Know Your Cockroach
If you have seen any of these cockroaches in your home or business, we can help! We offer safe, eco-friendly and effective treatments for all kinds of cockroaches, all backed by our 3-month service warranty. Contact us today to book an inspection and treatment.
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American Cockroach
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Asian Cockroach
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Australian Cockroach
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Brown Cockroach
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German Cockroach
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Oriental Cockroach
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Smoky Brown Cockroach
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Wood Cockroach
The American cockroach, also known as the palm bug or sewer cockroach, is also common in homes and apartments. However, this species of cockroach prefers outdoor activities and is less likely to invade living spaces.
The Asian cockroach is like the German cockroach’s secret twin! They are so similar in appearance that professionals sometimes mistake them for German cockroaches.
The Australian cockroach usually lives outdoors but occasionally invades people's homes. It is very large with long wings and can fly short distances.
The brown-banded cockroach prefers indoor spaces but is less common than German cockroaches. Although females cannot fly, males sometimes avoid interference and fly, actually not fly, more likely to jump.
The German cockroach is the most common cockroach species found in people's homes. It prefers houses and buildings and reproduces faster than other type of cockroaches.
The oriental cockroach is a harmful pest that lives mainly outdoors. They are more common in houses with a lot of vegetation around them. They are not as fast as other roaches and do not fly. Unable to scale smooth vertical surfaces, they often get caught in sinks and bathtubs, and they stink badly as well.
The smoky brown cockroach is very sensitive to dehydration and they live near water sources. This is a nocturnal creature that will fly if disturbed. They are attracted to light like wood cockroaches.
There are 12 species of wood cockroaches. They live in the rainforest but can occasionally be found in houses. In spring and summer, houses close to forests are particularly vulnerable. Because they feed on dead wood and other materials, they are sometimes carried indoors with firewood. However, they cannot survive for long indoors. Wood cockroaches' attraction to light is different from other cockroach species.
Cockroach Database
Use the database below to learn more about each type of cockraoch.
American Cockroach
What do they look like?
The maximum length of an American cockroach is 2 inches, which is the largest among common cockroaches. Its colour is reddish brown, with a light yellow band on the chest. It is easy to distinguish between adults and nymphs because they are larger and have wings, while nymphs do not.
How do they get into a house?
American cockroaches often enter homes through sewers or pipes. They can also crawl through small holes around windows, doors, or vents to find shelter.
Where do they live?
American cockroaches live in sewers, storm drains, steam tunnels, water meter boxes, gardens, garbage cans, and animal husbandry facilities. They like heat and humidity, especially temperatures above 82 F. Indoors, they hide in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and boiler room. Although they sometimes invade homes, the intrusion is more common in supermarkets and restaurants.
What do they eat?
They eat almost everything, including breadcrumbs and household waste. Outdoors, they feed on leaves, wood, fungi, algae, and smaller insects.
What is their life cycle?
It takes about 6 days for female American cockroaches to put the oothecae (cases of eggs) to the inside surface of the cracks or crevices. Each oothecae contains about 12 to 16 eggs, and they may not hatch for 2 months or more. In a year, females can be responsible for more than 800 cockroaches.
Are they considered a health hazard?
Yes, they are. American cockroaches can trigger allergies and asthma and can spread disease very quickly.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore! We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation and can provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
Asian Cockroach
What do they look like?
The Asian cockroach is a small insect (just over 1/2 inch long), and its colour is primarily light brown. Its back also has a pair of noticeable dark stripes, almost black, from the head to the tip of the belly. Around these dark stripes, their body looks like a white border..
How do they get into a house?
Asian cockroaches are fascinated by lights and use their powerful wings to fly toward any nearby light source. This is the most common reason they enter our homes. Otherwise, they are usually happy to stay outside.
Where do they live?
Asian cockroaches mainly live on people’s lawns in outdoor mulch and shady areas. Like other cockroaches, they feed on decaying materials and garbage. This causes them to be drawn toward compost bins, piles of leaves or damp mulch. You can also find these roaches in a garage or shed because they can easily pass through the space under the garage door or the hole in the shed’s wall.
What do they eat?
They feed on almost anything, from food and garbage to breaking leaves and other dead insects. When Asian cockroaches infest a particular area, they will quickly scare away any other species of cockroach.
What is their life cycle?
The female Asian cockroach lays approximately 37 eggs for every case of eggs they produce. Although the average lifespan is less than six months, these cockroaches still manage to reproduce and spread quickly.
Are they considered a health hazard?
Asian cockroaches can bring disease and bacteria into the home, contaminating food and surfaces. As one of the main outdoor roaches, they are also in contact with animal feces, fungi, and parasites and can be brought into the home.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore. We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation, and we can provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
Australian Cockroach
What do they look like?
The size of Australian cockroaches is similar to that of American cockroaches. You can distinguish Australian cockroaches by looking for the distinctive pattern of tan rings that grow up to 1¼ inches long under their heads. They are one of the largest critters you can find crawling around the house.
How do they get into a house?
Australian cockroaches enter homes and buildings through small holes in exterior walls and spaces where pipes or cables enter.
Where do they live?
Most Australian cockroaches live outdoors in hot climates. Their favourite habitat has high humidity and high temperatures. When the outside temperature is too low, they will enter the room. They hang between the garden mulch and piles of leaves, so they are already close to your house. You can find them in sinks and bathtubs or hidden in cabinets and drains.
What do they eat?
They eat feces and garbage. They also live in many nasty places and absorb bacteria from many sources.
What is their life cycle?
The female hides the egg box in damp wooden stakes and crevices near food and water. Nymphs grow in six months to a year. As they age, they will transform old exoskeletons and develop new ones. Before reaching adulthood, they go through several stages of shedding. Adult cockroaches live in Australia for six months. A cockroach can lay more than 20 egg cases in its short life.
Are they considered a health hazard?
Australian cockroaches can carry salmonella and other pathogens. As if the spread of bacteria wasn’t bad enough, cockroaches also produce allergens. Their shedding and stool can cause reactions in some people, especially people with asthma. Sneezing, skin irritation, and breathing difficulties are some of the symptoms of allergic reactions caused by cockroaches.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore. We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation, and we can provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
Brown Cockroach
What do they look like?
The brown-banded cockroach has a narrow body. They are about 0.5 inches long. Adult males are longer than females and have light brown or yellow bands on the sides of the abdomen, wings, and chest. Males and females have different colours: males look tan, and females are dark brown. The male’s wings are longer than the body, while the wings of the female cover only part of the abdomen. The nymph is small, with two shallow horizontal bands on its body.
How do they get into a house?
These cockroaches generally enter homes through furniture, food bags, food containers, and electronic devices. They can move between apartment units through shared plumbing and plumbing systems, and will soon become a serious problem in apartment buildings.
Where do they live?
You are more likely to find brown-striped roaches in warm (about 80 ° F), dry, sheltered, and high places (places that are generally out of reach). You should check appliances (usually in the kitchen), under clutter, behind wall decorations, and inside hollow furniture legs. They most often live in homes without air conditioning. They are also often problematic in offices or places where large amounts of paper are stored.
What do they eat?
Brown-banded cockroaches are nocturnal animals and don’t seem to care what they eat. They consume a variety of materials, from human food and garbage to fabrics, glue, and even wallpaper.
What is their life cycle?
Brown-banded cockroach eggs contain 13 to 18 eggs each. The female carries them for about a day to a day and a half and then fixes them on the ceiling or under furniture. These eggs will remain for about 50 days until they hatch. They have an average lifespan of 13-45 weeks.
Are they considered a health hazard?
They are harmful pests in the home because they are likely to spread bacteria and other contaminants to food preparation areas. They leave behind cases of old skin and eggs that can trigger allergies and asthma attacks.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore. We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation. We can also provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
German Cockroach
What do they look like?
German cockroaches are only about 0.5 inches long. An adult German cockroach is light brown in colour with two dark stripes on the chest. Juveniles or nymphs are smaller, darker in colour, and have tan stripes on their backs.
How do they get into a house?
German cockroaches are brought into homes by furniture, shopping bags, shipping boxes, and cartons. In apartment buildings, they travel through pipes and ducts and infest other units.
Where do they live?
You will usually find them in your kitchen or bathroom or anywhere where food is stored or prepared. They like humid areas with temperatures between 70 and 75° F. If they are overcrowded, you can start noticing them in other places in your home, like bedrooms and closets.
What do they eat?
They eat a variety of household items, such as book bindings, breadcrumbs, soap, toothpaste, and other cleaning supplies.
What is their life cycle?
Female German cockroaches lay eggs in cases; each case can hold 30 to 40 eggs. They lay these egg cases every few weeks (more often in hot weather). On average, they lay 4 to 8 egg cases in their lifetime. The reproduction cycle of these cockroaches can cause the infestation to grow and spread very rapidly.
Are they considered a health hazard?
German cockroaches are dangerous in the home because they can spread disease by contaminating food and cooking surfaces. Also, they will leave behind eggshells, which can lead to asthma attacks and trigger allergies.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore! We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation. We can also provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
Oriental Cockroach
What do they look like?
Often referred to as a shad roach or a black beetle, Oriental cockroaches are dark brown to nearly black in colour and have a shiny appearance. The males are smaller than the females. Males also have wings covering three-quarters of their abdomens but do not fly. Females do not have wings.
How do they get into a house?
They often enter homes through gaps around windows, doors, and vents. Sometimes through a culvert or drainage pipe, which runs through the wall to the outside.
Where do they live?
Generally, Oriental Cockroaches can be found in cool (below 84 F), damp, and dark places such as trash cans, garages, and basements. They also live on ivy and ground cover plants, instrument boxes, culverts, and gutters. These roaches can survive lower temperatures very well. Indoors, you can find them in the sink cabinet, especially in the case of leaky pipes, under the equipment and on the floor.
What do they eat?
They eat garbage, feces, and decaying plants and animals. Due to their diet, oriental cockroaches are more unpleasant than other species of cockroaches.
What is their life cycle?
They mature very slowly; nymphs sometimes take more than two years to reach adulthood. However, they can only live for about 180 days. The female carries the egg cases for about a day and then deposits them in debris or food. These egg cases contain about 16 eggs. In one year, a female can produce a total of eight egg boxes and up to 200 new roaches.
Are they considered a health hazard?
Oriental Cockroach spends a lot of time dragging feces, rotting things, and other substances high in bacteria when looking for food, making them more dangerous than other types of roaches. They will contaminate food, food preparation areas, and utensils by simply walking over. Fortunately, its scent is strong enough to warn you that your food has been contaminated.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore. We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation. We can provide you with information, advice, and precautions you can take to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
Smoky Brown Cockroach
What do they look like?
The black-brown cockroach is about 1.5 inches long. They are dark brown to mahogany in colour, and their chests appear almost black. You can tell them apart from other types of cockroaches by looking at their wings (longer than their bodies).
How do they get into a house?
Smoky brown cockroaches usually enter the home through vents and ducts, especially where the plants touch the home.
Where do they live?
They are outdoor roaches and like to hang out in the sink, planter, and wooden stakes. They also live under shingles and siding, in meter boxes, garages, and among trees, shrubs, and other vegetation. It is not common, but these roaches occasionally enter the home. If they do, they are usually found in the attic.
What do they eat?
It feeds on many organic substances, but especially decomposing plants. They also look for very humid places to compensate for the rapid loss of water due to the epidermis.
What is their life cycle?
The female Smoky Brown Cockroach carries the egg cases for a day before storing them. It takes about 45 days for about 20 nymphs to hatch.
Are they considered a health hazard?
Smoky brown cockroaches can carry many pathogens into food and food preparation areas and cause severe allergies and asthma, especially in young children. Once invaded, it must be removed by professional pest control services.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore. We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation and can provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
Wood Cockroach
What do they look like?
They are about an inch long and brown in colour. Some of them have white edges on their wings. The females’ wings are shorter than the males – they are only about 0.5 inches long. Nymphs are smaller than the adults and completely wingless.
How do they get into a house?
In spring and summer, they can infiltrate your home through gaps around windows, doors, and vents. In the colder months, they hitchhike with firewood. It is essential to check wood for roach eggs before transporting it home.
Where do they live?
Wood cockroaches are most commonly found on wooden stakes and under the bark of fallen logs and dead trees. Sometimes, they collect in drains and crawl spaces near houses.
What do they eat?
Wood cockroaches’ diet is primarily made up of decaying organic matter.
What is their life cycle?
Female cockroaches deposit their egg pods under the bark of dead trees and fallen logs. The eggs hatch in about a month. Wood cockroaches generally only survive a few months.
Are they considered a health hazard?
Like any other types of cockroaches, wood cockroaches can contaminate food and cause allergies and asthma.
What should I do?
You don’t have to worry about your cockroach problem anymore. We have the experience and capabilities to help deal with your cockroach problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation, and we can provide you with information, advice, and precautions on how to keep your home or your business cockroach-free in the future.
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Safe and effective treatments for all different kinds of cockroaches. Our comprehensive solutions are backed by our 3-month service warranty. Contact us today to book an inspection and treatment.
