Florida Flying Cockroaches: What are the flying roaches in my home?
If you’re from down in the swampy lands of Central Florida, you’ve probably heard of the legendary palmetto bug. And if you’ve been here for long enough, native or no, you’ve likely seen a few in your homes. But that name is thrown around a lot regarding cockroaches, and most of the time used incorrectly. So we’re going to touch on the species of roach in Florida that actually do fly and what you can do to keep them out of your home.
What species of roach can fly?
You may not like to hear this, but there are actually multiple species of flying cockroach in the sunshine state. And I mean, it shouldn’t be too surprising, right? The bugs here are just as diverse and varied as the human population. Go outside any warm summer night and talk for too long and you’ll likely head back inside with a few different species in your mouth!
However, flying cockroaches add a little bit of fear factor to that due to their sheer size. Even if they don’t bite or sting, there’s something about a three inch long roach beelining towards you through the air with wings that sound like helicopters. And once they hit the ground they’re just as fast! So let’s touch on these species of flying hazards.
American Cockroaches
Normally the star of these roach articles are the German cockroach. They’re a medium sized yellow roach that only have to mate once in their life to have roughly three hundred thousand offspring and infest homes like crazy. However, they don’t fly! Instead, we’ll have the American Cockroach start us off. Mistakenly known as the palmetto bug to non-native Floridians, this species of roach is one of the largest home-invading bugs on the planet. Sizes of an inch and a half are common, while roaches reaching up to three inches in length is far from out of the ordinary. This really is the heavyweight king of Florida Flying cockroaches.
Typically, this species prefers warm damp areas like gardens in trees. You’ll often finds home infested with them have gardens right up against the size of the house, or plenty of tree branches overhanging and in contact with the home. They’re reddish=brown in color and have a ring of bright yellow around the base of their heads. The females lay egg capsules that contain around sixteen eggs in warm and humid areas. This is often places like under your sink, in the back of cabinets, or in mulch beds in your garden.
If you suspect you have these pests in your home, you need to look for signs of their activity. One of the biggest giveaways is their large fecal pellets. These are droppings that look like someone shook out a bit of black pepper from a not-so-great grinder. There’s a good reason to worry if you find these in silverware drawers, behind appliances, or on window sills.
And of course, the adults have two fully formed wings that allow them to fly. They have poor control and crash into people often when trying to escape.
Smokybrown Cockroach
Up next is the true, blue, dyed-in-the-wool palmetto bug. And one that most non-natives haven’t heard about very often. That’s the Smokybrown cockroach. Smokybrown roaches look similar to American cockroaches, explaining how often these two Florida flying cockroaches are mislabeled as one or the other.
However, adult Smokybrown roaches are noticeably smaller than American cockroaches, typically growing to an inch and a half at maximum length but more commonly around an inch. And while they run on the ground slower than the American roaches, they have better control when flying- possibly due to moving less mass than their cousins. These roaches can be found in crawl spaces, fireplaces, attics, roofs, and gutters. Light attracts these flying bugs as well, so leaving your windows open at night is very much not recommended for Florida residents. Not only will you let in swarms of hungry mosquitoes, but there’s a possibility for one of these to come barreling in and flying around.
For identification’s sake, let’s touch on their appearance. These adults are shiny and have a uniformly black mahogany color, which is typically darker than the yellowish brown of American cockroaches. They also have wings that extended a bit past their body, giving them an elongated appearance.
where do smokybrown cockroaches live
This pest is common in the entire Southeastern U.S., though they typically occur the most in Texas, Florida, and Louisiana. They are major pests in the cities of Tampa, New Orleans, and Houston. They like warm areas with high humidity, and if you live in a wooded area that increases your chance of these guys finding their way inside as they love wooded areas. These pests are nocturnal like most roach species and hide in small places and wall voids during the day. They prefer places that you don’t frequent often, like the ones I mentioned above.
Florida Flying Cockroaches: What to do if home is infested already?
In the world of pests, an infestation is much more serious than a few lost bugs wandering in and out. The best thing you can do is to contact an exterminator. Especially one that uses natural methods of pest control, as chemical pesticides have been proven dangerous to human health time and again.
On top of that, cleanliness will likely reduce their numbers in your home. Kitchens are the most prominent hotspots where most pests will accumulate. So be sure not to leave things like dirty dishes in the sink or allow a leaky pipe to remain so for too long. Most pests can go without food for a few weeks at the minimum so that cleaning will help but likely not solve the problem. Focus also on removing any sources of water they have access to to further reduce their numbers.
If you would like help from a professional pest control company that has been in business for three decades serving the Tampa area, feel free to call us at 1-800-634-1313 or visit us at insectfree.com for a free consultation today.
