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The word cockroach is rooted in the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is characterizable 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 backward instead of forward or downward as is the case in almost all other insects. The male generally 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 occasionally held coming out from her body or might be glued in protected areas. After the female produces an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton solidifies, it turns brown in shade. The form and large size (particular species possess a wingspan of longer than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have become a singular study in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach takes a warm, humid, dark environment and is often located in tropical and other mild locations. Only a small number of species have become pests. The insect damages more material than it digests and emits a disagreeable scent. The diet of the roach, which is both plant and animal product, can be from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides should be used in roach termination.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives outdoors or in dark, heated indoor spaces (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). During adult life, a period of about 1.5 years, the female deposits 50 or more oothecae, each containing about 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life lasts from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, a native of tropical and subtropical America, has well-developed wings. However, most species are often not gifted flyers.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common household pest and is often erroneously thought of as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female generates the ootheca three days after mating and carries it for about 20 days. Because it is tiny (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach frequently can be brought into houses in grocery bags and boxes; it has gone from nation to nation by boat. Three or more generations might breed yearly. This cockroach, found in abundance through the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, is commonly known as the Croton bug.

The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) is like the German cockroach but is a bit smaller. The male possesses totally developed wings and is lighter in shade than the female, whose wings are undeveloped and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands along the back. The adult life span is roughly 200 days, and there can be two generations in a year. Eggs may be dropped in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the invention of heated buildings this cockroach became more common in cooler climates.

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is held as 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 resembling that of the American cockroach. The male has short, fully developed wings, while the female possesses vestigial wings. This cockroach has been distributed by vehicles of commerce from its Asiatic origins to almost every temperate regions.

Wood roaches are wild pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, can be found in logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so varied in appearance that they were first seen as separate species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, possesses wings that go beyond the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus consumes wood with the aid of certain protozoans in its digestive tract.

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