Most people often don’t care what kind of roaches they see when they spot one in the kitchen at night. They simply considered them as normal pests that needed to be removed.
It is important to identify the type of roaches, as it can help in adopting the right method to get rid of them. Knowing the major differences between German and American cockroaches will help you know the different health risks they bring and the environmental factors that promote their growth. Since both pests come with differences, the approach to control and remove them is also different.
In this blog, you will learn the four major differences between German and American cockroaches as well as the most effective ways to get rid of them.
German vs American Cockroach - Key Differences!
The following are 4 major factors that help distinguish between German and American Roach:
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Diet
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Appearance
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Behaviour and Habitat
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Risk Factor
Diet
German Cockroach
German roaches can eat almost anything, but they strongly prefer and crave sweet, greasy, and protein-rich food products like meat. This is the reason they are seen under/behind/ or in the kitchen appliances. They also look for garbage and leftovers in the kitchen area. There are cases when these pests also hop on non-food items like books, bindings, soap, or even toothpaste.
American Cockroach
Like German roaches, the American cockroaches are also not picky eaters. They usually prefer crumbs, sweets, and other unusual non-food items like hair, paper, cardboard, and fabric. American roaches are often attracted to yard waste, fungi, and some smaller insects. Their ability to feed on both fresh and decaying organic matter makes them harder to control.
Appearance
German Cockroach
German cockroaches are smaller in size as compared to American ones and only grow about ½ to ⅝ inches long. They are light brown to tan and have two distinct dark parallel stripes running from behind the head to the wings. Unlike American Cockroaches, they cannot fly and rely only on crawling for movement.
American Cockroach
American cockroaches are one of the largest species in the U.S, which can easily grow from 1.5 to 2 inches long. They have a reddish-brown body and a yellow colored thorax with attached legs and wings, which help them fly at night.
Behaviour and Habitat
German Cockroach
German cockroaches prefer to stay in warm and damp places like kitchens and bathrooms. They hide during the daytime and come out at night time which makes it hard to notice. A single female can produce more than 400 offspring, leading to rapid infestation. As they can survive on almost anything, be it a food item or a non-food item like cardboard, books, etc, infestation becomes tough.
American Cockroach
Unlike German cockroaches, these pests prefer to live outdoors in damp and dark spots like basements, sewers, drains, and crawl spaces. However, during cold weather or heavy rains, they prefer warmth and moisture. Hence, they enter homes during that time. They breed slowly, unlike German roaches.
Risk Factor
German Cockroach
German cockroaches can be annoying as well as hazardous to health. This is because they contaminate the food, cause allergies, and spread harmful germs such as Salmonella and E. coli.
American Cockroach
These pests don’t usually live inside homes all year and are often found in sewers and places with bad sanitation. Hence, they carry bacteria and germs that spread and contaminate the surface.
How to Control and Remove German and American Cockroaches?
It can be challenging to deal with German and American cockroaches. Since they both have different behavioural patterns, living habits, diet, and risk factors, they both require different controlling approaches.
German Cockroach
These pests are hard to remove as they are indoor pests that mostly reproduce quickly. However, using sprays or foggers can help kill the ones you see easily, but they will not completely wipe out the infestation.
One of the best and reliable ways of controlling German cockroaches is by using bait dusts and Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs). This method disrupts their ability to reproduce and easily reaches the hidden areas where spraying won’t help. After some time, this approach helps in removing them more effectively.
American Cockroach
Since the American cockroaches prefer damp and dark places like sewers, drains, and basements, they usually enter homes from these areas. Hence, it becomes necessary to control them before they contaminate the entire kitchen or bathroom area.
By sealing the cracks and entry points, reducing the moisture, and using the perimeter treatments around the home, one can easily control them. Baits and sprays can be helpful too, but as the American roach breed is slower than the German one, it is generally easier to control the infestations.
Seek Professional Help!
There are times when it is hard to eliminate roaches on your own. Therefore, in such cases, it is better to take assistance from pest control professionals. They make sure to keep your kitchen pest-free by using the right removal method.
