The word cockroach is stemmed from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognized by a flat oval body, long stringlike antennae, and a shining black or brown leathery integument. The head is bent downward, and the mouthparts aim rearward instead of forward or downward as is the case with the majority of other insects. The male often has two pairs of wings, unlike the female, who in some species, is wingless or possesses vestigial wings. The female produces eggs in egg cases (labeled oothecae). These are sometimes held protruding from her body or can be stuck in protected locations. After the female produces an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton hardens, it turns brown in appearance. The form and remarkable size (particular species have a wingspread of more than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have turned them into a keen study in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach enjoys a warm, humid, dark living habitat and is generally located in tropical and other mild climates. Just a small number of species have become pests. The insect damages more material than it eats and possesses a yucky scent. The nutrition of the roach, which is both plant and animal products, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, particularly bedbugs. Insecticides should be taken in roach removing.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives in an outdoor habitat or in dark, heated indoor places (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In adult life, generally about 1.5 years, the female creates 50 or more oothecae, each holding about 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life takes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, a native of tropical and subtropical America, has well-developed wings. However, many species are seldom gifted at flying.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common household pest and sometimes incorrectly labeled a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female produces the ootheca three days post mating and carries it for around 20 days. Because it is tiny (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach generally is taken into households in grocery bags and boxes; it has been taken through the globe by ship. Three or more generations may live yearly. This cockroach, found abundantly through the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, has become labeled the Croton bug.

The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) is like the German cockroach but is even smaller. The male possesses completely developed wings and is brighter in shade than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands across the back. The adult life span is generally about 200 days, and there may be two generations annually. Eggs are be deposited in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the invention of heated buildings this cockroach became common in cooler climates.

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is held to be 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 carried in vehicles of trade from its Asiatic origins to almost all the temperate regions.

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

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