The cockroach may seem like a simple pest, but the fact is that they have been around for very, very long. In the early Carboniferous era, during the early parts of the Carboniferous period, cockroaches appeared for the first time as an order of insects.
The Blattodea Order includes them and termites. With the exception of Antarctica, they can be found in virtually every environment on earth today. We all know about cockroaches because there are over 4,500 species. Do wood roaches exist? Do they look like cockroaches?
The following article will dig deep into what makes up a wood roach. Our first step will be to determine whether or not wood roaches are the same as cockroaches, and how to identify them. Our next topic will be to learn about the wood roach’s natural habitat, and whether they can infest your house.
Are Wood Roaches the Same as Cockroaches?
It is important to understand that cockroaches in your home are not the same as wood roaches. German cockroaches and American cockroaches are commonly found in the home, but wood roaches are generally found outdoors. Their size also differs from the majority of American cockroach species.
Almost everyone in North America has experienced a wood roach if they live in wooded areas. How do wood roaches live? What is the difference between them and cockroaches? There is some good news: a specific species of cockroach is known as the wood roach: the Pennsylvania wood roach. Insects of a different type are not wood roaches, they are cockroaches.
The wood roach isn’t interested in entering your home or eating your food like other species of roaches (such as the German and American cockroaches). This wood-loving cockroach deserves to be analyzed in more detail.
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How to Identify a Wood Roach: 5 Key Characteristics
It is commonly mistaken for an American cockroach to be the Pennsylvania wood roach (Parcoblatta pennsylvanica). It is best to distinguish between the two species by their sizes since they have similar appearances. Wood roaches are typically smaller than American cockroaches, measuring between 12 and 2 inches. The Pennsylvania wood cockroach has several important distinguishing features.
Life Cycle
A wood roach begins its life as an egg, just like all cockroaches. In addition to the eggs, egg cases enclose them in a tiny container. Approximately 32 eggs can fit into each egg case. Incubation takes place in a safe place (like a dead tree) after the females produce egg cases.
As the nymphs (baby cockroaches) hatch after 34 days of incubation, they are called adult cockroaches. It can take up to two years for a nymph to mature into an adult, but it is more common for it to take one year. A nymph’s exoskeleton is constantly shed and regrown as it grows. They usually die within a few months of reaching adulthood.
Size
There are differences in appearance among Pennsylvania wood roaches based on their sex (sexual dimorphism). Females are smaller than males, which is most evident in their size difference. The length of an adult male is about one inch, while the length of an adult female is only 34 millimeters.
As an added advantage, males have long, functioning wings that outstrip their bodies in length. The female has only vestiges of wings, which do not function. In addition to flying, wood roach males can glide effectively for short distances because of their wings. Adult nymphs don’t have wings, they grow them after they become adults.
Coloring
There is a difference in size and color between male and female wood roaches. The color variation between adults and nymphs is greater since nymphs are purely medium brown and lack wings. Their pronota (shield-like structures at the back of their heads) are mostly yellow on males, and they are light brown on females.
The Pennsylvania wood roach also has six legs and two antennae in addition to its head, thorax, and abdomen. All cockroaches have long antennae, which makes them recognizable; their body length is greater than their antennae. Roaches have thick spikes on their legs that point away from the body; these spikes assist them in climbing and foraging.
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Habitat
They are actually found across eastern and central North America, despite their name suggesting they are exclusive to Pennsylvania. These plants are commonly found in wooded areas, especially in areas with a lot of moisture. In addition to living in forests, they love firewood stacks, as their name suggests.
Dead trees and leaf litter are almost as attractive to wood roaches as dead trees. Homeowners can unwittingly introduce them to their homes with firewood, even though they’re not indoor roaches. Open windows and doors can also allow Pennsylvania wood roaches to enter homes.
What Do Wood Roaches eat?
Cockroaches that live on garbage and human waste are more pestilential than wood roaches. Worn-down vegetation and dead wood are the main sources of food for them. In the wood roach’s world, rotting leaves or dead trees serve as not just a home but also a meal.
A vital part of the natural ecosystem is played by Pennsylvania wood roaches because of their diet. Dead plant material would accumulate if they (and their friends) didn’t exist, and a walk in the woods would be swamped with decomposing leaves. There would be a lot more grossness in the world if wood roaches didn’t eat all that rotting plant matter.
Do Wood Roaches Spread?
Buildings aren’t infested with wood cockroaches, but they can get inside them. Homes and structures are a scavenger’s paradise for these expert scavengers. There are times when they bring firewood to places near forests, woods, and homes.
As well as reproducing more quickly than other roaches, German cockroaches mature from nymphs to adults in just three months, while most other roach species require a year to mature.
It is imperative to eliminate them as quickly as possible before they expand their roach population.
Can Wood Roaches Infest Homes?
Cockroaches are wood roaches. Pennsylvania wood roaches are what they are. Some might get inside homes as a result of firewood or by accident, but they do not infest homes. Clutter and leftover food do not attract wood roaches, which prefer the outdoors.
Your firewood may be infested if you see one (or two) in your house, so make sure that all doors and windows are shut. A wooded home, especially one with a lot of firewood brought in from the outside, is a much more likely place for wood roaches to live.
The first thing you need to do before you worry about wood cockroach treatment is to be sure you’re dealing with wood cockroaches and not German or American cockroaches. If the diagnosis is wrong, the wrong treatment may be administered, wasting both time and money.
You should look for the following:
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Despite their similar appearance, wood roaches have a flat head and an oval-shaped body in comparison to American cockroaches. Their legs are spiny, and their antennae are long and brown.
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Upon reaching full growth, a wood roach can reach a length of about an inch.
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Female wood roaches still have wings even though they can’t fly. Male wood roaches have wings, but they aren’t able to fly long distances. The wood they blend into is tan in color.
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A cream-colored stripe can also be found on the outer edge of the body of older and larger wood roaches.
In addition, wood roaches prefer moist environments or outdoor locations. There is no way they can crawl inside buildings or breed inside of buildings. In a humid environment like decaying wood, it may breed, but only if one finds a suitable home.
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