Subject: What is this?!?
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
May 2, 2013 10:46 pm
Please tell me what this bug is. It is bluish green with white wings. I have never seen a bug like this before. I really can’t describe it further and hope that the pictures will be enough to go on.
Thank you for this website and I hope you guys are able to answer my submission.
Signature: Jennifer

Green Banana Cockroach

Dear Jennifer,
This sure looks like a Green Banana Cockroach or Cuban Cockroach, Panchlora nivea, to us.  BugGuide notes:  “along gulf coast from Florida to central Texas; most common in Florida native to Cuba.”  You don’t need to worry about an infestation because BugGuide also states:  “acitve at night and may be attracted to artificial light; does not breed indoors presumably found on bananas in its native Cuba; two early records from Mississippi are considered to be adventive introductions along with shipments of bananas popular as a pet ($25.00 a doz.) here due to its bright green color and because it is not an invasive indoor species.”

Green Banana Cockroach

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Subject: Beetle
Location: Swaziland
February 23, 2013 4:00 am
I saw this beetle at the entrance to an old mine shaft in the hills of Piggs Peak, Swaziland and would like to know what it is.
Signature: Jacs

Tree Cockroach

Hi Jacs,
This is not a Beetle.  It is a Cockroach.  We thought it might be difficult to identify as some African Insects are not well represented on the internet.  We quickly found it identified as a Tree Cockroach, Gyna caffrorum, on the Ndumo Game Reserve website.  The Allpet Roaches Forum indicates it was recently introduced to Cockroach fanciers in Europe.  The Virginia Cheeseman website of entomology supplies provides the common name Ghost Porcelain Cockroach, though we suspect that is a marketing ploy to get folks to purchase them as pets.

Thank you very much for the info. It’s great to identify insects, birds etc.

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Subject: Bugs in Furniture
Location: Houston Texas
January 22, 2013 9:28 pm
I bought this furniture in Houston Texas and when I got it home it had these bugs in the drawers. I have been told they are wood roaches by one person and another said they are water bugs. I need to know what they are.
Signature: TexasGirl

Drawer Full of Cockroaches

Dear TexasGirl,
We do not believe these are Wood Roaches, though we will try to get a second opinion.  Wood Roaches are benign creatures that do not infest homes, and you can read more about them on BugGuide.  The person who told you they are Water Bugs, is trying not to alarm you or is living in denial.  Water Bug is a common name for the Oriental Cockroach, but these are not dark enough to be Oriental Cockroaches and you can see BugGuide for information on the Oriental Cockroach.  There are only a few species of Cockroaches that infest homes, and we believe this might be one of them.  Our best guess is that this is a clutch of immature American Cockroaches (See image from BugGuide) and you can read more about them on BugGuide.  Cockroaches that infest homes and buildings are sneaky critters that can come home in grocery store bags or loads of clean laundry.  Again, we will try to get a second opinion on your species.

Thanks for your response, the furniture has been stored in a Garage in Houston Texas for about three years..I left the furniture outside and have killed all of the living ones I could find but I am worried about eggs.  I will have to treat the furniture before I bring it inside.

Eric Eaton Confirms American Cockroach Nymphs
Daniel:
I agree these are nymphs of American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana.
Eric

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Subject: Whats that bug?
Location: Kalgoorlie, WA
January 14, 2013 11:06 am
Hi Bugman,
I wondered if you would be able to help identify this bug? I found it 14/1/13 in my back yard in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. It’s body was about 2-2.5 ins long, it looks like a cockroach, but i’m really not sure. Thanks!
Signature: Jenny, Kalgoorlie, WA

Mardi Gras Cockroach

Hi Jenny,
You were very astute to recognize this as a Cockroach since it is considerably more colorful than most Cockroaches that people are familiar with.  We quickly identified it as a Bush Cockroach, Polyzosteria mitchelli, on the Esperance Blog.  We try our best to find credible verification of identifications that we discover on blogs, and BioLib as well as the Agriculture of Western Australia websites confirmed that identification.  Esperance Fauna refers to this species as the Mardi Gras Cockroach and indicates:  “… Polyzosteria mitchelli would have to be one of the most striking with its brilliant color combination. It is mainly recorded from the semi-arid areas of WA, SA and NSW, where always a delight to encounter.  I have found it (usually on shrubby vegetation) from coastal heath to inland mallee flora, including saltlakes and granite outcrops, so although not common, it is very widespread. Growing to 5 cm (2”) in length, it is quite stout and not very fast when compared to the troublesome introduced species that commonly invade houses. The local forms have a bronze background colouration, but apparently metallic green shades have been found in SA.”  Thank you for supplying us with a marvelous addition to our What’s That Bug? Downunder tag.

Mardi Gras Cockroach

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Subject: Small bug found inside
Location: Tulsa, OK
December 28, 2012 1:21 am
We live in Tulsa, OK and today I found this small bug. His body was perhaps 1/4” long. And no, we do not have a live Xmas tree.
Thanks for your help identifying this visitor!
Signature: Trixie in Tulsa

Cockroach Nymph

Dear Trixie in Tulsa,
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have an immature Cockroach.  Since it is not mature, you do not have to worry about it reproducing, however, it may have siblings or parents also living in your home.  It appears from your second photo that the Cockroach is contemplating a dash into the kitchen where there is food stored, no doubt.

Cockroach Nymph

We have been fighting the cockroaches for months thanks to some trashy neighbors, but this one looks different than the others.  Also, we haven’t seen any roaches for several weeks so we were sort of hoping we were finished with them!

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Subject: confused
Location: florida
November 19, 2012 12:26 pm
What’s this big?
Signature: english

Metamorphosis of a Cockroach

Dear english,
We wish your photo had more detail.  We believe you have photographed the metamorphosis of a Naiad, the aquatic nymph of a flying insect with incomplete metamorphosis.  Some insects that have larvae known as Naiads include Dragonflies, Damselflies, Mayflies, and Stoneflies.  There is something that does not seem quite right about any of those possibilities.  The head of this insect looks almost like that of a Grasshopper, but the hind legs are not long enough for a Grasshopper.  It it turns out that this is the metamorphosis of some land insect like a Cricket, then this would be a documentation of the Metamorphosis of a Nymph, which is a term with a larger umbrella.  All Naiads are nymphs, but not all nymphs are Naiads.  This Tree Cricket Information page with photos and videos is pretty awesome.

Update: 
We just received a comment that believes this may be a Cockroach Metamorphosis.  That is a very good possibility.  The morphology looks correct.

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Subject: Is this some kind of roach?
Location: Harper, TX
October 20, 2012 4:45 pm
Never seen this one before. Looks like a roach from the underside, but it’s topside is like a giant flat doodle bug with fewer segments. It has a reddish ”tail”, maybe a female. It’s not ver clear from the photo. Burrowed in the grass/ground to hide.
Signature: K Bernsen

Boll’s Sandroach

Dear K Bernsen,
While you are correct that this Boll’s Sandroach is a Cockroach, it is not a species that infests homes.  This is a wingless female Boll’s Sandroach, Arenivaga bolliana, or another member of the genus.   Males, which are capable of flying, are frequently attracted to lights.  According to BugGuide:  “The downy females have no wings and burrow in the dust under houses and in natural rock shelters where they feed on packrat droppings.”  We believe the reddish “tail” is an oothicaor egg case.  The female will carry it about until she finds a suitable place to deposit it.

Female Boll’s Sandroach with Oothica

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Subject: Bug ID_Beetle perhaps?
Location: Santa Rosa, CA
October 16, 2012 5:49 pm
Hi,
This summer I have had somewhat of an infestation of these bugs outside my house. If I set a box outside on the ground, they would infest the box. Have not seen many recently, but keep seeing them occasionally skittering across my second floor kitchen on the counter. Now I need to find out what they are, what they eat and why they are coming indoors. This is one I whacked on my counter. Fortunately, I did not totally smash it. Thank you in advance for your help.
Signature: K. D.

Cockroach Parts

immature cockroach

Dear Daniel,
Thank you so very much for your prompt response. I think that your website is fantastic. That is why I had to send you a pic for ID. It was taking me way to long. I was only on the 24th page of beetles after two hours of looking. Due to my seriously inquisitive ADD nature, I just had to keep stopping and reading about every interesting pic. At the rate I was going, I was never going to ID this critter…….lol.  I now have your site bookmarked for further pleasure reading. Great work you have done!
Now that I have identified it further as the Phyllodromica trivittata (courtsy of your website), I do not think I need to take any further eradication action at this time. From all I have read so far, they do not seem to really be a household pest. sightings in the house have been sporadic. If that changes in the future though, I will go after them. I will see how it goes next summer.  I hope you have a great day!
Sincerely,
Karen

Hi Karen,
Thanks for the followup.  Your letter was one of our attempts to respond to as many requests as possible, hence the short ID.  We are happy you learned the identity of your immature Cockroach on our site and that you have decided not to take any eradication measures, but we are most happy to hear that you have found our archives interesting.  Your response really made our morning and we sifted through the trash to fine your original request so that we could make a posting.  Here is what BugGuide states about this species:  “Reports of high abundance both indoors and outdoors make it likely that reproduction is occurring outdoors with subsequent invasion of nearby structures. As this species adapts to this new environment, studies will need to be conducted to confirm this.”  BugGuide continues with:  “Known from dry habitats around the Mediterranean. It has been recorded from Morocco; Algeria; Spain; Italy (Sardinia Island); Italy (Sicily); Libya; and Israel. Given that it has not been recorded as being a pest in buildings in those countries (as far as I’m aware) it is unlikely to invade buildings in the USA. Comment by George Beccaloni (The Natural History Museum, London, UK).”  As a note, we always tend to worry about introduced species that thrive in a new environment as they can displace native species and reduce species diversity once they become established.

Update:  November 2, 2012
Daniel,
Here is a good link to send out for this bug to people in California. Some great pics. Invasive species are a good argument against global commerce.
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/PPD/publications/CPPDR.html
Volume 25 (2011) (10MB); covering the years 2008-2009  Page 7
Karen

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