Boll's Wood Cockroach vs Orientalis Subterranean Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Boll's Wood Cockroach Orientalis Subterranean Termite
Scientific Name Parcoblatta bolliana Reticulitermes speratus
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Ectobiidae Rhinotermitidae
Size 12-16 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Caves
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Texas and the south-central United States Japan, Korea, China
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Boll's Wood Cockroach

A small native wood cockroach from the south-central United States. It lives under bark and in rotting logs in wooded areas.

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Did You Know?

It was named after the naturalist Jacob Boll, a Swiss-American who collected insects in Texas in the 1870s.

Orientalis Subterranean Termite

The most economically important termite in Japan, causing significant damage to traditional wooden buildings and temples. Colonies are subterranean with diffuse nesting. Workers maintain elaborate tunnel networks connecting food sources.

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Did You Know?

Asexual queen succession has been documented in this species, where the colony perpetuates through parthenogenetic queens produced by the original queen.