Baby Roaches: A Complete Guide to Identification and Control

This page is a general guide that distinguishes each cockroach nymph stage (baby roaches) and explains what it means to see baby roaches in your home. Follow each cockroach control link within this DIY guide and use the recommended products for complete cockroach nymph removal.

Nothing brings on a shudder like seeing cockroaches scurry across your floor, but this leads to the question of what baby roaches look like and how serious they are. Baby roaches, otherwise known as nymphs, can be just as harmful as their adult stages, as they spend their time crawling through pipes, picking up harmful bacteria, and eating their own feces.

Nymph cockroaches cannot fly because their wings are not fully developed until they become an adult. For this reason, baby cockroaches tend to jump or scuttle, causing them to hide in tight cracks and crevices or other hard-to-reach places. If you have encountered one of these pests in your house, then most likely, there is a nest nearby, leading to the possibility of a current infestation or one about to begin.

Like other insects, baby cockroaches must molt multiple times before reaching adulthood. Depending on the cockroach, the baby roach can reach sexual maturity within 6 months to a year. Read on to learn more information about baby roaches, which will help to make it quicker and easier to control the cockroach infestation before it gets out of hand.

What Does a Baby Roach Look Like

The fastest way to distinguish between baby cockroaches and adult ones is to look for wings. During the nymph stage, cockroaches do not have these wings, typically until 6 months to a year after hatching.

Roaches that are white in color mean they are just freshly hatched. As they mature, baby roaches will become darker in coloration but will have no markings, depending on the species. The cockroach nymph characteristics of the most encountered roach species in the United States are listed below to help you determine which pest is infesting your home.

American Cockroaches: American cockroach nymphs measure about one-quarter of an inch in length and have soft bodies. In their first nymph stages, the American cockroach nymph is gray-brown in coloration. These nymphs can go through 6 to 14 moltings before reaching adulthood in about one to three months. After molting, the American cockroach nymph turns reddish-brown, with its posterior siding of the thoracic and abdominal parts darker.

German Cockroaches: The nymphs of German cockroaches are usually dark brown to black in coloration with the same distinct parallel bands running across their heads as in their adult stages. When they hatch, the German cockroach nymph is about 1/8 inch long and white in color for a short period. The biggest difference between a nymph and an adult German cockroach is the absence of the wings, which sometimes occur after the sixth molting. When the environment temperature is ideal, the German cockroach can complete its growth in 60 days.

Brown-Banded Cockroaches: Like German cockroach nymphs, the brown-banded cockroach is quite tiny, measuring about 1/8 inches long. However, they can be told apart from German cockroaches without two dark pronotal stripes. In their adult and nymph stages, the brown-banded cockroach has two light brownish bands across the body at the base of the abdomen and mid-abdomen. They will molt 6 to 8 times before reaching maturity over 276 days.

Oriental Cockroaches: Oriental cockroach nymphs measure around one-quarter inch in length and range from red to brown as they develop. These cockroaches will become darker as they mature, with the adult stage appearing almost black. Oriental cockroach nymphs go through seven molts before adulthood, which takes up to one year. In contrast to the American and German cockroaches, these roaches move much slower.

Smoky Brown Cockroaches: Smaller than the American cockroach, the smoky brown cockroach nymphs are about 3/8 inches long. They are dark brown to black and have two white bands on their body and the tip of their antennae. Older nymphs become lighter in color, appearing as reddish brown before reaching their smoky brown coloration. Upon hatching the smoky brown cockroach takes up to 320 days before becoming an adult.

What Does Each Baby Cockroach Share

• Two long antennae.
• A part of the thorax hides the head, and the mouth parts are pointed backward.
• Have six spiny legs with three legs on each side of the thorax.
• A cerci has two small appendages at the base of its body. They are used to sense vibrations through the air or ground to warn the roach of impending dangers.
• Bodies are flat in shape and hard. Cockroach babies are usually wingless until the last stages of growth, just as they are about to become adults.

Are Baby Cockroaches Dangerous

It's unpleasant for any homeowner to think about, but each stage of cockroaches can carry all types of diseases to people. They can spread diseases and bacteria by crawling through various pipes, sewers, toilets, and garbage. These harmful pests will eat just about anything, including their own or other pests' feces, deceased pests, and garbage material, causing food or surfaces they come into contact with to become contaminated.

With their ability to travel through the smallest openings, baby roaches can further spread these bacteria and pathogens through their droppings, saliva, or direct contact. Of course, these droppings will be smaller in their nymph stage than their adult counterparts. Nymphs from larger cockroach species excrete small, round droppings with ridges, whereas nymphs from smaller cockroaches appear as small black or brown specs.

How to Get Rid of Baby Cockroaches

Seeing one of these baby cockroaches is a sign of a much larger infestation or possibly a current one in your home. To protect yourself from pesticide material and cockroach bacteria, you must wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE).

Quick control is needed when one baby cockroach is spotted in or around your home. To get rid of cockroach nymphs and adults, you must use several integrated pest management tools and cockroach sprays, gel baits, and long-lasting residual insecticides.

Step 1: Get Rid of Resources

You must first remove their food and water resources to control a future cockroach infestation. Even if the nymphs or adults are removed, more can follow. Cockroach nymphs can survive off the smallest drops of food or water.

However, you can limit access to larger quantities of food by storing them in airtight or sealable plastic containers. This also includes using sealable plastic garbage bags for your trashcans and securing the lids. Trash cans should not be overfilled and should be immediately disposed of in an outdoor garbage container several feet away from your home's foundation.

Garbage bags stored on the floor can entice cockroach nymphs with food aromas or provide small crumbs for the pest to feed on. Besides crumbs, these sites can provide ideal habitats for cockroaches and nymphs to hide. Keep your kitchen, bathroom, and floors as tidy as possible by wiping off surfaces with soap and water and vacuuming the ground or furniture.

Most species of cockroach nymphs heavily depend on moisture for their survival. These pests can find these water sites in and around your home, such as leaky pipes, rain gutters, and fallen leaves, which collect moisture underneath as they decompose. Leaking pipes, plumbing, AC vents, or anywhere else in your home that gathers water may need to be repaired.

Step 2: Apply Gel Baits

Apex Cockroach Gel Bait contains 11 different attractants which roaches like the American, German, Oriental, Smoky Brown, and other species, including the nymph stages, find irresistible. This gel bait is designed to kill roaches slowly once ingested, allowing the cockroach nymph to return to areas where other cockroaches may be hiding. As other cockroaches ingest the deceased roach or its fecal matter, they will also die, thus eliminating entire infestations.

Once all other food and water sources have been secured, including pet food and water dishes and surfaces, can you proceed with product application? We recommend not using household cleaners or detergents when applying Apex Cockroach Gel Bait, as this may deter roach nymphs from consuming bait materials.

Measure the square footage of the treatment area to determine how much Apex Cockroach Gel Bait to use. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment site in feet and multiply by (length X width = square footage).

Depending on the species of cockroach nymphs, the amount of Apex Cockroach Gel Bait will vary. To control small roaches like German Cockroaches, you will need to apply 3 drops of Apex Cockroach Gel Bait or approximately 0.0047 oz. of product per square yard.

To control larger roaches like the American or oriental cockroach, apply 5 drops of product or 0.0071 oz. of product per square yard. It would be best to place this product on an index card for easy cleanup and application.

Apply Apex Cockroach Gel Bait with a gloved hand as a spot or crack and crevice treatment in your home.

Place the appropriate amount of Apex Cockroach Gel Bait near roach harborages or where these pests have been active, such as underneath baseboards and sinks, countertops, cabinets, and where the pipe penetrates the wall.

Do not apply where insecticides have recently been used, and only in areas out of the reach of children and pets.

Within 3 to 5 days, roach nymph activity should be reduced. Allow 1 to 2 weeks to pass until roach activity is no longer witnessed.

Step 3: Residual Spray Indoors with Novacide Flea & Tick Killer

Once one to two weeks have passed since the application of Apex Cockroach Gel Bait, you will spray a residual insecticide indoors.

Novacide Flea & Tick Killer is a powerful aerosol insecticide that combines four different chemicals, one of which is an insect growth regulator. This product is a synthetic pyrethroid that works by interfering with the roach's nervous system, while the IGR pyriproxyfen prevents the insect from reaching sexual maturity, effectively stopping roach infestations from growing.

This effective roach killer comes in a ready-to-use aerosol can and, once sprayed, lasts up to 7 months.

In your home, all food preparation surfaces and utensils should be removed prior to application and washed before use.

Remove all pets, birds, and children and cover fish aquariums before spraying Novacide Flea & Tick Killer.

To apply Novacide Flea & Tick Killer, simply hold the can upside down at arm's length and direct the spray toward the area to be treated from a distance of at least 36 inches.

Spray for 10 seconds to treat an area of 100 sq. ft. (10 ft. by 10 ft.) but not to the point of run-off or drip. Begin spraying from the back of your home towards the front. Make sure to spray the floor, carpet, and furniture in the kitchen, bathroom, and other labeled areas where roach nymph activity has been witnessed.

Because of the wide variety of floor types and finishes, testing in a small, hidden area before full treatment with Novacide Flea & Tick Killer for color fastness or dulling would be best. Avoid contact with antique finishes.

Do not enter or allow others, like children and pets, to enter the treated areas until vapors, mists, and aerosols have dispersed and the treated area has been thoroughly ventilated and dried.

Step 4: Residual Insecticidal Spray Outdoors

Cockroaches are prolific breeders that commonly invade the inside of homes by traveling through outdoor cracks and crevices or plumbing. Other species tend to infest the outside of your home as well as the inside, such as the American cockroach. For this reason, you will want to spray a residual insecticide on your home's exterior foundation.

Supreme IT Insecticide is a bifenthrin insecticide concentrate designed for broad-spectrum control of over 70 different insects, including cockroaches. Once applied, this product's residual will leave no offensive odor and continue to repel and kill cockroaches for up to 90 days. To use Supreme IT Insecticide, you will need to apply it with a handheld pump sprayer.

Determine how much Supreme IT Insecticide to use by measuring the square footage of your treatment area. To find the square footage, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet, then multiply (length X width = square footage). To find acreage, take the square footage and divide it by one acre (square footage / 43,560 sq. ft. = acreage).

To treat cockroaches, apply 1 fl. oz. of Supreme IT Insecticide per 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. of treatment area.

To mix, fill your handheld pump sprayer with half a gallon of water and add your measured amount of Supreme IT Insecticide. Add the rest of the water to the 1-gallon line, then close the sprayer and shake until the solution is evenly mixed. Pump the sprayer a few times to produce a low-pressure spray.

Apply your mixed solution as a perimeter treatment around your home's foundation by spraying 3 feet up the structure and 3 feet out. Treat the entry points that cockroach nymphs and adults can use to invade your home by spraying door and window frames, openings created by utility pipes, porches, garbage areas, lawn areas, garages, and other entry points.

Do not allow contact with treated surfaces by people or pets until the spray has dried.

Key Takeaways

What Do Baby Roach Look Like?

• Baby roaches begin white in coloration when freshly hatched, then change color over several hours as they breathe. They look like smaller versions of their adult forms, with the exception that some species will have their markings, whereas others will not.

How Many Babies Are in Cockroach Eggs

• Cockroaches lay their eggs in a sac called an ootheca, which holds between 16 to 50 babies, depending on the species. German cockroaches produce the highest amount of babies compared to other cockroach species, with 30 to 50 eggs per egg case and 5 to 8 egg cases throughout its life, with a total of 150 to 400 babies. Female American cockroaches lay about 16 eggs per egg case and produce between 6 to 14 egg cases. As a result, each female American cockroach generates up to 224 babies. Each brown-banded cockroach has 14 to 17 eggs per egg case, with each female creating 13 eggs during her lifespan, resulting in 221 possible babies. Oriental cockroaches have about 16 eggs per egg case, a female can create up to 18 egg cases creating 288 babies. Smoky brown cockroaches lay between 20 to 25 eggs per egg case and produce 10 egg cases in their lifetime. Roughly, the female smoky brown roach can create up to 250 babies in her lifetime.

What Size Are Baby Roaches

• The size of a baby cockroach will vary by its species. American cockroach nymphs' size is about one-quarter of an inch in length. German cockroach nymph is about 1/8 inch long in size. Brown-banded cockroaches are pretty small in size, measuring about 1/8 inch long. Oriental cockroach nymphs size is around one-quarter inch in length. The size of the smoky brown cockroach nymphs is about 3/8 inches long.

How to Prevent Baby Cockroaches

• Cockroaches seek necessities such as water, food, and habitat, which your home readily provides. Control these factors in your home to help prevent future adult and baby roaches. Start with regular cleaning in and around your area, such as vacuuming, wiping off countertops, removing uneaten pet food, and storing food and other objects, creating clutter in sealable plastic containers. Eliminate moisture by repairing leaky pipes and plumbing. Mow your lawn when it reaches a height of 3 inches and trim overgrown foliage to eliminate shelter outdoors. Seal cracks and crevices with caulk. Lastly, spray Supreme IT around your home's foundation every quarter to kill and repel roaches and other insects.