Western Drywood Termite vs Giant Burrowing Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Drywood Termite Giant Burrowing Cockroach
Scientific Name Incisitermes minor Macropanesthia rhinoceros
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Kalotermitidae Blaberidae
Size 4-11 mm 60-80 mm
Habitat Caves Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Herbivores
Regions Western United States, Northern Mexico Oceania
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Western Drywood Termite

A common drywood termite of the western United States that infests structural timbers and furniture. Unlike subterranean species, they require no soil contact.

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Did You Know?

Their dry fecal pellets, pushed out of tiny kick-out holes, are often the first visible sign of an infestation.

Giant Burrowing Cockroach

The worlds heaviest cockroach species at up to 35 grams and 80 mm long. Native to Australia, it digs permanent burrows up to 1 meter deep and cares for its young.

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Did You Know?

Unlike the pest cockroaches people dread, this species is a devoted parent — mothers carry live young on their backs and raise them in underground burrows for nine months.