What is an Albino Roach or White Roach? How to Identify and Get Rid of Them

If you find an albino roach in your apartment, it’s almost a rite of passage. That being said, they are unwanted and should be removed as soon as possible. These pesky bugs are some of the least liked bugs there are. For many, they are a symbol of disease and uncleanliness.

These fast-moving bugs can seem terrifying, but don’t worry. It is best to prevent them from ever entering your home, but if you do see one, know that they can easily be gotten rid of. Cockroach removal and prevention is straightforward.

Typically they are nocturnal insects, so if you are seeing them often during the day time, there may be an infestation. While they are an important food for birds and chickens, but not something you would want to see in your home. And what if you see a white roach/albino roach?

What is an albino roach?

Well, there is really no such thing as an albino roach, per se. What you are seeing is a cockroach in the nymph stage of development that has just shed its exoskeleton because it is molting. They appear ghostly and almost translucent.

Albino roaches will not remain white, they will eventually turn dark brown as they continue to develop. If you see an albino roach, it is best to work on pest removal quickly to prevent them from reaching adulthood when they begin to roach. To gain a better idea of the roaches life cycle and where albino roaches come from, read on about the three life stages of the roach.

The three life stages of a cockroach

For a better understanding of where albino roaches come from, we need to understand the life cycle of this bug. There are three stages in a roach’s development.

The life cycle of a roach in its entirety is at most one and half years. Most live to a year or less.

Egg

The female will lay an egg case, not individual eggs. These egg cases resemble a little black bean or kidney bean. Differences in shape, size, and color will be dependent on the species of roach that’s in your house or apartment.

Like their name implies, these egg cases contain the eggs of the roach. A single case can contain anywhere from 6 to 50+ eggs depending on the species of roach. It is essential to remove these when you see them in your house or apartment.

Most often, the female will lay the egg case which will hatch the nymphs in a few weeks. Only a few types of roach will hold the egg case inside of her and the nymphs will emerge from her once they hatch.

 

Nymphs/albino roach

Usually, nymphs will be dark brown in color like the adults. However, a few types of cockroaches will hatch albino roaches/nymphs that will eventually turn dark brown as they grow and molt.

While some nymphs can look similar to their adult counterparts, they aren’t classified as adults until they grow their wings. Nymphs go through several phases of molting where they shed their exoskeletons and turn from white to brown.

Adults

Because albino roaches are nymphs, no fully grown adult will be albino or white. Fully grown cockroaches have developed their wings. Adults will no longer molt or shed their exoskeletons.

Adulthood is their final life stage and here, they are able to reproduce. An adult female can lay up to 14 egg cases in her lifetime. That’s a lot of baby cockroaches! Read on to see potential ways to remove cockroaches/albino roaches from your home and prevent an infestation.

How to prevent

As the old Ben Franklin adage goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Making your house an inhospitable environment for insects is key when trying to keep your house free of unwanted pests, especially roaches/albino roaches. Here are the best ways to prevent roaches and other unwanted pests from entering your home.

Keep a clean kitchen

You are most likely to see these pests inside your kitchen. They love messes, especially when there’s food involved. By keeping your sink cleared and cleaning dishes every day, you are doing yourself the biggest favor in preventing roaches.

Check your tabletops and countertops for food or remnants of spilled, sugary drinks. Overlooked spots may be attracting roaches. Even if it looks clean, it may have food residue on it.

The floors can be a culprit for attracting roaches, too. Do your best to sweep or vacuum regularly and move around furniture once a month to get to the more hard to reach places.

Pantry and cupboards are the roaches/albino roaches favorite spot. Once or twice a year, remove everything to look for spilled food items and torn bags. Put things like flour and sugar in plastic containers to prevent bugs from getting in. If food is too hard to get, they won’t come to your home.

Keep the house dry

Damp, messy, food droppings: these are all factors that will draw insects, especially roaches, to your home. Eliminating food is the best way to prevent them, the second best way is to keep your house or apartment dry. Bugs love damp conditions, roaches and albino roaches are no exception.

Damp basements can be a bug haven. It’s recommended that you get rid of unwanted items in storage to minimize big-friendly habitats. Also, because basements are below ground, they are more likely to draw in water from the ground outside. The best prevention of dampness is by painting your walls with watertite or waterproof paint.

Another item that is essential for damp basements is a dehumidifier. This draws excess moisture out of the air throughout the day. It needs to be emptied regularly, but is worth its weight in gold.

Fix leaky faucets

Leaky faucets may attract unwanted insects. Most faucet and pipe fixes are simple and can be done by you. However, if the problem appears more complicated than what a trip to the hardware store would entail, call a plumber.

Leaky faucets and pipes may cause other problems like wood rot, water damage, and be a termite attractant. It’s best to fix these things early to prevent future problems.

Check your trash

Cockroaches like to eat human food. Keep food scraps out of the living room and out of bedrooms. Make sure pizza boxes are disposed of and take out containers are thrown away after you are done with them.

They will eat your trash, so keep the trash cleared from your home. Do your best by emptying all trash bins in your home at least once a week. If you have a full house, you may need to empty trash more than once a week.

If you have a lot of food waste, dispose of it in a smaller bag that you can tie up before disposing of in the larger trash bin. This will limit smells and odors that attract roaches.

Also, try to clean out trash receptacles and recycling bins by rinsing them out and scrubbing them when needed or if they start to smell. This also helps to prevent varmints like rats and raccoons from digging through your scraps.

How to get rid of

The best way to start getting rid of roaches is to clean your home. Keeping a clean, dry home plus removing trash regularly is key. Once you have done that, here are other methods of roach removal if they are still in your home:

Soapy water

If you have only a few roaches, consider putting them in a container of soapy water. This clogs their pores and drowns them simultaneously. This will work for many other types of bugs as well. This method is inexpensive and easy.

Use gloves when touching insects and wash your hands afterwards to prevent contamination. While roaches aren’t the dirtiest of insects, they do carry around germs and bacteria that they encounter. They are as clean or as dirty as their environment.

Block entrances

Look around your house or apartment to make sure there aren’t any ways that the roaches are getting into your home easily.

If you rent, contact your landlord about your concerns. Do your best to independently locate entry points and then show your landlord. Inform your landlord that pest removal should be done as soon as possible. If your landlord is not doing anything, notify the Department of Health.

If you own your home, reseal the siding around doors and windows where you find cracks or holes. This will prevent not just roaches from entering, but also other unwanted insects.

Seal off Plumbing

Think about checking pipes around your house– bathrooms, kitchens, and anywhere there is exposed pipes. Is there a gap between the pipe and the wall? If so, install a escutcheon plate. This is an inexpensive, relatively easy fix.

As mentioned previously, if there are leaks in the plumbing, fix it before the problem worsens. Call a plumber if the fix is more involved than what you can accomplish alone.

Set roach traps

If roaches keep invading your home, setting a roach trap is a tried and true method for pest removal. Go to your local hardware store or shopping center and find a trap that will fit your pest removal needs. Some traps are simple while others are more complicated. You may need several traps or a bomb if you have many roaches in your home.

Borax

You can easily kill roaches/albino roaches by baiting them with a combination of sugar and borax. The sugar draws them in and the borax kills them. Borax is the least harsh way to kill roaches with chemicals.

Make sure you use gloves when handling this chemical and wash up after using it to prevent accidental contamination or ingestion. Do not use it if you have pets or small children. This is toxic, so if ingested, call poison control.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why are some roaches white? What is an albino roach?

An albino roach is a cockroach that is a nymph. This means that it is in the growing stage of preceding adulthood. It is white because it has just shed its outer layer and is molting. Its white, chitinous outer layer will eventually turn into the dark brown that cockroaches usually are.

Are albino roaches dangerous?

Albino roaches are no more or less dangerous than typical roaches. While roaches are great at keeping their antennas clean, they are as clean or dirty as their environment. Roaches carry around the microbes and bacteria that they encounter.

Can albino roaches fly?

No, they cannot fly. Albino roaches are not fully formed adults, which means they do not have wings yet.

Can albino roaches reproduce?

No, albino roaches cannot reproduce. Albino roaches are not yet adults, so they do not have a fully developed reproductive system. They will eventually mature into adults, then they will be able to reproduce.

If you spot an albino roach in your home, try to utilize pest control methods as soon as possible. If you can prevent albino roaches from reaching adulthood, you will have less chance of an infestation.

Where do albino roaches come from?

Albino roaches are white because they have shed their exoskeleton. They come from the egg cases that adult female roaches lay. They will gradually turn from white into dark brown.

Keeping Roaches Out

Finding an albino roach in your home can be especially unsettling. Their ghostly, semi-translucent exoskeleton is even creepier than their usual appearance. They are no cause for alarm, however. By utilizing roach removal measures and focusing on prevention, your house or apartment can be roach-free.

Remember that keeping your house clean, especially your kitchen, is essential in limiting the presence of roaches. Regularly removing trash and throwing away cardboard are also excellent ways to keep roaches away from your home.

Whatever methods of prevention and pest control you use to get rid of roaches you end up using, we hope that this article was useful. Thank you for reading!