American Roaches
The big reddish roach New Yorkers call a palmetto bug, coming up from drains and basements on hot nights.
Where they come from
Called American, but native to Africa. They likely reached the Americas on ships in the 1600s.
Where they thrive
Sewers, steam tunnels, boiler rooms, basements, floor drains and elevator pits. Warm and wet.
How they behave
Up to 2 inches long, reddish brown, and can glide on hot nights. They come up drains and pipe gaps.
In New York City
The giant 'waterbug' of NYC summers. Heat pushes them out of sewers into basements and lobbies.
Did you know?
They can run about 3 mph, roughly 50 body lengths per second.
Related pests
German Cockroaches
The roach that lives indoors, breeds fastest, and causes most commercial kitchen infestations.
Read more →Waterbugs
What New Yorkers call a waterbug is almost always the Oriental cockroach, a dark roach that loves damp basements.
Read more →Fruit Flies
Tiny flies that ride in on produce and turn bar drains, mats and recycling into breeding grounds.
Read more →Think you have American Roaches?
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