Roach fecal pellets have a cylindrical to roundish shape, slightly coarse surface, and are black to dark brown. The feces vary from specks to small pellets, depending to the size of the roaches. 

While you may only see a few scattered pellets in some places, there can be a cluster in an area that they have infested for a long period, such as the bottom of an electric panel box or under a refrigerator.

    Drywood termite fecal pellets are different from those produced by roaches in several ways. They are usually a light brown and the pellets are consistently capsule-shaped. Also, the capsules have small ridges running along their length that can be observed with a magnifying glass. Termite fecal matter is called “frass,” and it will often be observed in a small pyramid-shaped pile, directly below a tiny hole in the wall or ceiling where the termites have been kicking it out. 

    Roach feces is usually more randomly spread around the area where you find it. At a glance, termite fecal pellets may look similar to granules of light brown sugar and, because the pellets are so small, you will have to look closely to observe the capsule shape, which is shown greatly magnified below.

    If you are unsure what type of fecal pellets you have found, we recommend calling a certified pest control operator.

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To learn more about termites, see these other blog posts:

• Should I be worried about termites if my neighbor's house is being tented?

• Is the WDO (termite) inspector allowed to poke holes in my wood siding and trim? 

• Do carpenter ants cause structural damage to houses in Florida?

• How long before closing can you have a WDO (termite) inspection done?

• How long does Bora-Care® last? 

• Why is it a mistake to store lumber in the crawl space under a house?

• Does the presence of carpenter ants in a house indicate that there are probably also termites? 

• How do termites infest a house and remain hidden while doing major damage?

• Are homes in Florida required to have termite protection? 

• If termite damage appears to be old, does that mean that termites may no longer be present?

• What is the difference between a subterranean termite and a drywood termite?

• What are the green plastic discs in the ground around the house? 

• What is a termite shield?

• How do termites get into a concrete block house? 

• Do termites eat concrete?

• What is a clean WDO?  

• What do termites eat?

• How do I treat wood rot  that's listed in my termite-WDO report? 

• Do I really need a termite-WDO inspection? 

• I saw a little termite damage on the baseboard. Should I be concerned?

   Visit our TERMITES, WOOD ROT AND PESTS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.