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How to Get Rid of Wood Roaches?
If you just mention the word “roach,” most people cringe and begin to feel their skin crawl. However, not only do you have to be wary of cockroaches, but also of Pennsylvania wood roaches. If you have an issue with these insects, you don’t need to panic. You just need to learn how to get rid of them from our experts at Kapture Pest Control.
All About Wood Roaches
Nobody wants roaches crawling around in their house, regardless of the species, and it’s easy to mistake a Pennsylvania wood roach for the common cockroaches people typically see. Both are a chestnut brown color. However, wood roaches are slightly smaller than cockroaches, at about ¾ to 1 ¼ inches long and do not infest like American or German cockroaches. It still doesn’t hurt to know how to get rid of them in the rare event that they do get inside your home.
Like all members of the insect family, Parcoblotta Spp. aka wood roaches have three body parts. They have a head, thorax, and abdomen, and they get around by crawling about on six legs. You’ll also notice that they have long antennae, and their legs have tiny spines that differ from that of a traditional roach.
Their flat, oval bodies have one pair of wings. Male wood roaches have thoroughly developed wings that allow them to fly long distances. However, the females have smaller wings that make them unable to fly any significant distance. Another way you can distinguish wood roaches from other pests in this class is the cream-colored edges of their bodies.
Their small mouthparts are adequate for chewing wood and plant fibers, but they can’t bite you or your pets. The two small points on their abdomens aren’t stingers so they can’t sting. Instead, these points help the females carry their egg sacs!
Behaviors
If you are looking for ways to get rid of wood roaches because you keep seeing them in your house—just know they didn’t come inside your home on purpose. They’ve wandered in on accident. Unlike the common roach varieties, these wood roaches forage for food outdoors and prefer to live around trees and decaying leaves. In addition, they aren’t afraid of light, and they don’t run from you when you discover them.
They also don’t cluster in massive colonies like cockroaches. Wood roaches are relatively docile and don’t like being in your home any more than you want them there. You can see them any time—day or night—and not just in kitchens and bathrooms.
Habitat
These creepy crawlers are native to North America and inhabit nearly all its woody landscapes. As their name suggests, wood roaches prefer to live among the trees, brush, and in the decaying matter on the forest floor.
Since they require the constant moisture provided by the outdoors, they can’t breed indoors. These creepy-crawlies won’t live long in a house or building so even if you don’t know how to get rid of wood roaches, they will be just as eager as you are to find a way to leave.
During the spring months, when the males are flying about, you’re apt to see an accidental wood roach visitor or two in your living space. Sometimes, they are stowaways in plants or wood that the family brings into the home.
Like moths, they are often attracted to light and may unintentionally crawl through cracks or holes in windows and doors.
Like moths, wood roaches are often attracted to light and may unintentionally crawl through cracks or holes in windows and doors. But you are still more likely to see large groups in overgrown brush or woodpiles around the yard.
Diet
Another significant difference between wood roaches and cockroaches is their diet. From the time they hatch into adulthood, they munch on wood particles, bark, and decaying organic matter. They have no use for human food, and they don’t have the voracious sweet tooth that cockroaches are notorious for so researching ways to get rid of wood roaches in your kitchen isn’t a big deal like with other cockroach species.
Wood roaches are also not carnivorous, nor do they consume dead insects or animals. Although they have an affinity for wood, they don’t bore into homes or furniture. Instead, these insects are more interested in the trees and other vegetation on your property.
Life Cycles
Egg
During the warm months of May, male Pennsylvania wood roaches fly great distances to find a flightless female for mating. The females will later lay their eggs in small crescent-shaped capsules.
The capsules are usually deposited under tree bark and decaying plant matter. Each female can lay up to 32 eggs in her capsule and leave them. She doesn’t need to stay close or sit on her eggs for them to hatch.
Nymph
Unless some hungry predator comes by for a snack or if you figure out how to eliminate wood roaches’ eggs (hint: vacuum regularly and be sure to empty vacuum immediately after use), these eggs will incubate in the small capsule for around 30-34 days. Then, they will hatch as tiny adult versions called nymphs and continue to consume plant matter in the nymph stage for between one to two years. During this stage, they shed their endoskeletons to grow into full-sized adults.
Adults
Adult Pennsylvania wood roaches still survive on wood and decaying leaves. The cycle continues as they instinctively look for mates. Both males and females can live several months into adulthood. The woods are full of natural predators such as larger insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals—all who know ways to eliminate wood roaches.
3 Tips on How to Get Rid of Wood Roaches
Do you think you’ve seen a few of these wood roaches invading your space? You can pull up the welcome mat with a few preventive measures. Here are a few tips on how to get rid of them and keep them as far away from you as possible.
Store Firewood Outside
Dried firewood is the perfect host for wood roaches. Instead of stacking it up in your home, store it outside or in a shed. Only bring enough firewood to burn at once.
Fix Cracks & Crevices
Unlike other pests, Pennsylvania wood roaches won’t intrude in your living space purposely. However, they are attracted to light and can often crawl inside through cracks and crevices in your doors and windows. Use caulking to seal any of these and repair or replace torn screens.
Clean Your Yard
Keeping bushes trimmed neatly around your house and getting rid of any brush piles nearby is a simple way to get rid of wood roaches. Clean out rotting leaf debris from gutters and pipes around your home. Rake away any leaves that gather around your foundation.
We Can Help Eliminate Wood Roaches
While they are not as destructive as other cockroaches, you certainly don’t want these critters crawling around on your deck or in your home. Now that you know how to get rid of wood roaches, using these few precautions can keep them away. But if you need help with these pests or other roaches, our Kapture Pest Control team is here to help.
If you are not sure which type of cockroaches you‘re dealing with, we will be happy to do a thorough investigation of your home and property. Our pest professionals will give you back your peace of mind so that you can go back to enjoying your home—pest free.
