Brown-banned Cocroaches

What brown-banded cockroaches look like

Brown-banded cockroaches are small, about 10 to 14 mm as adults, which puts them in the same size range as a German cockroach. The way to tell them apart is the marking. A German cockroach has two dark stripes running lengthways on the shield behind the head. A brown-banded cockroach has two pale bands running across the wings and body, clearest on the young ones. Males are lighter, with wings covering the whole body, and they fly readily when disturbed. Females are broader and darker, with shorter wings, and they do not fly. The colour overall is a light golden brown rather than the darker tone of most other species.

Signs you have brown-banded cockroaches

• Egg cases glued high up, small and light brown, stuck under shelves, behind picture frames, inside cupboards or on ceiling edges.
• Roaches in electronics and appliances, including televisions, clocks, microwaves and the backs of computers, where it is warm.
• Droppings that look like black pepper on shelf edges, curtain rods, door frames and the upper corners of rooms.
• Sightings in bedrooms and living rooms rather than only in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Roaches flying short distances when a light goes on, which is usually a male.

Why brown-banded cockroaches come indoors

This species does not need the moisture that most cockroaches depend on, and it prefers warmth above about room temperature. That combination puts it high in rooms rather than under the sink, and it spreads through a whole building instead of staying in the kitchen. They are usually carried in rather than walking in, arriving inside used furniture, appliances, electronics, cardboard boxes and deliveries. Once inside, they breed indoors year round, because a heated home is all the habitat they need. They are the species most likely to turn up in a clean, dry apartment, which surprises people who assume cockroaches mean poor housekeeping.

How to keep brown-banded cockroaches out

• Check used furniture, appliances and electronics carefully before bringing them into the home, including the backs and undersides.
• Break down and remove cardboard boxes rather than storing them, as they hide egg cases well.
• Vacuum high shelves, picture frame backs, curtain rods and the tops of cupboards, not just floor level.
• Seal gaps around trim, shelving brackets, switch plates and ceiling fixtures where egg cases get tucked away.
• Keep food sealed and clear crumbs from living rooms and bedrooms, where this species also feeds.

How GO! Pest Control treats brown-banded cockroaches

• Inspection. We search the warm, high and dry spots this species uses, including electronics and furniture, and confirm the identification.
• Treatment. We place targeted baits and products through the whole affected area, not only the kitchen, because the population spreads across rooms.
• Follow-up. We return to check for newly hatched roaches, since egg cases hatch after the first treatment.
• Advice. We explain what to inspect before it comes into the home so a new population does not arrive the same way.

We are licensed, insured and bonded, and we work in homes, apartments, condos and businesses across the Toronto GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton.

Common questions about brown-banded cockroaches