White roaches or albino roaches are no different than roaches of other types.
No roach remains white till forever. Cockroaches turn white when they molt or shed their skin.
Molting, shedding of skin, is a natural process that bugs go through till they reach adulthood.
After shedding their old skin, the roaches look white.
It takes a few days for the color pigmentation to start before the roaches regain their original color.
So, are white roaches poisonous or harmful?
Keep reading to know more.
Albino Roaches Are Equally Harmful As Colored Roaches
Albino roaches are as harmful as dark roaches. Albino or white roaches carry harmful pathogens that they can transfer to your food.
Those pathogens can cause serious diseases if the white roaches transfer it to your food.
Also, white roaches, like colored roaches can bite humans.
But roaches are not infamous for biting humans because live humans are their food.
However, if roaches get pressed against your skin, or if you try to handle them, then they can bite.
The presence of white roaches inside the house also signify that there must be shed skins of roaches.
Roaches shed their skins for ten to thirteen times before they mature into adults.
Every time roaches shed their skins, they turn white till they attain their natural colors.
The shed skins of roaches are serious threats to both healthy individuals and asthma patients.
The shed skins will get suspended in the air and can enter your nostrils.
That can trigger allergic reactions.
Asthma patients can get asthma attacks if the shed skins enter their respiratory systems.
Is It Rare To See White Roaches Inside The House?
It’s not. All cockroaches molt.
And if there are too many roaches in your home or on your property, then you’ll definitely spot white roaches.
White roaches can be lesser active than what they were before molting.
It’s because when they molt, they shed their entire exoskeleton until a hormone, known as bursicon, takes over that hardens and pigments their skin.
After molting, white roaches will remain hiding for a few hours in their hiding places before they go out during the night looking for food.
Roaches are nocturnal bugs.
So, no matter if they’re black, brown, or white, it’s difficult to spot roaches during the day unless the infestation has skyrocketed.
Can Albino Roaches Fly?
If the roach had developed wings before molting, then yes, white roaches can fly.
But most roaches, despite having developed wings, prefer to crawl while looking for food and nesting places.
Are Baby Roaches White?
The moment baby roaches or nymphs hatch out of the roach eggs, they’re white.
Baby roaches start to turn into dark brown when the bursicon hormone kicks in after while from hatching.
Baby roaches, when they gain their natural color, look like miniature adult roaches and they don’t have wings.
These baby roaches will molt for several times before they grow into an adult roach capable to breed and to lay eggs.
With each molt, an albino roach emerges.
Why Are You Seeing White Roaches In Your House?
White roaches inside the house or in your yard signifies that there’s an active roach infestation in your home.
There are also active nests inside the house where cockroaches are laying their eggs.
It’ll be best that you inspect the common hiding places of roaches inside the house.
The most common roach hiding places that you must check after seeing an albino roach is in all the nooks and corners of your house.
Check out the areas underneath sinks, inside cabinets, wall voids, and even underneath appliances like refrigerator.
You must inspect all the areas of your house where there’s water usage.
So, look for roaches in places like basement, bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room.
You can use a roach spray to kill the roaches that you spot.
But roaches can be tough pests to eliminate.
And a severe infestation can be difficult to eliminate from your home without the help of a professional pest controller.
Nang Chen is an Entomologist and Arachnologist who is associated with Vienna’s museum of natural history. He’s also a consultant with real estate groups, insecticide conglomerates and law enforcement groups as a forensic entomologist. Nang Chen holds an M.S. from South China University and he’s a regular contributor to our site.