ROACH, OR WATERBUG? PLEASE HELP

Hey guys, im new here. I have a bit of an issue in my home. My father believes these little guys are water bugs, which could make sense since we only have been getting them since our basement flooded, and we ripped the floor up to install drains by the laundry portion of the basement, and under the rugs in my uncles apartment.


We see them in the kitchen, or bathroom only. 1 or 2 in the attic (Attic is finished, more of a lounge area) and on the 1st floor in my grandmothers (This lady LIVES to clean. You can literally eat off of her floors if you wanted to lol) We get maybe 2, or 3 during the Winter, but during the summer we see them quite often now. We also live next door to a laundry mat that they just built (god we hate it lol).

When we first started to find them, maybe a year or 2 ago, it was ONLY in the bathroom, on the floor. Then it branched out to the Kitchen, etc...

Photo links from my photo bucket (Have him in a Zip lock bag, so might be SLIGHT glare from camera/kitchen lights):

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00163-20100420-0311.jpg
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http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00162-20100420-0311.jpg
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http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00161-20100420-0310.jpg
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http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00164-20100420-0311.jpg
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In the pic below, it shows the bug is about an inch long. His Antenna's are REALLLY long lol.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00167-20100420-0314.jpg
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http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00168-20100420-0314.jpg
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http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00169-20100420-0314.jpg
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http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x29/younggunn4z/IMG00171-20100420-0315.jpg
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Please reply ASAP!

This message was edited Apr 20, 2010 4:53 AM

These look very much like nymphs of the oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis - see http://tinyurl.com/ydyj3po for a detailed life history and control recommendations. These often are called 'water bugs' even though they are not true bugs and do not live in water. I have heard that the term arose as an euphemism to avoid saying that one had cockroaches...

Oh my god.. Just read that article you told me to, and it makes PERFECT SENSE. our block flooded 2 or 3 years ago, and like I said, we put floor drains in, in the basement. I also find one or 2 near the Washing machine sometimes, as it will leak occasionally.


This sucks... And they look almost identical.


What would you recommend most, to get rid of these little things. I mean, we have ever only seen 1 or 2 in a day. and they go for LONG periods of us NOT seeing them, and in my house, someone is ALWAYS up, I have been patrolling the area lately too, since I have seen them, just going into the kitchen checking drawers, cabinets, under the table, moving things around, etc.... Thing is my sister just had a child, who stays here often when she works, and my mother watches her, so I need the safest, but still effective way of getting rid of these things, like I said. Also, What would we do about the floor drains?

As I am not a pest management professional, I hesitate to make any recommendations beyond what can be seen in fact sheets such as the one I referenced earlier and another at http://tinyurl.com/yyzbjfu - basically, moisture control, sanitation, and removal of potential harborage are key elements to managing these pests. You also might check with your local office of Cornell University's Cooperative Extension service to see if they can offer any further advice - see http://tinyurl.com/y2ucuwk for contact links. These extension service offices usually are a good resource when dealing with most home/yard/ garden pest problems.

Alright thanks a lot, I appreciate it.

When I lived in Louisianan, I had a problem with those nightmare bugs getting into my house. I had seen one coming out of the overflow on the downstairs sink and then my dog alerted us (barked like a boogeyman was in the house) to bugs coming out of the overflow vent in the upstairs bathtub. We caulked around all of the doors/windows/pipes and installed caps on the roof vents and put Boric Acid everywhere we could. It all worked together to keep them out of our house. Here is a roof vent kind'a like what we used: http://wetheadmedia.com/studor-vent-buyers-guide/