The kinds of cockroaches most commonly
found in and around Florida homes are the Florida wood roach, American, smoky
brown, Brown, Australian, German, and Asia. The smallest cockroaches, the
German, Asian and Brown banded are close to the same size and the adults are
seldom more than 5/8 inches long. The larger cockroaches, the American,
Australian, Brown, and the smoky brown, are 1 1/4inches to 2 inches long and
are often called palmetto bugs.
Though they are generally found
outdoors, they can become an indoor problem when they migrate or are carried
indoors. The largest cockroach, the Florida woods roach, will also enter
dwellings from the outside or from beneath the house. Outdoor cockroaches do
not survive well indoors and many times people over react to the presence of
these outdoor cockroaches from the house is all that is needed for control. The
Asian cockroach looks very much like a German cockroach, except it flies. Asian
cockroaches are attracted to the lights in your home. They will fly to porch
lights and find their way inside. Once inside, however, their survival is poor
like other outdoor cockroaches.