Are you lucky enough to have seen a white cockroach? What is a white cockroach?
It may seem to be folklore or a mysterious occurrence for anyone to witness the sight of an all white cockroach. Is it rare to see a white cockroach? Are albino cockroaches poisonous?
In this article, we will find out, “What is a white cockroach?”
What Is a White Cockroach?
A white cockroach is actually not a special type of cockroach at all. It is simply a cockroach that is shedding its exoskeleton in a process called molting.
A white cockroach will only last for a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the type of species that it is.
It will look white or cream in color and this is how cockroaches grow to their full size. Once a cockroach has fully grown, it will not molt any longer and will never turn white again.
What Does It Mean if You See a White Cockroach?
If you see a white cockroach, you are witnessing the molting process of a juvenile that is growing a new exoskeleton. You are not looking at an albino or rare breed of cockroach. You are simply looking at a juvenile that is growing.
If you see white cockroaches around your home, this means that there were eggs present in a certain area and now they have developed into their juvenile state and will continue on towards adulthood.
The life cycle will begin again shortly and you must find out where they are situated in order to eradicate them from your home.
What Kind of Roach Is White?
A white cockroach is not a specific species of cockroach. It is actually one that has newly molted. It shed its previous exoskeleton during its juvenile state and will grow into a new one.
The white colored exoskeleton will harden and darken over a period of a few minutes to a few hours.
This cockroach may end up going through 10 to 13 molts during two years before it finally reaches its fully grown state.
How Do You Get Rid of White Roaches?
Getting rid of a white cockroaches is the same as getting rid of any type of cockroach species. You need to trap them, poison them or dehydrate them from the inside out by applying borax, boric acid or diatomaceous earth.
You can sprinkle these powders on areas where cockroaches tend to crawl over. They will dry out from the inside and die from contact with these powders. You can mix these powders with cockroach bait traps or sweet molasses.
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Is A White Cockroach Lucky?
In some cultures, it is deemed lucky to witness a white cockroach. It means that you may have good luck in your future.
Seeing a white cockroach should not equal luck in our opinion. It should equal bad luck if anything because now you have an infestation of young juveniles that will grow into adults. There is a life cycle of cockroaches present in your home and you need to get rid of them.
White cockroaches are just like any other cockroach who prefer warm, damp, moist and hard-to-reach crevices where they can access food and return unnoticed in the dark without you finding them.
How Rare Is a White Cockroach?
A white cockroach is not rare. You are not looking at an albino cockroach that lacks skin pigmentation. This is not the case at all. All you are noticing is the molting stage of juveniles which may occur several times before they fully mature.
You may have thought that you have witnessed a lucky encounter, but sadly, this is not the case. Seeing a white cockroach may be considered rare if you factor in that they do not want to be noticed in this delicate state.
Their exoskeleton is soft and creamy at this moment and it’s very easy for them to be caught by larger predators as they remain unprotected.
White cockroaches at this moment would like to hide until the molting process is over for their exoskeleton to harden up again in order to protect themselves.
Are Baby Cockroaches White?
Yes. Baby cockroaches emerging from their eggs tend to be white in color. As they age and enter through the juvenile state, the skin will darken into a deeper brown color.
Nymphs or juveniles look like their adult counterparts, but are smaller in size and will need to undergo several molting stages in order to fully reach maturity.
During this time, they will shed their exoskeletons and look like a white cockroach once again.
Is the White Cockroach the Queen?
No. The white cockroach is not considered to be the queen. This cockroach is simply a name for a juvenile that is splitting or shedding its skin as it undergoes the molting process.
The cuticle or outer casing of the cockroach needs to molt in order for a new exoskeleton to develop. You are not witnessing a special type of cockroach and this is not the queen.
Does White Cockroach Cause Leprosy?
The white cockroach is not specifically linked to any type of illness such as leprosy. However, any type of cockroach or specific rodent like rats can be associated with the transmission of leprosy. Mice can carry this bacteria as well.
The disease is caused by the spreading of their feces and cockroaches can do the exact same thing. This is why we must be diligent and observant of situations and places where cockroaches dwell.
We must not handle them with our bare hands and we should always keep our properties as clean as possible to prevent cockroach infestations.
Is a White Cockroach an Albino?
No. A white cockroach is not an albino. An albino is a term referring to any type of species that lacks skin pigmentation. This is not the case for a maturing cockroach that is undergoing several molting processes.
During this time, they turn white or cream and color indicating that they have shed their outer exoskeleton and will develop a new one.
They may look white for a short period of time, but will soon witness their shell darkening and hardening for another successful molt in their juvenile state.
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