Since roaches are omnivores and eat a wide variety of things, cockroach poop can vary in color and texture. Generally speaking, cockroach poop looks like sticky specks of pepper or coffee grinds conglomerated on surfaces.
If roaches have been living in your home for some time, their droppings can accumulate in cabinets, behind light switches, under counters, and many other spots. The color of these droppings can be brown, black, or a combination of both. Roach droppings are typically grainy and, in most cases, sticky.
The stickiness is why you’ll see them on surfaces like walls, moldings, and appliances. We have an entire article dedicated to bugs that leave black spots on walls.
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How To Identify Cockroach Poops (Cockroach Droppings Identification)
Do you see dark, sticky, and grainy specks around your home? Take a flashlight and look near the wood joints, underneath counter ledges, behind pictures, along appliances, near outlet covers, and other hiding spots.
Roaches are primarily nocturnal and will come out to forage for food at night. If you see blackish spots stuck on surfaces in the kitchen, then it’s probably roach feces.
German Cockroach Droppings
The German roaches will have blackish/brown smaller dropping than the more prominent American cockroaches. The texture will depend on what they eat and whether they live in your drains. The droppings are sticky, and you’ll need a scrubbing tool and disinfecting solution to get them off.
American Roach Droppings
American roach droppings will be grainy, blackish/brown, more prominent, and with a moist texture. The droppings are usually stuck on surfaces, unlike mouse droppings that you can quickly sweep up.
Oriental Roach Droppings
These are similar in size, color, and shape to the American roaches. The droppings are a health hazard since they tend to live in the sewers.
Brown Banded Roach Droppings
The Brown Banded roaches have droppings similar in shape and size to the American and Oriental cockroaches. Their roach poop will smear, it’s sticky, and you’ll see it in along moldings, cabinets, refrigerator gaskets, and anywhere they walk.
Wood Roach Droppings
The feces of Wood roaches will be a little more grainy than the other cockroaches on our list because they feed on plants, insects, wood, and other outdoor items.
Photos of Cockroach Poop for Identification
Roach Droppings Will Not Smear in the Same Exact Way That Bed Bug Droppings Do
Roach droppings are sticky and moist but not liquid poop-like bed bug droppings. Bed bug feces will soak into fabrics and wood, whereas roach feces will sit on the surface.
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The Signs of Roaches Are:
- Sightings of insects that scurry around your kitchen when you turn the lights on in the middle of the night. Keep in mind that there are plenty of beetles that look like roaches, so its important to take a photo of the bug and get an ID.
- Blackish spots on surfaces in your kitchen or bathroom.
- Roach shed skins.
- Roach egg cases.
- Seeing white roaches means that you have some juvenile moltings.
- Black streaks on your white walls.
- Awful stench.
What to Do if You Find Cockroach Poop
If you find cockroach poop, you should clean it up and put roach baits out, so you can eradicate the problem. Roach droppings are made up of partially digested food and other materials that have been expelled from the cockroach’s intestinal tract.
However, many people mistake mouse droppings for roach droppings. So you can collect whatever it is you are finding and bring it to a pest specialist for ID.
You must follow the label on any pest control product.
Getting rid of roaches takes a well thought plan.
Can Roaches Make You Sick?
Yes, everywhere the roach travels, there will be roach poop. The roach poop will be on your appliances, food packages, refrigerator, walls, floors, and more. At this point, you may be asking yourself, “well, what do roaches eat?”, they eat almost everything, including the feces of other animals.
As a result, these droppings can be a potential health hazard if they are not correctly handled or cleaned up. Inhaling particles of roach poop or coming into contact with it can lead to allergic reactions, health issues, and other respiratory issues.
To eliminate the risk of health problems related to cockroach droppings, it’s vital that you thoroughly clean up any areas that have been contaminated by roach poop. Roach clean-up includes mopping, vacuuming, washing all surfaces with a disinfectant cleaner, and disposing of contaminated food.
Additionally, it’s essential to use gloves and a face mask when doing the cleaning to avoid contact with particles of roach feces.
By following some basic safety and cleaning precautions, you can effectively eradicate the presence of cockroach droppings in your home or workplace. Being diligent and thorough will help keep your family, friends, and pets safe from the potential health risks associated with cockroach poop.
When preventing a future infestation of roaches, it’s essential to practice good sanitation, use bait, and use bug-proof storage containers. Additionally, sealing up cracks and crevices around windows, doors, pipes, and other potential entry points to your home can also help prevent future infestations.
Roach Droppings FAQs
How Big Are Roach Droppings?
Most cockroach droppings are the size of rice grains or smaller. About 7-9 mm in size is the average roach poop size.
What Color Is Cockroach Poop?
The color is usually dark black or brown. Because roach poop contains harmful gut bacteria, it can make us sick. Studies have shown that roaches who feast on cat poop can pass on the Toxoplasma gondii to humans.
Do Roaches Leave Debris?
Yes, roaches leave feces, shed skins, and other excrements.
Do Roaches Leave Stains Like Bed Bugs?
Since cockroaches climb walls, you’ll find their feces attached to walls in your home.
Although cockroach poop will not stain the same way that bed bug fecal does, it can leave behind smears and marks on walls and other surfaces. Some cockroach poop will stain, and others will be more like flakes.
It all depends on what the roaches are eating. Whereas bed bugs only eat blood, their poop has a liquid consistency.
To note: Cockroach poop contains an aggregation pheromone, just like bed bugs. Bed bugs are attracted to their bed bug droppings, and roaches are also. Entomologists have known about these roach pheromones since the 1970s, and Coby Schal, an entomologist at North Carolina State University, has numerous studies on the phenomena.
Final Thoughts for Cockroach Poop: What Does It Look Like?
Cockroach poop is a potential health hazard, and it’s essential to clean up any areas that have been contaminated. To minimize the risk of coming into contact with particles of roach feces, you should wear gloves and a face mask when doing the cleaning.
Additionally, implementing good sanitation practices, using bait, and sealing cracks can help prevent future infestations. Roaches may leave behind smears or marks on walls due to their droppings which contain an aggregation pheromone – just like bed bugs do. Ultimately, understanding what cockroach poop looks like will give homeowners a better insight into how they can keep themselves safe from these pests in the long run.