The baby cockroach or nymph sometimes becomes more difficult to identify as they look like some small bugs. If you want to know – what do baby cockroaches look like; this article is for you to know the right answer.
Quick answer: the baby cockroaches look like bed bugs or small ground beetles with a reddish brown and oval body. These baby cockroaches are identical to their parents except for their smaller size and lack of wings.
But, the external appearance of these baby cockroaches may vary in different species. Here, I will show you the ideal appearance of the baby cockroach and distinguish babies from various species.
Again, you will know some common facts about baby cockroaches with pictures. So, if you want to know the external appearance of the various baby cockroaches and differentiate them from other small bugs, let’s continue this article till the end.
What do baby cockroaches look like
The baby cockroaches of nymphs have incomplete metamorphosis. Thus, these baby cockroaches or nymphs generally look similar to older cockroaches.
But, you will find significant differences in the baby cockroaches’ color, body size, and wings compared to the older ones. The development process from baby to older cockroach is very slow and may take a few months to over a year.
During this time, you may confuse these baby cockroaches with other smaller common bugs like bed bugs, ground beetles, and carpet beetles. Thus, you should know the exact external features of baby cockroaches to identify them from your house.
But why should you identify these baby cockroaches from other bugs in your house? This might help you take proper control measurements for the baby cockroaches. Again, as an insect pet lover, you should know the exact external features of a nymph or baby cockroach.
Now, you might have the question – what do baby cockroaches look like? Well, I will enlist the features that might give you the external look of the baby cockroach perfectly –
Baby cockroaches look like smaller bed or June bugs, ground or carpet bugs, or similar to older cockroaches,
- These baby cockroaches possess 3 distinct segments – head, thorax, and abdomen,
- You will find segmented antennae in the head of a baby cockroach,
- But there are no wings on the thorax of a baby cockroach,
- They possess soft exoskeletons and appear as translucent structures,
- The size is smaller in baby cockroach, and color varies from whitish, greyish, and brownish,
- You will find segments on the abdomen of the baby cockroaches,
But, you may find a little or more variation in the external appearances of a baby of different species of cockroaches.
Type of baby cockroaches and identification
There are more than 3500+ species of cockroaches present in the world, and you will find more than 60 species in the United States of America. So, it is very difficult to enlist and identify all of the babies from these huge species of cockroaches.
Rather, I prefer to enlist the common domestic baby cockroaches from the northern part of the United States of America. Let’s see the common baby cockroach species that may show little or more variation in their body –
- Baby German cockroach,
- American baby cockroach,
- Oriental baby cockroaches, and
- Brown-banded baby cockroach,
First, let’s see the main differences among these common domestic baby cockroaches from table 1 –
| Baby cockroaches | Length | Color | Older Cockroach | Markings |
| German baby roaches | 3 – 5 millimeters | Black or brown | 50 – 60 days | 2 dark stripes on thorax |
| American baby roaches | 6 – 8 millimeters | Red or brown | 300 – 600 days | A pale band on thorax |
| Oriental baby roaches | 5 – 8 millimeters | Dark red/ brown/ black | 350 – 900 days | No mark |
| Brown banded baby roaches | 3 – 6 millimeters | Tan golden | 100 – 300 days | Brown band on thorax |
So, table 1 shows a great variation on the body size, color, and unique marks on the thorax of different baby cockroach species. The body size (length provided in the table) may vary in these baby cockroaches’ ages.
You may easily identify these domestic baby cockroaches with their specific color and markings on their thorax region. If you want to know and identify the other different types of baby or older roaches, you may read the below-mention article from insect pet –
- Types of roaches with pictures,
Now, let’s see the specific facts of various types of baby cockroaches (mainly German, American, Oriental, and Brown-banded cockroaches).
Baby German cockroach
The German baby cockroach is somewhat smaller in size and possesses some unique features compared to American and Oriental baby cockroaches. First, let’s try to identify the German baby cockroach with the below-mentioned external features –
- The length of the German baby cockroaches is about 3 – 6 millimeters,
- These nymphs or babies show typically back to brown color (but, sometimes, they show white color during molting),
- You will see 2 dark stripes on the thorax segment of a German baby cockroach,
- The German nymph or baby cockroach that emerges from egg cases will molt several times (typically 7 to 8 times),
- After the last molt, these German baby cockroaches possess wings and become mature,
Other external features of the German baby cockroaches are similar to other nymphs or babies of different cockroach species. In each of these baby cockroaches, you will find distinct 3 segments – head, thorax, and abdomen.
Again, you will typically find the longer segmented antennae, 3 pairs of legs, and a segmented abdomen in each baby cockroach.
You know the mature German cockroach has a great capacity to produce more eggs. These German cockroaches may produce egg cases which contain 40 – 50 eggs.
A single female German cockroach may produce 7 – 8 eggs cases; thus, they may lay 300 – 400 eggs. The female German cockroach carries these egg cases for about 2 – 3 weeks until they become a nymph.
But why do they carry their eggs cases and hide them? Well, this performance reduces the harm of female cockroaches and protects eggs.
What do American baby cockroaches look like?
American baby cockroaches are considered larger than the other 3 domestic baby cockroaches. They also have a unique color and marking on their body that makes them different from other baby cockroaches.
Let’s try to identify the American baby cockroaches with the help of the followings identifying points –
- The average body length of the American baby cockroach is 6 – 8 millimeters,
- You may find a great variation in the color (typically reddish brown to brownish) of an American baby cockroach,
- There is a pale band on the thorax of the American baby cockroach (a unique marking for this species),
- These baby cockroaches possess segmented, longer antennae and exoskeletons,
- You will not find any wings on the thorax of the American baby cockroach,
- Again, the abdomen of the American baby cockroach is segmented,
I hope you will differentiate this American baby cockroach from other different species. You will find these baby cockroaches in rooms, tunnels, pipes, and bases of drains.
The development of the American baby cockroach (from nymph to older) is very slow compared to the German baby cockroach. They need more than 300 – 600 days to become older, but they can coexist with German baby cockroaches.
The female American cockroach also has a great capability to produce eggs. But, the number of eggs cases and the number of eggs per case (25 – 35 eggs) are less than the German cockroach.
Again, the nymph or baby of the American cockroach undergoes more molts (typically 13 – 15) than the German baby cockroach.
Oriental baby cockroach identification
What do baby oriental cockroaches look like? Well, the oriental baby cockroaches are also larger compared to German and Brown-banded babies.
You may find different sizes as these babies take longer to turn into older cockroaches. Again, you will find a wide variety of color in the baby of oriental cockroaches.
Sometimes you may find these oriental baby cockroaches as small bed bugs with oval bodies. Again, you may also find these baby cockroaches with elongated bodies.
Let’s try to identify the oriental baby cockroach with the following external appearance –
- The average length of the oriental baby cockroaches is 5 – 8 millimeters,
- There is a great variation in the body color of the oriental baby cockroaches (sometime, they may be dark red or brown, and even they may be black),
- These oriental baby cockroaches also show the 3 distinct segments on their bodies,
- They also possess antennae and the body covers with the exoskeleton,
- But, there are no unique marks or bands on the thorax of the oriental baby cockroaches,
The segmentation in the oriental baby cockroach’s abdomen is similar to the German and American cockroaches. A female oriental cockroach produces fewer cases, and eggs compare to other different domestic cockroaches.
The female oriental cockroach may produce 8 cases which contain only 3 – 5 eggs. So, the number of eggs lying by the oriental female cockroach is comparatively less.
The oriental baby cockroaches emerge from the egg and become more active from spring to midsummer. Again, these baby cockroaches need an average of 350 – 900 days to become a mature cockroach.
Brown-banded baby roaches identification
The brown-banded baby roaches are also the most common domestic insect in the northern part of the United States of America. They are comparatively smaller than American and Oriental baby cockroaches.
But they are a little larger than these German baby cockroaches. You will find the unique color and markings on the thorax of the brown-banded baby cockroaches.
These unique external features might help you to identify the brown-banded baby cockroaches perfectly. Let’s see the unique external features of the brown-banded baby cockroaches –
- A brown-banded baby cockroach may be 3 – 6 millimeters in length,
- The body of the brown-banded baby cockroach shows 3 distinct segments,
- You will also find the segmented antennae in the brown-banded baby cockroach,
- The body color is unique for brown-banded baby cockroaches (you may find the tan-golden color in babies),
- You will see the brown band in the thorax of this baby cockroach,
They (brown-banded baby roaches) have no wings on their thorax. Other external features of the brown-banded baby cockroaches are similar to the German or American baby cockroaches.
A female brown-banded cockroach can produce 15 – 18 egg cases. In each case, you will see only 18 – 22 eggs.
The immediately emerged baby cockroaches of brown banded will molt 6-8 times. But, the duration between nymphs to mature cockroaches is more than the German ones.
All this information might help you identify the common domestic baby cockroaches. But, sometimes, you may also confuse these baby cockroaches with some small bugs.
Thus, you need to differentiate the baby cockroaches from the small bugs.
Bugs that look like baby roaches
Different small bugs look like baby roaches, like bed bugs, June bugs, carpet beetle, and ground beetle. But you might have a clear concept about the followings bugs as they look closely at baby roaches –
- Bed or June bugs, and
- Ground and carpet beetle,
You will find the details list with information on various bugs that look like baby cockroaches in the following article –
- Bugs that look like roaches,
First, let’s differentiate the main external features among baby cockroaches, bed bugs, and carpet or ground beetles. Here, in table 2, you will find the basic difference between these three types of insects –
| Features | Baby cockroach | Bed bugs | Carpet beetle |
| Size | 3 – 8 millimeters | 5 – 6 millimeters | 5 – 7 millimeters |
| Color | Dark brown to reddish | Reddish brown | Solid brown to blackish |
| Body shape | Flattened or oval | Oval shaped | Irregular pattern |
| Antennae | Long and segmented | Short and thick | Short club-shaped |
| Eyes | Larger eyes | Dark protruding | Inconspicuous eyes |
| Tuft of hair | No hair | Absent | Present in body (dense tuft of hair |
| Exoskeleton | Transparent | Transparent | Hard |
So, this is the basic information that might help you to distinguish baby cockroaches from bed bugs and carpet or ground beetles.
Again, the pictures of various baby cockroaches, bed bugs, and ground or carpet beetles will provide a clear concept of their body’s formation. You will find more pictures of baby cockroaches, bugs, and beetles on social media of insect pets.
Bed bug vs baby cockroach
Sometimes, the size and external appearance of the bed bugs look similar to the baby cockroach. Typically, these bed bugs possess reddish brown color on their body, whereas you will find a variation in the color on different baby cockroaches.
Most bed bugs possess an oval-shaped body, but the body of baby cockroaches varies from oval to flatten shape. You will see a great difference in the structure of the antennae between the bed bugs and baby cockroaches.
The antennae of bed bugs are very short but thick, whereas thin and segmented antennae find in baby cockroaches. Again, the eyes of the bed bugs are dark, protruding structures.
But, in the eyes of the baby, cockroaches are larger than the beg bugs. Both beg bugs and baby cockroaches show the segmented abdomen.
You will not find any distinctive marking on the thorax of the beg bugs, whereas most baby cockroaches have this unique feature.
Again, the last segment of the abdomen between the bed bugs and baby cockroaches also shows some unique features. The beg bugs possess almost pointed characteristics on the end segment of their abdomen.
But, the end segment of the baby cockroaches shows a tail-like structure. The smaller bed bugs sometimes look like kidney-shaped structures.
Again, the wings of the beg bugs and mature cockroaches show some distinguishable differences.
How do carpet beetles differ from baby cockroaches?
The baby of carpet beetles is rounded and has a dense tuft of hair. But, you will not find any tuft of hair in the body of the baby cockroaches.
Again, the color of the carpet beetles is unique compared to the baby cockroaches. You will see solid brown to blackish with irregular white or organ scale patterns on carpet beetles.
There are short and club-shaped antennae found in baby carpet beetles, whereas most baby cockroaches possess long and thin antennae.
How small are baby roaches
A typical baby roach may be 3 – 6 millimeters (average). But, the size of the baby roaches may vary in different species of cockroaches.
In Tables 1 and 2, you will find a clear idea of the size of a baby cockroach. So, you may conclude the length or size of the domestic baby cockroaches as follow –
- Size of German baby cockroach – 3 – 5 millimeters,
- Size of American baby cockroach – 6 – 8 millimeters (larger baby cockroach),
- Oriental baby cockroach size – 5 – 8 millimeters (also considered as the larger baby cockroach), and
- Size of brown banded baby cockroach – 3 – 6 millimeters,
Again, you may compare the size of the baby cockroach with some of the common bugs and beetles. This might help you to understand – how small baby roaches are compared to these common smaller bugs.
Let’s see the size of the baby cockroach compared to other smaller bugs from table 3 –
| Smaller bugs | Size or length |
| Baby cockroach | 3 – 8 millimeters |
| Carpet beetle | 5 – 7 millimeters |
| Ground beetle | 3 – 25 millimeters |
| Dust mite | 2 – 25 millimeters |
| Bed bugs | 5 – 6 millimeters |
| June bugs | 10 – 15 millimeters |
| Fruit flies | 3 – 4 millimeters |
| Drain flies | 3 – 5 millimeters |
| Weevils | 5 – 6 millimeters |
| Silverfish | 8 – 10 millimeters |
So, the data provided in table 3 proved that the baby cockroach is smaller than these many smaller insects. You may know the smallest insect from the below-mentioned article from insect pet –
You may also know more about other different unique insects from insect pets.
Do baby cockroaches fly?
As the baby cockroaches don’t have any wings on their thorax, they can’t fly. But, within a few months to a year, these baby cockroaches mature and possess wings.
You may know more about the flying of a mature cockroach and the anatomical facts of their wing from the below-mentioned article –
- Can cockroaches fly?
Frequently asked questions on baby cockroaches
Rather than this specific question – what do baby cockroaches look like, many insect lovers also have other inquiries. Here, I will enlist these questions on baby cockroaches with their concise answer.
But, you might read this article from start to end to better understand the baby cockroach (specifically on their external identification features). Okay, let’s see the common question on baby cockroaches by insect lovers –
What are baby cockroaches called?
The baby cockroaches are called nymphs or young. These nymphs are in the second stage of development in their life cycle.
Newly emerged nymphs from the cockroach eggs are identical to their parents (except in size and wings). The nymph becomes mature cockroaches by periodically shedding their skin (known as molt).
In each molt of a nymph, you will see white color for a few hours, and it becomes dark gradually. But they need more time to become mature cockroaches from babies or nymphs.
How much do baby cockroaches weigh?
The baby cockroach’s weight may vary from 0.5 – 1 gram. But, this weight depends on the various types of baby cockroaches.
The weight of the bed bugs and carpet beetles is more than these of the baby cockroaches.
How do you know if you have baby roaches?
The baby roaches are somewhat externally different from these mature cockroaches. The baby roaches don’t have any wings on their thorax.
Again, the size is comparatively smaller than these of the older cockroach. You may also find a distinct difference in body color between baby roaches and older cockroaches.
What bugs can be mistaken for baby roaches?
Typically, bed bugs, June bugs, ground beetles, and carpet beetles can be mistaken for baby roaches. I have already differentiated these bugs and beetles from baby roaches in table 2.
Structurally, these bugs and beetles are different compared to the baby roaches. You will see the variation in size, color, antennae, eyes, and appearance of their exoskeleton.
What do baby hissing cockroaches look like?
The baby hissing cockroaches look like small bugs with the initial white body color. But, this white body turns to darken within a few hours.
Again, the external exoskeleton of the baby hissing cockroaches becomes hard immediately. The baby of a hissing cockroach also shows other typical external features as you have found in the ideal baby cockroach (already described).
Should I be worried (1) if I see a baby cockroach?
No, you should not be worried if you see a baby cockroach in your house. First, you should confirm what type of baby cockroach it is. You might also differentiate the baby cockroach from other different bugs with the help of their external features.
If you can confirm these are baby cockroaches, then you may take proper control measures.
What do baby house cockroaches look like?
The baby house cockroaches look like oval or flattened small bugs. You may find oval to flattened-shaped house cockroaches like – German baby cockroaches, American baby cockroaches, Oriental baby cockroaches, and Brown-banded baby cockroaches.
I have already differentiated these baby cockroaches in table 1. You may easily understand the appearance of these house baby cockroaches from that table.
Conclusion
I hope you got the perfect answer to your inquiry – what do baby cockroaches look like? The baby cockroaches look like smaller bugs and possess identical external features to the older cockroach.
The most important features of baby cockroaches are – they don’t possess any wings on their thorax. Different domestic baby cockroaches have their unique external features.
