German cockroaches are serious pests that can put you and your family at risk. They spread disease and ruin food. These resilient insects are experts at scavenging for crumbs and leftovers. They’ll quickly build colonies in apartment buildings and houses if the resources are there. The German cockroach is an aggressive cockroach species that infests homes in the United States, Canada, and across the world. It’s a very small cockroach, growing to around a half inch long (about the diameter of a penny). German cockroaches have wings but don’t use them to fly.

American cockroaches are one of the biggest species of roaches common to the household. Coming from Africa and the Middle East, the American cockroach can be found all over the United States. In southern states they are commonly found outdoors, while in the northern states they more frequently take shelter in drains and sewers. Due to their propensity for wet, moist locations, in some regions cockroaches are called other names like the “water roach” or “palmetto bug”.

One of the largest of its kind, the Oriental cockroach is a distinguishable species of roach. Often called the “black beetle cockroach,” they are dark brown to nearly all black in coloration, showcasing a smooth and shiny exterior. Slower than most cockroaches, they prefer to be active outdoors and at night, searching for warm, moist and dark locations to find food and shelter.
Not quite as big as the American cockroach, this roach averages about one inch in length. Oriental cockroaches differ in appearance from male to female. The males are slightly shorter (one inch) with stubbed wings, while the females are longer and skinnier (1-1/4 inches) but without wings. Both are reddish-brown to nearly all black.

Adult male brownbanded cockroaches (Fig. 1) are about 1/2 inch long and light brown, with fully developed wings. The adult females are shorter and stouter than the males and their wings do not cover the entire abdomen. Both adults and nymphs can be distinguished by the two brownish, broad bands across the body at the base of the abdomen and at mid-abdomen. Both males and females are quite active; adult males fly readily when disturbed.

Brownbanded cockroaches prefer warm and dry locations, such as near refrigerator motor housings, on the upper walls of cabinets, and inside pantries, closets, dressers, and furniture in general. They can also be found behind picture frames and beneath tables and chairs, and inside clocks, radios, light switch plates, doorframes, and dressers. It is common to find them hiding nearer the ceiling than the floor and away from water sources. Accurate identification is paramount to controlling brownbanded cockroaches. Control strategies for other cockroaches will not be efficacious for brownbanded cockroaches.