Skip to content

What Does Roach Poop Look Like?

One of the telltale signs of a roach infestation is their droppings. The look, quantity, and location of cockroach poop can give you important information that will be beneficial forgetting rid of roaches.

Identifying Cockroach Droppings

Roach poop or roach feces can vary in look depending on the species of roach. Small roaches, like the German cockroach or the brown-banded cockroach, leave small droppings that may resemble coarse coffee grounds or ground black pepper. The excrement may also appear as small dark smears or stains. Larger roaches, like the American or oriental roach, leave feces that is slightly bigger and cylindrical in shape. These droppings are typically dark brown or black with blunt ends and ridges running from tip to tip. These characteristics can help you tell it apart from mouse droppings which have pointed ends and no ridges. Here is a roach poop Image.

A pile of cockroach droppings

Evidence of cockroaches including poop (small dark cylinders) and an egg case or ootheca (larger dark cylinder) by NY State IPM program at Cornell University [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) via Flickr

Where to Look for Roach Droppings

Cockroaches will leave droppings wherever they live, eat, and travel. The larger the amount of droppings, the more roaches are present and the more time they spend in that area. Cockroach poop is often found in areas near a food source, including kitchens, pantries, garbage cans, and bathrooms. You may also find it in corners of rooms, along baseboards, under appliances, in storage rooms, inside cabinets, and anywhere else cockroaches spend time. Need to Identify What Type of Cockroach You are Dealing With? You can find images and solutions for all the different types of cockroaches that invade peoples homes. It is important to know the difference between a German roach or an American roach, because they are control in totally different ways. 

Dangers of Cockroach Droppings

Cockroaches are filthy creatures that crawl through sewage, garbage, and decay and will eat all of it. This means that cockroach poop is contaminated with many bacteria that can be spread throughout your home if the problem is not taken care of. Cockroach droppings, along with roach body parts, saliva, and molted skins, have also been proven to be the source of allergies and asthma in some people. This means that cockroach control should absolutely be taken seriously. Hand Picked Related Content: How to Get Rid of Roach Smell.

What to Do With Cockroach Poop

Once you have spotted cockroach droppings, it is important to come up with a plan to eliminate the roaches. This may involve sanitation efforts, exclusion techniques, and chemical means. The droppings can be cleaned up using a vacuum cleaner. After vacuuming roach droppings, seal the bag and dispose of it immediately so that those allergens and bacteria do not remain in your home. It is also important to use soapy, hot water to wipe down surfaces where roach poop has been found. This prevents spread of bacteria and also washes away a pheromone that attracts other cockroaches to that area. How to Clean Up Roach Droppings Checkout Our Full line of Professional Roach Control Products Buy Online or in Stores Near You!

DIY Cockroach Control



If you are in need of cockroach control, try PF Harris’ line of DIYcockroach products. From roach tablets and liquid pesticides to traps and powders, PF Harris will help you get rid of the roaches at a cost that won’t break the bank. We are America’s oldest EPA registered brand, so you can trust that our products will get the job done right.