Home Garden
Cockroaches in winter: Cold weather behavior & keeping them out
Content updated: May 8th, 2026
Key takeaways
- Keeping cockroaches out of the house in winter starts with prevention, including sealing cracks and maintaining good sanitation to eliminate food and water sources.
- Tips for keeping cockroaches away include storing food in sealed containers, removing garbage regularly, and avoiding leaving food or pet food out overnight.
- Cockroaches do not necessarily die in winter, as they can enter a dormant state or remain active inside heated homes with access to food and water.
- Common winter pests include American, German, and Oriental cockroaches, each with different habitats and behaviors inside and outside the home.
- If preventive measures fail, professional pest control can help identify and eliminate infestations, especially during colder months.
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Which cockroaches can be winter pests?
Contact a pest control professional for help
To keep cockroaches out of your house in winter and year-round, focus on a few simple preventive steps. These habits can help make your home less inviting when roaches look for warmth and shelter indoors.
Start by:
- Sealing cracks, crevices, and other entry points with caulk
- Avoiding dirty dishes and food scraps in the sink overnight
- Storing pantry items in sealed containers
- Emptying garbage daily and keeping it in sealed receptacles
- Removing pet food overnight, when cockroaches are most active
Do Cockroaches Like the Cold?
Generally, cockroaches don’t like the cold one bit. They are cold-blooded arthropods that don’t survive very well in either extremely cold or hot circumstances. They’re always at whatever temperature their environment is and generally slow down with cooler temperatures. For example, when it’s cold, German cockroaches may group together or be found in hot places to stay warm.
With that said, cockroaches are comfortable and thrive at the temperatures that human beings find comfortable. They’re good at finding the area that has the temperature they can survive in. We may think we're setting our thermostats for ourselves, but we're also potentially setting them for these pests.
Do Cockroaches Die In Winter?
In the winter, when temperature drops to a certain degree, many cockroaches enter a hibernation-like state of dormancy called diapause. In this inactive state, their metabolic rate slows and growth stops. When cockroaches enter warm buildings, or homes, with plenty of food and water, they can remain active in the winter. That also means they continue reproducing and eating. Because houses typically provide an ideal environment, complete with warmth, food and water, roaches are more likely to enjoy your home in the winter.
Which Cockroaches Can Be Winter Pests?
American cockroaches – can grow up to 2 inches in length and is reddish-brown in color. It's considered the largest house-infesting cockroach in the United States. American cockroaches may feed on anything from human food to feces. Since these roaches prefer areas where food and water is plentiful, they are most often found outdoors. However, they can invade homes as well, especially during extreme weather, like some winters.
German cockroaches – can grow to be a little over half of an inch in length and is light brown in color. German cockroaches are also fast. Unlike the American cockroach, the German cockroach is typically found breeding indoors and likes to hide out in wall cracks and voids.
Oriental cockroaches – ranges from 1 to 2 inches in length and is typically dark-brown to reddish-brown in color. Unlike the American and German cockroaches, the oriental cockroach has no markings on its body, which can help in identification. Oriental cockroaches tend to prefer very damp areas, which is why people often mistakenly refer to them as "water bugs." They can be found indoors in basements or around water collection systems.
Contact a Pest Control Professional for Help
Controlling cockroaches can be tricky. If you wind up with a cockroach infestation this winter, and despite your best preventive efforts, contact the cockroach experts at Terminix®. Our pest control professionals can identify the type of cockroach invading your home, determine where they are nesting and — most importantly — present you with a plan for evicting these nuisance insects.
