Water Bugs: What Are They Exactly and How to Get Rid of Them

Large populations of Oriental cockroaches have been found in garbage chutes and in dark, damp areas where they can hide and find moisture, especially in a crawlspace or basement with an unresolved leak. They are not likely to wander far from their harborage area. This means that if you’re finding them feeding inside, they’re likely hiding nearby, too.

How to Get Rid of Water Bugs in Your Home

Pepper Moran is a pest control expert with over five years experience in educating homeowners on affordable and earth-friendly ways to protect their homes from pests.

Amanda Rose Newton is a pest specialist, reviewing pest control content for The Spruce’s Cleaning Review Board. She is a board-certified entomologist and volunteers for USAIDs Farmer to Farmer program. Currently, she is a professor of Horticulture, an Education Specialist, and pest specialist.

Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics including environmental science and houseplants.

The term “water bug” is often the nickname for an indoor roach called the Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) but there’s also a true water bug (infraorder Nepomorpha) that prefers to stay outdoors. Oriental cockroaches earned their nickname because they tend to hang out in wet environments, including parts of your home. They travel to higher floors in apartment buildings by use of the water pipes and they prefer moist, dirty hiding spots such as garbage chutes and sewage pipes. Oriental cockroaches do not cause structural damage but severe situations can lead to a distinctive, musky, “roachy” odor.

Warning

Because they hang out in such nasty environments, Oriental cockroaches carry diseases such as gastroenteritis. Their droppings and cast skins can cause allergic and asthmatic reactions in sensitive individuals. If you are dealing with a cockroach situation, be sure to use proper PPE (personal protective equipment), and don’t be afraid to call a professional if you need help.

What Do Water Bugs Look Like?

The answer to this question depends on whether you are discussing the Oriental cockroach or the true water bug (more about this below). Generally, though, anything called a water bug is tan to dark brown, with a rounded or beetle-like shape, and a hardback. However, an Oriental roach has antennae and a true water bug will have pinchers in front of its head.

What Causes Water Bugs?

It’s rare to have a true water bug in your home. However, Oriental cockroaches (widely known as water bugs) can enter the home in a variety of ways:

• Being carried in on food packages
• Coming in with laundry from the laundromat
• Crawling under the doorway
• Climbing through air ducts
• Scaling water pipes

Large populations of Oriental cockroaches have been found in garbage chutes and in dark, damp areas where they can hide and find moisture, especially in a crawlspace or basement with an unresolved leak. They are not likely to wander far from their harborage area. This means that if you’re finding them feeding inside, they’re likely hiding nearby, too.

Signs of Water Bugs

Remember, if you’re finding water bugs inside, you’re likely dealing with Oriental cockroaches, not true water bugs. You may be noticing the following signs:

• Sighting black insects around the home
• A wet, musty odor
• Egg casings left around your house

If you have a severe Oriental cockroach issue, you’re likely seeing the pests themselves inside your home. They repopulate incredibly quickly. Adult females can live anywhere from 34 to 181 days. During this time, they lay an average of eight egg casings (sometimes up to 18 casings), with each casing containing an average of 14 baby roaches inside. Oriental cockroach females deposit their egg casings near food sources, so keep that in mind while you’re searching.

Tip

If you are experiencing a cockroach issue and you live in an apartment, it’s important to get the entire building involved in control efforts. Cockroaches can quickly become a building-wide issue. There’s a chance the cockroaches you’re seeing came from a different unit to begin with. Involving the entire building (including management) will give you the best chance of tackling the issue once and for all.

5 Ways to Get Rid of Water Bugs in Your Home

Address Sanitation Issues

Oriental cockroaches (also known as water bugs, though they are not true water bugs) stick to three main food groups: garbage, drain scum, and other grimy things.

When trying to deal with Oriental cockroaches, seek to clean up any possible food and water sources. This includes addressing garbage piles, cleaning out garbage chutes, scrubbing drains, and even raking up leaves from around the foundation of the building. If it’s something that could provide an Oriental cockroach with rotting organic material or moisture, it needs to go.

Fix Leaks Quickly

Given their nickname, “water bug,” it’s clear these creepy crawlies seek to be near water sources. Make sure you’re not providing any water for the cockroaches around your home. Large numbers of Oriental cockroaches have been known to pop up in basements, crawlspaces, and even in garages where water accumulates, so reduce the chances of cockroach activity around your home by fixing leaks quickly.

Not only will this reduce water sources for these water bugs, but moisture-damaged wood can attract other pests, as well.

Seal Them Out

Oriental cockroaches have been known to hang out in wall voids and empty spaces around decks. If you have found them around, take the time to seal off any areas they are accessing with caulk. This will help reduce the likeliness of them making their way into your space.

Keep Plants and Shrubs Maintained

This may not seem like a priority, but keeping the shrubbery and plants around your home trimmed back is one of the best things you can do to avoid attracting water bugs, cockroaches, and other types of pests. When plants and shrubs are allowed to grow too close to the house, they can block vents. This restricts airflow and can create moisture issues under your home. To avoid creating a local insect watering hole under your house, make sure your vents can properly circulate air.

Perform Chemical Treatment

There are numerous chemical treatments available when it comes to cockroaches. If necessary, many homeowners can attempt chemical control by starting with cockroach bait. Baits can be very effective against cockroaches, especially when placed correctly.

True Water Bugs vs. Oriental Cockroaches

If you’re finding these pests inside, they’re most likely Oriental cockroaches, not true water bugs. Still, knowing precisely whether you’re dealing with true water bugs or oriental cockroaches inside can help you better address the issue.

True Water Bugs

Commonly confused with cockroaches due to their similar appearance, true water bugs are tan to brown and primarily live in slow-moving bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, or creeks where vegetation is present. They need this vegetation for harborage and hunting, and they can grow to be more than 4 inches long depending on the species.

Also known as electric light bugs, these insects are drawn to lights left on at night and will occasionally end up in a swimming pool or backyard pond during their nighttime flights toward a distant porch light. They rarely seek shelter indoors; it’s just that they tend to follow the moisture, which may accidently lead them indoors.

If by rare chance you do have a true water bug in your pool, be careful. The giant water bug is also known as the “toe-biter,” as it is likely to bite between the toes if stepped on. Due to the paralyzing venom it uses for hunting, its bite can be incredibly painful and can cause lasting damage to some individuals.

Oriental Cockroaches

These pests are commonly referred to as water bugs because of the damp areas they choose to hide in. While technically very dark brown, their appearance is so dark that it has earned them another common nickname: the black beetle. If you are finding water bugs inside, especially if there’s more than one of them, you’re likely dealing with Oriental cockroaches.

These insects are slow, do not climb very well, and are not nearly as skittish as other types of cockroaches. The males have fully developed wings but do not fly, and the females do not have fully developed wings, though you can see a small node where the wing would be attached.

• Typically found outside
• Live in slow-moving bodies of water
• Tan to brown
• Has pinchers on its head

• Found indoors more often
• Live in damp areas
• Very dark brown
• Has antennae on its head

How to Prevent Water Bugs

Reduce pest activity around your home by making sure lights (exterior and interior) are turned off at night when not in use. Not only will this reduce the chances of any type of water bug landing in your pool or pond, but it will also reduce general flying insect activity around your home as well as the spiders that come hoping to catch a late meal.

When to Call a Professional to Treat a Water Bug Infestation

If you have a severe Oriental roach or even a rare true water bug issue in your home and you don’t think baiting will be enough to control it, it may be time to call in a professional pest expert. Be sure to find a licensed company that specializes in Integrated Pest Management.

Water bugs, known also as Oriental cockroaches, are one of the few cockroaches that live happily outside. They often live in dirty, damp environments such as sewage pipes, rotting leaf piles, or garbage receptacles. If these pests are ending up inside, there’s likely a water or food source attracting them. True water bugs prefer to live outdoors.

It is not likely that any type of water bug will go away on its own. Start by reducing or eliminating as many indoor and outdoor food and water sources as possible, including leaky pipes and garbage piles.

Some types of true water bugs, part of the infraorder Nepomorpha, do bite, and their bite can cause damage. If you are finding water bugs inside your home (especially if you have found more than one), it is more likely that these are Oriental cockroaches, commonly called water bugs for their love of moist environments. Oriental cockroaches do not bite, but they should be addressed quickly. They can carry disease and cause allergic reactions.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Oriental Cockroaches. PennState Extension.
2. Belostomatidae. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire.

Water Bugs: What Are They Exactly and How to Get Rid of Them

Are water bugs infesting your home? Did you just spot a big, brown bug underneath your sink? Most of us use the term ‘water bug’ to refer to many different pests, including cockroaches. But true water bugs are entirely different insects.

True water bugs (Lethocerus americanus) belong to the order Hemiptera, while cockroaches are part of Blattodea. But despite this difference, it’s easy to understand why we use this term interchangeably.

But if you’re spotting some ‘water bugs’ inside your home, then they’re most like cockroaches (and Oriental cockroaches in particular) that require cockroach control tactics.

This article discusses not only what water bugs are, but how to differentiate them from cockroaches, how to prevent everything we refer to as ‘water bugs’ inside our homes, and how to also control them effectively.

Table of Contents

What is a Water Bug?

The term “water bug” is a common nickname for many pests, particularly cockroaches.

However, true water bugs (Lethocerus americanus) are aquatic insects that are native to the United States and Canada and belong to the family Belostomatidae. They are also called giant water bugs, toe-biters, and electric light bugs.

Water bugs, as the name implies, are large insects that live in freshwater ponds and streams. They use their flattened hind legs, which resemble oars, to swim and grab plants near the water’s surface. They also have long antennae and a pair of large eyes.

Water bugs prey on other aquatic insects, crustaceans, tadpoles, salamanders, fish, and amphibians. They can even catch and eat animals that are 50 times their size!

If you’re finding these inside your home though, you’re most likely referring to the Oriental cockroach or Blatta orientalis.

These are cockroaches, not ‘true water bugs,’ but they’ve earned this nickname because they like to hang out in wet places. They have been known to use water pipes to get to higher floors in apartment buildings. And they like to hide in damp, dirty places like garbage chutes and sewage pipes.

Although Oriental cockroaches do not cause structural damage, they can leave behind a distinct musky ‘roachy’ odor in extreme cases when there are infestations.

What Does a Water Bug Look Like?

Again, the answer depends on whether we are talking about the true water bug or the Oriental cockroach. Any pest referred to as a water bug typically has a hardback, is tan to dark brown in color, has antennae, and is rounded or beetle-like in shape.

When it comes to true water bugs, their appearance differs from that of the oriental cockroach.

Water bugs can be recognized by their large size and flattened hind legs. They can be any shade of brown and can be up to 2 inches in length. They have long antennae and large eyes.

As an added bonus, water bugs are able to breathe underwater thanks to two tubes at the very end of their abdomen. When the bug is completely submerged, these tubes extend all the way to the water’s surface.

They prefer to make their homes in ponds, lakes, and creeks with a lot of vegetation near the water’s surface. They can grow to be over four inches in length, and they rely on this vegetation for shelter and food.

These bugs, which are also called “Electric light bugs,” are attracted to lights that are left on at night. Sometimes, as they fly at night toward a porch light far away, they land in a swimming pool or backyard pond.

If you have a true water bug in your pool, which is unlikely, be careful. In addition to its common name, the Giant water bug is often referred to by the nickname ‘toe biter’ because of its tendency to bite between the toes if it is stepped on.

As a result of the paralyzing venom they use for hunting, their bites can be excruciatingly painful and cause lasting harm to certain individuals.

Giant Water Bugs (Lethocerus Americanus). – Photo Credit: Dreamstime.

Oriental Cockroach (Blatta Orientalis) – Photo Credit: Dreamstime.

Water Bug vs Cockroaches

Water bugs and cockroaches are different kinds of insects. The giant water bug (or ‘true’ water bug) is the largest ‘true bug’ and a member of the order Hemiptera.

Although it is an aggressive aquatic predator, it’s not a household pest. However, avoid handling one if you don’t want to receive an uncomfortable water bug bite.

A roach, on the other hand, can thrive in your home since it has all the food, shelter, and water they need to survive. Cockroaches belong to the Blattodea order of insects. They prefer living in places that are damp and humid, but not in water.

In terms of appearance, cockroaches are typically reddish or brownish in color, with the exception of oriental cockroaches (Blatta orientalis), which are much darker.

The antenna is the primary difference between cockroaches and water bugs.

Cockroaches typically have very long antennas, and their heads are usually hidden beneath the thorax, which is where the cockroach’s legs and wings are attached.

Also, remember that most cockroaches and water bugs can fly. However, the oriental cockroach, which is frequently misidentified as a water bug, cannot.

Female oriental cockroaches lack wings entirely, whereas males’ wings are so small that they are virtually undetectable by most people. They only cover a portion of the abdomen.

Therefore, an oriental cockroach is probably what you’re dealing with if the intruder doesn’t have wings that can be seen. On the other hand, it’s most likely a water bug if it flies.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime.

Where Do Water Bugs Come From?

If you’re seeing water bugs inside your home, then they’re most likely not true water bugs (or giant water bugs) but rather cockroaches. As we mentioned earlier, Oriental cockroaches are the type of roach commonly mistaken for water bugs inside so those are most likely what you’re encountering.

Apart from indoors, they also happily live outdoors in dirty and damp environments such as garbage receptacles, sewage pipes, and rotting leaf piles. Indoors you’ll find them in places like under your sink in the bathroom or kitchen, behind your refrigerator, or hidden in crevices.

If these pests are finding their way inside, it is highly likely that there is a source of water or food attracting them.

Do Water Bugs Bite?

True water bugs do in fact bite and their bites can cause damage, and even lead to allergic reactions. But the ones found indoors, such as Oriental cockroaches, don’t bite but they can still be quite harmful.

Cockroaches in general can spread human disease and trigger allergies and asthma. Oriental cockroaches, in particular, can also spread contaminants that can lead to diarrhea or food poisoning.

How to Prevent Water Bugs

Water bugs can definitely be a nuisance, but there are several steps you can take to prevent them from entering your home or garden.

Remove any standing water near your home, such as puddles or birdbaths.

Seal any cracks or crevices around windows and doors.

Install screens on windows and doors to keep water bugs out.

Use insecticides to kill any water bugs that have already entered your home.

Keep your home clean and free of food debris, which can attract water bugs.

How to Get Rid of Water Bugs

If you’re spotting water bugs inside your home, then you need to take measures to control cockroaches straight away.

The first step is to identify the source of the water bugs. This can be done by looking for signs of them such as droppings, egg cases, and shed skins. Once you’ve identified where they’re coming from, you can take steps to eliminate their access to food and water sources.

The next step is to reduce clutter in your home, as this will make it harder for the pests to hide. You should also seal any cracks or crevices in your walls and floors, as this will prevent them from entering your home.

Finally, you can use a combination of chemical and non-chemical methods to control the water bugs. Chemical methods include using insecticides that are specifically designed for cockroaches, while non-chemical methods include using traps and baits.

We have also written and shared a detailed guide to help get rid of water bugs and cockroaches entirely, and we recommend you check it out. It includes the 6 steps you can take to get rid of them effectively.

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