American Cockroach

• Color: reddish-brown to brown, with a yellowish-tan band behind the head.
• Size: 1-1/2 inches long
• Feed on: prefer decaying organic matter, but will also feed on sweets and starchy items such as book bindings, glue, and wallpaper paste.
• Found in: prefers to live in cluttered areas, particularly basements.
• Characteristics: it is the largest cockroach found in dwellings.

Oriental Cockroach

• Color: glossy dark brown to black.
• Size: 1 to 1-1/4 inches long.
• Feed on: prefers decaying organic matter.
• Found in: normally found outdoors, but may invade buildings as weather cools.
• Characteristics: is known as the filthiest of the household infesting species.

German Cockroach

• Color: pale brown with two dark brown stripes down its wings
• Size: 1/2-inch long
• Feed on: almost any food, with a preference for starches, sweets, grease, meat products and garbage
• Found in: homes, offices, restaurants, hotels. May be carried into a building on groceries, deliveries, furniture/equipment, and personal belongings.
• Harborage: harbor in cracks and crevices, generally near a food and/or water source, such as kitchens and bathrooms. May live under, around, and in appliances; behind walls; around sinks; and in other hidden, sheltered areas.
• Characteristics: one of the smallest of cockroaches, it can produce more offspring than any other, enabling infestations to build rapidly.

Brownbanded Cockroach

• Color: reddish to dark brown with two yellowish-brown bands running across its wings.
• Size: 1/2-5/8 inch long
• Feed on: prefers starchy material; but will feed on almost anything.
• Found in: more apt to be found in private residences than in commercial buildings. May be on ceilings, walls, behind picture frames and light fixtures and switches, in appliances, closets and furniture. May infest any room in a dwelling.
• Characteristics: very active; jump when disturbed. Males can fly.