We have several pest cockroaches in New Jersey and there are many ways to discourage cockroaches from getting into your home. But wood cockroaches fall into a category all their own. There are many ways wood roaches are different. We're going to take a look at the differences and examine how they make these roaches unique pests inside your New Jersey home.
What a wood roach looks Like
First, you'll probably want to identify the cockroaches in your home as wood roaches. The best way to do this is by their behavior, but here are a few visual characteristics to look for:
- ¾ to 1 ¼ inches in length.
- 6 legs.
- Tan coloration.
- Often confused with German cockroaches.
What wood roaches do that most other roaches don't
- Refrain from congregating. Most cockroaches group together and act as if they are in a swarm or a colony. Wood cockroaches prefer to be loners.
- Run around during the day. Their love of the light will cause you to see these cockroaches a lot more than other cockroaches. In fact, when other cockroaches get into your home, you're not likely to see them until their populations get too large for the available food resources. It is often said that if you see one cockroach, it is likely that you have thousands inside your walls.
- They aren't shy. Not only can you see wood cockroaches during the day, it is quite likely that you will. Many cockroach species stay in hiding. Wood roaches don't care if you see them. They're very bold and will roam around in plain sight.
- They don't present as much of a health threat. Most cockroaches get into the nastiest places you can imagine, such as sewers and dumpsters.
- Wood roaches are much happier in a woodpile, a brush pile or crawling around on a tree that has heart rot. While they do eat decaying organic material, they prefer rotting leaf litter to rotting food from last night's dinner.
- Wood roaches are strong fliers. Many cockroaches can't fly at all, and the species that do are usually poor fliers that only take to the air on hot humid days and only stay in the air for a very short time. Wood cockroaches have no trouble flying around outside or inside your home.
- Wood roaches like wood. When you bring firewood into your home, you need to give it a quick check for these cockroaches. Other cockroach species are more interested in getting into your trash.
Can wood roaches infest your house?
Some cockroaches can get into your home and stay; wood roaches don't usually do this. These cockroaches are much happier outside where their food source is. Your home does not provide a suitable environment for them. That doesn't mean that these roaches can't get into your home on a regular basis and create many problems for you and your family.
Are wood roaches dangerous?
They're not considered to be a serious threat. As mentioned above, they aren't prone to getting into the dirty places that other species of cockroaches get into. This makes them less likely to bring harmful bacteria and parasitic worms in with them. If you're going to have cockroaches in your home, it is best to have these, even if they are pretty gross.
What to Do About Wood Cockroaches in New Jersey
If these insects are driving you crazy, remember that the team here at Arrow Pest Control is standing by to help you get them out and keep them out. Reach out to us today to request a free in-home pest control estimate and we'll send someone right over.
