How to identify and get rid of wood cockroaches

Any sign of a cockroach, also known as a palmetto bug, in your home may have you reaching for the bug spray or calling the exterminator. However, sometimes a bug in your home is there by accident and doesn’t pose a serious threat.

That’s the case with wood cockroaches. These wandering insects can sometimes find their way inside, but because they need to stay in a moist environment, they can quickly dry out and will die within a few days.

Though it can be unnerving to see a cockroach crawling on your floor, these roaches can’t reproduce or cause damage to your home.

Wood cockroaches are a chestnut brown color and have a narrow body with long wings that extend past the body. They also have long antennae and their legs will have spines along each one.

Wood cockroaches can sometimes have markings on their head, but they often are dull and not as pronounced as American or German cockroaches.

The nymphs and females have reduced wings and cannot fly, whereas the males have long wings and are decent flyers.

How big are wood cockroaches?

Wood cockroaches range between 0.75-1.25 inches in length.

What other cockroaches look like a wood cockroach?

Wood cockroaches look very similar to other cockroaches that can be a household pest. However, there are some noticeable differences between these cockroaches.

• American cockroaches are much larger (2 inches), are redder in color, and have distinct markings on the head shield.
• Oriental cockroaches are dark brown to black and don’t have long wings.
• Wood cockroaches won’t scatter when you turn on the light.
• They roam around in plain sight instead of hiding.

There are 12 species of wood cockroaches in North America and they live in moist and high humidity habitats. They can be found in forested areas under leaf litter, under logs or wood piles, or in moist soil.

They can sometimes wander in your home but won’t be able to reproduce inside as they dry out too quickly.

Since wood cockroaches or palmetto bugs aren’t a serious indoor pest, they are only accidentally finding their way inside. That means that prevention is going to help keep this and any other wandering insects and spiders from entering your home. Try these tips below:

• Seal entryways, cracks or gaps with caulk.
• Don’t bring in excessive amounts of firewood.
• Clean up wood piles or leaf litter from around home.
• Spray a pest barrier around foundations, doors, windows, porches, and patios.

If you can stop pests from getting inside, then you’ve won half the battle. The other half is accidentally bringing the wood cockroaches inside with firewood or cardboard boxes.

Not to worry though! Pestie offers an annual subscription that allows you to easily set up a pest barrier around your home. This way, you can ensure cockroaches or other 6-legged critters are staying outside where they belong.