Wood Roach Control: How to Get Rid of Wood Roaches

This page is an expert guide on getting rid of Wood Roaches from your property using the products and methods suggested by our experienced pest control specialists. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee you will be successful in eliminating Wood Roaches.

Cockroaches infestations that take place indoors can frustrate homeowners. While the more common cockroaches which invade indoor dwellings are the German cockroach and American Cockroach, there are other species which can also wander indoors, like the Wood Roach.

Unlike the German and American Cockroach, the Wood Cockroach prefers to be outside and only trek into a home by accident. They require consistent moisture in their environment to survive and can often be found under logs, woodpiles and leaf litter.

If you have been encountering Wood Roaches in your home, read on to find out how to can treat this pest and prevent it from coming indoors.

Identification

Before you can carry out a Wood Roach treatment, you need to first be sure you are dealing with a Wood Cockroach. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment method which will waste time and money. Here are some traits to look out for to help you with identification:

• Wood roaches look similar to the common American Cockroach. With their flat, oval-shaped bodies, spiny legs, long antennae, and brown bodies, they are slightly smaller than the American cockroach.
• A wood roach measures about three-quarters of an inch long to almost an inch and a half.
• Male Wood Roaches have wings and can fly over long distances, whereas females have smaller non-functioning wings. They are tan in color and can often blend in with wood, which may be how they got their name.
• Adults and older nymphs have a distinctive cream-colored stripe on the outer edge of their body.

Use the image and description above to help you with identifying whether you are encountering Wood roaches. If you are not totally sure, contact us and we will assist you with the correct identification.

Inspection

Wood roaches eat almost about anything in their path but are attracted to decaying matter, moisture and unhygienic conditions. Your home or yard can become attractive to Wood Roaches if the conditions are conducive.

Where To Inspect

Wood roaches are easiest to spot according to their behavior patterns. Their natural habitat is the outdoors, forests and jungles. They do not usually crawl in buildings and do not breed indoors but one may occasionally enter your home. They need consistent moist conditions such as decaying logs and wood piles to reproduce.

What To Look For 

You're looking for Wood Roaches themselves. Wood Roaches that are indoors do not like to stay there for long because they can't survive inside buildings. They are also attracted to light and won't scurry away if the lights are turned on. Outdoors, look for decaying logs, woodpiles or leaf litter to find where these pests are.

Treatment

Wood roaches are not as difficult to get rid of compared to other cockroach infestations. Regular cockroaches infest homes in search of warmth and food, but Wood Roaches often accidentally stumble in, and cannot figure out how to escape.

The best way to deal with Wood roaches is by laying out insect traps like the Solutions Pro Glue Board indoors and performing a barrier treatment with a powerful insecticide such as Supreme IT and inside in cracks and crevices.

Remember that you must read all the product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Step 1: Mix Supreme IT

Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is labeled for treating Cockroaches. It also has a long residual effect that continues to kill for up to 90 days after application.

Determine how much Supreme IT to use by measuring the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet then multiply (length X width = square footage). 

Fill the sprayer halfway with half the amount of water, then pour in the appropriate amount of Supreme IT, then fill the rest of the way with other half of water. Close the sprayer lid and shake to ensure an even agitation.

Step 2: Perform a Perimeter Treatment of Supreme IT

To protect your property from wood infesting roaches, apply Supreme IT as a perimeter treatment around your home at the labeled rate of 0.33 to 1 oz. of product per 1,000 sq. ft. Use 1 oz. of Supreme IT for heavy wood cockroach infestations.

Use a fan spray setting to get nice uniform coverage. Spray around outside entry points of your home like doors, windows, vent openings, and other voids in the wall. Then begin at one point along your structures outer perimeter and continue to treat along the outside by spraying 3 feet up the structure and 3 feet out. Avoid overlapping this application with your prior treatments. 

Do not allow people or pets to cross through treated areas until the product dries. 

Prevention

After the Wood Roaches have been removed from your yard, you will need to make the pest stays away and doesn’t return. Here are some preventative measures you can apply to protect your home:

• Sealing cracks – wood roaches can enter the premises through the cracks and crevices in the walls, doors and windows. It is important to seal these openings with wire mesh, wood, putty or caulking compounds. This stops other infestations too such as mice and centipedes.
• Storing firewood - piles should be stored away from the house preferably in the garage or shed. Firewood should only be brought in at the time that it is needed and put directly on the fire. Try to avoid carrying larger quantities of firewood every season to reduce potential breeding opportunities.
• Switch off unnecessary lights – male Wood Roaches can fly and are attracted to lights during the mating season. Female Wood Roaches are drawn towards yard and porch lights thus attracting other male Wood Roaches.
• Discard dead roaches carefully – once killed, the dead roaches can be discarded using a vacuum cleaner or a broom and a dustpan. Although a vacuum cleaner is not recommended as roach bodies will get crushed inside the appliance and you will have to clean it later. It also leaves a bad odor in the trash bag attracting flies and other insects.
• Fix leakages – leaking pipes and drains may attract more Wood Roaches. Fix these as soon as possible. Make sure you cover the drains in the house and get rid of any excess moisture.
• Cleaning your yard - remove debris and rotting leaves from the outside of your home. This includes gutters, vents, pipes and window wells.
• Continue elimination possible indoor infestations, by placing them about every 5 to 10 feet depending on how big the coverage area is. Simply peel off the wax paper and lay them in prime active areas and before long the Wood Roaches will be caught. After that you can easily dispose of the glueboard and caught roach
• Lastly, spray a quarterly treatment of Supreme IT around your home and yard for continued Wood Roach control.

Key Takeaways

What are Wood Roaches?

• Wood Roaches is a roach species that prefers to be outdoors around moist conditions but can wander indoors as an accidental invader.
• Wood Roaches look very similar to the American Cockroach but are smaller in size and are colored a tannish brown color that helps it to blend in with wood.

How To Get Rid of Wood Roaches

• We recommend laying out Solutions Pro Glue Boards indoors and treating your yard and perimeter with Supreme IT to control Wood Roach infestations.

Preventing Wood Roach Reinfestation

• Seal points of entry around your home, reduce clutter and spray a quarterly treatment of Supreme IT to keep Wood Roaches away.