Cockroaches are perhaps the filthiest pests that can enter your home. They carry pathogens and can contaminate surfaces where you prepare food and can contaminate the food you eat.
If you do see a bug in your home, do not panic. Particularly since a lot of bugs look alike. There are other bugs that look exactly like a cockroach but are not.
Therefore, it is important to be able to identify different types of bugs that look like roaches.
Bugs That Look Like Roaches
It turns out that there are a few bugs that look like roaches that can also enter your home. In this section, we help you find out if your intruder is a roach or just a phony.
1. Asian Long-Horned Beetle
Asian long-horned beetle can be mistaken for a roach due to their resemblance. Both share the same body size (1-3 inches) and structure (oval-shaped body).
But the big difference between the two is color. Asian long-horned beetle is known for its gleaming black appearance with white spots dotted over it.
However, Asian long-horned beetles do not like to take shelter in homes. These beetles live and lay eggs in the bark of trees, especially hardwood like willow, elm, maple, and poplar, among others.
2. Wood-Boring Beetle
Wood-boring beetles look similar to cockroaches because of their antennas, color, oval body shape, and the same number of legs.
However, wood-boring beetles primarily live on wood as well as wood structure whereas roaches may lurk in all areas including wood and non-wood.
Evidence of these beetles includes clean and fresh exit holes in wood – oval or round with sharp edges.
3. June Bugs
Also known as May beetles or June beetles, June bugs are usually black to reddish-brown with a rounder body structure than cockroaches.
Their diet largely plants, especially foliage. Some June bugs may feature fringed antennae that look like eyelashes.
Unlike cockroaches, June bugs are attracted to light and thick lawns with thatch, where they mostly live. June bugs are usually harmless to humans and don’t bite.
4. Palmetto Bugs
There is virtually no difference between a roach and a palmetto bug. The term palmetto bug is regionally used to refer to certain kinds of roaches.
These bugs have an external skin that is reddish-brown and can grow to around 1-2 inches, making them easily visible as they scurry across flooring, counters, and tabletops.
Palmetto bugs thrive in moist, humid places and you can find them in your bathrooms, under sinks, refrigerators, behind dishwashers, and in the attics.
5. Water Bug
Water bugs can be distinguished by their oval-shaped body, with pincer-like front limbs that they use to capture and hold their prey.
They can walk on land or water, especially due to their adaptive rear legs that are flattened and have small hairs to help push them through the water.
These bugs like wet areas with aquatic vegetation and have a specific breathing tube on the abdomen that allow them to remain submerged for a long time.
Water bugs are known for being ambush hunters, waiting motionless for their prey and then pouncing. When in this state they resemble decaying leaves, allowing them to perfectly hide from their prey as well as predators.
6. Stink Bug
It is easy to distinguish a stink bug from other bugs because of its pungent odor that is similar to that of cilantro herb.
These bugs vary in size and shape but are generally oval or round, or shield-shaped, with developed triangle-like scutellum, sucking-piercing mouthparts, and 5-segmented antennae.
Stink bugs can be found inside homes and buildings. They like to hide in narrow, high, and cool spaces.
7. Earwigs
Earwigs are slightly longer than an inch and have long slender antennae and pinchers at their rear end. They have a dark brown body that features wing covers.
Earwigs have compound eyes and use their pinchers if grasped by a predator or startled. These bugs prefer to live underground, in decomposing wood, or under stones. But they may occasionally enter homes through cracks and crevices in the foundation.
8. Bed Bugs
Adult bed bugs are smaller compared to adult roaches. Regarding physical appearance, adult bed bugs are brown and reddish brown and have flattened almond-shaped wingless bodies.
They have segmented abdomen with tiny hairs that make them appear banded. Adult bed bugs tend to grow to 4 millimeters to 5 millimeters long and up to 3 millimeters wide.
Bed bugs are nocturnal and are active at night when you are sleeping. When bed bugs get startled, they produce an odor similar to that of stink bugs.
Bed bugs are indoor pests and can be found in areas where you sleep. It can be hard to distinguish between a baby bed bug and a baby roach.
Conclusion
The first and most crucial step when you see a bug that is not familiar is to find out the kind of pest you are dealing with.
Roaches are disease-carrying pests, so if they are in your home, they can spread disease and contaminate food.
With the information in this article, we hope that you will be able to differentiate between roaches and other pest lookalikes.
Correct identification is crucial because different pests require different pest control approaches.
FAQs
Are bugs that look like roaches dangerous?
Most cockroach lookalikes are harmless to humans, except bed bugs. Moreover, most of the bugs that look like roaches prefer to live outdoors, unlike bedbugs.
What should I do if I find bugs that look like roaches in my home?
First and foremost, find out what kind of bug it is. After knowing this crucial detail, you will be in a position to decide the next step. Note that most bugs that look like roaches prefer staying outside and are harmless and will wander indoors sometimes by accident.
What are the most common types of cockroaches?
There are around 4,600 species of cockroaches in the world, but the most common ones are the American cockroach, German cockroach, brown-banded cockroach, smoky brown cockroach, and oriental cockroach.
How Can I Prevent A Cockroach Infestation?
The best way to prevent cockroach infestation is by keeping a clean house. Remove every item that could attract cockroaches and store foodstuffs in sealed containers. Seal crevices and entry points to your house.
What are the dangers of having cockroaches in my home?
Cockroaches are a health threat because they carry disease-causing pathogens and can also lead to severe allergies and asthma attacks.
How do I get rid of cockroaches?
Use a professional exterminator to eliminate roaches permanently from your home. Exterminators have the skills to identify the nest location, entry point, and feeding spots of cockroaches in order to get rid of them. You can also use DIY products to eliminate them.
Can cockroaches fly?
Although cockroaches develop wings in adulthood, most species don’t fly. Having said that some species such as brown-banded roaches are good flyers.
