Their presence is temporary, perhaps a few weeks a year. They usually die within a few days in the house due to insufficient moisture. Identification Similar to other cockroaches, the Pennsylvania woodroach is flattened, oval-elongate shaped, has spiny legs and long, filamentous antennae. Males, with wings longer than the body, fly swiftly, but cannot sustain themselves in the air for long periods of time. They have short wings covering about half the body and are unable to fly.
Females migrate by crawling.
Woods cockroaches have four large spines and several smaller spines on the femur of the front legs, whereas other cockroaches have several spines that gradually decrease in size. Life Cycle and Habits Females deposit their egg capsules outdoors under bark of old logs, stumps and firewood. Females produce about 30 capsules containing up to 32 eggs each. There is one generation per year and, in some cases, the life cycle takes two years. At dusk, males may begin taking short flights and are often seen in the headlights of the automobiles by persons driving through wooded areas.