Demand for cockroach management services rarely falters, and PMPs need to stay ready for battle. With about 70 species in the United States, it’s not uncommon for an applicator to find themselves unsure of which cockroach they’ve encountered. One of the best keys to our management success is our knowledge about the pests we face. With consistent practice and field observations, combined with reliable guides and reference materials, we can strengthen this skillset. Below we share the Pest Profiles for some common cockroach culprits we come up against in commercial and residential accounts around the US with some helpful details about their identifying characteristics, biology, and habitat preferences.
American cockroach (Periplaneta americana)
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- Type: Peri-domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adults are large (~1½ - 2” in length) and reddish brown in coloration with fully developed functional wings, and a brown pattern on their yellowish-tan pronotum.
- Range: Prevalent throughout the US. Worldwide distribution. Not native to the United States.
- Life span: It takes about ~15 months for an American cockroach to develop into an adult, after which they can live an additional ~12-15 months.
- Reproduction: Each oothecae contains about 16 eggs. On average, a female American cockroach can produce ~150 offspring in her lifetime. Oothecae are dropped or attached to surfaces in protected areas.
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Commonly found in damp, dark areas like steam tunnels, sewer systems, basements, and around drains.

German cockroach (Blattella germanica)
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- Type: Domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adults are small (~½” in length) and light brown in color with two dark parallel bands on the pronotum. While they do have wings, German cockroaches don’t fly.
- Range: Prevalent throughout the US. Worldwide distribution. Not native to the United States.
- Life span: Depending on the conditions, development from egg to adult may take about ~14 weeks. Adult German cockroaches can live upwards of 200 days.
- Reproduction: The number of eggs per oothecae varies, but they often contain as many as 30-48 per egg case. Females typically hold onto their oothecae until hatch or a day or two prior to hatch.
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Warm, humid areas within the structure that provide moisture and food, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Smokybrown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa)
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- Type: Peri-domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adults are large (~1¼” in length) with a dark, solid, shiny pronotum. They can fly well and have dark brown wings that extend beyond the tip of the abdomen.
- Range: Found in many states across the US, but most common in the southeast. Not native to the United States.
- Life span: While it does largely depend on environmental conditions, development from egg to adult takes about 1-1.5 years, after which adults can live an additional ~200+ days.
- Reproduction: On average, a female Smokybrown Cockroach will produce around 200 offspring in her life (~10 oothecae, with each containing approximately 20 eggs).
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Preference for dark, humid areas in and around structures such as wood piles, attics, tree holes, and mulched areas in landscaping.
Turkestan cockroach (Blatta lateralis)
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- Type: Peri-domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adult male Turkestan cockroaches look significantly different than adult females. Female Turkestan cockroaches resemble female Oriental cockroaches: dark in coloration with short wing-buds that have a pale marking on the outer margins. Males are orangish-tan with developed wings, though they are not the best fliers.
- Range: Found predominantly in the southern US, particularly in southwestern states. Not native to the United States.
- Life span: They have five nymphal instars, and depending on the conditions, they can develop into adults in ~200 days. Adults can live for 600+ days.
- Reproduction: In her lifetime, a female may produce upwards of 25 oothecae that each contain about 16 eggs.
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Adapted to drier climates; often found around leaf litter, compost piles, water meter boxes, and potted plants.

Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis)
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- Type: Peri-domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adults are ~1-1¼” in length and are sexually dimorphic (meaning the male and female Oriental Cockroaches look different from one another). Females are dark with short wing-buds, whereas the males are dark with wings that do not fully cover the abdomen.
- Range: Found throughout the US. While they are not native to the United States, the country of origin is not certain.
- Life span: After a ~1-1.5-year development time, adult Oriental Cockroaches can live an additional 180 days.
- Reproduction: On average, a female Oriental Cockroach may produce ~130 eggs in her lifetime (~8 oothecae, with ~16 eggs per case). Egg cases are carried for a short period of time before they are deposited or glued in a suitable, sheltered area near accessible food.
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Often found in cool, shady, damp places around the structure such as cellars, basements, leaf litter, drains, and crawlspaces.
Brownbanded cockroach (Supella longipalpa)
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- Type: Domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adults are small (~½” in length) with light brown bodies and a dark bell shape on the pronotum. The wings on an adult female do not fully cover her abdomen. Males can readily fly.
- Range: Found in most US states. Not native to the United States.
- Life span: Development to the adult stage, depending on the conditions, can take 12-40 weeks. Adults can live upwards of ~150 days.
- Reproduction: On average, a female Brownbanded cockroach can produce about 14 oothecae in her lifetime, each containing 13-18 eggs. She will attach her oothecae on walls and coarse surfaces ~24-36h after producing it.
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Often found in warm, dry areas within a home, including bedrooms, closets, appliances, and around/under chairs and furniture.

Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae)
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- Type: Peri-domestic cockroach.
- Identifying characteristics: Adults are large (~1¼-1½” in length) with fully developed wings that are reddish-brown in coloration. They have a distinct dark pattern and border around their yellowish pronotum and yellow bands on the outside margins of their forewings.
- Range: Worldwide distribution, not native to the United States. Found in many states across the US but is most prevalent in Florida.
- Life span: Following a 6-12 month development time, adults can live for another ~150 days.
- Reproduction: Female Australian Cockroaches can produce ~25 oothecae in her lifetime, each containing ~26 eggs. Oothecae are deposited in cracks, crevices, and other protected areas.
- Conducive conditions and habitats: Humid areas around wood piles, landscaping, sinks, greenhouses, and other places that provide moisture and warmth.