The word cockroach is stemmed from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is characterized by a flat oval body, long hairlike antennae, and a gloss black or brown leathery integument. The head is bent downward, and the mouthparts are directed to the back instead of forward or downward as is the case for the majority of other insects. The male frequently has two pairs of wings, unlike the female, who in some species, is wingless or possesses vestigial wings. The female creates eggs in egg cases (labeled oothecae). These are sometimes held coming from her body or may be held in protected parts. After the female generates an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton hardens, it turns brown in hue. The shape and remarkable size (some species have a wing span of higher than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a particular objective in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach prefers a warm, humid, dark living habitat and is often found living in tropical and other mild climates. Only a small number species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage on more material than it digests and possesses a unpleasant scent. The food preference of the roach, which includes both plant and animal products, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides could be utilized in roach control.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives out of doors 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 generates 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, indigenous to tropical and subtropical America, has well-developed wings. However, most species are not often gifted flyers.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in houses and occasionally incorrectly called a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female deposits the ootheca three days post mating and carries it for generally around 20 days. Because it is tiny (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach frequently is taken into homes in grocery bags and boxes; it has moved between nations by boat. Three or more generations may occur yearly. This cockroach, found in abundance through the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, has become called the Croton bug.

The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) resembles the German cockroach but is slightly smaller. The male possesses wholly developed wings and is brighter in shade than the female, whose wings are undeveloped and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands across the back. The adult life span is about 200 days, and there could be two generations in a year. Eggs may be dropped in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the advent of heated buildings this cockroach became common in cooler temperatures.

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 possesses vestigial wings. This cockroach has been taken by vehicles of trade from its Asiatic origins to every temperate regions.

Wood roaches are feral pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, lives below logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so different in appearance that they were originally thought to be unique species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, possesses wings that expand past the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus digests wood with the assistance of certain protozoans in its digestive tract.

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