What To Do If You Find A Wood Roach In Your Home

There's literally nothing that gives us the heebie-jeebies more than roaches, except ones that make their way into the house. Even smacking it with the closest shoe is enough to make us pass right out. If you're anything like us, then you don't want to take the time to figure out which genus that roach falls under. You take action and ask questions later, right? However, knowing whether you squished a wood roach (Parcoblatta) or another type determines exactly what you should do next.

At first glance, all roaches look the same. Although they can seem as big as a pterodactyl, in reality, wood roaches usually don't reach over 1 inch long. That size is mostly an optical illusion when their long, spiny legs and splayed, light brown wings are stretched out as they take flight, making them seem way bigger than they are. If your visitor is 2 inches or longer and darker brown, it's likely an American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Wood roaches prefer to spend their time outdoors in trees, under bark, in leaf piles, and mulling around rotting logs. That's why, if you find a wood roach inside, it likely doesn't want to be there any more than you do. That's why it's best to just pick it up and put it back outside. Then, learn more about how to keep wood roaches — and any other type of outdoor roach — away from your home and out of your life.

There are many reasons why you could cross paths with a wood roach inside your house. You can inadvertently carry one inside when you're bringing in firewood or if you're making this lighting mistake. So, you don't need pesticides, traps, or an exterminator for a single wandering wood roach that doesn't want to be in your house anyway. That said, a wood roach sighting is a cue to check a few other ways it might have gotten in, mostly because sealing them up can keep other pests at bay, too. For example, gaps under exterior doors and tears in window screens are common ways flying male wood roaches can get pulled in at night. You should also check the weatherstripping around all your doors and windows.

Because wood roaches prefer to live their whole lives outdoors, there are plenty of ways to keep them out while letting them do whatever it is they do further away from your property line. For starters, take a look at your landscaping. Layers of leaves, old mulch, and fallen branches create the perfect shelter for wood roaches. Raking leaves and keeping your yard free of debris can significantly reduce their presence. If you use mulch around flower beds, avoid adding it directly against your home's foundation. Plus, instead of stacking firewood against your house, keep it farther away if possible. Doing these things can also keep out invasive pests homeowners and gardeners are seeing everywhere.