Consider yourself fortunate if you’ve never seen a cockroach in your home. And if you’ve ever had one, you know how difficult they are to locate and get rid of them.
However, just like other insects, there are various distinct species of cockroaches that can infiltrate your home, and the type you find will dictate how to effectively control cockroaches.
Cockroaches are divided into two types: domestic and peridomestic roaches. In this blog we are going to see 5 common types of roaches and how to tell them apart and how to get rid of them.
5 Common Types of Roaches
- German Cockroach
- Smoky Brown Cockroach
- American Cockroach (AKA Palmetto Bug)
- Oriental Cockroach (AKA Waterbug)
- Brown Banded Cockroach
German Cockroach
The German cockroach is a little, light brown, torpedo-shaped roach that grows to be about 3/4 inches long. Adult German roaches feature two stripes on their pronotum (the plate behind the skull) that are not found on other roach species.
Smoky Brown Cockroaches
It can grow up to reach 38 mm long. Adults have a gleaming look and are uniformly black in color. The color of the water nymphs is similar to that of the adults; however, the early nymphal stages feature a whitish colored stripe on their thorax and the tips of their antennae.
American Cockroach (AKA Palmetto Bug)
The American cockroach is the largest cockroach in North America, measuring roughly 2 inches as an adult. It’s also known as the “palmetto insect” because it’s glossy and reddish in appearance. American cockroaches, both male and female, have the ability to fly. When the roaches reach adulthood, they acquire wings.
Oriental Cockroach (AKA Waterbug)
Oriental cockroaches have a number of distinctive features. They are dark brown or black in hue and grow to be about an inch long. Cockroaches in Germany are smaller than American cockroaches, yet they are larger than American cockroaches. Their bodies are shiny, and their legs are covered in tiny hairs.
Brown Banded Cockroach
The brown-banded cockroach is a tiny roach with unique brown bands. The insects are about the size of a German cockroach, measuring about 1/2 inch long. Their bodies are short and slender, with a rather flat shape. Females have shorter wings than males, which reach past the tip of their abdomens. It’s a male cockroach if you encounter a flying brown-banded cockroach.
How to Get Rid of them?
You can use essential oils, Citrus, Borax, Boric acid, Baking Soda, Diatomaceous Earth to get rid of these roaches.
If you feel you could not manage a roach infestation on your own, cockroaches are notoriously difficult to eradicate. We have the experience and skills at Empire Pest Control to safely and successfully get rid of cockroaches in your home.
If you’ve found any one of these cockroaches anywhere around your home and want to get rid of them, have a look at our price page to determine which choice is best for you. If you have any pest control questions, please visit this page to find out more about what we do!