Smoky brown cockroaches

What smoky brown cockroaches look like

Smoky brown cockroaches are large, roughly 30 to 35 mm as adults, and a uniform dark mahogany brown with a glossy, almost polished finish. They look like a smaller, darker American cockroach, and the simplest way to separate the two is the colour pattern. An American cockroach has a pale yellowish band around the shield behind the head. A smoky brown is a single even dark colour from head to wing tips, with no lighter markings at all. The wings extend past the end of the body in both sexes, and this species flies well, more readily than any of the other large cockroaches found here. Young ones are dark with pale antenna tips.

Signs you have smoky brown cockroaches

• Large dark roaches at night, often flying toward porch lights, lit windows or an open door.
• Activity in gutters and woodpiles, under mulch, in tree holes and behind loose siding close to the building.
• Droppings in attics and soffits, small dark ridged pellets where roaches shelter above the ceiling.
• Egg cases about 10 mm long, dark brown, glued in cracks near the roof line, in sheds or under decking.
• Sightings that stop in cold weather and return with warm damp nights, because the population lives outdoors.

Why smoky brown cockroaches come indoors

This species loses body moisture faster than most cockroaches, so it has to live where it is damp and stays out of dry heat. Outdoors that means woodpiles, leaf litter, mulch beds, blocked eavestroughs, tree holes and the space under decks. It does not usually set up a breeding population inside a house. Instead it flies or crawls in at night, drawn by lights and by open doors, gaps in soffits, attic vents and damaged screens. An attic with a roof leak or a damp crawl space can hold them for a while. Numbers rise through the warm months and fall off when the weather turns.

How to keep smoky brown cockroaches out

• Clear eavestroughs and downspouts so water does not sit near the roof line, which is prime shelter for them.
• Move firewood, mulch, leaf piles and yard waste away from the walls of the building.
• Screen attic and soffit vents, repair torn window screens and fit sweeps on exterior doors.
• Switch outdoor lighting to fixtures that draw fewer insects, or move lights away from doorways.
• Trim branches and heavy planting back so they do not touch the roof or siding and give a direct route in.

How GO! Pest Control treats smoky brown cockroaches

• Inspection. We check the outside of the building first, including gutters, woodpiles, soffits and attic access, because that is where they live.
• Treatment. We treat the outdoor harbourage and the entry points at the roof line and foundation, and deal with any indoor activity as well.
• Follow-up. We return to confirm activity has dropped, which matters most through the warm months when outdoor pressure is highest.
• Advice. We tell you which gutters, wood stacks or vents are feeding the problem and what to change.

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 smoky brown cockroaches