Are you finding beetles in your house that look like roaches but need to figure out what they are? Whether it’s size, shape, or color leading to your confusion – chances are with the proper identification skills and a little bit of bug research, you’ll be able to determine the exact species.
In this article, we will dive into 10 different beetles that our clients often mistake for roaches. Remember that an experienced entomologist will not mistake any of these beetles for a cockroach. So let’s get started!
- Blister Beetle (Meloidae)
- Spider Beetle (Gibbium)
- Rove Beetle (Aleochara curtula) (Beetles that Look Like Roaches)
- Darkling Beetle (Eleodes obscure)
- Hide Beetle (Dermestes maculatus)
- Flour Beetle (Tribolium)
- Mealworm Beetle (Tenebroides mauritanicus)
- Click Beetle (Elateridae)
- Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci)
- Dung Beetle (Scarabaeidae)
- Final Thoughts on Beetles That Look Like Roaches
Blister Beetle (Meloidae)
These beetles have a somewhat roach-like appearance, with long, slender bodies and wings that fold flat over their backs. However, unlike a roach, they are often brightly colored and may have patterns of stripes or spots.
You’ll find the blister beetles outdoors in the spring and summer months; they love to eat grasshoppers and munch on garden plants. They produce a toxic skin irritant known as cantharidin. So if you find these beetles in your garden, it’s best to look into ways of getting rid of them.
Spider Beetle (Gibbium)
Spider beetles may resemble a roach nymph to the untrained eye; they have long antennae and smooth, round bodies. They are often red, brown, or black and can range from 1/8 to 3/4 of an inch in length. But once you know what they look like, you’ll never confuse them again! Check out our article for more photos of spider beetles.
Rove Beetle (Aleochara curtula) (Beetles that Look Like Roaches)
You can find this beetle species worldwide, and they are a large family of beetles – but it’s especially prevalent in North America. We see these beetles that look like roaches in moist environments like compost piles, gardens, and rotting logs. They are often mistaken for cockroaches due to their shiny black abdomen, pale legs, and spikey leg hairs.
Darkling Beetle (Eleodes obscure)
This beetle species is native to North America, and you’ll find them in many dry habitats, including deserts, grasslands, and even your lawn. The Darkling beetles are sometimes mistaken for roaches due to their shiny brown color and the way they walk.
Like roaches, they are scavengers who feast on plant material, dead animals, and feces. Learn more in our article about “what do roaches eat?”
Hide Beetle (Dermestes maculatus)
This Dermestes beetle species are native to North America, and you’ll find them in many habitats, including homes, warehouses, barns, and other places where food is stored.
The Hide beetles are in the same family as the carpet beetles but tend to go after the food we eat. Cockroach poop is often found all over our kitchens; with the hide beetles, you won’t visibly see this feces everywhere.
They are sometimes mistaken for cockroaches due to their dark color and love for pet food; they are nothing like roaches. Plus, the fact that they hide out in dark places like a roach can cause alarm when you see one.
Flour Beetle (Tribolium)
Sometimes you’ll see a red flour beetle in your bedroom and wonder if it’s a roach nymph or a bed bug. Sometimes our clients mistake these pests for roach nymphs due to their small size, although the similarities stop there.
The flour beetles have a shorter life cycle, between 60-90 days, whereas the German roach life cycle lasts over 100 days. Their shape, behavior, and size are much different than a cockroach. So even though they are on our list of bugs that look like roaches, if you study both bugs, you’ll see that the differences stop there.
Mealworm Beetle (Tenebroides mauritanicus)
This beetle species is native to the Western hemisphere, and you’ll find them in many habitats, including homes, warehouses, barns, and other places where food is stored. Some might mistake one for a roach due to its dark color and fast-moving legs.
Out of all species in the family, only mealworm beetles appear as an issue regarding food. The rest stay outside under bark and logs. Since many species live in bark, they are sometimes mistaken for wood roaches.
Click Beetle (Elateridae)
The click beetles are named for their clicking sound when they flip themselves over. A spine on their ventral body is what makes the clicking sound. They have long, slender bodies with wings, usually brownish, reddish, or black. Their color, size, and nocturnal nature cause some people to think they see a roach.
Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci)
These beetles are small, and we find them in homes where the larvae feed on natural fibers like wool, cotton, and feathers. A carpet beetle is in the Dermestidae family, like the hide beetle we mentioned above.
Carpet beetles have round, oval-shaped bodies, and their larvae have spiky hairs all over their body. Usually, their outer shell is brown spotted, variegated, or black. Their body shape, legs, and behavior are nothing like a roach.
Sometimes the carpet beetles can lay eggs in our box spring, so the larvae will eventually start munching on the fibers of your bed. The number one culprit of bed worms is carpet beetle larvae.
Dung Beetle (Scarabaeidae)
You can find this beetle in many habitats, including grasslands, deserts, and your yard. These beetles are known for breaking down animal feces and returning nutrients to the soil.
At first glance, they have a somewhat roach-like appearance, with a stout, oval-shaped body. But the dung beetles are much rounder and slower than a roach.
Final Thoughts on Beetles That Look Like Roaches
Cockroaches, like bed bugs, are among the most feared insects. But not all bugs that resemble cockroaches are actually cockroaches. Some of them are beetles! In this post, we showed you 10 beetles that some of our clients have mistaken for cockroaches. We hope you found this post informative and helpful in distinguishing between these two types of insects!