German cockroach
- Look
- Two dark stripes behind the head
- Size
- ½ to ⅝ inch
- Where you find it
- Kitchens and bathrooms, behind appliances
- Indoors
- Lives and breeds there
Specimen 13 · Blattella germanica
Updated
Kansas pesticide business license #3403
Cockroaches in Wichita homes
The German cockroach is the most common house roach in Kansas. Two dark stripes behind its head tell it from the other adult roaches.
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Indoors
All yearActive
At nightHow do I know it's a German cockroach?
The checks separate it from the roaches that wander in from outside.
4checks
Size · Stripes · Egg case · Young
Half an inch, light brown
Adults are ½ to ⅝ inch long and light tan to light brown.
Two dark stripes
They run lengthwise down the shield, the plate just behind the head.
Egg case at the tip
A female carries her light tan egg case, about ¼ inch long, at the tip of her body until the eggs are nearly ready to hatch. Each one holds 30 to 40 eggs.
Dark, striped young
The young are smaller, wingless and dark brown to black, with stripes down the body. Their droppings look like crushed pepper where they gather.
Wood roach
- Look
- Brown, with clear edges along the shield behind the head and the front of the wings
- Size
- ½ to 1 inch, so size won't tell them apart
- Where you find it
- Woodpiles, rotted logs and gutters; drawn to lights
- Indoors
- Doesn't breed or settle in the house
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Cockroaches (MF2765); Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Cockroach Biology and Management (ENTO-037); University of Florida IFAS, German Cockroach.
Are cockroaches harmful?
Allergies and asthma
Their droppings and shed skins can trigger allergies and asthma attacks once they're in the air (MF3291)
Germs
They may carry germs as they crawl across surfaces (MF3291)
Damage
They eat the glue in wallpaper, books and furniture (MF2765)
It isn't only dirty houses. K-State notes that even the cleanest houses can offer insect pests food, from crumbs on counters and spills in the cracks.
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Cockroaches (MF2765).
Seen one?
Text Donnie a photo.
It tells him whether it's something to jump on or not a concern at all.
Take a clear one from above.
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Where do German cockroaches hide, and how do they get in?
By day they hide in the dark and come out at night. These are the four places to check.
- 01
Under and behind appliances
Refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers and water heaters.
- 02
Cabinets and their cracks
Wall and ceiling voids around the cabinets hold them too.
- 03
Where pipes and wiring come through
Where pipes or wires pass through walls, behind door frames and under tables.
- 04
Laundry corners and bathrooms
Around washers, dryers and water heaters, and in bathrooms.
How they get in
On the way in
They arrive on grocery bags, cartons and furniture (MF3291).
Between apartments
In apartment buildings they move between units along shared plumbing (MF2765).
The other roaches
K-State says Oriental, American and wood roaches usually live outdoors but occasionally become an indoor problem.
Oriental
About 1¼ inches, shiny black to dark brown. Damp, cool places: basements, crawl spaces, garages, drains, trash cans and woodpiles.
American
The biggest of the common roaches, up to 2 inches: reddish brown with a pale yellow band around the shield. Bathroom plumbing and storm drains.
Wood
Brown, ½ to 1 inch, in woodpiles and logs. They wander in toward lights or ride in on firewood, and don't breed in the house.
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Cockroaches (MF2765).
What can I do about cockroaches myself?
What K-State and Texas A&M suggest.
5steps
Tick the ones you're already doing.
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Cockroaches (MF2765); Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Cockroach Biology and Management (ENTO-037).
What doesn't work
Bug bombs · NC State researchers found that bug-bomb chemicals fail to reach the places where cockroaches congregate most, and that they leave residue on surfaces (2019).
Ultrasonic devices · K-State doesn't recommend them; research hasn't shown them to work (MF2765).
Traps · Used alone, they don't provide sufficient control of a well-established infestation (Texas A&M).
Worth knowing
More than one round
Insecticides don't kill the eggs inside egg cases, so another treatment may be needed a few weeks later for the newly hatched (MF3291).
Daytime roaches
Seeing them during the day usually means there are a lot of them around (Texas A&M).
Bait or spray
In NC State's study, gel baits cleared the homes (2019). Texas A&M says insecticide sprays are not nearly as effective as baits for eliminating German cockroach infestations.
Who do I call about cockroaches?
Donnie gives you the price on the phone, before he comes. No contract.
Donnie works alone, so it's him at the door on every visit. Most visits are booked within a week.
See every priceArrival · A window of about an hour; he texts when he's on the way
Paying · After the visit: card, Venmo, cash or check
If pests come back · Text Donnie. He talks it through and tells you before he comes whether a return visit costs anything.
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You pay for each visit.
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