If you’ve ever spotted a white or pale cockroach in your home, you might have thought you discovered a rare albino roach. But here’s the thing, albino cockroaches don’t exist. That white roach you saw is just a regular cockroach going through a normal part of its life cycle!
Let’s clear up the confusion and explain what’s really going on when you see these ghost-like bugs.
White Roaches Are Not Actually Albino
White cockroaches aren’t actually a special type of roach. They’re just regular cockroaches that look white for a short time. There has never been a documented case of an albino cockroach. These roaches aren’t truly albino. When you see a white roach, you’re looking at a normal cockroach that has just shed its skin. This happens to all cockroaches several times as they grow up.
The white color is temporary. The new skin is soft and pliable at first and has no pigmentation, which is what gives the shell its color. Within a few hours, the roach will turn back to its normal brown or black color. This process happens naturally as the new shell hardens and darkens.
Why Cockroaches Turn White
Cockroaches have a hard outer shell called an exoskeleton. Think of it like armor that protects their soft body parts. Because the exoskeleton is rigid and cannot change size once it is “set” on the insect, cockroaches must get larger and grow by a process called “molting.”
The albino roach appearance happens because the new exoskeleton starts out completely colorless and soft. The roach’s body needs time to produce the chemicals that give it color and make the shell hard. This is a chemical reaction that occurs within the body, usually taking a few hours to fully restore pigmentation.
How Roaches Shed Their Skin
Molting is how cockroaches grow bigger. Since their hard shell can’t stretch, they need to get rid of it and grow a new, larger one. German cockroaches molt six or seven times before reaching maturity, over a period of about 103 days. American cockroaches molt ten to thirteen times before reaching maturity, over a period of about 600 days.
When a roach is ready to molt, it first grows a new, soft shell under its old one. Then it splits the old shell down the back and slowly crawls out. The new shell starts out white and soft, which is why you see that pale color. Over several hours, the shell hardens and turns brown again.
Roaches are highly vulnerable to drying out and to attack by predators just after molting, so roaches that have molted stay hidden, out of the light and moving air.
What White Roaches Look Like
White cockroaches look just like regular roaches except for their color. They have the same body shape, six legs, and two long antennae. They hide in the same dark, moist places and feast on similar food sources.
You’ll typically find white roaches in the same spots where regular roaches hide – behind refrigerators and stoves, under sinks, in dark corners of cabinets, near water pipes, and in basements or bathrooms. These are the places they feel safe while their new shell hardens.
If you’ve ever seen a clear or white roach, you probably have a large infestation. This is because roaches usually hide when they molt, so seeing one means there are many more hidden away.
Types of Roaches That Turn White
All cockroach species turn white when they molt. The general rule of thumb with cockroaches is that if you find one cockroach, there are likely more hiding out-of-sight.
The most common type is the German cockroach – these are small, about half an inch long, and molt 6-7 times as they grow. American cockroaches are much bigger at about 2 inches long and molt 10-13 times. Oriental cockroaches are medium-sized and dark colored, molting 7-10 times. Brown-banded cockroaches are smaller and molt 6-8 times.
German roaches are most frequently seen in their white phase because they reproduce quickly and prefer indoor environments.
Common Myths About White Roaches
There are many myths about white cockroaches that aren’t true:
Myth 1: White roaches are albino mutants Truth: There’s no such thing as an Albino cockroach! When you spot a white cockroach, they are actually just normal cockroaches that have recently moulted or shed their skin.
Myth 2: White roaches can’t reproduce Truth: In a few hours, their skin will harden back up and turn dark once again. They can reproduce normally once they’re adults.
Myth 3: White roaches are rare or special Truth: It’s true of most cockroach species that all roaches spend a few hours, several times during their lives, as white cockroaches.
Myth 4: White roaches are more dangerous Truth: Albino roaches don’t pose additional health risks beyond normal roach concerns.
What It Means If You See White Roaches
Seeing a white cockroach is a bad sign. It basically means you have an active infestation that’s growing. Since seeing a white cockroach means an infestation is growing, homeowners should take action right away.
When you spot a white roach, it tells you that roaches are breeding in your home. White cockroaches aren’t a distinct species but rather a temporary phase in the life cycle. Baby roaches mean adult roaches are reproducing nearby, and the problem is getting worse.
The fact that you’re seeing them at all – especially during their vulnerable white phase – means there are so many roaches that they’re running out of good hiding spots. When an infestation of cockroaches grows serious enough, these cockroaches are forced out of their protected areas and into the open.
Common Questions About White Roaches
Are white cockroaches poisonous? No, they’re not poisonous, but they carry the same germs as regular roaches.
How long do roaches stay white? The exoskeleton will start to harden and regain normal coloration over the next few minutes. It usually takes a few hours to fully darken.
Can white roaches fly? Baby roaches can’t fly because they don’t have wings yet. Adult roaches that just molted might have soft wings that can’t work until they harden.
Should I worry if I see one white roach? Yes. If you see a white cockroach, it means you’ve found a cockroach who is molting. That means numbers are multiplying and you need to act fast.
Do white roaches bite? Roaches rarely bite people. They prefer to eat garbage and food scraps. White roaches are even less likely to bite because they hide while their shells harden.
