But relax, it's not likely to become a pest of homes and structures. The pale-bordered cockroach, Pseudomops septentrionalis Hebard, was first found in Alabama in May 1996. This species is presumed to be established in Alabama because it has been collected every year since 1996 and has been reported from additional sites each year. The pale-bordered cockroach has been reported from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as from Costa Rica and northern Mexico. To date, this cockroach has not been reported from any other southern state.
Cockroaches are poor fliers and unable to cross large bodies of water.
This is the first known case of a native North American cockroach spreading in the United States by means of human transport. To study the biology of this species and learn more about the potential this new Alabama resident has as a pest, laboratory colonies were established by collecting cockroaches and housing them in one-gallon jars stocked with dry dog food and water. Sticks and dried leaves were added to each jar to provide harborage and to simulate their natural surroundings. Egg case of pale-bordered cockroach. Adult pale-bordered cockroaches have been observed outdoors on foliage and in ground litter.