Are Water Bugs the Same as Cockroaches?

"Oh don't worry, they're just waterbugs."

If that's what you're hearing from your landlord, chances are they're trying to downplay your cockroach infestation. Which is strange because a water bug problem would be much, much worse.

WNYC's Shumita Basu spoke to Jason Bittel, a writer who specializes in the science of weird creatures, to get the answers to the age-old debate: Is that a cockroach or a water bug?

You see? The reasons to respect (if not love) cockroaches are virtually limitless! #mywrongopinion https://t.co/k8pdt7IFJg https://t.co/vjSYMo0PO2

— Jason Bittel (@bittelmethis) September 15, 2017

Bittel explained both are classified as insects because of their exoskeletans, but water bugs fall under the subcategory of "True Bug" because of their straw-like mouths.

But here's the main difference: "Water bugs are predators! They're in the water looking for living things they can grasp onto, inject their juices into them, digest them, and then suck it back out," explained Bittel. "Whereas cockroaches, especially the ones in your apartment, are not going to climb on your skin at night and inject stuff into you and try to slurp out your insides."

Comforting, right?

Bittel also added, the Google image search for "water bug" yields a lot of cockroaches images, furthering the confusion.

Even though some people call cockroaches "waterbugs," the two are very different insects.

(Shumita Basu/WNYC)

Shumita Basu spoke to WNYC's Richard Hake.