Pennsylvania wood cockroach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pennsylvania wood cockroach |
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| Parcoblatta pennsylvanica nymphs caught from Wake County, NC | |
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The Pennsylvania wood cockroach (Parcoblatta pensylvanica) is a common type of cockroach. It lives in eastern and central North America. You might also hear it called the Pennsylvanian cockroach.
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What Do They Look Like?
Male Pennsylvania wood cockroaches are dark brown. The sides of their bodies and the front part of their wings have yellow edges. Adult males have full wings that are longer than their bodies. They can fly quickly, but not for very long distances.
Female wood cockroaches have shorter wings, called wing pads. These wing pads are not used for flying. They only cover about one-third to two-thirds of the female's body.
- Male Body Length: About 1.7 to 2.5 centimeters (0.7 to 1 inch)
- Female Body Length: About 1.3 to 1.8 centimeters (0.5 to 0.7 inch)
Where Do They Live?
These cockroaches like open, wooded areas with not much plant cover on the ground. You can often see them on tree trunks and lower branches of oak and elm trees after dark.
Young cockroaches (called nymphs) and adults also live outdoors. They hide under loose bark on woodpiles, old tree stumps, and hollow trees.
If you bring infested firewood indoors, these cockroaches might wander into your house. They don't usually gather in one room. They can be a bit annoying during their mating season, which is in May and June.
Male wood cockroaches often travel in large groups. They can fly quite far. They are attracted to lights at night, which is how they sometimes get inside homes. You might also find many of them in rain gutters.
Pennsylvania wood cockroaches mostly eat decaying plants and other organic matter. Both male and female cockroaches have been found under roof shingles and inside garages. They rarely breed inside houses. However, as more people use firewood and build homes in wooded areas, problems with these cockroaches might become more common.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
The Pennsylvania wood cockroach goes through three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
Females lay their eggs in special egg capsules. They do this during the warmer months. These capsules are placed under loose bark on dead trees, fallen logs, or stumps.
The egg capsules are yellowish-brown and curved like a half-moon. Each capsule is about twice as long as it is wide. It can hold up to 32 eggs.
- Egg Stage: Eggs hatch in about 34 days if it's warm (around 80°F or 27°C).
- Nymph Stage: The young cockroaches (nymphs) usually live for 10 to 12 months. Sometimes, this stage can last up to 2 years.
- Adult Stage: Adult females typically live for several months.
Where Are They Found?
You can find Pennsylvania wood cockroaches in southeastern Canada, specifically in Ontario and Quebec. In the United States, they live in many eastern and central states. These include Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. They might also be in Florida.
This species is one of the few cockroaches that are native to Ontario, Canada.
Keeping Them Out of Your Home
Pennsylvania wood cockroaches often get into homes through firewood. It's best not to store firewood inside your house. Moving woodpiles away from your house can also help keep them from wandering in.
If your house is in a wooded area, especially with cedar shake shingles, wood cockroaches might crawl under the siding. They might see your house as a new place to live, like a fallen tree. Having a wide lawn can stop them from crawling from the woods to your house. Using window screens and sealing cracks with caulk are good ways to prevent them from entering.
These cockroaches often get into summer cottages. While they can be a nuisance, there are usually not enough of them to be a major pest.
Images for kids
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Adult female
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Adult female laying an ootheca.
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Adult female laying ootheca.
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Adult male
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Adult male Parcoblatta pennsylvanica (the largest one) and P. divisa adult males.
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Ootheca
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Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach
