Cockroaches are typically light tan to dark brown in color, while waterbugs are tan to black, but their colors won't be of much help. Their bodies are oval-shaped and flat, and both species have antennae and wings. Waterbugs have piercing mouth parts and a short, pointed beak on the underside of the head.
What Is a Waterbug? Although many people refer to various cockroach species as waterbugs, the true water bug is an aquatic insect classified under the order Hemiptera. Water boatmen and water scorpions are true bugs that live in water.
Water bugs are typically brown or grayish in color, says O'Neal. Cockroaches are usually reddish or brownish, although the oriental cockroaches are a lot darker—which is where the confusion with the water bug comes into play. Another way water bugs differ from cockroaches is size.
Boric acid is an excellent pest control product that will kill waterbugs. This product usually comes in a powder form that you can sprinkle in areas where the waterbug's activity is high. When the waterbugs ingest boric acid, the chemicals reach the digestive system and poison them.
Water bugs that make their way into people's homes generally do so completely by accident. They are water-based animals, preying on insects and other small animals that live outdoors in creeks and ponds. If they get into your home, they probably just want to get back outside again.
Look for gaps around windows, doors, and pipes that penetrate the home's exterior. Check for cracks in concrete floors and walls. If you're having trouble finding a nest, search at night in rooms that have been dark for a few hours, giving the bugs time to become active.
Water bugs are typically grayish or brown in color with an oval-shaped body but they don't have the identifying antennas of a cockroach. The one cockroach that is commonly mistaken for a water bug is the Oriental cockroach.
Giant water bugs live in freshwater ponds, marshes, and slow moving pools in streams worldwide. They are typically hidden in mats of vegetation, just under the surface of the water.
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.
Waterbugs are attracted to damp, moist areas, and they are also very attracted to old food and garbage. In other words, if you're noticing waterbugs in your home, that's probably an alarm that you aren't cleaning enough.
What do they look like? Palmetto bugs are reddish-brown cockroaches that are usually about 1.5 inches long. They are the biggest of the cockroaches that frequently invade people's homes. Although these cockroaches have wings, they are not very good at flying but will glide from one surface to another.
Size – Giant water bugs are the largest true bug found in the United States and Canada. Most measure about two inches long and one inch wide, but some species can measure up to four inches in length.
Temperament - They can bite if they are handled or threatened, but the bite is not dangerous to humans. Pest determination - Water bugs are not considered pests and actually feed on other insects.
Water roaches invade homes for a few reasons, most of which are out of a homeowner's control. Seriously—they infest homes both clean and dirty, as long as there's a little food and… the number one reason they move indoors… Easy access to water. True to its name, a water cockroach needs lots of water to survive.
Question: We get these bugs — some people call them sewer roaches, and others call them water bugs. How do we get rid of them? They come out in the summer time, from drains in homes and drains in the streets.
Spray essential oils—Water bugs, like most insects, hate the smell of essential oils. Mix a few drops of citronella essential oil with water and pour the solution into a spray bottle. You can also use peppermint oil as another safe and natural pesticide option.
Can Water Bugs Come Up Toilets? Water bugs can enter your house via plumbing pipes and end up in the toilet. Often, this happens in toilets that rarely get used, and therefore, don't get flushed that often. When water bugs come up your toilet, they could be attracted by leaky faucets or water in the toilet tank.
Both cockroaches and water bugs come out at night to forage for food and water. However, unlike cockroaches who are scared of bright lights, water bugs are attracted to them and sometimes stray into houses at night.
What Sewer Roaches Look Like. Sewer roaches are generally 1 ½ to 2 inches long and are relatively flat. They have reddish-brown to dark-brown bodies, six legs and two long antennae. Their hard exoskeletons make them difficult to squish and allow them to slip through small crevices.
Based on where you spot them, you can make a pretty good guess about what kind of bug they are. Waterbug Droppings are Different. You don't actually need to see a water bug/roach to know that they're around. They leave egg cases, discarded shells, and droppings where they've been living, and it's often easy to find.