PSA: It is amber roach season again. Don’t panic.

So, as the first roach posts appear on German Reddit, I wanted to reactivate this PSA from last year:

This time of year, when you encounter a little critter in your home that at first glance resembles a roach, don’t panic.

There are different types of roaches that can survive in Germany. One is the Deutsche Schabe – the roach that is harmful. The other type is the amber roach.

Amber roaches are completely harmless. In hot summer conditions, however, they can procreate very suddenly in an explosive rate.

To make the distinction, observe how they look and how they behave.

• Amber roaches are amber coloured and their neck shield is translucent and mono-coloured.
• The harmful roach has very distinct black stripes on their neck shield.
• Amber roaches are drawn towards light, which is why they venture through open doors and windows into homes and show up there in the evenings and are very easily visible: They walk over to the spots that are the brightest, kind of like moths. Harmful roaches flee the light and are only visible when their nest overflows. You can even shine a phone light directly at an amber roach, they won’t budge. Chances are: If you can take a photo of a living specimen, it is harmless.
• Amber roaches are quick, but not as quick as the naughty roaches. Also, they can fly: If one of these insects flew directly into your face, you have the best sign that it is harmless. Harmful roaches can not fly.
• If they suddenly show up in the coming weeks, chances are it is an amber roach.

Amber roaches can not survive in the home of humans and even if they managed to escape you, they will die soon from starvation – or will feed a daddy longlegs. They do not transmit illnesses like harmfull roaches and they don't invade your food storage, not even if they ventured into your kitchen.

More info here.

~https://www.br.de/nachrichten/wissen/harmlose-bernsteinschabe-oft-verwechselt-mit-fieser-kakerlake,SdJCtDj~

I made this post because I am now used to them, living in a ground floor appartement for six years that has been built, it appears, directly on top of an amber roach haven. But the first time these little critters appeared in my bedroom (and the subsequent two or three years) I got panic attacks.

So don’t panic, observe the insects, chances are it is the completely harmless variety if they show up this time of year.