black and brown bugs with antena

Ugh! The one I saw was IN MY CAR! The kids always pick up "logs" and sticks and such and I used to let them bring em home. Figured, "what can it hurt?"... After opening my car and finding it on the little stepper thing under the car door, I just about died. I smashed it, made sure it was dead and RAN. I couldn't get in my car for two days cuz it freaked me out so badly.

Laureli said:

[url]http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/thumbs/3147_100_1997.jpg[/url]

Here is the infamous insect... finally. caught this morning in a bedroom. I have two other pictures if this one doesn't quite suffice.

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Water bugs are a species of cockroach...so it does look like one. Doesn't look like a wood roach~they have a longer, flatter body with distinct wings and longer antennae, no brown and black, just reddish brown all over. It's likely these came in with your cardboard box and potatoes.

Just sprinkle some Roach Pruf powder in these areas...it's cheap and is the only effective treatment for roaches. Believe me, I did the research after my sons moved into a roach motel apartment and brought their laundry home~along with carry on friends of the roach persuasion. You don't want them establishing a nest and one pregnant female can colonize you unless you take steps. The Roach Pruf powder works like DE...they track into it, groom themselves and it cuts up their insides until they die.

Keep everything extra clean, no food crumbs under stoves, fridge, cabinets, etc. Place your powder in all places that have heat like under these appliances, hot water tanks, microwave ovens, under sinks(source of water for them), etc.

They freak me out also....

It's only the adults that look like that, Bee. I find wood roaches nymphs in my house at times-I accidently bring them in at times when I bring in firewood. The young look pretty much like that picture. They molt several times. The period between molts is called an instar. As they age, they get wings, change color and look more like the adults.

Interesting fact, some roaches give live birth!

Good to know, Deb! Thanks!

My entomology professor would be proud of me!

Denim Deb said:

It's only the adults that look like that, Bee. I find wood roaches nymphs in my house at times-I accidently bring them in at times when I bring in firewood. The young look pretty much like that picture. They molt several times. The period between molts is called an instar. As they age, they get wings, change color and look more like the adults.

Interesting fact, some roaches give live birth!

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Ok so to be clear, they are wood roaches? we have tons of dead leaves and wood on that side of the house. Even left several pieces of wood by the woodstove in the cellar. I will bring those out and toss away from the house and pull the leaves out from the shady side of the house and see if I see them less.

Not to mention clean the house from top to bottom again!

I can't say for sure. I know they're roaches of some type, but w/out having one on a pin and under my microscope, I couldn't say for sure. I haven't studied roaches enough to be able to tell the differences just by sight. There's at least 50 different North American species, including Panchlora nivea, which is the green one!

ETA: I'm looking at the head, and thinking it's too big to be a wood roach. Pics in my entomology text book (black and white drawing) shows a smaller head on the wood roach. plus, the legs don't look right.

Do you have a county extension near you or college near you? If so, take it in and see if they can ID it for you.