5 Insects That Look Like Baby Cockroaches - One Of Them Is Biting (2023)

Baby cockroaches are small. To the untrained eye, baby cockroaches can look like other insects.

If you can't tell the difference between baby roaches and lookalike roaches, you are choosing the wrong pest control methods.

And this means that you will not be able to get rid of insects other than cockroaches.

Did the end work?

A spike in infestation of bugs resembling baby cockroaches.

In this guide, you will discover the five insects that look like baby cockroaches. These insects are so similar to baby cockroaches that it's almost impossible to tell the differences.

You will learn how these insects enter houses.

In addition, there are tips and tricks that will help you a lot to prevent these cockroach-like insects from invading your home.

What are little baby cockroaches like?

The fundamental step before getting into the bugs that look like baby cockroaches, is to know if it is a baby cockroach or not.

For this you need to know what baby cockroaches look like.

There are more than thirty different types of cockroaches that invade homes. We are not going to go into the offspring of each of these thirty species of cockroaches.

Let's limit ourselves to the three most common invading cockroach species and focus on the appearance of their young.

These three common invasive cockroaches are American cockroaches, German cockroaches, and Oriental cockroaches.

Let's find out what the nymphs or pups of each of these cockroaches are like.

What are baby German cockroaches like?

The baby German cockroach is oval in shape with a flat body. It is dark brown in color, and some of them may have a yellowish spot on the back.

But if you look closely, probably with a magnifying glass, you'll find horizontal scaly bands on their bodies.

These scaly bands are a lighter brown in color than the rest of the body.

There are six visible legs with thin, hairy branches, an easily recognizable head surmounted by a pair of antennae.

Baby German cockroaches do not have wings like adults. They develop wings after repeated molts for forty-five to sixty days.

What are baby American cockroaches like?

The physical characteristics of hatchling American cockroaches are like those of hatchling German cockroaches.

But two glaring differences set them apart.

Baby American cockroaches are oblong in shape, and the scaly bands on their bodies are reddish-edged.

Baby American cockroaches have also not developed wings.

American cockroaches are the largest in size. So baby American cockroaches are also big when you compare them to baby cockroaches of other cockroach species.

What are baby oriental cockroaches like?

Baby Oriental cockroaches are similar to American cockroaches. There are no distinguishing features on baby oriental cockroaches, except for one.

Oriental cockroaches are lighter than American ones.

They have a tan hue to the edge of the scaly segments, making the scaly segments on their back quite recognizable.

Like all baby cockroaches, Oriental cockroaches do not have wings.

Now that you know that the babies of the most common cockroaches in the house look a lot alike, it's time to get intobugs that look like baby cockroaches.

Insects That Look Like Baby Cockroaches

Insects that look like baby cockroaches share three standard traits with baby cockroaches.

These three characteristics are: flat oval or oblong body, small size and dark color.

Let's delve into the differences between these cockroach-like babies and baby cockroaches.

Bedbugs

If there is any insect that is most similar to baby cockroaches, it is bed bugs. And bed bugs look like German cockroaches, ditto.

Due to the similarity of their colors and their oval bodies, it is easy to think of one as the other.

But there is a fundamental difference between cockroaches and bedbugs. Baby cockroaches have a pair of antennae, and bed bug antennae are too small to detect with the naked eye.

Another difference is that baby roaches crawl faster than bed bugs.

Baby roaches scurry across the floor when they come in contact with you or if you poke them.

Like bed bugs, baby roaches can also get into your bed. However, baby roaches cannot and do not cause infestations in your bedding or soft furnishings.

Bedbugs hitchhike into homes. They attach themselves to things like luggage that you bring into bedbug-infested places.

Your neighbors can also transfer bed bugs into your home if they wear clothes with bed bugs on them.

This can happen because bed bugs can hide indrawersand closets where you keep your clothes.

Bed bugs are difficult to get rid of and can be expensive. The most prominent and possible sign of a bed bug infestation in your home is thebed bug bitemarks on your body

Other signs include sightings of bedbugs or bed bugsnymphs, bed bug shells, and bed bug feces on your bed and soft furnishings.

Getting rid of bed bugs can be an expensive affair. However, you can get rid of bed bugsAFFORDABLEif you detect bed bug infestation in the early stages.

carpet beetles

Now, we're not talking about similarities between baby cockroaches and carpet beetle larvae; we are talking about the similarities between baby cockroaches and adult beetles.

The larva of the carpet beetle or baby carpet beetle is a small black worm with hairy bristles on its back. The baby carpet beetle is a damaging pest that infests and damages products made from animal matter.

They may also enter the kitchen and feed on stored food.

Adult carpet beetles resemble baby cockroaches, but not as much as bed bugs. The feature that makes adult carpet beetles look like baby cockroaches is the head.

The head of the adult carpet beetle, especially the way it is connected to the body, makes them look like baby cockroaches.

To add to the confusion, both baby cockroaches and adult beetles have the same number of legs, which is six.

But adult carpet beetles are larger than baby roaches and are not flat like baby roaches.

Adult carpet beetles enter homes during the spring months to lay eggs in products made from animal extracts.

Therefore, woolen rugs, leather materials, clothing and fabrics made of silk and fur, and even taxidermy are all ideal places for carpet beetles to lay eggs.

Carpet beetle larvae feed on these animal products. These larvae create holes in these tents causing irreparable damage.

The larvae also feed on food stains and crumbs. That's why it's common to seecarpet beetle larvae in your bed, especially when the bedding is dirty with food stains.

Due to their presence in bedding, carpet beetle larvae are also known asbed worms.

To kill these larvae, steam cleaning carpets and bedding is the best option. The heat from the steam cleaner kills the larvae of the carpet beetle.

It's also best to dry clean expensive clothing made with animal extracts to get rid of potential worms.

Not to mention, vacuuming your closet and closet is also critical to getting rid of those lurking carpet worms and anycloset bugs.

Installing window guards and sealing gaps and cracks in your home's windows, doors, and walls will prevent adultcarpet beetlesto fly inside your house.

These adult carpet beetles can also sneak into yourautoand lays eggs.

Spraying aerosol insecticides on carpet beetles will kill them on contact.

red flour beetles

Red flour beetles arepantry pests, and you would find them in dried foods stored in your kitchen pantry.

Given their dark tan color, red flour beetles look like baby American cockroaches.

And just like red flour beetles, baby roaches can also infest stored dry food.

But the shape of red flour beetles clearly distinguishes them from baby cockroaches.

Red flour beetles are not oval and oblong like baby cockroaches. They do not have scaly segments like baby cockroaches.

Also, red flour beetles are slow crawlers.

Another differentiating factor is that there is a differentiated thoracic area between the head and the lower part of the body of thered flour beetle.

Also, you wouldn't find red fluoride beetles in places where you might find baby cockroaches.

You go baby cockroaches out therecockroach nest, found in places like drains, dirty areas, and damp areas of your kitchen, bathroom, and basement.

Red flour beetles enter homes by being present in bags of grain you buy at the grocery store.

In our post on grain-damaging insects, you'll find detailed steps on how to get rid of these pests that damage stored food.

pharmacy beetles

Pharmacy beetles look a lot like baby cockroaches.

Pharmacy beetles are brown and with their oval body, you would easily mistake a pharmacy beetle for a baby cockroach.

This is how you can tell the difference between the drugstore beetle and baby cockroaches.

Pharmacy beetles are smaller than baby cockroaches. Baby cockroaches are around 5mm to 6mm while pharmacy beetles are only 2mm to 3.5mm.

The head of the pharmacy beetle is not visible like the head of a baby cockroach. When you view a pharmacy beetle from above, the head appears to be hooked inward like a beak, making it invisible.

However, a closer look can tell that the pharmacy beetle has a pair of antennae. But the size of the antenna is smaller than the size of the antenna of a baby cockroach.

Pharmacy beetles can fly and have wings, while baby cockroaches cannot. The wings rest on the back and there is a visible space between the two wings.

And finally, drugstore beetles don't look flat. Hump ​​is seen from above which says it's not a baby roach.

Like the red flour beetle, thepharmacy beetleit is also a pantry pest. You would find them living inside unsecured food containers.

Bookshop

Bookshopo Psocids are tiny, white, gray or brown.

You will find insects that you would find in damp, quiet places in your home. These are the places where you can also find baby cockroaches.

Brown mealybugs closely resemble baby German cockroaches, while white ones resemble an albino baby cockroach.

But booklice are oblong in shape and have two sections on the thoracic part of the back. They also have a visible nose, which a baby cockroach lacks.

Bookshopthey are also slimmer than baby roaches and do not move as fast as baby roaches.

So if you find a small, skinny insect with a visible nose and a two-sectioned thoracic back, it's not a baby cockroach; is a booklice or Psocids.

infested with licebooksand cardboard boxes. Book lice feed on the fungus that thrives on old books and furniture.

Booklice does not cause major damage to your home. However, as pantry pests, booklice can damage stored grain asrice.

Disposing of damaged books and vacuuming are two proven ways to get rid of lice in homes.

However, these insects are moisture-seeking insects. Therefore, to control them, you will need to control the humidity in your home.

So, install a dehumidifier and fix water leaks inside your home to control overall humidity levels inside your home.

Are baby cockroaches a bad sign?

Your Bet If you see baby roaches inside your home, that's a sure sign of a roach infestation.

Without an active nest and adult roaches reproducing and thriving inside your home, these baby roaches would not be there.

The most common places where you will find baby cockroaches are in yourbathroomand kitchen. It is because both places have enough food and hiding places where the adult roaches can hide and breed.

And keep in mind thatcockroachesThey are difficult pests to kill. Unless you get to the source of the infestation, you won't be able to get rid of roaches in your home.

Therefore, it would be better to hire a pest controller if you see a lot of baby cockroaches inside your house.

Do baby cockroaches bite?

No, baby cockroaches do not bite humans or pets.

But baby cockroaches are dirty and carry pathogens that can cause many diseases.

Because they are small, baby roaches can easily crawl into food containers and transmit the pathogen to the food.

Experts say that sightings of baby roaches are more threatening than sightings of adult roaches.

Sighting of baby cockroachesindicates that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of them inside your home.

Conclusion

The 5 insects that look like cockroaches are:

1. Bedbugs.
2. Carpet beetles.
3. Red flour beetle.
4. Pharmacy beetle.
5. Booklice o Psocids

Of these five cockroach-shaped babies, it is bed bugs that bite and feed on your blood.

In this post we explain how to distinguish between baby cockroaches and these insects. We also tell you what baby cockroaches are like.

Without knowing what baby roaches look like, you wouldn't differentiate between baby roaches and insects that look like baby roaches.

Physical observation of baby roaches in your home is a clear indication of an active roach infestation.

Contact a professional pest controller as soon as possible if you find baby cockroaches in your home.