The word cockroach is taken from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognizable by a flat oval body, long threadlike antennae, and a shining black or brown leathery integument. The head is aimed downward, and the mouthparts are aimed to the back instead of forward or downward as is the case in most other insects. The male frequently has two pairs of wings, but the female, who in some species, is wingless or has vestigial wings. The female creates eggs in egg cases (labeled oothecae). These are on occasion held coming from her body or might be adhered in protected places. After the female deposits an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton hardens, it turns brown in shade. The shape and remarkable size (particular species possess a wingspan of longer than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a singular area in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach prefers a warm, humid, dark environment and is more often than not located in tropical or other mild locations. Only a few species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage on more material than it eats and emits a disgusting smell. The nutrition of the roach, which can be both plant and animal product, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, especially bedbugs. Insecticides can be used in roach removing.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives outside or in dark, heated indoor spaces (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). During its adult life, lasting about 1.5 years, the female creates 50 or more oothecae, each possessing about 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life goes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, a native of tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, the majority of species are not usually great at flying.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in houses and sometimes erroneously referred to as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female creates the ootheca three days post mating and carries it for around 20 days. Because it is tiny in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach generally can be brought into households in grocery bags and boxes; it has been spread through the world by boat. Three or more generations could live yearly. This cockroach, abundant through the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, has become known as the Croton bug.

The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) resembles the German cockroach but is even smaller. The male possesses totally developed wings and is brighter in colour than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands across the back. The adult life span is around 200 days, and there could be two generations a year. Eggs may be deposited in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the innovation of heated buildings this cockroach became established in cooler locations.

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is considered one of the dirtiest of household pests. It is oval, shiny black or dark brown, 25 to 30 mm (1 to 1.2 inches) long, with a life cycle similar to that of the American cockroach. The male possesses short, fully developed wings, but the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been taken by vehicles of business from its Asiatic origins to every temperate regions.

Wood roaches are not domestic pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, can be found under logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so varied in appearance that they were initially seen as separate species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, possesses wings that go past the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus digests wood with the help of select protozoans in its digestive tract.

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