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The word cockroach is a corruption of the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognizable by a flattened oval body, long hairlike antennae, and a glossy black or brown leathery integument. The head is held downward, and the mouthparts point to the back instead of forward or downward as is the case in many other insects. The male usually has two pairs of wings, while the female, who in some species, is wingless or holds vestigial wings. The female creates eggs in egg cases (known as oothecae). These are occasionally held coming from her body or might be adhered in protected areas. After the female generates an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton toughens, it turns brown in appearance. The shape and large size (some species possess a wingspan measurement of over 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a significant study in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach likes a warm, humid, dark environment and is usually located in tropical or other mild locations. Only a small number of species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage on more material than it digests and emits a disagreeable smell. The eating habits of the roach, which is both plant and animal produce, ranges from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides can be preferred in roach control.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and inhabits outdoors or in dark, heated indoor areas (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In its adult life, a period of about 1.5 years, the female drops 50 or more oothecae, each containing usually 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, has well-developed wings. However, most species are rarely great at flying.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in the house and is often incorrectly referred to as 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 about 20 days. Because it is tiny in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach often is brought into homes in grocery bags and boxes; it has been taken through the globe by boat. Three or more generations could occur yearly. This cockroach, abundant 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 similar to the German cockroach but is a little bit smaller. The male possesses fully developed wings and is paler in hue than the female, whose wings are undeveloped and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands across the back. The adult life span is generally about 200 days, and there can be two generations in a year. Eggs may be left in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the innovation of heated buildings this cockroach became common in cooler locations.

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is thought of as one of the most disgusting 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 like that of the American cockroach. The male has short, fully developed wings, and the female possesses vestigial wings. This cockroach has been spread by vehicles of trade from its Asiatic origins to almost every temperate regions.

Wood roaches are feral pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, may be found below logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so unlike in appearance that they were once considered individual species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, has wings that extend beyond the abdomen; the female is smaller and possesses much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus digests wood with the help of some protozoans in its digestive tract.

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