If you often see mid-sized insects crawling around your house, you may wonder whether it is a beetle or a cockroach. Their appearances are very similar, so it can be confusing to figure out the difference between a cockroach and a beetle. Therefore, let’s explore the core differences between these two insects.
- Cockroaches and beetles belong to entirely different insect families
- Beetles belong to the Coleoptera Order, while cockroaches belong to the Blattodea Order.
- Both insects have different body shapes
Now that we’ve established that these insects belong to entirely different ancestors or families, we can explore some of the core differences between a cockroach and a beetle.
What is the difference between a cockroach and a beetle?
Although these two insects may look similar, cockroaches and beetles are entirely different bugs and operate differently. Aside from being different species, these are also different orders of insects.
Of course there are many types of beetles and many types of cockroaches. But let’s start with the basics and move onto specifics.
Here’s a Beetle:
Here’s a Cockroach:
These two are as different as a sheep and a deer! Their bodies may look similar, but they are completely different. Despite sharing numerous characteristics, there are some major differences between them.
Since these two insects prefer to stay in similar urban settings and homes, they can often confuse people with their similar appearances.
Knowing the difference between these two insects is important.
While beetles are fairly harmless (who doesn’t love a ladybug!?), the presence of cockroaches can indicate an infestation brewing.
Therefore, you’ll need to know the difference to be able to eradicate these from your home at the earliest.
5 Core Differences Between a Cockroach and a Beetle
We have put together 5 differences between a cockroach and a beetle. The main difference between beetles and cockroaches is that their antennae are much longer.
Cockroaches have distinct-looking legs with spikers on them, while beetle legs are fairly shorter. The two insects also have different lifecycles because cockroaches start as eggs while beetles begin as grubs.
These two insects have major variations across their species too. For example, the Australian Rhinoceros Cockroach has a different appearance than the American.
The lucky part is that there are only a few cockroach species that reside in urban areas, and none of these resemble a beetle much. Therefore, once you explore some of the differences between the two, distinguishing between them should be fairly easy.
The lucky part is that there are only a few cockroach species that reside in urban areas, and none of these resemble a beetle much. Therefore, once you explore some of the differences between the two, distinguishing between them should be fairly easy.
Some of the main differences between a beetle and a cockroach include:
1. Their body shape
The cockroach species have similar body shapes, including narrow, oval, and flattened ones. On the contrary, beetles are slightly thicker, particularly near their stomachs. Moreover, numerous beetle species have vertical lines on their body, such as stripes that run from their head to their back.
Cockroaches don’t have these lines but have different coloring or wings that cover their entire body.
Additionally, beetles have different-looking heads that uniquely protrude out of their bodies, reflecting a clear space between their head and thorax.
On the other hand, the head, thorax, and body are aligned in one smooth line in cockroaches. Cockroaches also have a tough exterior shell called the pronotum that covers their heads.
The head, thorax, and body are aligned in one smooth line in cockroaches. Cockroaches also have a tough exterior shell called the pronotum that covers their heads.
2. Their antennae
A fairly simple way to distinguish between beetles and cockroaches is by looking at their antenna. Cockroaches have long antennae that can easily reach the rest of their body. These are thin, long, and consistently in motion.
Beetles have shorter antennae and don’t normally move as much as cockroach antennae.
3. Their legs
Both beetles and cockroaches have six legs. Two of these are at the front of the body and are attached to the thorax, while four are at the back and attached to the stomach. Cockroaches have longer legs with visibly unique spikes across them. These spikes are directed away from the body and look wickedly sharp, long leg hair.
Cockroaches have longer legs with visibly unique spikes across them. These spikes are directed away from the body and look wickedly sharp, long leg hair.
These essentially play the role of smooth gripping surfaces and self-grooming.
On the contrary, beetles have much shorter legs than bend near their bodies. Moreover, beetle legs don’t have tough spikes similar to cockroaches. Often, beetle legs are thick, closer to the body, and can bend more than cockroach legs.
Moreover, cockroaches are much faster than beetles because beetles tend to stay still, and do not require speedy legs.
4. Their movement
The speed of these two insects is one of their main distinguishing factors. Cockroaches are nocturnal insects and tend to scatter quickly as soon as the light comes on. They usually rely on their adaptive capabilities to scare away predators and then hide away in warm and dark spaces.
On the other hand, beetles don’t closely relate to speed.
Cockroaches are much faster than beetles. Beetles have slow and deliberate movements, which widely differentiates from a cockroach which moves quickly and with purpose.
Therefore, if you see one of these creatures in your home and are confused about its identity, consider the bug’s speed.
5. Their life cycle
Now that we’ve discussed fully grown cockroaches, and beetles, let’s discuss their early life cycle appearance. Therefore, if you’ve come across an egg case or a grub and are confused about its identity, here’s what you can do to recognize each.
Beetles are grubs at their early stages, while cockroaches emerge from egg cases. If you wish to recognize a beetle grub, this usually closely resembles maggots or other larval insects. These grubs are usually present in rotting vegetation or damp earth.
Cockroaches begin as eggs as opposed to beetles. Some of these eggs remain inside female cockroaches who give birth to live baby cockroaches, while others develop in egg cases. When these cockroaches emerge from the egg cases, they are known as nymphs and closely resemble paler and smaller versions of the adult cockroaches.
Conclusion: beetles and cockroaches are widely different!
We have gathered that cockroaches and beetles are immensely different insects. Apart from their behavior, responses, and personality characteristics, these two insects have different body shapes, life cycles, movements, antennas, and legs.
Therefore, although they may seem similar, their appearances are also different from each other. If you take note of the five core differences between these two creatures, distinguishing between them, two will be much easier.
If you see a deep-brown winged body zipping across your kitchen, know that you must take precautions against a cockroach infestation. While if you see a lazy black bug walking across your lounge, use your shoe to kill it and stay stress-free regarding the possibility of an infestation.
