What Do Baby Roaches Look Like? Pictures! FIND OUT

It is all too common to find bugs that look like baby roaches in our home. And lots of bugs do look alike. So it’s no new thing to mistake harmful bugs for harmless ones, or to find a harmless bug and be uncertain.

Baby cockroaches are insects that fall into the dangerous category. And the default solution when you find them is to deal with them fast. But, to do that, you’ll need to know what you’re dealing with.

So, what do baby roaches look like? Let’s find out, together!

What Do Baby Roaches look like – How to Recognize a Baby Cockroach

In America, many home owners are familiar with the American cockroach and German Roach, but there are over 30 that generally invades homes. Out of these many, only a small number are labeled: harmful pests”.

Every roach has typical features that help you identify them as palmetto bugs – and that goes for the babies as well as the adults.

Are you seeing baby roaches after extermination? They’d generally look like this:

A baby cockroach with 1. Long thin antennae, 2. Six spiny legs, 3. Cerci, 4. A flattened hard-shelled body with no wings.

All baby roaches will have:

• Dual long, thin antennae.
• Six spiny legs (that lets them climb walls and climb along the undersides of things).
• A cerci (two small appendages at the base of their body). You might need a hand-held microscope to see this.
• A flattened, hard-shelled body, without wings (a lot of roach species feature wings, but only get to USE them as they become adults).

ALSO SEE: Radarcan Review Roach Control

How to Identify Common Baby Roaches

• The Baby German Cockroach

What do baby German roaches look like?

Baby German roaches are almost oval in shape, with flat, hard-shelled body, 6 spiny legs, a distinctly separate head, and the appearance of horizontal or segments across its body (when viewed upclose).

Like adult German cockroaches, it also possesses dual long, thin antennae, but lack wings like the adult.

It is generally dark brown in color, with a lighter brown color down the center of its back. The brown you see is the darkest German roach nymph can ever become.

Over a period of 6-31 weeks, a Baby German roach will molt many time, at first appearing white as it emerges out of its old shell, and then darkening (to lighter shades of brown) as the new shell toughens up.

• The Baby American Cockroach

What do baby American roaches look like?

The baby American cockroach is oblong in shape and has 6 spiny legs, long thin antennae, and a flattened, hard-shelled body divided into 3 parts.

Like its Adult counterparts, baby African cockroaches also have appendages known as cerci at the base of their bodies (almost like those of earwigs), but unlike adults, lacks any wings.

They’re reddish brown in color and when properly examined, can be seen to possess an alternating pattern of dark and light-colored bands across their backs.

How big is a baby American Cockroach? The baby American cockroach Nymphs are small or smaller than the diameter of a penny (under 2cm) and grow to reach 5cm.

• The Baby Oriental Cockroach

What do baby Oriental roaches look like?

Baby Oriental cockroaches are oblong in shape and possess 6 spiny legs, medium-length antennae, and a shiny, flattened, hard-shelled body.

They also come with a cerci like adult Oriental cockroaches, but lack wings.

They’re reddish-brown colored and you’d notice a light, maybe darker color bands on their bodies.

How big is a baby Oriental Cockroach? Nymphs will be around 6mm before their first molt – about the size of a grain of rice.

• The Baby Brown-Banded Cockroach

What do baby Brown-Banded roaches look like?

Baby brown-banded cockroaches have 6 spiny legs, long slender antennae, and shiny, hard-shelled body. Their abdomen is orange in color while the rest of their body is brown-colored.

Their bodies are tapered towards the front, squash toward the back, and are distinctive in the roach world for the two light-colored bands just behind their heads that run horizontally across their backs.

How big is a baby brown-banded cockroach? Even the adult brown-banded cockroach is pretty small. Nymphs will reach about 3mm before their first molt – about the size of small grain of rice.

• The Baby White Roach a.k.a Baby roach hatchling

What do baby white roaches look like?

Though not a different species, you may unfortunately come across baby roaches in bathroom or baby roaches in bathtub that are white. These are cockroaches that are either newly hatched, or in the process of a molt, having just shed their former skin/shell.

It typically looks something like a larva, worm, or even a strange, wingless albino roach, these temporarily pure white roaches are simple to identify when you know what you’ve found.

ALSO READ: Enoz Roach Away Reviews

Suggested Products If You Have a Baby Roach Problem

To locate roaches hiding spots, and kill Nymphs and Adults real quick, we have listed some products below that helps:

• Exterminator’s Choice Sticky Glue Traps

This is used to gauge and monitor roach infestation levels and provide some supplemental control.

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• BASF PT P.I. Contact Insecticide

P.I. is a spray insecticide that eradicated roaches quick. It is best when used as a supplement to other treatments, it’s not cheap, but has proven to be super effective than most off-the-shelf sprays.

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To Kill Baby and Adult Cockroaches When You Have a Serious Infestation

The products recommended here will kill Brown Banded cockroaches and German cockroaches, as well as American cockroaches (Tree roaches, Water bugs, Palmetto bugs, Sewer roaches), and Oriental roaches when their numbers grow.

• Rockwell Labs CimeXa Dust Insecticide

CimeXa is a working indoor crevice and crack treatment. It works best when paired alongside Advion Hel Bait and Gentrol IGR.

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• HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster

You should apply this Diatomaceous with a duster tool. CimeXa diatomaceous works well.

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• Syngenta Advion Cockroach Gel Bait

The Advion first poisons the cockroaches that consumes it, then others in a secondary kill. For the most effective indoor treatment, you should combine with ComeXa insecticidal dust and Gentrol IGR.

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• Gentrol Point Source IGR

Gentrol is an insect growth regulator (IGR) that interferes with the cockroacj reproduction. It’s super effective when used alongside Advion Gel Bait and ComeXa insecticidal dust.

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To Kill Cockroaches Outdoors Before They Have a Chance to Get Inside

The products listed in this section are Recommended for American cockroaches (Palmetto bugs, Water bugs, Tree roaches, Sewer roaches), Oriental cockroaches, and Smokybrown cockroaches.

• Bayer Polyzone Suspend Insecticide

When used on external foundations, walls, and entries this insecticidal liquid stops outdoor cockroaches before they get in.

It also helps keep a separate sprayer, and works best alongside a granular outdoor bait like Intice and an outdoor crack and crevice treatment like Delta Dust.

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• Chapin 1 Gallon Multi-Purpose Sprayer

This liquid pesticide needs an additional sprayer. This cheap pump sprayer works best for smaller jobs.

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• InTice Perimeter Insect Control Bait Granules

Intice granular bait eliminated cockroaches outdoors and in spaces such as attic or garage. It can be used alongside a spray treatment like Bayer Suspend and a crack and crevice treatment like Delta Dust, it can protect your whole perimeter.

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• Delta Dust Insecticide Dust

The Delta Dust insecticide Dust is long-lasting and waterproof. Delta Dust is a crack and crevice treatment that is effective in high-moisture areas such as exterior walls, attics, and plumbing lines.

Delta Dust is regulated and unavailable in certain in some areas.

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List of Bugs that Look like Baby Roaches

There are some bug look like baby cockroaches, and can be easily mistaken for them. Here, we’ll check some bugs that resemble baby roaches and out their differences.

• Crickets

What do baby roaches look like vs. Crickets?

In many cases, crickets are confused for cockroaches because they are small, dark in color, and have spiny legs to.

Now, crickets have very large, strong back legs that reach above their bodies. They also use these to jump to heights a roach never could.

So, if the bug you’ve discovered has three large strong back legs and jumps super high, it’s a cricket, not a baby.

Also, cockroaches are very quiet. Crickets, by comparison, are notorious for their high-pitched chirping.

• Beetles

What do baby cockroaches look like vs. beetles?

It’s simple to mistake roaches for beetles. Both possess a squat, oval shape. But, more than 200,000 beetle species have more colorful and varied markings than a couple of roach species you’d likely come in contact with.

Brown or black beetles might give you an issue though.

Good news is that their characteristics distinguish the two. Beetles possess an antennae and legs  that are shorter than those of the roach and their exoskeleton is tougher.

They also move way slower than baby roaches, that run at super speeds.

• Bed Bugs

What do baby roaches look like vs. bed bugs?

Bed bugs also bear some resemblance with cockroach nymph. They are both typically reddish brown, oval-shaped and wingless. To identify a baby roach vs bed bug, take a close look at the antennae and body shape.

Bed bugs generally appear to be shorter and rounder than cockroach babies. Bed bugs also have shorter antennae than cockroaches.

Extra Tips for Identifying Baby Roaches

If you believe there are baby cockroaches in your home, slip on a pair of gloves and try to kill or catch one if you can. Since Brown-banded roaches and German roaches are super small even as adults, size is an ideal first clue that it may be one of those.

Next thing is to look at the color, alongside some other distinctive marking described above and elsewhere.

Lastly, it’s crucial that you identify and make moves to protect your home, if it does turn out to be a cockroach.

Because when everything’s said and done, what do baby roaches look like?

Danger!