The baby cockroaches are roughly three-eighths of an inch long and have black bodies with white markings. During their instars they turn into a shade of mahogany before becoming the smoky-brown color associated with the adults. Smoky brown adults are 1 to 1.5 inches in length and they are known to fly.
Baby cockroaches look like smaller versions of adult cockroaches. However, they are white after they first hatch. Within several hours, they will darken. Cockroach nymphs don't have fully developed wings, and some don't have wings at all.
American cockroaches – American cockroach nymphs are about one-quarter of an inch in length. They change color as they shed their exoskeletons and grow, a process referred to as molting. Nymphs begin as a black-brown color and evolve to the reddish-brown color of adults.
Crickets range in color from brown to black, much like some cockroach species. They also have long antennae. However, cockroaches' bodies are flattened and oval-shaped, while crickets have a more cylindrical body. Crickets also have very long rear legs, modified for jumping, which they do when disturbed.
Commonly described as: black beetle, waterbug, shade roach. This smaller breed of cockroach is usually all black (or a deep reddish brown), and rarely has other colored markings along its sides or head.
Some of the most common little black bugs that invade homes are ants, carpet beetles, weevils, flour beetles, pill bugs, and termites.
If there's any bug that resemble baby roaches the most, it's the bed bugs. And bed bugs look like baby German roaches, ditto. The similarity in their colors and their oval-shaped bodies, it's easy to think one as the other. But there's one critical difference between baby roaches and bed bugs.
For the nymphs, use insect growth regulators, known as IGRs. They inhibit insect growth, so if a baby cockroach eats some IGR, it won't grow up. For adults, use an insecticide formulated for cockroaches, or a natural product like boric acid or diatomaceous earth.
Oriental cockroaches exhibit a shiny black to a dark reddish-brown color. As adults, the male and female cockroaches, though both large in size, are quite different in appearance.
Some bugs that look like roaches but aren't include crickets, water bugs, and certain beetles.
And if you're only seeing baby roaches, that's a good thing. Even when there are surviving cockroaches or newly hatched nymphs after treatment, it's not a great cause for concern. These cockroaches will die as soon as they come in contact with the insecticide left during treatment.
The presence of baby roaches does indeed indicate an infestation, one that could grow exponentially if not eliminated swiftly. For every baby roach seen, there are likely dozens, perhaps hundreds, of others hiding, not to mention a multitude of adults.
Cockroach nymphs appear white right after hatching or molting. They will turn reddish-brown and will look similar to bed bugs at that age. Baby roaches appear more cylindrical in shape and bed bugs will be shorter and oval that looks like an apple seed.
Not all white cockroaches are babies, so if you see one, make sure to take care of them quickly since it can mean that they're going from their juvenile to their adult phase, meaning that they can fully reproduce.
The most common places for a roach nest in the house are in kitchens or bathrooms, particularly behind refrigerators, in cracks and crevices, and under furniture. Roaches prefer a warm, humid environment, so these places should be considered first, especially if they are close to a food source and water supply.
Most roaches are a reddish-brown to black in color, except for when they molt. Roaches that have recently molted, or shed their exoskeleton to grow, tend to be temporarily whitish. They have oval-shaped bodies which often appear flattened.
Smear marks. In areas with high moisture, cockroaches will produce dark, irregular shaped smear marks as they crawl along walls or even when they rest.
Cockroaches have an incredible sense of smell that they use to find food. You can take advantage of this fact by using scents they dislike such as thyme, citrus, basil, mint, and citronella to repel them from your home.
Moisture. Roaches need moisture to survive and this search for water will bring them into even the cleanest of homes. Leaky pipes and faucets are one of the most common attractants for cockroaches and is one of the main reasons you often see them in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
Nymphs are bright white in color initially. They enlarge through the intake of air and will harden and darken within hours. Recent experiments have also shown that the availability of food within the first 12 hours of molting greatly affects the growth of cockroach nymphs.
Is a Water Bug a Cockroach? The water bug is a bug that looks like a cockroach, but isn't technically part of the roach family. A true water bug is—true to name—an aquatic insect that lives in the water. Waterbugs hold their breath for a long time without resurfacing.
Common bugs that look like cockroaches, and, therefore, are often mistaken for roaches, are crickets and water bugs as well as beetles such as the ground beetle, wood-boring beetle, Palto Verde beetle, and Asian Long-Horned beetle.
Many beetles are brown, which increases their resemblance to cockroaches. The ground beetle and the June bug are two harmless beetles often mistaken for roaches. Crickets are brown to black in color.