Pest profile

Cuban Cockroach (Green Banana Cockroach)

Panchlora nivea · Blattodea: Blaberidae[4]

The Cuban cockroach, also called the green banana cockroach, is a pale green tropical roach that lives outdoors in plants, leaf piles and woodpiles. Adults fly well and come to lights at night, which is how they end up at doors and windows.[1][2]

Adult Cuban cockroach, a pale green roach with long antennae and a thin yellow edge on its head shield, resting on white fabric
Adult Cuban cockroach, a pale green roach with long antennae and a thin yellow edge on its head shield, resting on white fabric. (c) Sam Kieschnick, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Adults are pale to bright green and about 7/8 to 1 inch (20 to 25 mm) long.[1][2]
  • There's a thin yellow margin along the front edge of the shield behind the head and the front of the wing covers.[1][2]
  • Nymphs look nothing like the adults: they are dark brown to black until their final molt.[1][2]
  • Adults are strong fliers and are drawn to lights, including ultraviolet light, at night.[1][3]

Where it lives

A tropical species native to Cuba and common in Central and northern South America. In the U.S. it lives near the Gulf Coast: mainly peninsular Florida, coastal Louisiana and eastern Texas from the coast to Central Texas.[1][2][3]

Biology and life cycle

Eggs develop inside the female's body for about two months, and she gives birth to an average of about 30 live nymphs at a time.[1][2]

Development from egg to adult averages about 144 days for males and 181 days for females, and adults may live about 150 days.[1]

Outdoors it lives in trees, shrubs and other plants, and in piles of lumber, leaves and mulch.[2]

It likely reached the U.S. in banana shipments, and it is also sold as a pet, which has led to escapes.[2]

Damage and signs

  • Considered a minor pest because it can't develop and reproduce indoors.[2]
  • Outdoors it can become a nuisance where firewood or leaf piles support high numbers, and dense populations can harm banana plants.[2]

Health risk

It is not considered an indoor pest and usually isn't found inside unless kept as a pet.[2]

Control

Prevention

Turn off outdoor lights when you can, since adults are active at night and fly toward light.[2][1]

Sanitation

Scatter woodpiles and get rid of leaf piles to remove the shelter this roach prefers.[2]

Common questions

What is the bright green cockroach I found?
In Florida and along the Gulf Coast, it's most likely the Cuban, or green banana, cockroach, a pale green outdoor species attracted to lights.[1][2]
Will green banana cockroaches infest my home?
No. They can't develop and reproduce indoors, so ones that fly in are accidental visitors.[2]
Why are the babies brown if the adults are green?
Nymphs are dark brown to black and only take on the green adult color after their final molt.[1][2]

Sources

  1. Texas Invasive Species Institute, “Green Banana Cockroach / Cuban Cockroach, Panchlora nivea (invasive species database).” tsusinvasives.org/home/database/panchlora-nivea (accessed 2026-10-06). University-based invasive species institute database entry.
  2. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Cooperative Extension Program, “Blattodea-Blaberidae-Panchlora nivea-Green Banana Cockroach (insect image record, June 9, 2018).” elp.tamu.edu/ipm/bugs/blattodea-termites-cockroaches/blattodea-blaberidae-panchlora-nivea-green-banana-cockroach-a-2/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  3. iNaturalist, “Panchlora nivea taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/244906 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-06. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.