommend, if you follow the label your pets are safe unless you apply the pesticides directly on your pets.

I suggest applying a granular pesticide around the exterior perimeter of your home. I like Talstar PL. I also suggest applying Tempo 1% dust into the cracks of the siding where you see the roaches.

Both products are available by clicking "Pest Control Products" at the top of this page.

Yuk! Wood roaches in my kitchen cabinets and utility room. How do I get rid of these pesky creatures? I hate them!

Like the article says, they are attracted to lights. Turn outside lights off and close window curtins. They like moist decaying matter. Rake leaves and other organic material away from foundation walls.

I have a pool and a Palm tree in my back yard in Houston, Tx and one night while in the back yard during a pool party we were rained down by a bunch of water bugs or wood roaches from the Palm tree. Can please tell me how to enjoy my backyard with out growing a back bone? Also, do Liquid Baits work? LOL Thanks so much.

Good luck! American roaches live under the bark of trees. They love the tops of palm trees. The palms and the pool give these roaches all they need to survive and thrive. Your situation calls for help from a tree company with the equipment to spray the trees. The treatment will only reduce the roach population, not eliminate it.

Hi. I live in a house down in Alabama. Now, when I lived out in Tennessee, in the forest, I never had a problem with wood roaches. We see five or six a day in my house and if you're quiet in my bathroom, you can hear them scurrying inside the wall. I've checked all my windows and doors, we don't use firewood, so I have no idea how they're getting in unless it's somehow through the ventilation system. Any thoughts or ideas would be most welcome. The information that I've read, along with what is on this page, states that they do eat wood. Does this also mean they would eat the wood studs inside the walls as termites are wont to do? Should we perhaps have the house checked and treated for them along with having the wood studs checked?

Thank you!

The article says they eat decaying organic matter. They are not wood eaters, per se. They aren't like termites. House studs are not decaying organic matter. And as for treatment, I need to ask if you read the article?

Thank you so very much for the wood roach info. I already knew they were more or less harmles but I really didn't know how to control them. I will use some cypermthrim outside the house on the mmulch beds close to the house and that is where they probable are coming from.

I just got a house and i have seen a few wood roaches when i get up in the morning. Here recently i had the windows replaced and now i get up in the morning and i have them in my shower and i usually find atleast one in each room. Is there anything else i can do to prevent this?

Thanks

Did you read the article? It gives a specific pesticide solution and a product for sealing up cracks.

Just saw ocver three days three wood roaches. Should I call an extermenator. Can't stand them, do they go for food.

Did you read the article? It tells you that wood roaches do not breed inside. They live off of decaying matter found under the bark of trees.

Ha EVERY comment here can be answered by reading the article. Half of these comments sound like American Roaches not wood roaches. Lordy.

Please Help! Flying roach looking bugs on my porch @ night. They fly to the light like moths do. Light brown(gold) about 1 in long. What are they? I live in MS near the flooded areas (not too close, a few miles away from any standing water) Did the Flood bring these? I've lived in this area for over 25yrs and NEVER seen this. Also I have potted flowers (which probably contain 'some' organic matter in the miracle grow) but a friend who has the same bug problem does not have flowers near. What are these things and is there anything we can do to deter them from our porches,decks,homes?? People in our community that have seen these bugs also say they bite; Ironicaly I have 3 unknown bug bites, and my friend also has a strange bite. Any info will be Greatly appreciated. Yours Truly, VERY VERY Roach-A-Phobic in MS!

They are, in fact, wood roaches, and they are attracted to the lights on the your house. Simply turn off the lights and you will do much to resolve the problem.

Hi,

Your page is great! Best info I've found on wood roaches so far. Here's my situation:

Part of my roof was recently repaired (new shingles, insulation, the works) in my three-family home. The roof needed to be repaired due to the inclement weather this past winter, causing ice dams and roof collapses everywhere around here (I live in CT).

I found about 5-10 of these guys suddenly a week ago, approximately one month after the roof installation. I understand that incubation is about 4-6 weeks, which is why I'm thinking my new guests have everything to do with the roof being so moist and decaying from the inside out before it was repaired.

I kept one specimen (who now lives in an empty water bottle on my kitchen counter. His name is Charlie. :) to watch him grow - he shed his first (at least I think 'first') exoskeleton the other day, and he is definitely a wood roach. All of the behaviors line up - being attracted to light, easy to catch and kill, and they're not so interested in my kitchen or bathroom.

My question is, why have I seen so many if they do not breed indoors? I've sealed every crack in my unit on the second floor, sprayed pesticides specifically for roaches (ones that even kill Germans for 12 months), and put out 24 baits, following all instructions to the letter. Still found a live roach today about a week after my extermination efforts. Interestingly, the 1st floor tenants have not found a single roach. Additionally, I have found a LOT of these outside lately (both around my house and as far as a couple of miles away on a hiking trail). All nymphs about the same age, it seems.

So, long question short - is it possible an egg may have fallen into my house through the roof? If so, I'm assuming I've got quite a few. Just wondering if there is anything to worry about. From your article, it sounds like I should be fine - just seems like I have a unique situation with the roof, so I wanted to ask.

Thanks very much in advance for any advice!

Thank you! Now I know I don't need to be freaked out in the future! The other day I was at a friends house sleeping in the basement (I stay over frequently). At 3:30 I was awoken to a weird noise right behind my head. It freaked me out enough I jumped up. When I did that something flew at my head beating it's wings. When I opened the room door I saw what looked like a plague come to life. Insects everywhere! The kids had left the outdoor open. That morning when I ventured downstairs I found a very large but skinnier than normal roach at the foot of the bed. Since they like lights, fly often, and are nocturnal this roach makes perfect sense. My question is why it would venture from the well lit playroom to the dark guest bedroom? Hmmm...

I'm hoping what I've seen is the wood cockroach, but appears much lighter in color than the pic, a light tan with maybe a slight reddish tint. I haven't seen them fly, but have only seen them outside typically coming out around dusk. They're not really skiddish like other roaches. I have seen them in 2 different states in a variety of habitats: leaf piles, under deck, in port-a-potty, in garden shed. I'm pretty sure no other markings, like that of a German, but my natural reaction is to squash and run so I cannot 100% guarantee my observations. Would it be safe to assume it is the wood cockroach?

I'm guessing you are seeing American roaches. Wood roaches like living under tree bark. American's are not great flyers, either.

Ok,
So lately i have been seeing at least 1-2 big roaches weekly right on my mantle (or at least around it). At first i wasnt afriad because i was told it was a wood or palmetto roach . But today i saw a smaller version of the same type of roach that have normally been in my home.And i didnt even think to look at markings or anything like that..but i guess my question is could this vermint have been a american roach or just a small palmetto? And also are wood roaches typically attracted to water as well..i just put up a 8k gal pool.

Thank you for listening,
Bugaphobe

Roaches go through gradual metamorphosis, which means they go through several growth stages as they mature into adults. You may have seen one of the immature stages of the roach. Most roaches are attracted to water sources.

Hello! So i have a window unit air conditioner. I was wondering if woodroaches, or any bugs for that matter can fly or crawl through the vents to come inside? If so, can i spray the vents with the pesticide you mentioned?

Usually, the internal filter of a window air conditioning unit will keep insects out. If they are getting in, they most often come in around the seals that hold the unit in the window. Do not use pesticides in the vents.

thank you mr. exterminator! ! :)

Before I get started I would like to say "I've read the article"...

I am in Alabama and have big black roaches crawling through the house.

It was built around 1900. So, when we purchased the house, and prior to doing any renovations, the first thing we did was put up 8 small roach bomb cans in the downstairs garage/basement.

After 5 days we came back and found at least 400-500 of the huge black roaches dead on the floor and 50 or more dead in the house.

Since you say wood roaches only live in trees, what type of roach do you suspect I have and how can I control them without using the roach bombs.

Sounds like Oriental roaches. These roaches thrive in moist, cool areas. If water is collecting under the slab of your home I suggest attending to the water problem first. Then and only then can you attempt to rid your home of the roaches. Once the water issue is resolved you can use any number of granular insecticides to kill off the roaches. Click on "Pest Control Products" at the top of this page to find products for cockroach control.

Ok, so I read the article & learned ALOT! Thank you very much! I about have a heart attack everytime I see one of these nasty thinkgs! I bought some stuff from walmart, & was just wondering if its any good?? COMBAT source kill MAX(r3), roach cucarachas??

It's not necessarily the product, but it's more about how you use it. You have to understand the habits of the insect so you know where to place the bait. You have to understand the chemistry of the product so you know how to use it so it won't become contaminated with other chemicals.

Great site!

I live in Maine. Ive never seen a cochroach before except 25 years ago when i lived in the local city of Portland and the whole block of very old connected brick buildings was infested, so i do know what they look and act like (VERY fast-moving). Since then I have lived in many other places in Maine and never seen one. Ive been in my current house for 10 years. Last week, two days in a row, I saw what looked like, and moved crazy fast like, a cochroach. It was about 1/2 inch long, more brown than black. However, it flew. I went after it and killed it so it was non-recognizeable at that point. My friend who owns an extermination business says it sounds like a wood roach. However, I see a note here that they are easy to catch. This was not in that it moved VERY fast like a regular roach. Based on these details, could it also be a regular roach even though it flies, and ive never seen a smaller one or others since? And can it be a wood roach even though it moves fast? Which do you think it is? Thank you, Rosanne

I agree with your exterminator friend. It's flying! It's more than likely a wood roach.

I live in a wooded area in NJ and have been seeing flying roaches. We just found 3 egg pods...we think. My sister said inside of one was a sticky liquid. The shape was the shape of an eye but very slender and about a 1/4 inch or so. Since our cats scratch the doorways which leaves wood pieces, I'm wondering if the roaches WILL live inside the home. We don't have money for any home repairs and are barely surviving. I have a roach phobia since I was a kid. What do we do?????

Wood roaches live outdoors. Turn off your outside lights at night so wood roaches won't be attracted.

I have wooden cabinets and drawers in my new kitchen. Was cleaning them out and found dead roaches of some kind. Not sure what kind. They were small in size. Could I use boric acid in corners?

Yes! Boric acid will help control a roach infestation. Apply is as a very, very fine dust. Do not put out mounds of the stuff.

I live in NYC. A very large flying cockroach which I am assuming to be a wood roach flew into my house this evening through an open window. I have a terrible phobia of flying roaches so I actually evacuated my house! Before I left, I saw the roach running towards the open window. Do these creatures know how to escape back to outside? How can I know that it is gone? If it didn't leave, what will it do during the daytime? Do woodroaches go into cabinets and dark places like other roaches? I will likely use a fogger tomorrow when I go back home because I can't live with a roach...

Sometimes they are able to find their way back outside, but there is no guarantee. They will go into hiding and will eventually die for lack of food. The fogger may or may not work. The fog does not automatically find its way into cracks and crevices. You have to move things and open spaces, then direct the fogger into the openings in order to get the best results.

Do wood roaches bite. It came flying at me and landed on my neck. I went to grab it to get it off and it stung me. It blistered up and the next day it looked like some one had burnt me with a lit match and that was how it felt that night.

I've got an article about cockroach biting at this link: http://www.asktheexterminator.com/cockroach/Do_Cockroaches_Bite.shtml.

This is my second find and it looks like a wood roach. To identify, I have one question.
As I am holding it with this glove, it is making a "snap" movement and noise and I see it is as if it were "headbanging".

Is that one description of it's behavior?

According to Professor Srini Kambhampati, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology at the University of Texas at Tyler, Texas, he has not heard of common wood roaches making any sound (most cockroaches are heavily dependent on pheromones for communication). The wood-feeding roach (Cryptocercus) on the other hand, may produce some sound unintentionally since they live inside galleries excavated in logs.

Hi thanks for your article. I have these big brownish bugs under my stove and in my basement. I think we have killed about10 thus far. My question is should I get an exterminator? Also we have had a lot of rain do you think that's why they are coming in? Thanks for your help!

First rule of pest control is identification. If you don't know what you're looking at you can't know how to treat it. Either collect an insect and get it identified or call in the pros.