Iowa Cockroaches

Iowa cockroaches are a small species of cockroach that is native to Iowa, the state in the Midwestern region of the United States. This species is regarded as one of the best indicators that food scraps are present close by as they feed off crumbs and spills of bar snacks and other greasy food products.

Iowa Cockroaches

#1. German Cockroach

• Blattella germanica

Identifying Characteristics:

• Males are tan or pale brown, with two dark streaks on their heads.
• The abdomen is slender and tapers down, with a yellowish underside.
• Females are darker brown, and their abdomens are broader.

These cockroaches are significant year-round pests in Iowa.

You would think from its name that the German Cockroach is from Germany; however, it actually came here from Southeast China. These cockroaches are sensitive to the cold, which is probably from their origin in warm climates.

German Cockroach Range Map

The German Cockroach comes out at night to search for food and water and will quickly dash away if you turn on a light or disturb them. They are plant and meat scavengers. This cockroach is attracted to meats, starches, sugars, and fatty foods. Unfortunately, if they can’t find food, they may eat household items such as soap, glue, and toothpaste.

They will invade houses, apartments, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and other institutions. During the day, this cockroach hides out and occupies tight spaces around refrigerators, stoves, sinks, and in the walls. So it is difficult to know if you have a cockroach problem.

If you EVER see a German Cockroach during the day, this may indicate that you have a severe infestation.

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#2. American Cockroach

• Periplaneta americana

Identifying Characteristics:

• Shiny, reddish-brown wings, paler neck with two darker reddish-brown blotches in the center.
• Short wings, males’ wings extend beyond their abdomen.
• Also known as the Ship Cockroach, Kakerlac, and Bombay Canary.

The American Cockroach has one of the largest body sizes of ANY cockroach in Iowa. It is also considered one of the fastest running insects. Surprisingly, they are weak fliers.

Believe it or not, American Cockroaches are native to Africa and the Middle East. These cockroaches were brought over hundreds of years ago on ships.

Adults are active all year-round in moist and warm locations, like inside your house! These cockroaches are mostly commercial pests, infesting restaurants, supermarkets, bakeries, warehouses, and shipyards.

American Cockroach Range Map

Unfortunately, they don’t stop there. These cockroaches are frequently found in homes and apartments because they come up through the sewage and plumbing systems or air ducts. You can find them in basements, crawl spaces, and cracks in foundations.

These cockroaches are not picky eaters. This species will eat beer, leather, hair, flakes of dry skin, fermenting foods, starch from book bindings, and dead animals, including other cockroaches. They eat almost anything they walk on!

 

The American Cockroach has odorous secretions that can alter the flavor of food, and if there is a high population of them, you will be able to smell it.

 

This cockroach can also pick up disease-causing bacteria like Salmonella on their legs and deposit it on other food that they walk on. This can cause food poisoning or infections. In addition, house dust that contains cockroach parts or feces can trigger an allergic reaction and asthma in certain people.

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#3. Oriental Cockroach

• Blatta orientalis

Identifying Characteristics:

• Shiny dark reddish-brown to blackish-brown.
• Males’ wings cover three-fourths of their abdomen while females have short, almost non-existent wings.
• Also known as the Waterbug or Black Beetle.

Oriental Cockroaches are also called Waterbugs because they prefer dark, moist places. They are sluggish, flightless, and are poor climbers.

Oriental Cockroach Range Map

This species is often found in sewers, drains, damp basements, porches, or other damp locations. Outside they are typically located under mulch, bushes, leaf litter, and woodpiles. Look for them eating decaying plants, starchy human scraps, and animal matter.

The Oriental Cockroach is a major household pest. This species creates a strong smell and is considered one of the dirtiest cockroaches in Iowa.

The Oriental Cockroach can transfer bacteria and viruses from their legs to food, dishes, utensils, and countertops. This species spreads Salmonella, E. Coli, Dysentery, and food poisoning. So if you see them in your house, call an exterminator right away!

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#4. Brown-Banded Cockroach

• Supella longipalpa

Identifying Characteristics:

• Tan to light brown and has two light-colored bands across the wings and abdomen (which makes them look broken.)
• Males’ wings cover the abdomen and are more slender.
• Females are darker with shorter wings, and they have broader abdomens.

The Brown-banded Cockroach is the smallest in Iowa.

Interestingly, this species doesn’t need as much moisture as the other cockroaches. This fact is important because it means that they can inhabit places in your house that other cockroaches don’t dare enter. Typically, you can find them hiding in appliances and cabinets, but they can be anywhere in your home, such as the living room or the bedroom.

These cockroaches tend not to be found in the daytime because they avoid the light. So think of them as little gremlins!

Brown-banded Cockroach Range Map

The Brown-banded Cockroach will eat anything and everything, including any foods, sewage, boxes, drapes, books, and wallpapers. So basically, they have a seafood diet; if they see it, they eat it. : )

Unfortunately, this insect can cause many challenges for humans because they carry microorganisms and spread pathogens.

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#5. Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach

• Parcoblatta pensylvanica

Identifying Characteristics:

• Males are dark brown, sides of the thorax (between head and abdomen) and front half of wings are yellowish. Wings are fully developed and longer than the abdomen.
• Females are dark brown, with short and useless wings.
• Also known as the Pennsylvanian Cockroach.

After dark, you can usually find this cockroach in timbered-covered areas, on tree trunks, and in lower branches of oaks and elms. They are also found in piles of wood, tree stumps, and hollow trees.

Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach Range Map

The Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach gets inside your house typically from hitching a ride inside the firewood you brought into your home.

Fortunately, this species does not like to live with other cockroaches. Therefore, they are not contaminated and usually will not make you sick.

Pennsylvania Wood Cockroaches like cooler temperatures!

In addition, this species can only survive indoors for a few weeks because it is too dry and they prefer to eat decaying organic matter such as compost, dead plants, or manure. A cockroach that has to stay outside is the best cockroach in my opinion!

Iowa Cockroaches

Iowa Cockroaches are a species of cockroach native to Iowa. They are known for their large size, which can exceed 5 inches in length, and their distinctive red coloration.

These roaches are most commonly found in the state’s rural areas, where they live in fields and forests. While they aren’t considered dangerous to people, they have been known to bite when threatened by humans or other animals.

Iowa Cockroaches have a smooth, brownish-red exoskeleton that can range from dark red to almost orange in color. Their legs are light brown and hairy, with 2 claws at the end of each foot. Their eyes are small and black with a white dot in the middle, and their antennae look like thin sticks coming out of their heads. They have wings that fold under their bodies when they’re not flying; these wings have several colors including black, brown and yellowish-green on top of each other in rows that run down the length of them (called “stripes”).

List Of Iowa Cockroaches