Brown-Banded Cockroach vs Sand Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Brown-Banded Cockroach Sand Cockroach
Scientific Name Supella longipalpa Arenivaga investigata
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Ectobiidae Corydiidae
Size 10-14 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Underground Deserts & Drylands
Diet Omnivores Detritivores
Regions North America, Europe, Africa, Asia North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Brown-Banded Cockroach

A small cockroach with two distinctive light brown bands across its wings and abdomen. Unlike most cockroach pests, it prefers warm, dry locations high on walls.

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Did You Know?

Brown-banded cockroaches are unique among indoor pest species in preferring warm, dry areas like behind electronics rather than the moist kitchens and bathrooms other species favor.

Sand Cockroach

A desert cockroach that extracts water vapor from moist sand through special mouthparts.

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Did You Know?

It can absorb atmospheric water vapor at humidities as low as 83 percent.